As reported by Gematsu, Square Enix has announced the Seiken Densetsu Collection for Nintendo Switch. Seiken Densetsu is better known as the Mana series in the West. The Collection includes the first three titles, the third of which was never released outside of Japan. The publisher teased the announcement on twitter as part of a 25th anniversary celebration:
#聖剣伝説 pic.twitter.com/uXD0hey02H
— 聖剣伝説 -公式- (@Seiken_PR) March 20, 2017
The Seiken Densetsu Collection includes:
- Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden (released as Final Fantasy Adventure in the US in 1991 for the Game Boy)
- Seiken Densetsu 2 (released as Secret of Mana in the US in 1993 for the SNES)
- Seiken Densetsu 3 (released in Japan in 1995 for the Super Famicom)
This collection is important for three reasons. One, Secret of Mana is a fantastic Zelda-like Action-RPG. Two, the Nintendo Switch is region-free, allowing anyone to purchase Japanese titles. And three, hopefully high sales will bring English localization for the third title. Square Enix has made no such announcements, however. Secret of Mana has been available (in English) through the Wii U Virtual Console.
The Seiken Densetsu Collection includes some bonus goodies. An added quick save lets you save anywhere. Music Mode lets you listen to each game’s music directly from the main menu. Screen Change Mode lets you choose from different screen sizes to display the old Game Boy game.
The Mana series continued throughout the 90s and 2000s. Fan and critical reception never reached the height of the first three titles, and the series was mostly forgotten outside of Japan.
The Seiken Densetsu Collection is launching on June 1.
