Terranigma

[StellarWind(imported)]

Terranigma. The third installation of Enix/Quintet's Soul Blazer "Trilogy" - composed of Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma, and certainly the best of the three.

(I say "Trilogy" because the games aren't exactly on the same timeline, but they do have very similar concepts, the recurring theme of light/darkness and death/rebirth - and Gaia against Dark Gaia).

Terranigma begins in the small town of Crysta, with a boy named Ark - a teenage troublemaker - who opens a sealed door in his village, where he finds a box. He opens the box, releasing a small pink creature named Yomi - and a bizarre curse that turns all the village's inhabitants into stone - except for the Village Elder.

The Elder scolds Ark for his disobedience and sends him on a quest to restore the village - the only way to restore the village is to travel to five towers and defeat their challenges - and in doing so revive the world above, which was apparently destroyed long ago.

Ark leaves the village for the first time - and finds himself in a strange, barren, frozen world with crystal formations and rivers of lava flowing most everywhere - the Underworld. Confronting the towers one by one and resurrecting the continents of the world, Ark finds himself on a larger quest than he expected - he is now to travel to the Surface World and resurrect life - plants, birds, animals and lastly humanity. Soon, though, he finds that there is far more to the newly-reborn world than meets the eye - and that not all is innocent in Crysta, after all...

Like its predecessors, Terranigma is an Action-RPG. Unlike many other contemporary action RPGs, though, Terranigma's fighting style is more intricate - Ark's weapon is a spear, and he has multiple ways of wielding it - jabbing it forward as his main attack, doing a jump/spin attack, a dash forward attack and a very powerful down-pointed slamming jump attack. Quite a change from just jabbing forward or doing a silly ballerina pirouette like a certain Peter-Pan cosplaying elf... ahem.

(And to all Zelda fans in the room, EXCUUUUUUUUSE me, Princesses. I did enjoy Link to the Past and Link's Awakening. I just don't think of the Legend of Zelda series as the holy damn grail of Action RPGs as most everyone seems to. And I don't like Link. I'm weird. Deal with it.)

The game's high points, other than its gameplay (which is far superior to that of any other Action RPG I've played) are its graphics (that were AMAZING for the SNES), its soundtrack (which is bloody amazing as well) and the plotline, which can quite often leave one with their jaw dropped to the floor. Of course, to fully unlock all the good things in the game - many of which are very worth it - you would have to follow some very specific sets of choices when expanding certain cities (yes, you must aid in the expansion and development of certain cities!) - some of them may be a very major case of Guide Damn It - but I found that it doesn't deter from the overall story.

So why is it so damn little-known? Release issues. The game was released in Japan in late 1995 - close to the projected end of the SNES' life. Enix's North American branch closed down at the time, leaving the game without a publisher in North America. In December 16th, 1996, Nintendo licensed the game and released it in PAL territories - Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand - and even there it was rare due to its release near the death of the SNES. And so, one of the greatest gems of gaming ever passed into relative obscurity. Honestly I'm kinda glad it never went through North America. Imagining the censorship and bloody kiddification the game would have underwent under NoA's strict censorship at the time ("Kids shouldn't drink espresso!" anyone?) makes me shudder. I mean, the religious themes at LEAST would have gotten a huge damn shaft, probably. <<;

It does sadden me that the game would probably never get a re-release because of the copyright limbo that was created, what with Quintet having stopped existing, its employees fucked off to multiple parts of the industry and Enix being eaten by the Square-Enix monstrosity... I'm pretty sure you can imagine how I played it. Hint: not on its system of origin. XD

I personally think it's one of the best games ever created - has anyone else played it and thinks the same/wants to differ (and be armbladed to death) or has any stories about it?

[andwhyisit]

I personally think it's one of the best games ever created - has anyone else played it and thinks the same/wants to differ (and be armbladed to death) or has any stories about it?

I love this game and I have been wanting to play it again for a while. So I am safe from your armblading. Though your opinion about Illusion of Time/Gaia forces me to.. FLUTE YOU TO DEATH!

[StellarWind(imported)]

Watch as I counter your fluting with my DEFORMED BISHIE POWERS! (Unleashes Freedan. He trips over his own deformed sprite)

... Curses! Well, there's always Shadow. I think I have him in a bucket somewhere...

For the record, IoG did have its moments, but I found it the weakest of the trilogy personally. I really enjoyed Terranigma and even Soul Blazer more. XD

... Mind you, I -did- once adapt Will/Freedan to a Brawl-type moveset mode...