Mana to include four demos

[06.10.99] » Square's sequel in the Secret of Mana series will include four playable demos from upcoming games, according to Magic Box.

   According to Magic Box, Square's upcoming release of Legend of Mana will find four playable demos included with the game, an effective marketing technique the company is beginning to use much more frequently. The only title officially confirmed in the package, due out on July 15th, is Dewprism, an action RPG closely resembling Brave Fencer Musashi. (More information is available in our preview here.)

   And the other three titles? Due out at the end of the summer, Front Mission 3 is almost a given. Another strong possibility for inclusion would be Parasite Eve 2, seen in video-only form during this year's E3 tradeshow. While the majority of game footage available in Square's teaser movie focused on PE2's rendered CG sequences, a few short flashes illustrated what appeared to be a near-complete combat engine. Another possibility is a hereto-unknown and unconfirmed title called "Vagrant's Story." However, news of the game's existence should be regarded strictly as rumor-only for the moment -- despite appearing on several English gaming news sites, all information concerning the title was originally sourced from one fan-based Japanese page.

   Finally, it's unlikely Square will demo, even in video-only, anything related to the next title in the Final Fantasy series. While Digicube accidentally revealed that the title is indeed in development and will likely find a release in early 2000, Square will undoubtably keep quiet until a time much closer to release.