Dawn of Mana

 PlayStation 2
Dawn of Mana Image
Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 19 Ratings

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  • Summary: Dawn of Mana, the first true Mana sequel in a decade, reveals the origins of the legend behind the Mana Tree and the Sword of Mana. Breaking the series' 2D mould, Dawn of Mana brings the world of Mana to three-dimensional life while preserving the atmosphere that fans have come to know andDawn of Mana, the first true Mana sequel in a decade, reveals the origins of the legend behind the Mana Tree and the Sword of Mana. Breaking the series' 2D mould, Dawn of Mana brings the world of Mana to three-dimensional life while preserving the atmosphere that fans have come to know and love. Players can see for themselves how vividly characters and monsters move about these new yet familiar surroundings. This instalment of the Mana is a true action-adventure, with sweeping plains and mountains stretching as far as the eye can see. It's a world ripe for adventure! A World of Sensation: "Touch" is the theme of Dawn of Mana's world. You can virtually feel realistically rendered, lifelike objects. [Square Enix]… Expand
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Dawn of Mana Cutscene 1

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 27
  3. Negative: 9 out of 27
  1. Play Magazine
    80
    Generally speaking, if you like exploration, platforming, physics-based action and a good puzzle, this is as fresh an action-adventure as you're going to find, and the character designs are nothing short of perfection. [June 2007, p.79]
    All this publication's reviews
  2. RPG Fan
    70
    This all goes to show that eye candy and excellent music mean nothing if everything else is weak.
  3. GameZone
    67
    Dawn of Mana tries to bring something fresh and interesting but fails to recapture the magic of the classic that lit up our old Super NES consoles.
  4. Game Revolution
    58
    Like Ocean’s Thirteen, there are a lot of amazing individual elements in Dawn of Mana that are worth the price of admission. But they just don’t come together to make a cohesive whole.
  5. GameTrailers
    55
    Dawn of Mana is a tale full of marvelous art and storytelling that captures the look and essence of the older Mana games, but beneath the veneer is a different beast that has excised most of the gameplay elements that make the old games so memorable.
  6. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    45
    By axing most of the series' normal role-playing elements, the developers have effectively devolved Dawn of Mana into a linear adventure-platformer. [June 2007, p.90]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. GamesRadar+
    30
    Nostalgic music and consistent art direction can't save a game from crippled controls, a mulish camera, and painfully tiresome reptition. Dawn of Mana is ultimately remarkable only for being such a bitter disappointment.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 2 out of 4
  1. JamesT.
    Sep 14, 2008
    10
    Severely underrated and needlessly bashed by incomprehensive reviewers and infuriated series fans alike, Dawn of Mana is one of those games Severely underrated and needlessly bashed by incomprehensive reviewers and infuriated series fans alike, Dawn of Mana is one of those games you have to invest all your love on to be able to crack the "bad reviews" armos and see it for what it actually is: a good platform game.… Expand
  2. CrimsonEye
    Jan 16, 2020
    6
    The games' main gimmick (I believe) is the destructible environment. That is what hooked 10-year old me into the game, but I remember beingThe games' main gimmick (I believe) is the destructible environment. That is what hooked 10-year old me into the game, but I remember being stuck at the boss at chapter 2, and that was what made me put the controller down. After finishing this game 9 years later, here's what I have to say: The story is good, about what you would expect from Square Enix. The soundtrack is amazing, also what you would expect from Square Enix, but that's about it in terms of pros. I've always felt mildly infuriated playing this game. The tight controls, the bouncy physics, the stiff jumping, the awfully bad camera, there was always something I was complaining about, and all of the bad elements of this game are greatly expressed in the final chapter. I was frustrated enough to where I wanted to put down the controller and stop playing, but the story always made me want to know what happens next, and I was ultimately determined to finish this game, and when I did finish the game, I felt so relieved that it was finally over.

    So basically, gameplay is alright, but I'll be listening to that soundtrack a lot.    … Expand
  4. TheQuietGamer
    Feb 20, 2011
    3
    The problems with this game are the terrible controls, and the awful camera, the graphics are ok, the sound effects are ok, but the voiceThe problems with this game are the terrible controls, and the awful camera, the graphics are ok, the sound effects are ok, but the voice acting is terrible, and the story is crappy, and to top it all off it has a flawed leveling up system which can make this a pain, this is one I would recommend avoiding.… Expand
  5. NicholasF
    May 30, 2009
    0
    Stay Away! Worse game in the series, bar none! This is not a Mana game despite them numbering it so in Japan.

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Awards & Rankings

83
#83 Best PS2 Game of 2007
57
#57 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2007
13
#13 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2007