Many fans were instantly thrust back into a warm blanket of nostalgic feels when Square Enix announced that the beloved Secret of Mana game was getting a full remaster. With completely overhauled audio and visual techniques, including tons of new voice work, this JRPG is back in a big way. One thing that Secret of Mana gave SNES owners was the joy of a co-op experience, which wasn’t too common for this genre way back when. With the remaster just around the corner, many were wanting to know: what will the co-op be like this time around for the Secret of Mana remaster?

Though there are dramatic changes to Secret of Mana, just one look at the beautifully modernized graphics will tell you that the team behind it still wanted to keep the experience authentic to the original. That being said, no online co-op will be supported for the remaster; instead the simple 3 player couch co-op.

You have three players sitting next to each other on the couch with three controllers – all playing at the same time. I think a lot of the enjoyment that people have in their memories of the original game relies on that playstyle. We felt it was best to have that recreated in the same way.”

It is interesting what Square Enix considers as authentic. The decision to not take advantage of the easily accessible technology does limit the play-ability of the re-release. For those that may not have ever gotten to experience the world in Secret of Mana, the ability to play with friends online could have been an amazing entry point into this beloved franchise.

Other than that simple oversight, the rest of the game looks fantastic. The beautifully remastered soundtrack promises to be true to the source, as well as intricate cutscenes and intense dialogue to fluff up the experience to an all new level of amazing. Secret of Mana is set to release February 15th, 2018 on PC, PS4, and the PS Vita.

What do you think about the remaster and the decision to cut off online support? Would you rather to keep it off or include it for a new audience? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below, and don’t forget to check out DFTG on Twitter for gaming and entertainment news live 24/7!