Unlike prior games in the series, which are typically action role-playing games, Heroes is a real-time strategy game (RTS), in which the player controls up to 25 units in battles on fixed maps. Like previous games in the Mana series, Heroes of Mana features a top-down perspective, in which the player characters navigate the terrain and fight off hostile creatures and enemies.

While critics generally praised the graphics, they were dismissive of the plot, mixed on the actual gameplay and sharply negative on what they saw as poor artificial intelligence and pathfinding inhibiting actual play. The game was not a commercial success, selling around 180,000 copies worldwide by the end of 2007, less than contemporary Mana games. The story was written by Masato Kato, and the music was composed by Yoko Shimomura. Heroes of Mana was produced by series creator Koichi Ishii and directed by Takeo Oin. Players can fight several dozen required and optional battles in the single-player game, as well as local multiplayer matches. The Nintendo DS's second screen displays a map of the ongoing battle, and buildings and units are constructed inside of the player's airship and dropped onto the map by the flying base. Composed of a series of strategic battles, the player gathers resources, constructs buildings and units, and fights enemy forces to achieve objectives on fixed isometric grid maps. While it contains some small role-playing elements, Heroes of Mana diverges from the prior action role-playing game titles of the series to instead be a real-time strategy game.

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