The Japanese dub, while not amazing in and of itself, is at least more consistent, and features voice actors anime fans may recognize. Other choices, like writing all of Charlotte’s lines in a baby-talk-like effect, make characters almost intolerable. Some voiceovers feel like they were recorded off a Skype call, with odd volume normalization. I can’t pretend to know the circumstances affecting the production, but in spots, Trials of Mana‘s localization feels like a case where not having it at all might have been a better choice. The English localization, particularly the dub, also doesn’t do itself any favors. It is ranked 768 on the all-time Top Rated Switch games, with a total of 10 reviews and an average. Choosing the wrong party combination can result in a strange, disjointed narrative experience, as plotlines get resolved and quest steps move forward without clear transitions or connections between the characters. Trials of Mana is an action rpg for the Nintendo Switch. It doesn’t help that the good bits are straight-up missable, or have unfortunate rough edges. On the other hand, game narratives still need something, and by my lights Trials of Mana lacks the strong, endearing characterization that makes a game stick out in the mind, especially this distant from its initial influence or the nostalgia of childhood memory. On the one hand, not every game – or remake of a game – needs to be “in dialogue” with itself and the world at large. ![]() I’m old and have played a lot of games, so my preferences have shifted away from Trials’ earnestly straightforward tale of good guys saving the world from bad guys. As satisfying as the combat in Trials of Mana feels, though, the narrative hasn’t quite held up as well in my jaded eyes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |