Terranigma
Categories: Computer and video role-playing games | Enix games | Super NES games | 1995 computer and video games | 1996 computer and video games
| Terranigma | |
| Developer(s) | Enix / Quintet |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Release date(s) | 20 October 1995 (JP) 19 December, 1996 (EU) |
| Genre | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Super Famicom / Super NES |
Terranigma, or Tenchi Souzou (天地創造, meaning "Genesis") in Japan, is a 1996 Enix action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (developed by Quintet). It is the story of the resurrection of the world (as we know it), and its progress from prehistoric times to the near future. Terranigma was scored by Miyoko Kobayashi and Masanori Hikichi.
In Terranigma', the earth is portrayed as a hollow sphere, and the game begins on the inside, where gravity seems to suffer from some kind of inversion. The player controls the pike-wielding hero Ark, a troublemaker of a boy who lives in Crysta, the only town in this "underworld". After opening a door he was told not to open, everyone in the town is frozen. He is guided by the elder of Crysta to resurrect the continents of the world in order to unfreeze the people. After resurrecting the continents, he must resurrect the plants, birds, mammals and at last the human race. The game progresses through the broad outlines of human history, featuring cameos from various historical figures such as those who were influential in transport and communication. By meeting certain criteria involving inventions and inventors, you can help the cities around the world to grow from villages into metropolises.
Because of the parallels to religious tales and heavy religious overtones, as well as the impending release of the Nintendo 64, this game was not released in America, but was popular in Europe and Australia (published by Nintendo). However, Terranigma got a chance at American life through console emulation. There is also a patch to convert the European version from PAL to NTSC to suit the American audience.
Terranigma is the third game in a loosely tied trilogy, beginning with Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia. Common elements to the games include a dog named Turbo showing up, the presence of dark and light Gaia, and certain locations reappearing such as Mu and South Cape. The ending to Illusion of Gaia suggests a modern world similar to the one in Terranigma, although none of the characters make an appearance. Soul Blazer features similar gameplay elements to Terranigma in resurrecting aspects of different worlds, and Illusion of Gaia has a similar combat and message system in some ways, and shares similar themes about balancing light and darkness.
Contents |
Plot and gameplay summary
The game is divided into four chapters.
Chapter 1 : The Outset
Ark is a resident in the peaceful town of Crysta. He accidentally opens a magical sort of Pandora's box containing a creature named Yomi. Unfortunately, opening the box freezes everyone in his town except him and the Elder. The Elder informs Ark that he threw the world out of balance and that he needs to revive everyone in the town by visiting 5 towers. With each tower Ark completes he's able to revive more people in his village, including his girlfriend Elle, and is resurrecting the continents of the surface world. After reviving everyone Ark is informed that he has been living on the dark side of the world, and he needs to revive the light side to restore balance.
Chapter 2 : Resurrection of the World
Ark begin by exploring a barren landscape and completes a quest to resurrect all plant life by saving the Ra Tree. By fighting another boss and completing another area, he resurrects the birds by saving Kingbird, who are then willing to give him transportation. Ark also discovers he can talk with all the animals he meets. Ark then manages to resurrect all the animals and accepts a request by the lions to help a young cub, Leim, who would become king of the animals. After helping the cub complete his own rite of passage, Ark climbs a frozen mountain to achieve the resurrection of humanity.
Chapter 3 : Resurrection of the Genius
This is by far the largest chapter, making up the bulk of the game. Three years after a gruesome ordeal on the mountain, Ark wakes up in a village populated by people like himself and discovers that he can no longer talk with animals. Human civilization appears to have been appeared instantaneously and begun development, like the revival of the other areas he completed. Ark's new quest is to develop human civilization and achieve the Resurrection of the Genius. Ark's first journey takes him to an abandoned ghost town in pursuit of a girl named Meilin, who used to live there. She was using her powerful illusion magic to make the town look alive and full of people, but in reality, it was nothing but a broken nest of zombies and desert beasts. Ark rescues Meilin and travels to Loire where he competes to become the groom of a Princess who looks suspiciously like his own Elle and even shares the same name. Ark's task is to restore the Princess's lost voice, and he discovers that Elle actually came from a village identical to his own village of Crysta. Ark finds a portrait of Elle's parents, and makes a deal with Meilin to help Princess Elle learn to talk as long as he promises not to marry her (the princess). Meilin makes an illusion of Elle's parents appear, and Ark learns that Elle's family was all killed by the King while he was searching for a treasure from their village. The king dies and Elle disappears, and Ark gets to vote in a new leader for Loire.
Ark's next task is to rescue Columbus, who has been taken prisoner by another evil spirit. After being rescued, Columbus teaches his navigation techniques to the other sailors so Ark can finally visit other countries. Ark meets Elle again and learns that she killed the king. He takes her away with him so she'll be safe. She ditches Ark when they arrive in Freedom, however, and he goes about his merry way. The town of Freedom bears an obvious resemblance to the United States. Ark helps a few people out with their inventions and establishes trade between the various cities, then eventually leaves to fight in the Mermaid Tower. After defeating the monsters there, Ark gets his own ship to travel wherever he wants. Ark learn that Princess Elle has been taken prisoner and Dragoon Castle, and tries to rescue her but ends up being trapped by Meilin. With the help of one of the king of Loire's soldiers and one of the former grooms, Ark outwits Meilin and rescues Elle, who separates from him once again.
Ark gets a plane from a friend who lives in Freedom, and travels to a mosque to find a race of people who worship a scientist named Beruga. Ark travels into his lab and Yomi tells him the password to activate the machines. Ark learns that the world's population was nearly destroyed by a Virus named Asmodeus and that only a few survived thanks to a vaccine developed by Beruga. Beruga himself survived in hibernation. Ark awakens Beruga himself, and learns that Beruga has been creating a race of zombified humans who can live forever. Ark finds this morally offensive (the zombies look incredibly sad, according to him), but Beruga immobilizes him and tells him his liege from the underworld will soon arrive.
The city of NeoTokyo is destroyed by Beruga, and Ark learns that the Elder of Crysta and the others were just manipulating him into resurrecting the world for Beruga's purposes. Beruga created a star of darkness so people can no longer die but become zombies, and Ark learns he needs to restore the natural cycle by collecting five starstones and placing them at the graves at Time's End. Ark uses the StarStones and meets a spirit who is a mirror of himself. He learns that he is the dark side of the legendary hero, and the spirit is the light side. Their bodies merge, and the chapter ends.
Chapter 4 : Resurrection of the Hero
This is the final chapter in the story. Ark is reincarnated as a baby and is being watched over by Princess Elle from the light side. Yomi guides Elle from Crysta to him and informs her that she must kill Ark and her light side self. All the spirits and life forms that Ark has resurrected cry out to Ark to restore the balance of the world and he is returned to his light side self. Elle from Crysta apologizes for trying to hurt him, but Yomi tries to kill Ark and Elle absorbs his spell, killing them both. Princess Elle leads Ark to the secret of her village, and Ark finds another box identical to the one he originally opened, containing the legendary hero's armor and the light side version of Yomi. Ark learns that the virus Asmodeus was used by Beruga to destroy NeoTokyo, and Ark and all his friends go to challenge Beruga. Ark uses time bombs to destroy Beruga's airship and defeats the evil villain with the help of his companions. Ark realizes he has to return to the dark underworld he started in to finish his quest and get rid of the evil in the world.
Ark returns back to his home village and sees all the people he knows, but then the game takes a dark turn, and they inform him that if he had never found out the truth, he could have been happy. They transform into spirits and start attacking him, and Ark stumbles into the Elder's house. The Elder tells him that all the humans he's met are merely replicas, that the light side creates life, and the dark side destroys what is no longer needed, and that now the dark side has decreed that it is time to get rid of Ark. Ark finds himself climbing an endless stairway while being spoken to by Dark Gaia. Ark defeats Dark Gaia, and learns that he and his home village were just copies of the ones in the real world. Ark gets to spend one last day in his home village, then falls asleep - and is rewarded with a new life.
External links
- RPGClassics' Terranigma Shrine
- TerraEarth.com, about the Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma trilogy.
- GameFAQs information page
| Soul Blazer series |
|---|
| Soul Blazer | Illusion of Gaia | Terranigma |