Glen Atwell
Shaun InguanzoTerranigma (Review)
November 24th 2006 00:52
Players: 1
Genre: RPG
Developer: Enix
Platform: SNES
Year: 1996 (PAL)
A small bit of trivia: Terranigma is the only great RPG that I know of that released in PAL while not also releasing in the USA.
I recall when this game first hit shelves. It released at the same time that Lufia II did (or in PAL's case, it was called "Lufia"). For the first time, 2 RPGs released in the same year as opposed to the usual 1 and I had a dilemma of choosing which I'd get that year. I settled on Terranigma as it looked to be an action RPG.
Story: You play as Ark, a boy in a quiet town in the underworld who opens what equates to Pandora's box. He is then charged with the task of reviving the world (as opposed to saving it as is so common with other games). You go from the most basic tasks of reviving the continents to restoring life upon the surface of the earth and furthering civilisation.
Battle System: Action is in real time, with an array of attacking methods to choose from. Magic is in the form of Magi Rocks, which you can collect on the field and use to create rings and talismans for use in battle. Battles aren't anything special in this game. You choose whether one method of attack is better than another in damage, and use it while dodging your foes' attacks.
Innovation: What makes this game shine is the influence your character has on the development of the world. Apart from the mandatory tasks such as reviving the land and restoring plant, animal and human life to the surface world, there's optional tasks such as furthering growth. You can take part in the invention of new technologies such as the telephone and camera, and eventually develop new forms of transportation across the world. As a result, you may return to larger, more developed cities upon your travels.
Graphics: The SNES as its peak. I've only seen graphics of similar or lesser quality from other games.
Sound: Pretty good music, but again one of those traits that you tend to miss in-game. While playing I never thought the music was anything special, but the soundtrack is definitely one to try out -- especially the arranged versions of the most significant scenes. It remains as one of the most impressive soundtracks overall (as compared to soundtracks that have a few impressive tracks, but the others are lacking). In terms of sound effects, there was only one thing that bothered me at times: The talking noises. Nothing too major though.
Replayability: Reasonably high. There's much you would miss in a first playthrough. A second one would allow further exploration and appreciation of the game's intricacies.
A definite gem -- I still get urges to play this one even now.
Overall: 9/10
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