Crystal Blue

After my co-op partner and I finished Illusion of Gaia, the logical next step was Terranigma. I felt our method of switching out every so often and chatting about what we were experiencing was actually really fun. It made me consider things about the game that I might not have otherwise if I'd been playing alone--and again, I can't stress enough how much easier it is to play through these games when it becomes more of a social activity. That is not to say that Illusion of Gaia is a bad game--in fact, there were a lot of things I liked about it. Still, action RPGs typically don't resonate with me nearly as much as games of other genres and Illusion of Gaia is divorced from RPG elements rather more than many other games I've played.

Terranigma, third in Quintet's Soul Blazer trilogy, features several RPG elements that were notably absent from its immediate predecessor. A more traditional experience and leveling system is present and it is also possible to purchase equipment and items as one might expect in an RPG. The game is light on special skills, but the combat, while still simplistic, is much more fluid and satisfying. Dashing and jumping attacks exist, as well as simple combos. Ark, Terranigma's hero, wields a spear instead of a sword and unfortunately does not possess the ability to shapeshift. Still, boss fights and encounters in general feel much less button-mashy than in Illusion of Gaia even if the simplicity of combat and the clumsiness of the spell interface knock it down a few pegs.

Illusion of Gaia was a very linear game. In most cases, the primary objective was to get from Point A to Point B with very few sidepaths. Terranigma is much more free and open in this regard, with many optional objectives to complete that are entirely independent from the game's combat and dungeon-crawling gameplay. It is Ark's lofty goal to do no more than resurrect the world in bits and pieces. He'll find himself communicating with plants near the game's beginnings, soon followed by animals of all shapes and sizes. Once he resurrects humans, he finds that he can no longer communicate with animals--a fact that surely must leave him feeling a little hollow.

Terranigma's world map is in fact a rough replica of the real world. Ark visits such places as the Sahara, the North Pole, and obvious analogues to America and Great Britain. Quintet's hamfisted appropriation of American culture is actually pretty amusing. America's analogue is appropriately named Freedom and features a kitschy folk theme and an "ethnically diverse" populace. Freedom, like many other towns in Terranigma, will grow and expand over the course of the game if the player takes the correct actions. Ark will need to traverse the globe and assist great inventors, bolster international trade and tourism, all while vanquishing an ancient evil in his free time. It's a very interesting formula that I can't personally recall being repeated. I'm sure I'm forgetting other games that feature similar elements (and in fact there are likely quite a few I haven't played) but Terranigma's execution of these elements is quite good, especially for an SNES game.

Many RPGs feature a single town that grows and expands at the player's behest. Breath of Fire II, Dragon Quest IV, and Tales of Vesperia spring to mind just out of games I've played recently, but I can't recall any that focus on that aspect of the gameplay to such a degree. Terranigma is a game in which the player must rebuild the world. This is much more satisfying than in games like Legend of Mana and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance where you're simply plopping down landmasses on a grid. In Terranigma, you're resurrecting history, advancing civilization. It's a very interesting structure and I'd be very eager to play a more modern game with a similar format.