Terranigma
Reviewed by Bennett Teav
It must be acknowledged that Terranigma could very well be the
greatest RPG on the SNES and also a colossal stigma in the Enix
marketing section. Terranigma was never released in the USA for
some unknown and, after finishing the game, unforgivable reason.
Initially, Terranigma was simply an RPG I saw on the shelf in a local
2nd-hand shop. Never heard of it before then. I decided to buy it
because the cover looked nice. I put the cartridge in my SNES and
watched the introduction. I was hooked. The game was instantly deep
story wise which is what I first expect in any RPG. I knew I was in
for an epic when I saw that intro by the superb orchestral score,
intricate graphics and the strong anime feel.
Graphics: 9 out of 10
Arguably the best graphics on the SNES. There is just so much detail
in every area of Terranigma's world. The sunlight shining through the
windows in the rooms, the large detailed bosses, the awe-inspiring
spells....just everything! Some cut scenes are even done in cinematics.
Awesome, full-screen art that progresses the story very well. The only
SNES games to even come close to this are Square's Chrono Trigger and
Final Fantasy 3. Mode 7 techniques are used while venturing the world
map. The underground use of mode 7 has to be seen to be believed!
Music and Sound: 8.5 out of 10
Terranigma's soundtrack is definitely worth turning up the volume for.
The composer (don't know his/her name) is one talented individual. Every
score accentuates its respective scene perfectly. From the beautiful yet
depressing theme for Elle to the scary yet upbeat boss theme.
The sound pretty much consists of the same old slash, jump, run into
walls and spells effect. Still, I don't see how you could really excel in
this area unless you applied some sort of surround sound or something.
Anyway, the sounds accommodate the actions very nicely.
Game Challenge: 7.5 out of 10
I can't really remember any mind-bending puzzles within the game but
there were some tough bosses. A little tip for those who reach Bloody
Mary, use your elec rings. I guess the game was more long than difficult.
The last boss is a killer if you don't know how to attack him.
Game Play-Fun: 10 out of 10
The controls are very nice and responsive. Ark can do many combinations
of move that are always nice to look at. There's a speedy attack move
that looks similar to E.Honda's Hundred Slaps move from Street Fighter 2.
There is a jump slash. A run, jump slash (which looks powerful but seems
to do normal damage) and there's your normal attack. Once you get the
hang of the controls the game gets very fun. Instead of putting details
on the story here, I'll give the story its own category.
Replayability: 6 out of 10
Once you finish the game, the only reason you'll come back is to build
up the towns found on the surface world. The game just seems too long
to attempt playing all the way through it again.
Game Value: 10 out of 10
Terranigma is pretty much worth anything. It's a classic. It was definitely
worth my money as I got the game very cheap from a 2nd-hand store.
Story: 9 out of 10
This is one of the very few games that have truly touched me. The story
can work so many level. Anyway, the intro talks about Earth's creation
and how there were two forces since the beginning of time, Lightside
and Darkside. (Lightside is good, and Darkside is bad.)
The game starts off in the Underworld (Darkside territory), in a village
called Crysta (very beautiful town music). A mischievous, energetic
young lad named Ark is waken up by Elle, a girl who he has a crush on.
She wakes him up because he looked like h was having a nightmare. Ark
explains that he's been having bad dreams lately. "Always the same bad dream"
Apparently, the day before, Ark was being silly and ruined the weavings
at the Weaver's Hall. The village elder hears about this and tell Ark to
go and "apologize to the weavers at once!". After he says sorry he goes
back to the elder's mansion to report back but finds some of his friends
surrounding a forbidden door. They tell him that the elder has gone for
a little while and they want to find out what he's keeping from everybody.
They pressure Ark to help them open the door and Ark gives in and breaks
it open (being the rebellious guy he is). His friends then realize what
had just been done and make excuses to leave. Ark enters the door and
descends the stairs. He reaches the bottom and sees a bright, floating
box at the end of the dark room. He touches it and out pops a pink,
floating marshmallow type creature named Yomi.
Yomi explains that the box is actually Pandora's box and Ark now owns it.
Suddenly Elle comes along and finds Ark telling him of her fear of something
she feels will happen. Then she freezes along with everybody in the village
except for the elder (which is explained much later in the story). Ark runs
out of the room and finds the elder, who lectures him on the chaos he has
let loose by opening Pandora's Box. He is told that 5 towers outside of
Crysta have been activated and he must reach the top of them all and
resurrect continents. Each tower will push resurrect a continent on the
surface world (Australia, Eurasia, America..etc).
After completing the 5 towers, all the villagers unfreeze and are back to
normal. Ark now has the responsibility of undoing what he's done so he has
to go and do something on the surface world. He attempts to say goodbye to
Elle but she can't even look at him because she can't bear the thought of
not seeing him again.
Ark warps to the surface world with Pandora's Box and Yomi.
This is where the game starts to get VERY cool.
Overall: 9 out of 10
Definitely an RPG that rivals the best of the best. You will truly feel
that all of Ark's experiences were your experiences and as a result,
you will be a wiser man. Anyway, what are you waiting for? Buy the
game! Now!