Square Enix plans Seiken Densetsu return
The legacy of Mana continues to grow.
Square Enix is planning another title in the Seiken Densetsu series, and has started advertising to fill a wide number of positions on the development team via its Japanese website. Although few details of the new title are made available, the recruitment page does include a couple of snaps of colourful concept art.
The most recent entry in the action RPG series, Sword of Mana, arguably didn't quite live up to its billing, but the name has been sacred amongst RPG fans ever since the 16-bit Super Nintendo title Secret of Mana - or Seiken Densetsu 2.
Square Enix is currently advertising to fill a multitude of positions - in programming, map and battle planning, art, motion and effects design, and character and background modelling. Tellingly, one of the background modeller ads asks for 3D graphics tool experience, which is bound to fuel speculation that the latest Seiken Densetsu will embrace the third dimension for the first time.
No platforms have been discussed at this point, but the last Mana title appeared on GBA, and Square Enix openly supports virtually every format except Xbox. Whether it'll be Cube, PS2, GBA, or even DS or PSP, however, remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that Square Enix's Final Fantasy I & II compilation bundle for the Game Boy Advance has run into 11th hour technical difficulties, and the publisher has postponed the game's release until further notice. There's no word on the nature of the bug that stopped it, but it shouldn't take too long to fix.