Mana from heaven?

Saying Square's latest foray into the world of Mana (as in the classic SNES title, Secret of Mana) is heaven-sent may be a bit of a stretch at this point, especially considering the turn for the worse the series has taken over the past few years.

Thanks to a few glowing reports of the upcoming Heroes of Mana (for Nintendo DS), however, fans are hoping the series is back where it belongs, or at least is heading in the right direction.

Roli O. (nice name) over at Siliconera just posted his (her?) impressions of the game, and they are quite positive indeed. Among his closing comments are:

"Heroes of Mana is the one game that seeks to revive the Mana franchise and does it gracefully. With a new take on game play and making use of the DS’ capabilities, Heroes of Mana is sure to provide many of you with a great experience. Just be sure to venture into Heroes of Mana with an open mind and limited, if none, expectations."

Now Squeenix just needs to let us poor non-Japanese folk know when the game will be showing up on our shores. And while they're at it, maybe they can let slip the U.S. release date for Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings as well.