"The brilliance of this game is hard to put into words....."

Terranigma, or Soulblazer 3 (being the third in the Soublazer series after Soulblazer and Illusion of Time/Gaia {I've played IoT and I DON'T get how that relates to this}), is hands down, the best RPG on the SNES. The graphics are far superior to anything else I've seen on the SNES, simply brilliant for this limited platform. Most things are animated, there can be several NPCs on screen at once, and the lighting is quite impressive. The sound fits in well with the mood of the area, such as as a city becomes more advanced more layers are added to it and such. The gameplay is incredibly fun, the action being straightforward Secret of Mana style hacking and slashing, though the variety of moves and such add a few twists to it. The plot........the plot...is simply brilliant, easily one of the best I've ever seen, starting off with a simple task of reviving the people (and coincidentally ressurecting surface world {as you are in the underworld}continents) in Ark (the protaganist's) town after you petrified (flesh to stone) them. After this you are thrust into the task of resurrecting the plants, birds, animals of humans, and then.......well, I can't give too much away. There are several twists to the plot, and everything besides those listed things, romance, action, incredible twists. And the replayability? This is perhaps the most non linear game on the SNES, and there are several mini-quests that have a lasting effect on your game (such as towns evolve).

In the decade or so I've been playing with the SNES I have never played (and replayed, and replayed) such a good game, the depth of the gameplay being incredibly good. There are several ways to play too, such as the use of magical rings over your trusty pike.

The difficulty of the game is not too bad, however you cannot change it, which is the one thing wrong with the game. At no point will you be bored with the game either, from start to finish it's fun, the plot never stagnating, but even when it does slow down there's a host of small quests for you to do.

In summary, everything about this game is great, the graphics simply wonderful for the aging SNES console (made near the end of its reign), pushing the console to its limits, the sounds always appropriate and fitting, from the sound your character's spear makes when you attack something to the music, the plot BRILLIANT, rivaling anything I've seen, and the game is infinitely replayable (I have played it at least a dozen times, and finished it 5 of those times) and never boring.
Simply brilliant.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/17/01, Updated 09/17/01