<s>
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2007	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
ninth	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
Mana	B-Application
series	I-Application
and	O
the	O
fourth	O
entry	O
in	O
the	B-Application
World	I-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
subseries	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Dawn	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
three	O
months	O
prior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Set	O
in	O
a	O
high	O
fantasy	O
universe	O
,	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
follows	O
a	O
young	O
soldier	O
,	O
Roget	O
,	O
as	O
he	O
journeys	O
to	O
defend	O
several	O
nations	O
from	O
the	O
ruthless	O
aggression	O
of	O
his	O
own	O
country	O
in	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
battles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
it	O
contains	O
some	O
small	O
role-playing	O
elements	O
,	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
is	O
a	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
game	O
,	O
unlike	O
the	O
prior	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
titles	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
's	O
second	O
screen	O
displays	O
a	O
map	O
of	O
the	O
ongoing	O
battle	O
,	O
and	O
buildings	O
and	O
units	O
are	O
constructed	O
inside	O
of	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
airship	O
and	O
dropped	O
onto	O
the	O
map	O
by	O
the	O
flying	O
base	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
was	O
produced	O
by	O
series	O
creator	O
Koichi	O
Ishii	O
and	O
directed	O
by	O
Takeo	O
Oin	O
;	O
it	O
is	O
the	O
final	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
involve	O
Ishii	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
not	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
,	O
selling	O
around	O
180,000	O
copies	O
worldwide	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2007	O
,	O
less	O
than	O
contemporary	O
Mana	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Mana	B-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
features	O
a	O
top-down	O
perspective	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
characters	O
navigate	O
the	O
terrain	O
and	O
fight	O
off	O
hostile	O
creatures	O
and	O
enemies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
prior	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
typically	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
Heroes	O
is	O
a	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
game	O
(	O
RTS	O
)	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
up	O
to	O
25	O
units	O
in	O
battles	O
on	O
fixed	O
maps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Units	O
are	O
controlled	O
via	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
touch	O
screen	O
,	O
selected	O
by	O
tapping	O
on	O
them	O
and	O
sent	O
to	O
destinations	O
or	O
to	O
attack	O
by	O
tapping	O
on	O
their	O
target	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
's	O
second	O
screen	O
shows	O
a	O
map	O
of	O
the	O
current	O
mission	O
,	O
including	O
which	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
map	O
can	O
currently	O
be	O
seen	O
by	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
units	O
and	O
which	O
parts	O
are	O
covered	O
by	O
fog	O
of	O
war	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
features	O
a	O
local	O
multiplayer	O
option	O
,	O
where	O
players	O
can	O
battle	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
using	O
the	O
progress	O
they	O
have	O
made	O
in	O
the	O
single-player	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
no	O
multiplayer	O
support	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Wi-Fi	I-Application
Connection	I-Application
service	O
,	O
though	O
players	O
can	O
use	O
it	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
Wi-Fi	O
Heroes	O
Ranking	O
system	O
to	O
download	O
additional	O
maps	O
,	O
missions	O
,	O
and	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
opens	O
with	O
a	O
reconnaissance	O
mission	O
by	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
soldiers	O
from	O
Pedda	O
into	O
the	O
beastman	O
kingdom	O
of	O
Ferolia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
of	O
these	O
was	O
the	O
Compilation	B-Application
of	I-Application
Final	I-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VII	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Square	O
Enix	O
intended	O
to	O
have	O
campaigns	O
for	O
other	O
series	O
whereby	O
multiple	O
games	O
in	O
different	O
genres	O
would	O
be	O
developed	O
simultaneously	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2005	O
,	O
Square	O
Enix	O
announced	O
a	O
"	O
World	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
"	O
project	O
,	O
the	O
application	O
of	O
this	O
"	O
polymorphic	O
content	O
"	O
idea	O
to	O
the	O
Mana	B-Application
franchise	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
include	O
several	O
games	O
across	O
different	O
genres	O
and	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
fourth	O
release	O
in	O
this	O
project	O
and	O
the	O
ninth	O
release	O
in	O
the	O
Mana	B-Application
series	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
in	O
September	O
2006	O
as	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
,	O
the	O
second	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
game	O
in	O
the	B-Application
World	I-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
series	I-Application
and	O
the	O
first	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
was	O
produced	O
by	O
series	O
creator	O
Koichi	O
Ishii	O
,	O
directed	O
by	O
Takeo	O
Oin	O
,	O
and	O
written	O
by	O
Masato	O
Kato	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ishii	O
had	O
previously	O
produced	O
or	O
directed	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
previous	O
Mana	B-Application
games	O
,	O
while	O
Kato	O
also	O
wrote	O
the	O
stories	O
for	O
Children	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
(	O
2006	O
)	O
and	O
Dawn	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
(	O
2006	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Brownie	O
Brown	O
,	O
who	O
previously	O
helped	O
develop	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
(	O
2003	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
was	O
created	O
as	O
an	O
RTS	O
game	O
to	O
complement	O
the	O
other	O
titles	O
in	O
the	B-Application
World	I-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
project	O
,	O
which	O
all	O
offer	O
a	O
spin	O
on	O
the	O
original	O
Seiken	B-Application
Densetsu	I-Application
formula	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
was	O
chosen	O
as	O
the	O
platform	O
partially	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
multiplayer	O
potential	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
giving	O
the	O
sensation	O
of	O
touching	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
found	O
developing	O
an	O
RTS	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
to	O
be	O
difficult	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
to	O
start	O
development	O
over	O
at	O
one	O
point	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
prior	O
to	O
the	B-Application
World	I-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
project	O
Ishii	O
has	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
are	O
only	O
thematically	O
connected	O
,	O
Heroes	O
is	O
explicitly	O
set	O
as	O
a	O
prequel	O
to	O
Trials	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
(	O
1995	O
)	O
,	O
depicting	O
battles	O
between	O
the	O
nations	O
present	O
in	O
that	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
set	O
one	O
generation	O
prior	O
to	O
Trials	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
,	O
with	O
some	O
characters	O
noted	O
as	O
the	O
parents	O
of	O
characters	O
in	O
the	O
other	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
score	O
for	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Yoko	O
Shimomura	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
composed	O
the	O
music	O
for	O
Legend	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
in	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
album	O
Seiken	B-Application
Densetsu	I-Application
:	I-Application
Heroes	I-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
Original	O
Soundtrack	O
collects	O
49	O
tracks	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
2	O
discs	O
and	O
is	O
nearly	O
two	O
and	O
a	O
half	O
hours	O
long	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
tracks	O
were	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Drammatica	O
:	O
The	O
Very	O
Best	O
Works	O
of	O
Yoko	O
Shimomura	O
,	O
a	O
2008	O
arranged	O
album	O
highlighting	O
the	O
composer	O
's	O
work	O
:	O
"	O
To	O
the	O
Heroes	O
of	O
Old	O
~	O
Opening	O
Theme	O
from	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
~	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
The	O
Way	O
the	O
Heart	O
Is	O
"	O
(	O
as	O
"	O
Tango	O
Appassionata	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
The	O
Tale	O
Told	O
by	O
the	O
Wind	O
~	O
Ending	O
Theme	O
from	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
~	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
sold	O
over	O
98,500	O
copies	O
in	O
Japan	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initial	O
sales	O
were	O
lower	O
than	O
those	O
for	O
Children	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
,	O
the	O
other	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
title	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
released	O
one	O
year	O
earlier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
received	O
generally	O
poor	O
to	O
middling	O
reviews	O
over	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
,	O
with	O
numerical	O
scores	O
that	O
range	O
from	O
35	O
to	O
85	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
praised	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
's	O
graphics	O
and	O
visual	O
style	O
;	O
IGN	O
's	O
Bozon	O
praised	O
the	O
"	O
classic	O
character	O
art	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
hand-painted	O
backdrops	O
"	O
,	O
GameSpot	O
's	O
Kevin	O
VanOrd	O
noted	O
the	O
colorful	O
graphics	O
and	O
"	O
overflowing	O
"	O
animations	O
,	O
and	O
Eurogamer	O
's	O
Simon	O
Parkin	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
"	O
fantastic	O
presentation	O
and	O
artwork	O
"	O
"	O
sugar-coated	O
"	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plot	O
was	O
not	O
as	O
highly	O
received	O
;	O
while	O
Bozon	O
called	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
pretty	O
involving	O
piece	O
of	O
Mana	B-Application
mythos	O
"	O
,	O
VanOrd	O
said	O
only	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
"	O
particularly	O
engaging	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
's	O
pleasant	O
enough	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
Parkin	O
called	O
the	O
story	O
"	O
lingering	O
intrusions	O
"	O
and	O
Gann	O
found	O
it	O
well	O
written	O
,	O
but	O
too	O
linear	O
and	O
clichéd	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Parkin	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
gameplay	O
was	O
"	O
easy	O
and	O
intuitive	O
"	O
,	O
though	O
slow	O
,	O
while	O
Parish	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
limitations	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
's	O
small	O
screens	O
made	O
the	O
game	O
too	O
streamlined	O
for	O
an	O
RTS	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Juba	O
and	O
the	O
GamePro	O
reviewer	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
restrictions	O
necessary	O
to	O
fit	O
an	O
RTS	O
on	O
a	O
system	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
made	O
the	O
game	O
too	O
simple	O
and	O
easy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Japanese	O
Famitsu	O
review	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
worked	O
well	O
as	O
an	O
RTS	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
,	O
and	O
was	O
well-suited	O
to	O
the	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
