Terranigma

Some games entertain you. Terranigma hits you. This action RPG from the studio Quintet is one of the most melancholy and mature stories ever released on the Super Nintendo.

Quintet, the people behind ActRaiser and Soul Blazer, here brought their favourite theme of creation, life and death to perfection. Terranigma tells of bringing the world back to life: you gradually awaken continents, plants, animals and humankind, and watch an empty planet turn into a living civilization. Together with Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia it forms a loosely connected „Quintet trilogy“, in which the motifs of renewal and the balance between creation and destruction recur.

In play terms it's a brisk action RPG with real-time combat, in which the hero Ark slashes enemies with a spear in isometric locations, gathers experience, upgrades his gear and solves logic puzzles. The gameplay is solid and enjoyable, but the game's real strength lies in its atmosphere and storytelling. The gradual flowering of the world gives every step weight, and the final twist ranks among the most emotionally powerful moments of its time.

Terranigma's fate is a story in itself. The game was released only in Europe and Australia, never received an official release in the United States, and so in the English-speaking world it long remained a half-forgotten treasure. It was precisely this unavailability that made it a sought-after cult title, spoken of with reverence among fans of Japanese RPGs.

Anyone looking only for quick entertainment may be confused by the slower start. But anyone who lets themselves be drawn in will find a work unafraid to speak of transience and of the price paid for the birth of the new. Terranigma is a game you never forget.

Why play it: For a mature, melancholy tale of creation and destruction, wrapped in a brisk action RPG and surrounded by the aura of a half-lost European treasure.