Why not?!

[Jason Tandro]

I've been replaying Terranigma lately and I feel kinda jipped that when humans are restored, you can no longer commune with plants and animals (well you can't understand them at any rate.)

Sure maybe he "no longer needed that skill", but it couldn't hurt to have it. Now I haven't beaten the game yet (I keep gettings stuck at the port where Columbus is at. He won't take me to the new world! ) but this bothers me.

Am I wrong?

[psychokind]

I always thought the loss of the ability to speak to nature was a great and clever metapher by the authors.

in my opinion it symbolizes the point where humans forgot about nature when they began to technologise. and how could one express this in a better way than letting the hero who evolves humankind forget about talking to plants and animals?

[chicken]

it'd be cool if you could re-learn it... like, a little sidequest or something... and then: great treasure!

[Metall Ark (XD®)]

however it don´t make really sens.
why Ark could talk to the animals?
He never learn to talk to him but he can talk to him.

[Freedan]

I always thought the loss of the ability to speak to nature was a great and clever metapher by the authors.

in my opinion it symbolizes the point where humans forgot about nature when they began to technologise. and how could one express this in a better way than letting the hero who evolves humankind forget about talking to plants and animals?

My thoughts exactly. As human society became more sophisticated, people stopped communicating with nature. People became too focused on developing their own society.

Not only that, but the reunion with Liem seems to suggest that it's not impossible to re-establish that communication. Even though Ark can't understand him any more, they're still able to communicate to solve a problem. And, the fact that Liem (eventually) remembered Ark would suggest that positive influences from humankind are still welcome.

Incidentally, why can you still talk to that one squirrel? I don't remember exactly where (south of Liotto, I think...?), but isn't there a squirrel that runs a minigame that you can still communicate with?

[EverPhoenix]

I always thought the loss of the ability to speak to nature was a great and clever metapher by the authors.

in my opinion it symbolizes the point where humans forgot about nature when they began to technologise. and how could one express this in a better way than letting the hero who evolves humankind forget about talking to plants and animals?

My thoughts exactly. As human society became more sophisticated, people stopped communicating with nature. People became too focused on developing their own society.

Not only that, but the reunion with Liem seems to suggest that it's not impossible to re-establish that communication. Even though Ark can't understand him any more, they're still able to communicate to solve a problem. And, the fact that Liem (eventually) remembered Ark would suggest that positive influences from humankind are still welcome.

Incidentally, why can you still talk to that one squirrel? I don't remember exactly where (south of Liotto, I think...?), but isn't there a squirrel that runs a minigame that you can still communicate with?

i never thought of it that way, thats really clever. as a kid i just assumed that before humans showed up, ark was able to communicate with them because they are living things.. and when humans show up, humans 'take over' language, and plants and animals have no realistic way of communicating with humans (ark among them)

[Blade]

Freedan and Psychokind speak my mind!
I think the (?) monkey in South America is there just for fun, since it's a minigame n all...nothing serious.

[Jason Tandro]

Incidentally, why can you still talk to that one squirrel? I don't remember exactly where (south of Liotto, I think...?), but isn't there a squirrel that runs a minigame that you can still communicate with?

!!!

It's Foamy! The Lord And Master!!!

[inferiare]

I like to think that the ability was always there to speak with the animals for the humans, they just forgot how to do so somewhere along the way. The birds still "talk" to you and you can tell them where you want to go, you just get the "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and "..............." as options instead of "Yeah, lets go!" or "Sorry, not now." like you did when you could still speak to them. The animals can understand humans because of the bond, but not the other way around.

[EverPhoenix]

i think theres also a bird (the one who sells you stuff in sanctuar) who speaks english. he says something about learning to speak like a human, or he wouldnt be a good shopkeeper.


this might be symbolic of technology, and how humans advanced language. therefore it would make sense that animals would not be able to communicate with humans, yet would have a vague understanding of what they mean to say via body language, etc

[Jason Tandro]

Well there's a reason animals stopped speaking our language. It was pretty heartbreaking to have the humans come and explain to you why we hunted and ate your brother, sister, mother etc.

"Sorry we killed Kalaba the Deer, but we needed his meat."

"But without him hunting for us, we won't survive the winter."

"And that brings me to the bad news."

[psychokind]

that's a good point of view jason

[Manibrandr System]

That part where the mountain goat had to eat her dead mate is pretty messed up too.

[Jason Tandro]

Mt. Goat? The human ate the male deer and was talking to the female deer.

And yes it was messed up.

[Blade]

That part where the mountain goat had to eat her dead mate is pretty messed up too.

Oh that was creepy...freaked me out when I played the game for the first time.