Report updated May 26, 2026
Trials of Mana
For fans of the Mana series and players who enjoy narrative-driven, character-selectable action role-playing games.
Trials of Mana is an established role playing app that is a paid app. With a 3.8/5 rating from 1.6K reviews, it shows polarized user reception.
What is Trials of Mana?
Trials of Mana is a premium 3D action RPG for mobile, featuring character-selectable narrative paths and classic Mana series progression.
Players hire this title for a nostalgic, high-fidelity console experience on mobile that avoids the intrusive microtransactions found in typical F2P RPGs.
Current Momentum
v1.0 · 8mo ago
Maintenance- Ships stable updates for platform compatibility.
- Maintains premium static narrative model.
Active Nemesis
Heroes vs Hordes: Survival RPG
By Swift Games
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
Role PlayingNo ranking data
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User Mood
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
What Are The Key Features?
Players choose three of six characters, influencing story paths.
Full 3D action RPG with controller support.
Over 300 abilities and Class 4 system.
How much does it cost?
- $19.99
Premium pricing limits the user base to core fans but removes the need for intrusive microtransactions.
Who Built It?
SQUARE ENIX Co.
Delivering premium RPG experiences and classic franchise titles to mobile devices. Bridging the gap between console-quality narratives and on-the-go play.
Portfolio
13
Apps
What other apps does SQUARE ENIX Co. make?
Explore the full SQUARE ENIX Co. report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by SQUARE ENIX Co..
What do users think recently?
Medium confidence · Latest 100 of 173 total reviews analyzed · Based on 173 reviews. Signal may be noisy.
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment.
View the full user-sentiment analysis
Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.
What is the competitive landscape for Trials of Mana?
How's The Role Playing Market?
How does it evolve in the Role Playing market?
Trials of Mana holds the #56 Paid rank in the US, but its grossing rank lags significantly behind, signaling that the premium model fails to capture the long-term revenue potential of live-service competitors.
Rank progression
126 active rankings tracked — 30-day window
The rivals identified
Nemeses(1)
This title competes for the same RPG-adjacent audience by leveraging high-frequency live events and addictive roguelite progression loops that capture the attention of mobile-first gamers.
Differentiators
- Offers a high-frequency live events calendar that keeps player engagement significantly higher than static console ports.
- Utilizes a free-to-play model with aggressive monetization, capturing users who avoid upfront premium purchase costs.
- Features competitive arena modes that foster social network effects, a key missing element in our single-player experience.
Head to head
We must introduce limited-time 'challenge' modes or social leaderboards to bridge the engagement gap without compromising our premium brand identity.
Contenders(4)
Warcodes targets the RPG market by integrating unique real-world interaction mechanics like barcode scanning to differentiate its creature evolution system.
Differentiators
- Integrates a unique barcode scanning engine that turns real-world objects into in-game assets for player progression.
- Provides a real-time PvP arena experience that offers immediate gratification compared to our traditional turn-based combat.
Silversword appeals to the same classic RPG enthusiast demographic by focusing on deep, traditional mechanics like automapping and complex class systems.
Differentiators
- Includes an integrated automap and quest log system that provides superior utility for long-form dungeon exploration.
- Features a dynamic day/night cycle that adds environmental complexity missing from our current static world design.
This app competes for the casual RPG player's time by offering an accessible 3D open-world exploration experience.
Differentiators
- Focuses on a low-friction 3D open-world exploration model that is more accessible to casual mobile gamers.
- Implements a clan-based social progression system that encourages longer-term retention through group-oriented goals.
Otherworld Legends is a major contender due to its highly polished roguelike dungeon generation and robust offline play capabilities.
Differentiators
- Provides a superior offline-first experience, allowing players to enjoy deep combat without constant internet connectivity requirements.
- Features procedurally generated dungeons that offer infinite replayability compared to our fixed narrative-driven level design.
Same space(3)
This title occupies the same RPG space by focusing on hero collection and elite trial challenges.
Differentiators
- Employs a hero and artifact collection loop that drives long-term monetization through gacha-style acquisition mechanics.
- Features dedicated 'Areopagus' elite trials that provide a clear endgame progression path for high-level players.
It competes for the same RPG player base by offering a low-maintenance idle combat system.
Differentiators
- Utilizes an idle combat system that respects the player's time by automating repetitive grinding tasks.
- Integrates a guild-based social system that creates community-driven retention loops absent in our standalone title.
This app serves the same tabletop-inspired RPG audience by providing essential utility tools for combat management.
Differentiators
- Offers a dedicated combat tracker and encounter builder that serves as a utility tool for tabletop enthusiasts.
- Provides deep integration with existing 5th Edition rule sets, capturing the core TTRPG player segment.
Compare Trials of Mana against every rival
All rivals in one side-by-side table — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel — plus a head-to-head page for each.
The outtake for Trials of Mana
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Globally recognized IP with deep nostalgia value
- High-fidelity 3D narrative experience
Critical Frictions
- $19.99 price point limits acquisition
- 6.7GB storage requirement creates install friction
Growth Levers
- Implement limited-time challenge modes
- Add social leaderboards to foster community
Market Threats
- Live-service RPGs with aggressive monetization
- Mobile-first roguelites with high-frequency event calendars
What are the next best moves?
Ship limited-time challenge modes because the current static loop lacks retention hooks → increase daily active sessions.
Competitor analysis shows roguelite rivals use high-frequency events to maintain engagement.
Trade-off: Push the planned graphical fidelity update to Q4 — event-based retention is a higher priority for long-term growth.
Optimize initial download size because 6.7GB requirement is a top friction point → improve new-user conversion.
App description notes the massive download size, which acts as a barrier to casual acquisition.
Trade-off: Pause the development of the new character skin pack — technical optimization has a higher impact on top-of-funnel conversion.
A counter-intuitive read
The premium price point is not a weakness but a brand-protection mechanism that prevents the title from being diluted by the low-quality, high-churn F2P RPGs currently flooding the market.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Live events calendar (available in Heroes vs Hordes but missing here)
- Social leaderboards (available in Heroes vs Hordes but missing here)
- Procedurally generated dungeons (available in Otherworld Legends but missing here)
Key Takeaways
Trials of Mana holds its category lead through sticky narrative mechanics but bleeds casual players to lighter mobile alternatives, so revenue growth hinges on tightening the first-session friction and adding recurring engagement loops.
Where Is It Heading?
Mixed Signals
The mobile RPG market is shifting toward high-frequency live-service models that prioritize short, intense sessions over long-form console ports. Trials of Mana remains exposed to this trend, as its static design fails to compete for daily attention against rivals with active event calendars.
The lack of live-ops updates causes player churn to accelerate as users complete the static narrative content.
Recent updates focus on stability, which maintains the current user base but fails to attract new players.