Heroes of Mana gets its release date: Square's new RPG slash RTS game will be hitting European stands (and other PAL territories) on September 14. The game, which makes full use of the stylus to command troops and build bases, also boasts of a soundtrack from Kingdom Hearts composer Yoko Shimomura, plus lush 2D and 3D environments.

In Heroes of Mana you will be taking over the character of Roget, who finds out about the cruelties of his own government when it turns against him. Faced with this, Roget is forced to fight against his own homeland. The game will let you command both heroes and monsters from the Mana series and will also feature multiplayer battles.

 

Want another dose of the upcoming RPG-slash-RTS video game for the Nintendo DS? You're in luck, we've got another batch of screenshots from Square Enix and Brownie Brown's Heroes of Mana.

And it looks like the heroes are ready for battle. In this batch of screenshots, we see some characters in Heroes of Mana, who are either for or against main hero Roget: the masked and buxom General Baxilios, Gemiere, Gauser, Yurchael (the archer), and D'Kelli. We also see battle scenes, unit creation, a couple of concept art, and some stills from the game's cinematics.

Anyway, check them out and see if you like it. We should be seeing Heroes of Mana on the shelves in a couple of days (North American release date is August 14, and Europe will get it on September 14) so you better watch out. In the meantime, feel free to ogle the screenshots.

More screenshots right after the jump!

Heroes of Mana is edging ever closer to North America. Its release is so near that now that you can probably smell that fresh morning scent of the Mana Tree already. So, to prepare ourselves for the next adventure in the Seiken Densetsu universe, here's a bit of preview for the game.

It takes us for a spin of what to expect in this tactical strategy RPG title. From a retrospective look of the Square Enix franchise's previous installments, spin-offs, and remakes, this preview also runs through the various features and and story elements of Heroes of Mana.

Before getting Brownie Brown's game, make sure you keep tabs on how to work the battle system as well - it is the first RTS game in the Mana franchise, after all:

A few months back, we reported that the real-time strategy RPG title Heroes of Mana was coming to North America. Well, Europe and other PAL territories need not feel left out anymore as the Square Enix and Brownie Brown DS video game has announced that Heroes of Mana will be coming there as well.

In Heroes of Mana, players are put in the boots of Roget, a Peddan soldier. Roget gets caught up with a conspiracy spun by his own superiors against him and the crew of their aircraft. What's a guy to do? Well, as you may have guessed, you have to lead your party to uncover the scheme and saved the world of Mana.

What else can we expect from the title? Here are the additional features:

• Real-time strategy that makes full use of the Nintendo DS Touch Screen – the intuitive control scheme allows players to lead armies, build bases and vanquish their foes entirely through the use of the Nintendo DS stylus
• Intense head-to-head multiplayer allows friends to challenge each other via DS Wireless Communications
• Command heroes and monsters alike from the Mana series and lead them to victory on the battlefield
• The signature Mana art style comes to life in a fantastic blend of 2D and 3D environments
• Kingdom Hearts series composer Yoko Shimomura delivers a stirring soundtrack that captures the essence of the World of Mana series

Square Enix's president and CEO, John Yamamoto is very enthusiastic about Heroes of Mana coming to Europe and PAL territories:

We’re very excited to be bringing Heroes of Mana to Europe. The MANA series has long been adored by fans around the world. Heroes of Mana offers a fantastically fresh new approach, with the addition of real-time strategy that makes battles even more thrilling than before.

Anyway, along with the announcement came a batch of English screenshots so you may want to check them out as well. Europe and PAL territories can expect Heroes of Mana on the shelves by autumn.

Check out more Heroes of Mana screenshots after the jump!

In recent news, Square Enix, Inc. has just announced the North American release of Dawn of Mana for the Playstation 2 and Heroes of Mana for the Nintendo DS. Both games are set in the world of Mana, a land which has captivated American audiences since 1993.

Dawn of Mana for the PS2 is the sequel to Secret of Mana which was released in North America last 1993 on the Super Nintendo. The newest iteration of the game is now in 3D. They have also added new characters and environments while retaining some of the old favorites. If you do decide to pick up the game, they are giving away Breath of Mana. It's essentially a sampler disc that contains parts of the soundtrack which will be available at Amazon.com, Game Crazy, GameStop, and EB Games for every purchase of Dawn of Mana. The game is slated for release on May 22 this year.

Heroes of Mana for the DS is like FF Tactics in the sense that players have to plan, plot, and strategize to win. The game will make ample use of the Nintendo DS Touch Screen to give out orders. More competitive players can view their ranking compared to other players around the world through the Nintendo Wi-Fi ranking system. The game is being developed by BROWNIE BROWN Inc. and is currently slated for a late summer release.

Both games will have fans of the Mana series jumping with glee. Until it's released though, we can't say if this game will be as good as the original.

IGN reports that there's a Square-Enix exclusive competition where 30 60GB PS3s are at stake. The only problem is that it's Square Enix-exclusive: it's (a) only in Japan, and (b) only for members of Squeenix's exclusive Square Enix Members rewards program.

Well, just in case you are in Japan and are a member... or know someone who's in Japan and is a member... The competition runs from March 8 to April 30. For every purchase of Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix +, or the DS titles Front Mission 1st and Seiken Densetsu Heroes of Mana, members get one chance to win one of the 30 60GBs.

Multiple entries will be counted (of course, someone at Squeenix might be wondering why you're hoarding a stash of KH2: Final Mix +s...). And for the 30 lucky winners, the only thing left to wait for would be Final Fantasy XIII, then. Winners will be decided by random drawing. Like we said: got a rather generous pen pal in Japan?

 

Square Enix has just released new images and info on their upcoming Brownie Brown-developed RPG, Heroes of Mana (aka Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana) via the much-celebrated Japanese magazine, Famitsu.

As we've mentioned before, Heroes of Mana is set 19 years before Seiken Densetsu 3, and will have players take on the role of Roger, an intelligent and diplomatic youth from Pedan who pilots a military airship used to send out monsters. No word if the game will ever make it to U.S. shores, but like that's gonna stop us from importing, right? And as usual, we're gonna need your help deciphering these ones guys. We don't have a Jap-speaking (or reading) fellow with us, so uhh..*ehem*...translation help will be much appreciated.

Heroes of Mana is slated for a Japanese release on March 8.

   

 

One of them's a strategy RPG where you fight to survive. The other one's an adventure game where you fight, cook, forage, and sleep to survive. All in all, March seems to have a lot of surviving in mind as two new DS games make their way onto store shelves in March.

Square Enix's Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana features the story of Roger, a young man who actually pilots his own airship and commands his own small army of cute little monsters, as he tries to figure out why another group is also collecting materials to make their own monsters. This real-time strategy RPG should see a lot of play time among handhelds when it comes out on March 8.

On the flip side, we have the two unnamed protagonists of Konami's Lost in Blue 2. This adventure game emphasizes using the land to find food, shelter, and weaponry to survive. Eventually, you and your companion are going to have a find a way off that island, which should make the time you spent making stone spears and killing alligators rather worth the effort. This game will be in stores on March 15.

All we have to say is, it takes a lot of guts to poke an alligator with a stick, and even more guts to recruit the thing afterwards. Make sure you know what you're doing, alright?

While scouring the internet for goodies on the upcoming SRP (strategy role playing, and not suggested retail price fellas) DS gameHeroes of Mana, we stumbled upon this trailer of the Japanese version straight from the recently held Jump Festa Event.

As you know, Heroes of Mana is currently in development over at Brownie Brown's labs and players will get to take on the role of Roger, an intelligent and diplomatic youth from Pedan who pilots a military airship used to send out monsters. However, you'll also get to create monsters of your own by collecting the materials needed. Pedan's diplomacy will be put to good use here since you'll be going against someone who intends on gathering the same materials you're after.

The trailer gives us insights on gameplay, weapons, the characters we'll encounter, and the enemies we'll be facing against once we get our hands on the game. So while we wait for the announcement of the release date, have an ogle-fest with this trailer, why don'tcha?

Seiken Densetsu fans now have a lot to look forward to as another title from the Mana universe makes its way to the DS. Heroes of Mana for the Nintendo DS is a project that Square Enix is currently working on, alongside the development studio Brownie Brown. The game trailer has been shown over at the Square Enix booth at the recent Tokyo Game Show.

Featuring the "intelligent and diplomatic youth from Pedan" Roger, our main character is known to pilot a military airship that can be used to deploy monsters, which you yourself can create by collecting the necessary ingredients. However, conflicts arise whenever you encounter someone else who is also collecting the same materials for their own menagerie. As far as the trailer goes, the game also possesses a moving score which  we're looking forward to hearing more of. However, there is still no word regarding this game's release date.

Falling into the RTSRPG genre that other titles such as Disgaea and Makai Kingdom belong to, this installment to the Seiken Densetsu series promises to be yet another addictive treat.