IMHO.

LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII vs Trials of Mana

LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII and Trials of Mana both land in RPG on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are RPG games on Steam. LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII (2015) is 5 years older than Trials of Mana (2020). Trials of Mana scores higher on Steam reviews (92.3% positive) than LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII (79.8% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.

Which should you pick?

Choose LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII

Choose LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII if you want the Adjustable Text Size, Surround Sound, and Keyboard Only Option side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 47% cheaper on the Steam Store. 2,168 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Trials of Mana

Choose Trials of Mana if you want the Custom Volume Controls side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 92.3% positive across 2,194 reviews.

Both LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII and Trials of Mana sit in RPG on Steam and both list Stereo Sound, Playable without Timed Input, and Adjustable Difficulty, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.

Side-by-side comparison

LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII vs Trials of Mana — Steam metadata comparison
LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII — Steam game coverLIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIIITrials of Mana — Steam game coverTrials of Mana
Released20152020
GenresRPGRPG
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckDeck PlayableDeck Verified
Price7.99 USD14.99 USD
Steam reviews79.8% positive (2,168 reviews)92.3% positive (2,194 reviews)
MultiplayerSingle-player onlySingle-player only
DevelopersSquare EnixSquare Enix

Side by side

LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII vs Trials of Mana — FAQ

Which is better, LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII or Trials of Mana?
On Steam reviews Trials of Mana scores higher (92.3% positive) than LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII (79.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Trials of Mana is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
Should I play LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII or Trials of Mana first?
If you want chronology, LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII (2015) came out before Trials of Mana (2020). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
Are LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII and Trials of Mana similar?
They overlap on RPG on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII vs Trials of Mana · imho.run