/vr/ - Retro Games

>>2018418

America fights for our Freedan!

>>2018418
Shiit, I remember playing that game for the first time. When I first turned into Freedan it was so fucking awesome. Good memories

>>2018681
>In Dungeons you're Freedan or Shadow
>In towns you're that lame ass Will

>yfw you realize Young Will is actually the best fighter because of his jump attack that grants invuln frames like crazy

the flute is mightier than the sword.

What I liked more than anything about Illusion of Gaia is Shadow being the force of good and Light the force of evil. It's a fun reversal that is utilized far too little in games.

FUCKING MU WHERE DO I GO WHY IS EVERYTHING GREY

>>2018418
Freedan was so fucking cool. The sense of strength you got while using him was really satisfying.

>>2018801
I don't think that was quite the paradigm. Remember that Kara was the Light Knight. She and Will, the Dark Knight, had to fuse together to reach Shadow's ultimate power. That whole game is about how you simply can't have the best of life without experience some of the worst. Dark Gaia manipulated the Chaos Comet and its corrupting light to mutate life, geology, and history into unnatural forms. Can't bask in all those UV rays without getting a few tumors. Can't spend your whole life underground, unless you're an angel.

>>2018830
>getting lost for an hour on MU
>suddenly find the teleport to Gaia and find the dash

The dash was amusingly entertaining and broken

But yeah, fuck MU

I remember this game really dragging at times.
Still good from what I can recall though.

>>2018853
I obviously dislike Mu because it's a confusing area, but it's also got the vampires as bosses. While I never struggled with them, I understand many find them to be ridiculously difficult.

Yeah, fuck Mu.

>>2018418
Such a baus. Literally the only reason anyone remembers this game fondly. I hated having to switch back to Will, and fucking despised the stupid phoenix.

>>2019123
It's been years since the last time I played it, but I remember that boss fight like this:

>you're fighting the two of us at the same time!
>what? did you try to evade my attack? Too bad, here comes my brother/sister attack!
>ha! I teleported to the other side of the room! Good luck getting here before I teleport again
>oh, you poor thing. Do you want to study our patterns to defeat us? Too bad, there's a timer on this battle!

I almost forgot how bullshit was that

>Say that you don't want to continue playing after saving
>Gaia is cool with that
>instead of booting you back to the title screen, she just lets you hang around in the Dark Space
>this is playing the entire time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAmYi6ULG9U

Quintet just wanted you to be comfy.

>>2019430

>the name of the game is a spoiler

>>2019401
Admit it, if you were a vampire you'd toy with your prey like that too. It looks like fun. I wish I was a vampire.

>>2020052
The European version was unspoiled (name was changed to "Illusion of Time").

>>2020052
But you won't realize it's a spoiler until you've beaten the game.

>>2020160
But once you beat it, you'll realize it had been spoiled to you all along.

>>2019430
wait, I remember this song playing instead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wat4QsUiWuc

I need to actually finish this game.

>>2020405
It's honestly a pretty short game. I can blow through half of it in an afternoon.

Next Saturday you get, make some cocoa and park your butt on your preferred game-playing surface.

>>2020359

That's because that's what plays when you choose to rest.

Also fuck this game and the feels it hits with me every time I play it. The village of starving people, the tower at the end, the fates of some of will's friends

>>2018830
This fucking place is the reason I haven't beaten the game yet.

>>2020636
Famine. Disease. Slavery. Murder. The fallibility of parents.

Friendship. Maturity. Autonomy. Discovery. First love.

I worry sometimes no one will want to burn me into their memories.

My favorite non-square enix SNES game. That Incan Gold ship was so fucking trippy

>>2020636

dat feel when you don't see lily in the recreated world but you see everyone else.

pls be an oversight

>>2020765
She's probably in another school.

>>2019430
Quintet reached maximum comfiness with Terranigma though:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7ihttXPz7I

>>2020928
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43FM-ZzlNKs

>>2019401
Wasn't that hard. I don't think I ever died to them.

Down to a handful HP at best (Without using any herbs, of course)? Sure. But not dead.

Though yeah, they, along with the first boss, are the hardest in the game.

>>2020156
Though the translation of the German version at least, is horribly, horribly mangled. A very large part of the feels, the comet's effects, history, the future and so on are basically... Gone.

>>2020928
this music always gave me so many feels

So are the games connected canonically, or just thematically? What's your take?

>>2022537

Thematically.

There is really no relation between them other than the cameo by turbo in each one.

They are all about death and resurrection, pretty much it, also granstream saga is connected thematically too, but that game tends to get omitted from the "trilogy" discussion.

>>2018681
I actually liked being Will more than being Freedan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7tVMSGfvKY

literally the only retro jrpg series that gives Mother any competition

>>2022538
They are chronological sequels.

Gaia is a deity representing the soul of the Earth itself, separated into two halves to form a complete cycle of creation and destruction. Both are necessary and valuable parts of existence for the game's world.

The Soul Blazer, who is essentially this universe's version of Jesus, chooses to become mortal at the end of game and enters into the cycle of reincarnation. Will is the Soul Blazer after being reborn several times into a new person each time, who restores balance between the light and dark when it becomes disturbed by an outside force that allows one of the two to gain an unnatural boost to it's influence.

Ark is the Soul Blazer after the Dark almost completely takes over, and he is given life as a reflection of the remnants of existence. All that is light exists as a reflected memory in the Dark, and in Terrangima the light is actually reborn from the dark after humanity's foolishness extinguishes it.

Granstream Saga is the only one that has no clear connection to the other games and only carries certain vague thematic similarities.

If you view the dichotomy between Eon and his darker half as being a reversal of the connection between Dark Ark and Light Ark, then you could say its a strange sort of semi-sequel.

The power Eon has is almost God-like after all, it could be an unstated connection.

>>2022594
>The Soul Blazer, who is essentially this universe's version of Jesus, chooses to become mortal at the end of game and enters into the cycle of reincarnation. Will is the Soul Blazer after being reborn several times into a new person each time, who restores balance between the light and dark when it becomes disturbed by an outside force that allows one of the two to gain an unnatural boost to it's influence.
>Ark is the Soul Blazer after the Dark almost completely takes over, and he is given life as a reflection of the remnants of existence. All that is light exists as a reflected memory in the Dark, and in Terrangima the light is actually reborn from the dark after humanity's foolishness extinguishes it.
>Blazer is reincarnated as Will and Ark
I call bullshit unless you have some interviews and/or developer notes.

>>2024291

It makes sense seeing as the Soul Blazer's final weapon was a phoenix, and the phoenix was a pretty featured thing in Illusion of Gaia with Shadow's form

>>2019123

I had more difficulties with the pyramid than Mu. But yeah, Mu sucks.

>>2024291
You're one of those assholes who takes debate strategy seriously and deconstructs the bible based on a literal interpretation aren't you

The Gaia series is heavily based on a reconstruction of religious themes, with a fairly nuanced setting and back story that was not shoved in the player's face nor made absolutely clear for a reason: if someone shows an autistic gamer religion they will shit their pants with rage, and if someone disassembles and reconstructs religious paradigms, a religious person who doesn't specifically have a boner for occultism and religious history will do the same thing.

Jesus Christ you probably thought Magicant was an actual physical place too didn't you.

Fuck you I'm not proving shit for you.

>tfw no one else thinks terranigma is shit compared to the first two games

>>2024440
Fuck you Terranigma is god-tier.

Elle is my waifu

>>2024440
Terranigma starts off better then Illusion of Gaia/Soulblazer but I feel it tapers off harder then the other 2, with Soulblazer picking up, and Illusion of Gaia being a snore the entire way through

>>2024440
Haven't played Soul Blazer. Terranigma's gameplay and story are vastly more fun than IoTs, though.

Admittedly, Terranigma is also far easier, and it has grinding, which IoT doesn't have as such, so I'm not denying that it has flaws where IoT did better. But the entire package is still more enjoyable. And there's no denying that IoT's difficulty curve is basically a rollercoaster.

>>2024413
Oh man, you're one of those strawman as fuck niggas who likes to pull shit from their ass and claim it as fact.
That's horrible.
>>2024390
That's not nearly enough proof.
>>2024408
>pyramid
Is that considered An(g)kor Wat or is that a different segment? All I know is that I got my shit kicked in at Angkor Wat and quit playing. I don't even know if I still have the save file.

>>2024440
They're all pretty different in how you play them. The only thing, from a gameplay stance, they have in common is being action-oriented, with Soul Blazer being the most similar to ActRaiser.
>>2024980
>And there's no denying that IoT's difficulty curve is basically a rollercoaster.
Good lord is it ever.
That said, there were some moments more ridiculous than others.
One of the silliest parts in IoG/IoT though is the "boss battle" theme playing during the drinking contest.

>>2021571
>Though yeah, they, along with the first boss, are the hardest in the game.
You must never have found out who the Jeweler Gem really is...

>>2025041
>>pyramid
>Is that considered An(g)kor Wat or is that a different segment?
Different, the Pyramid is after Angkor Wat.

>FUCKING MU
>But yeah, fuck MU
>Yeah, fuck Mu.

b-but muh MU...

Seriously, why is Mu getting all the hate in the world here? You better enjoy it while you're there. Once you're through the tunnel from Mu to the Angel city, you can't go back, ever.

>>2022594
>The Soul Blazer, who is essentially this universe's version of Jesus,
The Blazer is an angel (and Jesus isn't in any belief). Did you even play the game.

>Will is the Soul Blazer after being reborn several times into a new person each time,
There's nothing to support this at all, anywhere. Will and Kara are "knights" related to the comet and the ancient civilizations; Blazer was an angel. He also didn't have halves or any relation to evolution.

>it becomes disturbed by an outside force
If we're saying that they're CHRONOLOGICAL sequels then it isn't an "outside force", because in Terranigma Dark Gaia is the inner face of the earth. In Illusion it's a comet, and that's why they can't be sequels.

>and he is given life as a reflection of the remnants of existence.
What? No he isn't, the real Ark dies and Dark Gaia makes a copy to use as a tool in the outside world. This is a reference to hermeneutics, where the devil can't create anything on his own, only copy and twist it, because in Terranigma Dark Gaia is the devil... and not a comet.

>All that is light exists as a reflected memory in the Dark,
This is the only thing you say that's actually real in the games.

If you claim they're chronological sequels, then where is Deathtoll in Illusion of Gaia or Terranigma? Where's the comet in Soul Blazer or Terranigma? Their worlds, mythology and characters are completely different. You're just making stuff up because their themes are similar.

Also Granstream Saga is only vaguely thematically related, it isn't part of the thematic series at all. It's just a forced inclusion by the HG101 writer, who apparently really liked it and it was just obscure enough to fit into whatever narrative he wanted to spin.

If we're including Granstream as part of a "series", and if we think they're chronologically related, then we may as well say Actraiser is part of it too, since the Master shows up there, and Blazer is one of his angels.

>>2025045
>drinking contest
Well, one of the cups did have poison in it

>>2025061
Water level shenanigans, grey, hidden stuff, tough bosses, grey.

It's honestly not the worst thing I've ever encountered in a game, but every time I replay the game every few years I always stumble around a bit.

Anyhow, there are many points in the game where you can't go back, so I don't really see your point.

>>2025041
your complete inability to understand the value of gestalt is what makes you worthless as a human being.

So am I the only one who feels that there's a connection between these three games and the Actraiser games? Especially when looking at Soul Blazer.

>>2025426
Strong thematic and aesthetic connections, but that's about it.

>>2025104
Its called a metaphor you fucking-

Ok see, The Master? The Master is god. As an angel you are the son of god. It doesn't matter if he treats you like a bro you're still the son of God.

God Sends you, his son, to Earth, making you an analogue for Jesus. At the end of the game Jesus decides to become mortal instead of losing his wife.

Reincarnation is a fucking thing in the Gaia series. Japanese people believe in Buddhism and even if they didn't it's explicitly told to you that it happens when in Gaia one of your friends is EATEN to DEATH by FISH and tells you as a spirit that he's going to be reborn in nature and everything is okay. In Terranigma the FUCKING ENTIRE WORLD reincarnates.

The Master and Gaia -are the same fucking thing.- Dark Gaia and Deathtoll are also the same fucking thing. The underworld and the world of evil are ALSO the same fucking thing.

And if you really want to get fucking metaphorical in this bitch the game is called ILLUSION of Gaia so the comet is probably a projection created by Dark Gaia, a a projection of the Darkness that exists as a Shadow of Gaia's world of light. The reason YOU, fucking magical Jesus can beat Dark Gaia is because you are the AVATAR of fucking GOD, meaning you are the living embodiment of the union of the two and a third reflection of the two halves as a whole and the symbolic entity of all hope for life and love in the world. FUCK YOU IF YOU DONT THINK SO YOU'RE WRONG.

The other thing is that Light and Darkness are not explicitly good and evil no matter what any in game character tells you (Jesus CHRIST have you never heard of an unreliable narrator), they are much closer to Creation and Destruction, Order and Chaos, or more appropriately, NOTHINGNESS and EXISTENCE.

Existence was born from Nothingness, that is why Dark Gaia restarts the world after its already won. It's a fucking cycle you incredible fucking moron JESUS CHRIST DO YOU EVEN ORPHISM

>>2025456
who would have ever thought that Illusion of Gaia is so DEEP?

>>2025456
>FUCK YOU IF YOU DONT THINK SO YOU'RE WRONG.

Holy shit, you are THIS neurotic.

>>2025723
better than being as fucking boring as you are

>>2025874
That was my first post in this thread, actually. I enjoyed what you posted and even agreed with a small amount of it, though.

>>2025908
oh sorry my gut response to criticism is criticism

blame my canadian upbringing

>>2025426
>Actraiser
What is even an "actraiser"? Someone who "raises acts", or what...?

>>2025395
>Anyhow, there are many points in the game where you can't go back, so I don't really see your point.

But Mu is actually the last area you can't go back to (counting the underwater palace and the tunnel as parts of it). You can return all the way from Dao to the angel village, but no further. That is plausible as all the areas from angel village to Dao are on a single landmass, but it must have clearly been a design decision.

Please vote:

MOST favorite dungeon
http://strawpoll.me/2852330

LEAST favorite dungeon
http://strawpoll.me/2852344

Please vote:

MOST favorite town
http://strawpoll.me/2852365

LEAST favorite town
http://strawpoll.me/2852391

Im actually playing this game again right now on my phone :D

Please vote:

MOST favorite BOSS
http://strawpoll.me/2852412

LEAST favorite BOSS
http://strawpoll.me/2852426

>>2026316
>on my phone

Have fun, but... the controls must be horrible.

No amount of sleazy propaganda can overcome the fact that a touchscreen can NOT replace a keyboard and mouse or a game controller (at least not for the overwhelming majority of games designed to be used with the above).

>>2026337
Yeah. Playing Chrono Trigger on my phone was barely tolerable. An actual action game would be too much.

>>2025050

who is he? that shifty fucker.

I always missed one fucking gem and never figured out which one

>>2026357
He's Solid Arm from Soul Blazer.

>>2026361

wat. that's metal mantis

but he was the first fucking boss in that game. is he unpossible without the crab walk, then?

>>2026357

He's the first boss from soul blazer

>>2026372
He's a lot harder in Illusion of Gaia. Mainly because he takes 40 hits.

>>2026357
I know. They're worse than gilded falcons because fucking all of them are missable

>>2026468
Not sure if literally all are missable, but anyway if you missed any before the angel village you won't be able to go back anyway.

Please take a moment to parttake in the polls - it should take less than a minute to vote in all six, and we'll gain interesting info on the most/least favorite aspects of the game.

Your MOST favorite
Town: http://strawpoll.me/2852365
Dungeon: http://strawpoll.me/2852330
Boss: http://strawpoll.me/2852412

Your LEAST favorite
Town: http://strawpoll.me/2852391
Dungeon: http://strawpoll.me/2852344
Boss: http://strawpoll.me/2852426

>>2018418
God damn, right in the feels. I love that game.

bump

>>2026767
Somehow all the Mu haters seem now gone for some reason, no votes for Mu as the worst dungeon and all.

Not that there were many votes in general so far though.

>>2026254
Good question. Too bad it remains unaswered thus far.

>>2029187
Action Raiser.

The game is a combination of Action stages where you fight demons and Simulation stages where you raise humanity from the dirt.

>>2029231
>Simulation stages where you raise humanity from the dirt.
How does that apply to ActRaiser 2?

>>2018418
>Quintet snes trilogy
I think they wanted me to have a good time well feeling bad at the same time.

>>2018418
holy fuck op here I didn't think this shit would even get that far.

Illusion of Gaia is one of my favorite SNES games, I even have the shirt from the kmart bundle pack my grandmother bought me :~~)

Glad you guys have been talking about it so much, I've never owned or played Terranigma, but I'll get on that real quick (and have been meaning too aside from being a wageslave)

Mu ain't dat bad.

>>2029286
quintet did ARPGs right. in this day and age it's sad we don't have a good developer like them. ARPGs have been pretty abysmal in the current age of gayming.

Did anyone else have a strange obsession on IoG of never using any of your herbs...ever. It became a weird collection thing of trying to get through it all and the secret dungeon with all of them still in inventory.

Is there a specific order in which I should play the soul blazer/actraiser series?

>>2029241

The action raised significantly in 2.

Shit's hard

>>2029407
>soul blazer/actraiser series
Come on, connection of the ActRaiser games to the Soul Blazer/Illusion of Gaia/Terranigma trilogy is minimal, if existent all (apart from all having been developed by Quintet and published by Enix).

Please vote for your favorite/not-so-favorite parts of the game, if you haven't already. The more people vote, the better the picture we'll get of what was liked and what not so much.

Your MOST favorite
Town: http://strawpoll.me/2852365
Dungeon: http://strawpoll.me/2852330
Boss: http://strawpoll.me/2852412

Your LEAST favorite
Town: http://strawpoll.me/2852391
Dungeon: http://strawpoll.me/2852344
Boss: http://strawpoll.me/2852426

>>2019123

I used to struggle with the vampires when I was a kid, but when I played it again a couple of years ago I just mashed them.

>>2029501
if autists claim that Soul Blazer, Gaia and Terranigma are chronologically linked, then they must acknowledge that ActRaiser is very much related to Soul Blazer.

>>2029439
lol

>>2029805

I acknowledge it, it makes sense to me, you start by playing as the Master, fuck shit up, make the world, then the world gets fucked and you then play as the Master's right hand man and fuck shit up

>>2029389
I think it has more to do with a fear of wasting the herbs, i.e. missing one when it's needed in a much tougher section of the game. There are those who never use arrows in ALttP for fear of not having enough when they actually need them etc.

>>2031828
This. They're also the only games where you go full paladin on everything, compared to IoG and Terranigma.

Those references to the Eternal Champion the game has are a thing from the translation or were on the original game?

>>2024413
I'll just remind you that the game was translated from Japanese. Meaning, first you have to check the original plot and check for translation changes.

>>2025050
Not that hard a boss. Just needs patience. Admittedly, yeah, when I first fought him, he kicked my ass. But once you know how to do the fight...

>>2025061
That's not just Mu. The game prevents backtracking by keeping you from going back every other segment until you're past Mu.

>>2033014
Though, speaking of which, some of the jewel locations are fucking bullshit.

Not in the least ashamed to have used a guide for them.

Daily reminder to parttake in the polls. Your opinion is important to us.

Your MOST favorite
Town: http://strawpoll.me/2852365
Dungeon: http://strawpoll.me/2852330
Boss: http://strawpoll.me/2852412

Your LEAST favorite
Town: http://strawpoll.me/2852391
Dungeon: http://strawpoll.me/2852344
Boss: http://strawpoll.me/2852426

>>2031981
err what?

>>2034037
A warrior who fight eternally, reincarnating into several archetypes, and usually being champion of Chaos, sometimes a champion against it.

Read some Moorcock.

Wait if Actraiser and the genesis games are connected then does that mean Satan was slain by the master/god for good?

I always thought that dark gaia was satan or something among the lines.

this picture is from the Japanese manual.

>>2034823
Shoujo as fuck.

>mfw Illusions Of Gaia is shit.

>>2034823

That is some ugly ass artwork.

>>2034827
The character designer is Moto Hagio, a famous shōjo mangaka.

>>2035001
Sorry, I`ve misspelled the name Is Mōto Hagio.

>>2034823
IoG is one of those weird cases where the in-game sprites are lightyears better than the official artwork.

Why did Nintendo ever change the beautiful animated title screen from the Japanese version?

Why did Nintendo ever change the beautiful animated title screen from the Japanese version?

>>2035025
Get me names of the translation staff and I'll hit them up if they have twitters.

>>2034985
I'm surprised the US manual had such nice character artworks. The Spanish ones were hideous.

>>2035030
Scott Pelland, Tim Rooney, Robert L. Jerauld

are credited for the English text.

>>2035025
>implying Nintendo made that change

Have an interview with Quintet

>had these weird Nintendo Power cards featuring Illusion of Gaia
>one of them said only true niggas can beat the vampires as Will
>finally did it with skeptical friend as witness

Fuck yeah, Freedan a shit.

>>2035025
The US/ Euro versions look better, tbh.

And the original title screen is basically a spoiler.

All in all, it's a change for the better.

The actual translation was an absolute desaster (At least, it was in the German version), but the title screen has my approval.

http://shmuplations.com/quintet/ more interviews

>>2035083
I remember the US translation being decent then again it's been almost 20 years since I've played it.

>>2035042
I remember seeing that ad in Gamepro!

>>2035083
>girl's shoulders twice as broad as boy's

>>2036004
She's wearing a puffy dress. Have you never seen one?

>>2035025
beta version blowing out notconnectedtosoulblazerfags?

>>2036065
Yea right, and the puffy dress makes her arms way wider apart than the boy's too.

>>2036012

Participate in the polls, Anon. It's for the greater good.

Your MOST favorite
Town: http://strawpoll.me/2852365
Dungeon: http://strawpoll.me/2852330
Boss: http://strawpoll.me/2852412

Your LEAST favorite
Town: http://strawpoll.me/2852391
Dungeon: http://strawpoll.me/2852344
Boss: http://strawpoll.me/2852426

>>2035032
Excuse my pedantry, it's french not spanish.

>>2035032
I don't think they are as bad as you think. Sure, they are less anime, but they look fine.

>>2036143
Anyway, we have the same strategy guide in Spain

>>2035032
>The Spanish ones were hideous.
That's English, French and Japanese...

>>2018418

>go on /vr/
>see freedan

MUH DICK. I don't usually see iOg threads (or iOt if you're a eurofag).

I beat this after beating Soul Blazer and I'm playing Terranigma now. This is almost the best trilogy I've ever played in my life.

>>2036734
I would probably consider it to be the best if not for the Mother trilogy

>>2036764

I have not tried the mother trilogy yet actually. I'm still on Mother 1, just waiting on my PVM to arrive so I can RGB it up on my nes.

Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma have horrendous gameplay in hindsight. It's specially notorious when you're not the one playing, it's all either a chore, dull or unfair.

On the other hand what the three games do great is mood. The stories they tell, the worlds they give are efficiently emotionally charged.
These are games that despite those flaws I'll keep replaying because of the mood they can get me in. Chatting it up in the village of animals, stranded in the middle of nowhere slowly dying, helping the brave lion cub become a grown up. Great times.

Just wanted to say that I like all of you for liking Quintet's genesis trilogy.

You're great people.

>>2036996

>horrendous gameplay in hindsight

I wouldn't go that far. iOG and Terranigma's got some fluidity to it, but I can see why you mentioned Soul Blazer.

>>2036996
I could never get into Soul Blazer because of how bad the gameplay was. Did I miss out on anything?

>>2037229
I'm biased since I'm already in love with those games, but I'd say yes.
It has Terranigma's fun "revive the Earth" elements and though the characters aren't as well defined as in the other two games there's still enough to connect to them and their own personal dramas.
As for gameplay I find it more entertaining than IoG's, actually. Ever improving gear gives you clear upgrades that satisfyingly reduce difficulty for lowly mobs.

>>2018418
best cape from the 16 bit era?

>>2018418
I really wish I had finished that game

>>2025426
I fucking loved actraiser

actraiser 2 threw me for a loop though, it was satisfying to finish a level though.

>>2039332
That opening screen spoils the ending. 0/10, disgusting.