The Trials of Mana remake might have its roots in an older game, but the original was modern for its time and holds up pretty well today. One of the reasons is that it lets the player choose a main character and team.
Each character has their own story alongside the main plot with different bosses. More importantly, each has their own class with weaknesses and strengths. This allows players to create unique teams, and it makes some characters easier to start with than others. If you’re new to the game, here is what you’ll get out of each character in Trials of Mana.
Duran, The Fighter
Duran is the easiest character to start with. He is your typical warrior who excels at melee and uses a sword. He also has great defense so it’s unlikely you’ll see a game over screen with him until later in the game when the difficulty ramps up.
As he changes class, he may gain the ability to equip shields. This makes him a great party choice for taking on the brunt of most attacks or providing a distraction for casters since he can take a hit and dish out damage. Some of his class changes also provide support spells (including ones that add elemental damage to weapons), although he doesn’t get much mana. If you haven’t played the demo or the original Trials of Mana, Duran is the best option for a main character.
Riesz, The Amazon
Like Duran, Riesz is skilled at melee combat, although she's not quite as strong. She has a bit more range thanks to her spear and won’t go down easily. As she class changes, she also gets support skills, but hers provide buffs to allies. She also has a bigger mana pool than Duran, so you won’t have to worry about running low in a boss fight. Some of her later classes also get offense summons.
Riesz is a good alternative to Duran in a party or if you want a good support member. She’s another great choice for newcomers to the game, and her story is a departure from Duran’s typical background.
Kevin, The Grappler
This Beastman fights with his fists and has the highest attack in the game, though this is balanced with low defense. He’s fast and has the bonus of becoming a werewolf at night due to his background, allowing him to do even more damage. His techs, or special attacks, are grapples, meaning they’re often single target only. Finally, as a strong physical attacker, Kevin cannot use magic.
Overall, Kevin is a great offensive party member, especially if you time a boss battle to happen at night -- just keep him alive. As a main character, he’s a good choice if you’re skilled. Otherwise, you may find yourself taking a lot of damage or dying.
Angela, The Magician
Angela excels at magic, but she has the second lowest melee damage in the game and pretty low defense against physical attacks. The problem with this is that characters don’t get spells until after defeating the first boss. Her techs are also mediocre since they rely on physical damage from her wand.
Late in the game, however, Angela becomes an incredible asset with devastating attack spells and tons of mana to cast them. She can really turn the tide in most boss battles. She’s a great party member to have later on, but you might struggle early on if you choose her as your starting character.
Hawkeye, The Thief
Hawkeye doesn’t do as much damage as Kevin, but the dagger-wielding thief is the fastest attacker in the game. Because of this, it’s easy to get his techs up and unleash them on enemies. Hawkeye also has the highest luck of any character, meaning he gets more critical hits and better chances for rare items to drop. This can be especially useful in the late game when searching for class changing items. His class changes also come with some spells that give enemies status effects, as well as doing elemental and non-elemental damage. They aren’t as strong as Angela’s, but they’re a good middle road.
Hawkeye is a great party member because of his speed and luck but not for the front lines. As a starting character, he can run into the same problems as Kevin but to a lesser extent.
Charlotte, The Cleric
The only real healer in the game, Charlotte’s strength is solely in being able to support and heal other characters and wield some light magic. Some class changes give her more offense spells, usually dark ones, but these won’t be nearly as strong as Angela’s. As a melee attacker, she’s the worst in the game, and her techs don’t help anyone.
As a party member, Charlotte is fantastic because of her healing, which makes any run a breeze. As a starting character, however, she’s the worst. Like Angela, Charlotte won’t learn spells until after the first boss, and her attack with flails is even worse than her wands.