Infinite Mana Brings Mind-Bending 2.5D JRPG Thrills to PC with Launch Discount

Originally given a demo during Steam Next Fest and available in early access about a year ago, Infinite Mana has finally launched in its full form. Wonderlust Games has aimed to create something that is a blend of 8-bit, 16-bit and even some 32-bit-style gameplay and visuals. It very much aims to deliver a conventional experience in some ways while also bending a bit of those conventions at the same time. The demo has been available for a long time, but it wound up being something I missed out on despite wanting to play it and just not getting around to it.

Beauty of the World

That wound up being a wonderful thing in hindsight, however, because by flying in blind beyond knowing about the look of it being a blend of 2D or 2.5D depending on the area you’re in, it allowed me to appreciate everything it wants to do and view it with fresh eyes. It’s an adventure that begins as so many JRPGs do – with your mother waking you up and telling you to go play, but right away, things are askew as in-world glitches impact your world and show things like garbled text and parts of the environment becoming a blend of a black screen and code to throw the player for a loop. One minute, you’re outside playing with a ball and looking at trees in a 16-bit-style world and the next, you’re inhabiting a black and white world with no detail, but ominous music blaring to put a healthy amount of fear in you.

Unraveling a Mystery

Having that tonal whiplash works wonders because you’re kept on your toes at all times even very early on in the adventure and it’s a rare example of a game starting off strong and growing stronger. You’re given enough details to get around, but not much in the way of context for everything until a bit later and, in that regard, it reminds me of the opening of FFVII where you are given a character and a setting, but have to fill in the blanks in this mystery world for a bit and it makes your mind wonder about what’s been and what will be.

Seriously Bruv, the Colors!

It’s an incredible adventure even two hours in and well-worth its asking price at full price. Early birds, however, have until June 4 to grab it at a 15% discount on Steam – taking it from $24.99 to $21.24. Check out Infinite Mana on Steamhereand its launch trailerhere.