GVnayR@legacy41985515 (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
Aegiscamra (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
||
| (11 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| + | {{GameInfobox |
||
| − | {{Refimprove|date=April 2008}} |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | {{Infobox VG |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | |title = Illusion of Gaia <small>(NA)</small> <br>Illusion of Time <small>(EU)</small> |
||
| + | |designer = |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | |engine = |
||
| − | |caption = Box art for ''Illusion of Gaia'' |
||
| + | |jp_rel = {{Release|1993|November|27|JP|Super Famicom}} |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | |publisher = {{vgrelease|JP=[[Enix]]|[[North America|NA]]/[[Europe|EU]]/[[Australia|AUS]]|[[Nintendo]]}} |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | |genre = RPG |
||
| − | |director = [[Masaya Hashimoto]] |
||
| + | |features = Single-player |
||
| − | |producer = Yasuyuki Sone |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | |designer = [[Tomoyoshi Miyazaki]] |
||
| − | | |
+ | |media = 16-[[megabit]] [[cartridge]] |
| + | |requirements = |
||
| − | |artist = [[Moto Hagio]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | |composer = Yasuhiro Kawasaki |
||
| − | |released = {{vgrelease|JP=November 27, 1993|NA=September 1, 1994|EU=April 27, 1995}} |
||
| − | |genre = [[Action role-playing game|Action role-playing]] |
||
| − | |modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]] |
||
| − | |ratings = {{vgratings|OFLCA=G8+|ELSPA=3+}} |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | |media = 16-[[megabit]] [[ROM cartridge|cartridge]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
}} |
}} |
||
| + | [[File:GaiaGensouki.jpg|thumb|left|Super Famicom boxart]] |
||
| − | {{nihongo|'''''Illusion of Gaia'''''|ガイア幻想紀|''Gaia Gensōki''|lit. "Records of the Illusion of Gaia"}},<ref>Quintet, [http://web.archive.org/web/20070622041657/http://www.quintet.co.jp/q_games.html Quintet Game Library (Internet Archive)]</ref> known in Europe as '''''Illusion of Time''''', is an [[action role-playing game|action-RPG]] [[video game]] that was released on September 1, 1994, for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]] (SNES)<ref>[http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/snes/data/588383.html ''Illusion of Gaia'' Release Information from GameFAQS]. Retrieved on September 10, 2008.</ref>. It was developed by [[Quintet (game developer)|Quintet]]. [[Enix]] published the game in [[Japan]], and [[Nintendo]] published it worldwide. The Australian PAL release was in fact a North American localization and was converted to [[PAL]] format and released in Australia as Illusion of Gaia, a rarity for [[Nintendo Australia]] which usually rely on European PAL versions, despite the OFLC website stating it was classified as Illusion of Time. |
||
| − | ''Illusion of Gaia'' was [[video game music|scored]] by Yasuhiro Kawasaki. [[Moto Hagio]] the influential [[mangaka|manga artist]] is credited with the character designs. [[Novelist]] Mariko Ohara worked on the story. |
||
| − | |||
==Gameplay== |
==Gameplay== |
||
| − | While ''Illusion of Gaia'' has a large cast of characters, Will, Freedan, and Shadow are the only playable characters in the game. They each have unique abilities, and certain areas are impassable without a specific character. The characters gain techniques as part of the story. Will's techniques are all based on reaching new areas with incidental combat applications, while Freedan's techniques are more combat-oriented. Shadow arrives late in the game, but being such a powerful character, he causes Freedan to be nearly obsolete. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Combat is relatively simple. Characters share the same health and defense scores, but have different levels of strength. Freedan, for example, does noticeably more damage, and has a longer reach than Will. In turn, Shadow does more damage than Freedan. Attacks are almost exclusively melee, using Will's flute, Freedan's sword, or Shadow's pseudopod. Enemies' health bars appear upon attacking, displaying as a series of red spheres that represent [[hit point]]s. [[Boss (video games)|Bosses]] cannot be revisited, and enemies do not reappear unless Will loses all his lives or completely exits an area and then returns. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''Illusion of Gaia'' has a general design that is uniquely simple as RPGs go. The game eschews the [[experience point|experience system]] of typical [[Console role-playing game|RPG]]s; instead, the game has a more novel system for advancing the player character's [[statistic (role-playing games)|statistics]]. Defeating all enemies in a room earns the player a permanent stat bonus in the form of a jewel. These jewels boost attack, defense, or health power. While returning to a cleared area will cause enemies to reappear, the bonuses for defeating them again do not. Also, after an enemy is killed, it will leave a stone—either a small or a great one. Collecting 100 of these allows you to [[spawning (computer gaming)|restart]] closer to where you died with all enemies still defeated. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Also, the game has no currency or equipment systems. There is only one healing item (herbs), and only a small number of those in the game. Unlike most games of its type, formerly visited areas become impossible to revisit almost immediately after the story progresses beyond them until the last third of the game, though areas from the first two-thirds of the game remain unaccessible. The only side quest in the game, finding Red Jewels, then becomes impossible to complete if the player fails to find them before advancing the story. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Like most RPGs, the game has only one difficulty setting. [[Saved game|Saving]] is accomplished at Dark Spaces located throughout each level—including areas without enemies, such as Will's hometown. Will can recover lost health within the Dark Spaces, and occasionally switch forms or gain new abilities. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ==Plot== |
||
| − | |||
| − | ===Setting=== |
||
| − | ''Illusion of Gaia'' is set in a partially historical but mostly [[fantasy]]-based version of [[Earth]]. The game contains several real-world sites, such as [[Inca]]n ruins, the [[Nazca lines]], [[Angkor Wat]], the [[Great Wall of China]], and [[Egyptian pyramids]]. Each of these ruins hold a piece to the final puzzle, unveiled at the top of the infamous [[Tower of Babel]]. |
||
| − | |||
| − | It is firstly believed to be the age of exploration (a period roughly corresponding to the 16th century; [[Christopher Columbus]] is mentioned at least once), and explorers have begun scouring the world in search of ancient ruins and the lost treasures and secrets within. Many return with nothing, and some are simply never seen again. Will, the [[protagonist]] of the game, is a survivor of one such ill-fated expedition. He accompanied his father, a famed explorer, on a sea journey to uncover the secrets of the [[Tower of Babel]], but the explorers met with a mysterious disaster. Somehow Will managed to make it back to his home town, but he doesn't remember how. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ===Story=== |
||
| − | When the game begins, Will stumbles into a "Dark Space" where he meets a strange being called ''Gaia''. Gaia tells Will that he must leave his home and save the world from a coming evil. A comet is approaching, and it will bring ill fortune to the world. As he travels, Will gains the ability to change into other forms, each with special powers: Freedan, a dark knight, and Shadow, a solid form of energy. |
||
| − | |||
| − | It is later revealed that the comet is in fact an ancient weapon used during the last [[Soul Blazer|Blazer War]], and has the power to change the shape of the world. In the ruin of Ankor Wat, it is discovered that when the comet approaches the Earth this time, the comet's light will change the world into that of the modern world. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Will and his friends travel the world and collect artifacts known as ''Mystic Statues''. At the climax, Will and Kara reach the Tower of Babel, where it is then revealed that Will is the Dark Knight, and Kara is the Light Knight. The two knights join to form Shadow and use the ancient statues to release the ultimate power, the firebird. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Attacking the comet directly, which soon manifests itself as Dark Gaia, Will and Kara manage to destroy its power, returning the world to normal. The spirits of Will's parents inform them that the world will return to normal and that no one will conserve any memories of the adventure. Saddened by that fact, Will and Kara join one last time as Shadow to return to Earth. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The final scene is left ambiguous. All of Will's friends are depicted in what appears to be a modern-day school, implying that even if they forgot about their time together, they remained friends in the "real" world. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ===Characters=== |
||
| − | <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:GaiaGensouki.jpg|thumbnail|"Gaia Gensouki"'s Japanese box art incorporates protagonist Will; Princess Kara; her pet pig, Hamlet; and alter egos Freedan and Shadow into a comet-and-earth spacescape.]] --> |
||
| − | ''Illusion of Gaia'' features only one playable character at a time: either Will, a boy who develops psychic powers after surviving a shipwreck during an exploratory expedition with his father, or his alter egos Freedan and Shadow. However, a great group of non-player characters accompany Will from region to region. Included are Will's classmates and friends known collectively as the seaside gang: Lance, a bold, adventurous boy whose father was lost in the shipwreck that Will survived; Seth, a studious, bespectacled boy with a troubled home life; and Erik, a naїve boy who seems younger than the others but has a courageous spirit. The other characters who join Will are Princess Kara, a spoiled royal on the run from her increasingly cruel parents, and her pet pig Hamlet; Lily, a member of the mysterious Itory tribe who has the power to transform herself into a dandelion puff at will and float amongst the winds; and Neil, a brilliant inventor responsible for the telescope, the camera, and the airplane, among others. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Will and his friends face many enemies in their journey to uncover the secret of the Tower of Babel, both those who protect the clues to the mystery and those who seek its power for themselves. A number of powerful demons guard the priceless treasures of lost civilizations, while the human but power-mad King Edward and Queen Edwina contract Jackal, an assassin, to tail Will and Kara through their journeys. Neil's parents are the driving force behind the Rolek company, which is also the driving force behind the World's slave trade. Later it is revealed that they are replaced by members of the Moon Tribe. The Tribe themselves are encountered numerous times throughout the journey, being living shadows that lost their corporeal forms after being subject to the comet's light. Will's other notable encounters include Sam, a slave who helps him give Lance's memory back, and his adoptive guardians, Lola and Bill. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ==Development== |
||
| − | A pre-release English version of ''Illusion of Gaia'' has been leaked onto the Internet in the form of a "ROM" file. It contains a number of differences in presentation and translation. First and most apparent is that the prototype has a different title screen, based on the original Japanese one. It features small sprites of the main characters running on the surface of the comet. The final US instruction booklet contains one picture of an early title screen, which still contains the characters at the bottom, but has the correct title. In the leaked prototype, the title is given as ''Soul Blazer: Illusion of Gaia''.{{Fact|date=July 2007}}. Another noticeable difference are the name changes of most of the characters. The main character's name is Will in the final release of the American game, whereas in this Beta version, his name is Tim. Kara is Karen, and some of the other children have different names. In the final release of the game, the character who stalks Kara and Will on their journey is named The Jackal. However, in this build of the game, his name is The Black Panther. Most people assume that his name was changed due to the American political party [[The Black Panthers]]. There are also a few script errors in this game, and some of the script is even changed, making some of the characters more sinister, such as the Jeweler Gem. Nintendo is not listed on the title credits. It appears that the prototype was developed before [[Nintendo of America]] decided to publish and market the game for the US region. When Nintendo decided to be the US publisher, the title was changed and a logo was specifically redesigned to resemble the logo of Nintendo's popular Zelda game franchise. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ===Merchandise=== |
||
| − | Nintendo released a bundle pack in America that, while supplies lasted, included a "one size fits all" T-Shirt that featured the logo, Freedan, and Shadow. As a Nintendo-published title in the US, the game received special attention in Nintendo Power magazine and additional merchandise was sold in the Super Power Supplies catalog for Nintendo Power subscribers. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ==Reception== |
||
| − | {{Expand-section|date=June 2008}} |
||
| − | Quintet reported that ''Illusion of Gaia'' sold 200,000 copies in Japan, 300,000 copies in North America, and 150,000 copies in Europe.<ref>{{cite web | title=Quintet Game Library (Internet Archive) | url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050306073313/www.quintet.co.jp/sfc4.html | work=Quintet.co.jp | accessdate=2008-12-26}}</ref> |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was rated the 186th best game made on a Nintendo System in [[Nintendo Power]]'s Top 200 Games list.<ref name="NP Top 200">{{Cite news|year=February 2006| title=NP Top 200|periodical=Nintendo Power|volume=200|pages=58–66|postscript=<!--None-->}}.</ref> |
||
| − | |||
| − | The online magazine ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' (published by [[GameSpy]]) has referred to ''Illusion of Gaia'' and a few other Quintet games as the [[Soul Blazer series|''Soul Blazer'' series]], pointing a few common themes between the different titles.<ref>[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/quintet/quintet.htm Hardcore Gaming 101: Quintet<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
||
| − | |||
| − | ==References== |
||
| − | {{Reflist}} |
||
| − | |||
| − | ==External links== |
||
| − | *[http://www.quintet.co.jp/q_games.html Quintet official game library] |
||
| − | *[http://www.rpgclassics.com/shrines/snes/iog/ RPGClassics' Illusion of Gaia Shrine] |
||
| − | *[http://gaiasportal.coolfreepages.com/ Gaia's Portal] |
||
| − | *[http://www.terraearth.com/illusion_of_gaia/ TerraEarth's section on Illusion of Gaia] |
||
| − | |||
| − | {{Quintet games}} |
||
| − | |||
| − | [[Category:1993 video games]] |
||
| − | [[Category:Enix games]] |
||
| − | [[Category:Role-playing video games]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | [[Category:Quintet games]] |
||
| − | [[ |
+ | *[[Characters of Illusion of Gaia|Characters]] |
| + | {{stub}} |
||
| − | [[de:Illusion of Time]] |
||
| − | [[es:Illusion of Time]] |
||
| − | [[fr:Illusion of Time]] |
||
| − | [[it:Illusion of Gaia]] |
||
| − | [[ja:ガイア幻想紀]] |
||
| − | [[pt:Illusion of Gaia]] |
||
| − | [[sv:Illusion of Time]] |
||
Latest revision as of 03:30, 29 May 2019
Super Famicom boxart
Gameplay[ | ]
 | This article is a stub. You can help Codex Gamicus by expanding it. |