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The Mana series has gone through a number of radical shifts in its recent incarnations. From a set of loosely-associated short stories in Legend of Mana, to a dungeon crawler in Children of Mana, the series now shifts to a fully three-dimensional action-adventure RPG, with a semi-lifelike physics engine. So far, Dawn of Mana has its fair share of issues, but it is clear that there's an interesting game somewhere underneath.

The story of Dawn of Mana involves a young Tree Maiden named Ritzia, and her guardian, Keldric. The two belong to a tribe called the Treefolk, who once guarded the great Tree of Mana. But of course, what would an idyllic hometown be without an evil military force to burn it to the ground? In the opening stages of the game, the army of Lorimar sends an army of Golem soldiers to retrieve the Tree Maiden for their master. The story is told partially through means of traditional cutscenes, but a large whack of the plot is also told in a storybook style, from the point of view of the six Elemental Spirits. It's an interesting narrative style, but it seems that the game could have been extended quite a bit, and in some very interesting ways, by telling the whole tale in the cutscene style. So far, the story has been reasonably solid, though it has a number of deep-set clichés.

The combat system has a unique take on the Havok physics engine. Early on in the game, the player gains the ability to extend a whip from Keldric's right arm, which can latch on to objects and, if Keldric is strong enough, swing them around violently. Bashing enemies with bits of the landscape is very much encouraged by Dawn of Mana, as nailing an enemy with an object will cause a timer to appear over the enemy's head, signifying that the creature will be panicked, and thus more vulnerable, for a set period of time. The heavier the object, the faster it's going, and the more enemies get hit by it, the longer and more severe the panic becomes. The enormous areas of the game are usually littered with crates, barrels, boulders, and other, more bizarre things, such as Boarmelons and Rocket Papayas, all of which can be thrown at enemies in order to induce panic.

Dawn of Mana also has a very unique take on the idea of leveling up. Rather than gaining EXP, the player must collect Medals, which are dropped by panicked enemies. Medals directly influence Keldric's stats, along the lines of +1 Strength or +1 Max MP, though enemies also drop items that recover HP and MP. The game itself is divided up into chapters, with the player getting bonus Lucre for the number of Medals collected, amongst other things. Medals are reset after every chapter, which does introduce a bit of a grind at the start of each chapter, but by gaining enough Medals or meeting other milestones, the player will receive Ribbons, which permanently boost Strength, Defense, and other parameters.

So far, the biggest problem has been with the game's interface. The camera tends to swing about wildly, and the target lock often fails to direct Keldric's attacks towards the foe, in those rare occurrances where the cursor manages to select the right foe to target in the first place. There is also an element of unpredictability when throwing objects around. Keldric tends to be rather inexact when aiming objects, often tossing boxes and barrels in whichever direction he happens to be facing, regardless of target lock.

The most impressive part of Dawn of Mana is unquestionably its visuals. The game uses some very bold, vibrant colors, which, combined with some intricate character design and wonderful animation, makes Dawn of Mana one of the most visually appealing games in a long time. The storybook sections are told with watercolor backdrops and cutouts, and have a washed-out sort of style to them. On a more technical level, the game is extremely well animated and detailed, with tiny plants, swinging vines, and lots of little details that enhance the enormous areas the player can explore. So far, Dawn of Mana looks to be one of the more visually impressive games on the PS2.

Thus far, Dawn of Mana has shown some potential in its unique take on the RPG genre. Though there are undoubtedly some issues to be dealt with, Dawn of Mana shows some unusual and uncommon ideas, and RPGamer will continue to keep you up to date as the game's release date draws closer.