Ive never played Illusion of Gaia =o

[Dark_Gaia]

how good is it? i have it on rom, id prefer to play it on cartridge but oh well. is it better than terranigma?

[EverPhoenix]

imho, it doesnt compare to terranigma. then again, i played the games q few years apart. i only finished IoG not too long ago. the gameplay is decent enough, but it is horribly linear. example: theres no world map, you just choose one of 2 possible places to go. so theres only towns and dungeons. no in-between.

The storyline is patchy at best, and even then it makes no sense at all. there is minimal character development, and even when it is promised (coughFreedancough), you dont learn anything. that particular character never says a word ffs.

the only sidequest i ever heard of for IoG was the jeweller's mansion, where you have to find 50 items scattered around the world... err, the various rooms you actually get to visit in the game. im not sure if you can backtrack effectively in the game, as i never tried.

you cant level up, as such. you gain stats when you defeat all the monsters in the room. which is a creative enough system. thing is, once a monster is dead, its gone for good unless it isnt part of one of those things. other than that, there are no upgrades at all. there isnt much depth to the gameplay.

all that ranting aside, its still a fun game. its worth playing through, but if you go into it expecting something as grand, detailed and expansive at terranigma, you will be gravely disappointed.

[Dark_Gaia]

hm i dont think i will play it thru in the near future then, ive got plenty of other games 2 keep me interested. just didnt wanna be missing out on an epic =p

[tay120n64]

Despite Everpheonix's rave review, I must say that Illusion of Gaia remains one of my Top 5 favorite games of all time. The story is cryptic, the level-system is basic, and the characters aren't amazing, but the music and gameplay are top-notch. And despite the quality of the story, it is still deep enough to really get interested in.

If you approach it less from the side of RPGs (Terranigma for instance) and more as an Action/Adventure title (something akin to Zelda) you will find more enjoyment from it. It really isn't very similar to Terranigma, but that doesn't make it any less fantastic, imo.

[Dark_Gaia]

hmm haha might play it thru when work slows down. i do love a game with good music!

[inferiare]

I played IoG first, then Terranigma. Just be warned you don't get to buy healing items, and that you should save them for when you really need them. The Vampires just might kick your ass.

[Dark_Gaia]

cheers for that! might save me some trouble down the track lol

[Mantaray]

the only things that really bugged me in this game is that you can't go back to certain places once you're finished with them for good. so if you miss something like near the beginning and you're half way through, you don't get to go back. and you can't buy healing items... plus the ol' touch of death and such...

aside from the little things, it's still pretty kickass and fun to play

[Yet One More Idiot]

Yeah, that is possibly the single most annoying thing about IoG - as much as I love the game in all ways (I played it many years before I even heard of Terranigma, so it remains a favourite with me).

The early levels - and towns, too - once left, cannot be returned to; this is true of everything up until about halfway through the game. If you miss something in or after Angel Village, you're okay, you can go back and look for it, but if it's before that point, it's Lost Forever™. This can be most vexing if you're trying to locate all 50 gems and you miss one in the first half of the game (like I've managed to on several separate playthroughs).

Still one of my most favourite games ever, definitely up there with Terranigma but for different reasons; they are certainly not the same style of gameplay.

[Miss Prime Blue]

Do it, you won't regret it.

[Freedan]

If you're looking for an open-ended, Zelda-style game, then no. It's strictly linear, the dungeons are small, and aside from just trying to find your way through a few forks in the road, there's no real freedom to explore.

If you're looking for a game that may have come before its time, then absolutely. It's been said already that the characters receive very little development, and that much is true. But I didn't find the story as bleak as all that.

As you go through, you'll come across several spots in the story that make you think "that was in an SNES game?". Slavery, life-or-death gambling, poverty and cannibalism to name a few. The interesting thing is the game never takes those things lightly. It always covers them in a mature light. I think it's quite extraordinary for its time that way.

I'd say it's worth playing.

[EverPhoenix]

If you're looking for an open-ended, Zelda-style game, then no. It's strictly linear, the dungeons are small, and aside from just trying to find your way through a few forks in the road, there's no real freedom to explore.

If you're looking for a game that may have come before its time, then absolutely. It's been said already that the characters receive very little development, and that much is true. But I didn't find the story as bleak as all that.

As you go through, you'll come across several spots in the story that make you think "that was in an SNES game?". Slavery, life-or-death gambling, poverty and cannibalism to name a few. The interesting thing is the game never takes those things lightly. It always covers them in a mature light. I think it's quite extraordinary for its time that way.

I'd say it's worth playing.

i thought the cannibalism was censored out, that was too extreme. The plot has its interesting moments, definitely, but i found parts of it too farfetched.

[Dark_Gaia]

hm guess its mixed opinions, ill have 2 find out for myself =) soon as work slows down zzz

[Mantaray]

PLAY IT.

DO IT.

or we'll hypnotize you..

[Yet One More Idiot]

PLAY IT.

DO IT.

or we'll hypnotize you..

Yes, I occur with Sora-Mage.

Play it.

Play it now, while y... - ALL HAIL TO HYPNOTOAD!