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. 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. Units are controlled via the Nintendo DS touch screen, selected by tapping on them and sent to destinations or to attack by tapping on their target. The game world is divided into an isometric grid, with one unit allowed per space. The Nintendo DS's second screen shows a map of the current mission, including which parts of the map can currently be seen by the player's units and which parts are covered by fog of war. Individual units and enemies are shown on the map in the visible areas.