-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Soul Blazer Trilogy
- Thread starter Celine
- Start date
Terranigma is infinitely superior to SB and IoG and one of the best games on the SNES. Only rivaled by the likes of Chrono Trigger. Get it, NOW.
Cow Mengde
Banned
From which game? You gotta explain it in better detail so we can help you. I remember there was a mute girl in Terranigma though. If that's what you mean.
Glad other gaffers are playing them.
Hope you voted "right" in Loire.
I liked that scene too.
Looking back on it. Unreal story telling for an SNES game. I can't think of a single other game at the time that did something as powerful and heart warming as this scene...
I am Chao, I am.
Best ending ever
Didn't they just unlock a Skyblazers-like bonus dungeon?
I don't know. I've never seen it and haven't looked it up. All I know is the ending seems incomplete and I haven't seen all the content. I never understood why the end boss was what it was. A similar ending might be FFIX's "and suddenly, Necron."
Well, I don't think Quintet ever coined the term I was just citing Quintet 3 action rpg on SNES (Shade/Quintet action rpg on PS1The Grandstream Saga and Brightis are kind of unknown and not as good as the SNES games from what I've seen).
You are right tough that there are big connections between Actraiser and Soul Blazer.
Soul Blazer was like an action rpg version of Actraiser.
lol Soul Blazer
but yes a dungeon with SB first boss.
enh it doesnt really make that much sense. getting the red jewels doesnt change anything. its not really a soul blazer like level but the boss from the dr leos painting in soul blazer with hard-ish dungeon before him. quite a let down considering how hard it can be to get all 50 gems.
Feels good read this.
Waiting more impression about the "new" game ;-)
This too
Memory is a bit fuzzy but
you can obtain/buy a medicine in some developed country. Was it China ? Or was China where the sick girl was lain?
Darn, I knew it somehow felt wrong. But well, never liked it that well as the other two, maybe that's why I never can remember its title.
Absolutely agree as I said in the first page of this thread.
Third one is best one
for me.
Really like what I've played of Illusion of Gaia/Time, this thread has got me wanting to pick the cart up and finish it off As has been said, it has some surprisingly strong story moments, not to mention some nice visuals and music. Some of the dungeons are a right headache though, Mu and the one which you can flip upside downcome to mind.
I want to pick up Soul Blazer (which I guess I'd have to get an American copy of) and Terranigma sometime, though the latter certainly isn't cheap :/
As has been said, it has some surprisingly strong story moments, not to mention some nice visuals and music. Some of the dungeons are a right headache though, Mu and the one which you can flip upside downcome to mind.I want to pick up Soul Blazer (which I guess I'd have to get an American copy of) and Terranigma sometime, though the latter certainly isn't cheap :/
are these games linked to each other in any way?
i've played Illusion of Gaia back in the snes days and loved it. i'm thinking of replaying it but im not sure if i should play soul blazer first, which i've never played.
i've played Terranimga 5-6 years ago and wasnt blown away. imo it doesnt live up to the hype.
i've played Illusion of Gaia back in the snes days and loved it. i'm thinking of replaying it but im not sure if i should play soul blazer first, which i've never played.
i've played Terranimga 5-6 years ago and wasnt blown away. imo it doesnt live up to the hype.
Fantasy Final
Member
Played the game thought emulators (being in the US) and I bought this copy 2 years ago so I can at least play it on a US console.
I really love the manual too, lots of artworks
I also have this <3
I really love the manual too, lots of artworks
I also have this <3
Speaking of The Grandstream Saga and Shade ,because we know almost nothing about Quintet activity in the last ten years, seems that most western sources track Orphen for PS2 and Mystic Heroes for GC as Shade last games probably because they were the last one to be released in western stores.
However Shade Inc. developed many games in the last few years for WSC,PS2,PSP,Wii and DS that all but two remained confined in Japan.
Most of those are licensed stuff (Digimon, Gunbuster, Hitman Reborn, Beyblade) or subcontract on other companies property like Sakura War 5 and Inazuma Eleven Striker whereas the few original works are mostly cheap budget affairs.
The only Shade game that maybe a gaffer could have played is the Wiiware first person shooter Onslaught (known as MADSECTA in Japan) released worldwide by Hudson.
Credits:
As many small developer these days Shade seems now focused on mobile games for GREE,Android and ios:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.shade.DGunsSP
Since this seems to be a frequent mistake: the game is called The Granstream Saga!
Man, the port music in Terranigma is so heavenly. I could get lost in this track forever...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43FM-ZzlNKs
I just arrived at the Carnival town in Terranigma and I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do at this point. My Ark is level 25 and I'm able to afford and rock the latest equipment from the towns. Oh, and is it just me or does Arc look exactly like the main character from Arc the Lad II when running around on the world map? Anyway, it's crazy how ambitious this game is. I guess it's that late life cycle system epiphany some developers have. I can't believe this never made it over to NA either.
Oh, and I've also played the shit out of Granstream Saga. Such an awesome early PSone title. So many funny, classic moments in that game; the Ma Oh Mythology talk at the end of the game, the Genocide character exploding scene, etc. That game always made me laugh, hah! I had no idea that Quintet games were related to that game until I read this thread. Pretty crazy, but it makes sense now having thought about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43FM-ZzlNKs
I just arrived at the Carnival town in Terranigma and I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do at this point. My Ark is level 25 and I'm able to afford and rock the latest equipment from the towns. Oh, and is it just me or does Arc look exactly like the main character from Arc the Lad II when running around on the world map? Anyway, it's crazy how ambitious this game is. I guess it's that late life cycle system epiphany some developers have. I can't believe this never made it over to NA either.
Oh, and I've also played the shit out of Granstream Saga. Such an awesome early PSone title. So many funny, classic moments in that game; the Ma Oh Mythology talk at the end of the game, the Genocide character exploding scene, etc. That game always made me laugh, hah! I had no idea that Quintet games were related to that game until I read this thread. Pretty crazy, but it makes sense now having thought about it.
Ahaha I just broke the desert somehow, couldn't get out of it and it just kept scrolling
Hah! I broke the game too earlier. During the Canyon dungeon where you have to go rescue the Cub for the Lion family you can run into a game breaking glitch. Since you have to speak to the Cub to proceed you can cause all sorts of trouble with the event scripting. There is a point where the path splits in the dungeon. The Cub walks to one spot, but you can continue exploring the other path without even speaking to the Cub. If you follow this path far enough you will arrive at a falling rock bridge. If you cross it you are permanently stuck on the other side and unable to go back to where the Cub is waiting for you to talk to him. Pretty wild oversight!
That was the first boss I got to where I was like, "Really?". The Zue takes forever to land and you can only take so many licks at him before he flies off again. At that point in the game you are doing so little damage too so I thought the fight was going to last forever. I was shocked when I beat him because it happened so suddenly. I guess he had low HP. =/
I also ended up doing that, but you can just fall down where the bridge used to be and make your way back. (Actually I forgot where Leim was and ended up advancing without talking to him).
Just so you know but a nomad in the camp near the desert tells you the correct route to pass the desert.Ahaha I just broke the desert somehow, couldn't get out of it and it just kept scrolling
Whoops, my bad.
Just like Ys 1&2.
No wonder Hashimoto and Miyazaki worked on those too.
DimmuBurgerKing
Member
The most morbidly funny line in the game:
The air was filled with the smell of roasted Hamlet.
Oh I know, but as I was heading down for the snake formation rocks I was jumping around, which the game didn't like so it decided to break on me.
Cow Mengde
Banned
Either the mermaid tower (talk to the sailors in port) or the scene with Meilin in the square. I think it's the mermaid tower.
Herbert Moon
Neo Member
Terranigma is one of those games I never got to play back in the day (I live in NTSC-land). Looking at the prices now, it's even worse than Earthbound. I couldn't imagine paying $100+ for a single cartridge.
Looking on Ebay, I see an English NTSC copy of Terranigma. What's the story behind this? I'm assuming it's an unauthorized reproduction made for people like me who never got to play it? Also, the thing is almost $200!
http://tinyurl.com/7qavsvl
Looking on Ebay, I see an English NTSC copy of Terranigma. What's the story behind this? I'm assuming it's an unauthorized reproduction made for people like me who never got to play it? Also, the thing is almost $200!
http://tinyurl.com/7qavsvl
theSlacker
Member
It is actually an issue with Terranimga having one of the highest region protections of any snes era game. A lot of earlier games you could just break the tabs off of a US snes and the games would fit and work, and run at 60 fps instead of the pal standard. To get nigma to work you either need to switch mod your snes, adding 2 switches that you would need to toggle every time you start the game, or get a rare adapter that has spots for 2 games to plug in, one that loads the security stuff, and the other that you want to play. Think it was one of the later action replays.
Or you could buy a reproduction from one of the sites that sells them now, but not sure about the legality of that stuff.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
I remember having issues with that boss using melee and then I figured, "What if I use magic? You know, that thing the game never really forces me to use?"
Turned out that it worked and the boss ended up being a cakewalk. ElecRings are the best.
I remember finishing Illusion of Time/Gaia, going to the library, and borrowing all the books I could find on these structures. I hadn't had a game fuel an interest like that before. I guess the reason why I'm so fond of that game is because it sparked my interest in games that used real-world settings or history in an alternate-universe sort of fashion... or even used real-world structures as a base for dungeon design.Jucksalbe said:
Robotrek is really fun, partially because the robots can be customized a lot (and you can program them to do certain actions in battle), partially because of the item creation system, and partly because of the battle system. I really enjoyed it, though I haven't played it in a while so maybe my opinion might change if I replay it now.InfiniDragon said:
this thread got me itching to play these games. I decided on illusion of gaia for now. I love the dungeons in this game, they are so fun. the sky garden with the two sides is such a cool idea.
I think what makes this and soul blazer so fun is the reward you get for defeating all the enemies in the level. It's basically required, but it's really satisfying to beat all the enemies. I think few games really give a good incentive for doing that, and you just feel like it's a hassle. The map in illusion of gaia of where the enemies are is just helpful enough too without showing you and telling you absolutely everything.
My biggest beef with terranigma is that they took out this element and defeating enemies just becomes a chore again, especially since you can grind (which you really can't do in soul blazer/illusion of gaia). I wish they would have kept this element, and I probably would have loved terranigma.
I think what makes this and soul blazer so fun is the reward you get for defeating all the enemies in the level. It's basically required, but it's really satisfying to beat all the enemies. I think few games really give a good incentive for doing that, and you just feel like it's a hassle. The map in illusion of gaia of where the enemies are is just helpful enough too without showing you and telling you absolutely everything.
My biggest beef with terranigma is that they took out this element and defeating enemies just becomes a chore again, especially since you can grind (which you really can't do in soul blazer/illusion of gaia). I wish they would have kept this element, and I probably would have loved terranigma.
SabinFigaro
Member
God, I miss Quintet.
Illusion of Gaia is bar-none, one of my favourite games for the SNES. I agree with the above posters who praised it for the story-telling; it blew my mind back in the day. However, it's really the music that stands out for me, as many pieces are chilling and haunting, yet beautiful. The gameplay ain't too bad as well, and it's a very serviceable, if not excellent action-RPG. I loved the three characters, as well as their individual traits and powers. To those bemoaning the lack of clarity regarding Red Gems, there's a walkthrough included in the instruction manual that points out the location of all 50. The bonus is a neat, but not necessary, homage to Soul Blazer.
Illusion of Gaia: Itory, The Hidden Village
Illusion of Gaia: Lola's Melody
Illusion of Gaia: Signs of the Past
I came upon Soul Blazer much later in my gaming career, as I never really saw a copy in the wild, and never knew IOG had a prequel. For many years, I only played it on an emulator, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I was finally lucky enough to come across a complete, boxed copy on eBay, for less than $50! SB doesn't have as many playthroughs from me, but I still enjoy it greatly.
Again, I came across Terranigma much later, and I'm ashamed to admit I've STILL never beaten it. The stars have just never aligned, but I know the high praise it receives, and I played a good chunk of the first 10 hours. In terms of gameplay, it's infinitely superior to its predecessors, but I still prefer the storytelling of IOG.
Finally, I made my way through the Granstream Saga a few years ago, again courtesy of eBay. You can see the influence of Quintet, even if the characters are faceless monstrosities. The storyline also goes from typical jRPG to "what the shit" by the very end. I should really give it another playthrough, just for that. It really suffers from early-PSX-itis: graphcs are blocky, and 3D is just beginning to find its feet. Regardless, it's greatly underappreciated.
Damn, I wish someone would take these properties and give them proper treatment. Port, remake, collection; I'd take all three. It's a crime that Terranigma never made its way to the VC.
Illusion of Gaia is bar-none, one of my favourite games for the SNES. I agree with the above posters who praised it for the story-telling; it blew my mind back in the day. However, it's really the music that stands out for me, as many pieces are chilling and haunting, yet beautiful. The gameplay ain't too bad as well, and it's a very serviceable, if not excellent action-RPG. I loved the three characters, as well as their individual traits and powers. To those bemoaning the lack of clarity regarding Red Gems, there's a walkthrough included in the instruction manual that points out the location of all 50. The bonus is a neat, but not necessary, homage to Soul Blazer.
Illusion of Gaia: Itory, The Hidden Village
Illusion of Gaia: Lola's Melody
Illusion of Gaia: Signs of the Past
I came upon Soul Blazer much later in my gaming career, as I never really saw a copy in the wild, and never knew IOG had a prequel. For many years, I only played it on an emulator, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I was finally lucky enough to come across a complete, boxed copy on eBay, for less than $50! SB doesn't have as many playthroughs from me, but I still enjoy it greatly.
Again, I came across Terranigma much later, and I'm ashamed to admit I've STILL never beaten it. The stars have just never aligned, but I know the high praise it receives, and I played a good chunk of the first 10 hours. In terms of gameplay, it's infinitely superior to its predecessors, but I still prefer the storytelling of IOG.
Finally, I made my way through the Granstream Saga a few years ago, again courtesy of eBay. You can see the influence of Quintet, even if the characters are faceless monstrosities. The storyline also goes from typical jRPG to "what the shit" by the very end. I should really give it another playthrough, just for that. It really suffers from early-PSX-itis: graphcs are blocky, and 3D is just beginning to find its feet. Regardless, it's greatly underappreciated.
Damn, I wish someone would take these properties and give them proper treatment. Port, remake, collection; I'd take all three. It's a crime that Terranigma never made its way to the VC.
This is simply not true, none of my pal launch SNES games work on a US SNES without the use of an adapter (The AD-29)
Bought Terranigma at a second-hand store (cash converters, anyone remember them?). Also bought Lufia 2 there. Can you imagine how happy I was?
All I can say is the power of Terranigma's ending moved me like no other VG ending has. It had poignancy, hope, epicness, romance, and destiny. It was a satisfying denouement.
An anime adaptation is definitely in order!
All I can say is the power of Terranigma's ending moved me like no other VG ending has. It had poignancy, hope, epicness, romance, and destiny. It was a satisfying denouement.
An anime adaptation is definitely in order!
Zero-Crescent
Member
Man, it's been a long time since I first played Illusion of Gaia. The opening definitely had a number of hooks; a boy with mysterious powers, a princess on the run from her increasingly mad parents, and that first time you transform into Freedan. The game really touched on themes that didn't seem commonly explored on console games at the time; life, death, sacrifice, reincarnation, madness, creation, relationships, slavery, and the mystical sides of real-life landmarks. It's surprising how much made it through Nitnendo's censors.
I didn't play Terranigma until much later, and I loved it too, particularly when I realized that the world you're reviving is Earth, with allusions to historical figures. Plus, those twists when you revive the "genius" are memorable.
I didn't play Terranigma until much later, and I loved it too, particularly when I realized that the world you're reviving is Earth, with allusions to historical figures. Plus, those twists when you revive the "genius" are memorable.
theSlacker
Member
Could have sworn that wasn't true for all games, but if you say the launch ones don't work then I guess it isn't. Sorry for the misinformation.
thomasmahler
Member
I always hoped newer Zelda titles would copy some do the stuff Terranigma did, but that never happened. A truly great game - helping to build the cities was absolutely one of the most fun parts
All launch (and till FFVI) SFC games would work on a US SNES (as long as you removed the small tabs), this may be where your confusion comes from.
Same goes for the Megadrive/Genesis, all games would work for a while (no matter which region) till they implemented region restrictions (yes, Sega got it right at first then got it backwards).
Like the hat?
Banned
Glad to see my will fan art from when i was a kid was actually in the right direction after all, heh
Also good lord at Seth
Also good lord at Seth
Zoe
Member
Like the hat?
Banned
Does anyone have a list of differences between illusion of Gaia and the beta version that was dumped?
Trying to get the grand prize in Freedom's lottery before it expands but that doesn't seem like it's going to happen
And now to never use them again because magic is slow and cumbersome.
And now to never use them again because magic is slow and cumbersome.
TheJollyCorner
Member
loved Soul Blazer when I was a kid. I always looked at it as a spiritual successor to ActRaiser back in those days (beyond just the same company connection, of course).
I remember Nintendo Power being very literal with Illusion of Gaia being a 'direct sequel' and saying some shit like the warrior (the one with the long blonde hair, armor, sword, etc.) was the actual protagonist from Soul Blazer. I was pumped.
A buddy in my neighborhood rented it and I remember from the little that I played I wasn't impressed. It wasn't enough of a direct sequel to SB for my tastes at the time.
If it went up on VC I'd snatch it up and give it another go now that my expectations are in check.
Terranigma I had to go through the process of importing (one of only three games I ever imported: Tobal #1, for the VII demo, Mother 3, and Terranigma).
Fantastic game, but I couldn't help but being a little regretful that I didn't get a chance to experience it when it released. I still appreciate the charm of the SNES and her games, but I know as a kid I would have gone nuts over this one.
Quintet was just so damn unique with their games. Having world-building aspects combined with action and role-playing was just wonderful.
Didn't they make a 'Populous' style game for The Saturn? I recall seeing a couple screens of it in a GAMEFAN, but I can't remember if it ever released or if it was scrapped. Can't even remember the name.
I also recall a game they were making for the Playstation called Planet Laika.
Sounded really interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Laika
I remember Nintendo Power being very literal with Illusion of Gaia being a 'direct sequel' and saying some shit like the warrior (the one with the long blonde hair, armor, sword, etc.) was the actual protagonist from Soul Blazer. I was pumped.
A buddy in my neighborhood rented it and I remember from the little that I played I wasn't impressed. It wasn't enough of a direct sequel to SB for my tastes at the time.
If it went up on VC I'd snatch it up and give it another go now that my expectations are in check.
Terranigma I had to go through the process of importing (one of only three games I ever imported: Tobal #1, for the VII demo, Mother 3, and Terranigma).
Fantastic game, but I couldn't help but being a little regretful that I didn't get a chance to experience it when it released. I still appreciate the charm of the SNES and her games, but I know as a kid I would have gone nuts over this one.
Quintet was just so damn unique with their games. Having world-building aspects combined with action and role-playing was just wonderful.
Didn't they make a 'Populous' style game for The Saturn? I recall seeing a couple screens of it in a GAMEFAN, but I can't remember if it ever released or if it was scrapped. Can't even remember the name.
I also recall a game they were making for the Playstation called Planet Laika.
Sounded really interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Laika
So IoG lovers how do you think are the official character arts ?
Like the nice Will and Kara in the western manual ?
Well, nope.
The character design was done by Moto Hagio, a famous shojo mangaka :
shocking eh.
