[INTERVIEW] Manafinder II Is a Big Step Up – Here’s What the Developer Told Us

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We had the opportunity to interview Jorge Blanco from Wolfsden LLC, an indie game studio based in Seattle. His team is currently working on Manafinder II, a sequel to their 2022 turn-based JRPG, which received a lukewarm reception.

However, that hasn’t stopped Jorge from moving forward with a follow-up that, by many measures, is shaping up to be a significant improvement over the original. As he puts it: “I knew I wanted to continue building on the franchise.”

In the interview, we discussed the game’s mechanics in greater detail, what players can expect from the sequel, and the current stage of its development. Additionally, the game is slated to release in 2027 and you can wishlist it right now on Steam.

The first Manafinder released in 2022, what were the biggest lessons you took from that project into Manafinder II?

We are focusing more on the RPG elements (exploration, dialogue, and combat) while moving away from minigames and reflex-based interactions, such as the wolf chase at the beginning of Manafinder I. That’s not to say Manafinder II won’t feature minigames, but they’ve mostly been relegated to side-content. We are also introducing LOTS of QoL features, such as the ability to skip cutscenes and a quick retry option when dying in combat.

At what point did you know you wanted to make a sequel rather than move on to something completely new?

As I was nearing the end of Manafinder’s development, I knew I wanted to continue building on the franchise – at least for one sequel. I originally planned to take some time off after Manafinder I, but my brain was too excited to start writing down the sequel!

What can you tell us about the game’s narrative? Can you give us a brief introduction to important characters?

Manafinder II takes place in a world where mankind was eradicated ten years before the game starts. The eradication was led by the mysterious Cult of Azar-Hin, who worshipped the misanthropic deity Azar-Hin. They killed most humans and turned those who survived into The Purged, undead beings whose only purpose is to ensure the eradication of mankind is absolute. The world kept on spinning, though, and some species even benefited from the downfall of man.

Rey, the game’s protagonist, is the only known human survivor of said purge, that is, until his Luperci (a wolf-like intelligent species) friend Remus brings him news that will forever change his life: another live human has been spotted, and there’s a target on her back. This sparks a journey where Rey will seek a new purpose in a world that has forgotten about him.

Along this journey, Rey will run into other non-human party members, such as:

• Astrea the Starfolk: A member of a race of sentient starfish who retain memories hundreds of thousands of years old.
• Neika the Slime: A naive slime who’s exploring the surface for the first time.
• X’antek the Plantheian: An oracle on a quest for vengeance.

The combat emphasizes party roles, weapons, and elemental affinities, how deep does this system go compared to the first game?

Weapons and elemental affinities are very similar to the first game, but this time, you have the additional layer of party member roles. Rey is a damage dealer with a very similar playstyle to Lambda from Manafinder I. Tanking, healing, magic, roguery, and whatnot will give you many different ways to strategize in combat. Each party member can wield two different weapon types, and each party member has two unique battle commands. Additionally, each race has its own weaknesses and vulnerabilities to different weapon types and status ailments

Were there any specific RPGs that influenced your combat design?

For the battle perspective, I was inspired by the Phantasy Star series, which, in my opinion, did an excellent job of showcasing front-view battle systems without compromising the visibility of the player characters. As for battle mechanics, my biggest influence is Final Fantasy XI.

You mentioned on Steam that enemies have unique strategies, can you give an example of how players need to adapt rather than rely on one setup?

Some enemies hit HARD. For example, the Orkillea shown in the trailer, the killer carnivore plant, has a really high chance of landing critical hits. This is where X’antek shines, as he can focus on evasion-tanking the plant while the rest of the party focuses on support and damage dealing. Mindlessly attacking won’t get you very far against bosses and rare beasts.

Rare Beast hunting sounds interesting, what kind of player experience were you aiming for with that system?

The intent is to add a more exciting layer to exploration. Not only are the more curious players rewarded with more challenging foes, but many of these monsters also feature unique designs. The Tyrannosaurus Rex in the game’s trailer is an example of a Rare Beast, a completely optional fight that rewards players not only with a fun experience but also with actual loot within the game!

There’s a mix of cooking, mining, and crafting, how integrated are these systems into the core gameplay loop?

They are key to the game. Harvesting komaplants (healing plants) is your main source of healing in the game (just as in Manafinder I). Mining is very important for dealing magic-elemental damage in combat. And finally, cooking is entirely optional but extremely beneficial, since it grants you stat bonuses that could turn the tide of battle.

I’m also hoping players enjoy collecting recipes and seeing the pixel art we made for every single dish in the game! You can also fish in the game, by the way, and fish can be either sold or used for cooking. This is definitely designed as a diversion and not too important to the core gameplay loop.

What are the biggest visual or artistic improvements compared to the first game?

Resolution has gone up from 816×526 to 1280×720. That’s a lot more pixels! The artists have also improved their work. I feel like you can tell Manafinder II’s art looks more ‘polished’ compared to the first.

The game is expected to be 10–12 hours, or up to 20 with side content, can you give us an example of one quest?

The game features Mini-Quests (simple fetch-like quests) that help guide the player to some of the optional content. But more importantly, the game features Side-Quests. Side-Quests are generally longer and may run through multiple chapters of the game. One example of these Side-Quests is “Elphyne – The Realm of the Fae”. What starts as an innocent stroll in the forest draws you into the conflict between the Fae Courts.

Manafinder II is planned for a 2027 release, what stage of development are you currently in? When can we expect the demo?

I would say the game is around 75% complete. So this year is the final leg of development. And the last 10% is for testing and polishing!

Are you targeting the same platforms as the first game, or expanding further?

Right now, only Windows PC, but I would like to at least target Linux through Proton for Steam Deck support. And yes, I would love to release on consoles, but it takes a while to reach an agreement with publishers, etc.

Do you see Manafinder as a long-term series, or is this story meant to stand on its own?

I would love to. But I also like to focus on one game at a time. I would like to explore other ideas as well, but even if I did, I know that I will eventually come back to Manafinder!

If players enjoyed the first game, what’s the one thing that will surprise them most in the sequel?

Without spoiling much, they can expect to see how the consequences of the first game played a role in shaping the world of the second. Sometimes in subtle ways, others in very direct ways.

And for newcomers, why should Manafinder II be their entry point into the series? Is the first game important to understand the sequel?

No, you do not need to play the first one to understand the sequel. Manafinder II is designed as a starting point. The events of the first game play mostly a role in the worldbuilding of the second. In fact, you could play the first one after the second.