Terranigma

Video Game Perfection

I make it no secret that the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) is my favorite video game console ever. I really only enjoyed four consoles growing up: the SNES, the Nintendo 64, the Sega Dreamcast, and the original Xbox. I was going to get an Xbox 360, but I became a guitar player just before it was released and blew whatever money I saved on super sweet Jackson Warrior along with a 100 watt amp. The SNES is easily my favorite console and Terranigma is my favorite game on that console. So, Terranigma is my favorite game of all time. Yes, I'm putting it ahead of Chrono Trigger and Super Metroid. I'm even putting it ahead of my child and teenagehood favorites such as Contra III, Donkey Kong Country, Perfect Dark, Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid 3, Morrowind, Half-Life 2, and Jet Set Radio. It's even better than latter day exploits such as Fallout: New Vegas and Witcher III. Every game I mentioned previously is pretty much my pantheon of greatest games of all time.

I didn't play Terranigma until I was well into college. I couldn't even play it on the original hardware as it was never released in North America. I had to rely on emulators first. It wasn't until I overpaid for a reproduction cartridge while I was in graduate school that I finally played it on original hardware. And yet, my experience with it was transporting to the point where I could confidently say that this is one of my favorite games of all time; if not, my absolute favorite ever.

Rediscovering the Magic

I recently purchased an authentic Japanese cartridge for the Super Famicom (the original Japanese SNES, if you will). I overpaid for this one, too. It came complete with manual, registration card, box, plastic cover for the box, and plastic bag for the cartrige. Every piece of the package was in immaculate condition. I even opened up the cartridge itself to look at the PCB board and that is the cleanest board I've ever beheld. The prior owner clearly kept special care of this baby. I don't regret my purchase. In fact, upon making it, it finally occurred to me that it has been thirty years since Terranigma was released. It was a sign. I can feel the magic; the vibrating words of power. I can hear all those spirits whispering; emerging back to life. The chasm has been opened. It is time to enter and resurrect the world once again.

Ark

You can name your protaganist, but canonically, his name is Ark. Ark is a mischevious teenage boy that is popular among kids but a bane to adults. The younglings love causing mischief but, naturally, the adults don't want Ark teaching them bad habits. In fact, Ark's first task is to go to the weaver's hut and apologize for chasing the chickens into their garments and destroying them. Along the way, you encounter Ark's loyal and loving girlfriend, Elle. As you return to the elder of your apology, your pals are trying to open a forbidden door. Of course, being Ark, you join right in (well, you're not obligated to, but I certainly did). Upon success, your buddies ditch you as you enter the forbidden door. There's a box with a creature inside. And now the villagers are frozen and an epic quest begins.

Resurrecting the World

Obviously, the quest must begin by restoring the villagers to their normal state. Upon doing so, the elder meets you at the chasm. It's time to jump in and emerge on the other side of the world and resurrect all of it. By unfreezing the villagers, you have already started by resurrecting the land. You are then tasked with resurrecting the plants, then the birds, then the rest of the animals. Then of course the humans. But your task is still not finished. You must guide the animals and humans to achieve their full potential. Upon guiding them to their highest forms, you must become the hero of legend. As the hero, you must restore balance between the surface world and the underworld; light and dark.

Best 16-bit Combat

The combat in Terranigma is the best of any old-school SNES game I have played. Games such as Soulblazer and A Link to the Past made overhead 2D combat effective with the technology that was available at the time. But it was basically a sword swipe with limited range and moving around to position yourself within striking range of enemies. The combat of Terranigma also features moving around to position yourself within striking distance. But there's additional attacks such as a lunging pierce, a jumping spin, an E. Honda like multi-strike, and, my personal favorite, a type of jumping dive bomb that I love using every time. There's also a button activated block that blocks incoming projectiles. Activating sprint also alters the type of attack used. It makes for combat that feels fast, fluid, and dynamic in comparison to its more static predecessors. You can definitely bounce all over the screen as you attack your enemies from every angle. I enjoy it a lot more because of this.

Powerful Soundtrack

Another pillar of strength for this game is the powerful soundtrack. It easily ranks among the very best of, not just SNES soundtracks, but of any soundtrack in any game ever. It easily stands toe-to-toe against Chrono Trigger, Shadow of the Colossus, Witcher 3, or anything else. Every type of mood for each level is well represented; from the jungle beats of Zue, to the lovely ballad of Bird Sanctuary, to the contemplative ambience of Evegreen, the mighty march of Eklemata, and the wistful sadness of Elle's theme (I don't know if that's actually what it's called but that's who I associate it to the most). The overworld music for both the underworld and surface world is splendid, too. The wonder of exploration merged beautifully with the daunting task of resurrecting the world. The soundtrack is packed with absolutely epic stuff. Another favorite of mine is the music during Leim's quest. It's a playful yet triumphant number that perfectly sets the mood for Leim's trial.

SPOILER ALERT!

These next paragraphs contain massive spoilers. If you haven't played the game, GO DO IT NOW!. If you already played the game or don't care for spoilers, proceed

Impactful Stories

Speaking of Leim, his little trial makes for a nice little story. Leim is a lion cub that is heir to his father's throne. In order to justify his future rule, Leim must traverse the canyon, face all the dangers contained therein, and come out in one piece. You, as Ark, will enter the canyon and encounter Leim being pecked half-to death by evil birds. Upon rescue, you join forces and embark on a mini-adventure to reach the end of the canyon. Upon doing so, you encounter the mud beast. The mud beast lays a trap and Leim is forced to fight alone. The cub is triumphant and returns to his parents as a worthy successor to the throne. It's a charming short-story about a young cub starting off weak and inexperienced and by the end, he is strong and heroic. Such a classic tale will never get old.

Elle

Or how about the sad story of (surface) Elle, the initially mute and amnesiac princess of castle Loire? Her whole village was massacred during a mad king's pursuit of a forbidden treasure. In order to snap her mind back to reality, you must present her a photo of her murdered parents. She then relives the horrible trauma and comes to terms that it was the king's fault. Later on in this journey, you discover that it was Fyda, Elle's dedicated protector, was the one that carried out the King's ghastly orders. Fyda lives with the tormenting guilt and that is why she is determined to protect Elle at all costs, including her life. This alone contains a tale of heart wrenching trauma, guilt, sacrifice, and a quest for redemption; a quest for revenge. It's sub-stories like that that just hit hard, right in the feels.

Meilin

Hell, even the love triangle with Meilin was touching. She starts off as a traumatized young girl after her parents where killed in a disaster. With her powers of conjuring mirages, she props up a fantasy town where her parents yet live so she can continue being close to them. Ark then marches in and interrupts her fantasy, letting her know that she can't keep dwelling on her loss. At some point she has to overcome. Meilin's own mother chimes in from the spirit world and encourages her to listen to Ark. Later on in the story, Meilin falls in love with Ark. Unfortunately, Ark must break her heart and inform her that he only loves (underworld) Elle. In a fit of rage, Meilin departs; only to later join evil forces to inflict misery upon Ark for breaking her heart. It doesn't end on such a sour note as Meilin is then betrayed by her wicked master. Ark and his allies confront Meilin and demand an apology. Meilin confides and rejoins Ark and his gang to take down the evildoers. It's another tale of trauma, betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption that fits tightly within Terranigma's scope.

Stories within video games have certainly come a long way. By around the mid 90s, as we where entering the Y2K era, there was definitely a shift in how deep and filled with literary quality they became. I have not played a game with this much emotional impact in each of its sub-stories. Sometimes they're triumphant. Other times they're heartbreaking. Often, they are hopeful. The finale is triumphant and yet sorrowful. The very last scene at the end of the credits leaves us in ambiguity as if to offer us one last bit of hope.

Spectacular Side Quests

There are a lot of side quests in Terranigma. They are all centered around growing the towns. By completing specific tasks you increase the economic growth index of certain towns. Each level of growth visibly affects the town and increases the number of shop items.However, expanding the towns has consequences. Increasing economic growth of certain towns has a very noticeable impact. The towns themselves grow in size and offer more shops and items. I must say, it's actually quite stunning how much these towns grow. It also increases productivity for humans. But it also affects the animals of Safarium; they get captured and put on display in a zoo. The kingbird also gets captured and put in a cage in one of the towns that expands. Releasing him costs an enourmous coin. Some of the townfolk complain about the growth of towns disturbing their peace. This is the one game that genuinely made me question "should I actually complete this game to 100 percent at the expense of the animals I just befriended?" It's almost as if its implementing player choice before it was a widespread idea.

Flaws

Even though this is my favorite game, it's not without its flaws. Perhaps the largest flaw, and its not really much of a flaw, is the under-used magic system. It's not bad; it does feature flamethrowers, lighting, and ice beams along with the usual area attacks of each type. The manner in which it gets charged up is unique. Instead of spending magic points that are part of a character's stats, you have to find magirocks and power them up with a specific magic type at shops. It's a neat concept, but it's also unecessary. You can easily get by with just your trusty spear for the entire game. It's really just a feature of the game that's available but easily looked over. It doesn't detract from anything. Although, for those that are looking for a fully developed magic system, they may be dissapointed.

Hidden Directions

Perhaps another flaw is that it can be vague or unclear on where to head to next. I personally don't see this as a flaw at all. In fact in all my playthroughs, I didn't consult any kind of guide. I can somewhat understand why someone would get stuck and not know what to do next. However, I must say, if you get stuck, I believe it's because you are not doing what the game wants you do: explore every nook and cranny and talk to every NPC. Moreover, the game really wants you to connect the dots between items, events, and NPC dialogue and have frequent light bulb moments.

Example

Take for example the Sylvania castle. At one point, you're supposed to work the chandelier to open a path to one of the stones necessary to move forward. In order to work the chanelier, you need the right three-digit code. The game never outright tells you the code. It only hints that the code is related to a year that's important to the queen. You can only learn what this year is by going to the library of the castle and reading books. You have to explore the whole castle and investigate every item in order to make your way through. Such as it is for the rest of the game.

Connecting the Dots

This is just one example. There's an even more difficult connection to make in the very same castle. Such "connect-the-dots" challenges are littered throughout the game. I personally love them. Not only do you get rewarded for exploring every corner and talking to every NPC, it's the only way to progress. It's a game that challenges your memory and information retention. Sometimes, you'll even stumble unto the answer without even realizing it. Maybe you'll run into an item or talk to an NPC and think to yourself "Hey! Maybe that's related to that one other thing...."

Visual Art

Being released in 1995, 3D graphics where already present by this point. The Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation where released the same year. So, it had some competition. I always believed that those fifth generation graphics aged poorly. Moreover, they emphasized 3D graphics so much that they forgot about art style; which is more timeless. Being released late in the SNES lifespan, Terranigma extracted the most power out of that console. By doing so, it created gorgeous pixel art that stands the test of time. Obviously, it's not going too be photo realistic. But it is very detailed and highly pleasing to the eyes.

Finally

I've ranted long enough about how great this game is. There's too many damned paragraphs with too many words. I went on about how great the combat is, how the graphics are cool, that the soundtrack is awesome, especially how rich the story is. Really, that's the best reason to play this game. If one was to extract all of the story points in this game and flesh it out a little more, it could easily become some sort of mythopoeic work. It's a story about a teenage rascal that resurrects all life on Earth and becomes a legendary hero. Along the way he makes friends and defeats formidable enemies. He keeps his true romantic love at heart and has to break one because of it. He learns to true value of friendshp, love, hardship, betrayal, redemption, forgiveness, sacrifice, and determination while he sees his epic journey to its end. Much like the geniuses he assisted along the way, he dared to venture to where no person would dare to go. By the end, you truly feel that Ark experienced a radical transformation of mind, body, and spirit. His fellow villagers let him know as much as he spends one final day at his hometown. It's now time to leave this plane of existence forever. He goes to sleep one final time and dreams his final dream as his lover's voice is heard one last time. He is soaring above the clouds to witness the world he resurrected evolving through the ages. Such a bittersweet ending. I can't recommend this game enough.

Epilogue

If you wait for the credits to roll, we find surface world Elle sitting by herself. Someone knocks at her door. She goes to answer. Could it be that Ark has manifested in human form and is now visiting the remaining figure that most resembles his lover? I like to think so.