Game:

Illusion of Gaia (1993)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 49:39

4 views

0

Here is my playthrough of Illusion of Time done live on IGTV. Due to space restrictions, I was unable to record more of the playhtrough.

Follow me on instagram @CabinSNES_fever to join me live or via my reviews and uploads to witness me take down all the games currently in my SNES colleciton, following on from having already beaten all 234 licenced UK releases for the NES. I only use original carts, no cheats & no save states.

REVIEW:
-Despite not being trusted to pronounced 'Gaia', it was a nice surprise to see the 2nd entry of the SNES Quintet/Enix RPG trilogy released here, having previously missed out on Soul Blazer.

While still in relative infancy, it's hard to deny this era as a golden one for the vintage RPG. Asthestics aside, It's true that stories hadn't yet braved the depths of what would follow in 32-bit, however there was still many surprisingly deep undertones running through some of these RPGs and this one was no different.

Presented with the usual gorgeous classic Super Nintendo RPG aesthetic, the plot follows the predictably unoriginal storyline of a poor, young lad with sudden awakened powers, who must leave his small village, set out to defeat a world ending catastrophe all with just the aid of his still, 'wet behind the ear' chums. Despite the usual helpings world saving, avenging parents and unsurprising love triangles, theres a well of considerably deeper moral roadblocks to ponder, from parental neglect, slavery, human trafficking, famine, animal slaughter and many other joyful topics. While the presentation of these never strays far enough to unsettle Nintendo censorship, their portrayal is often surprisingly more powerful than you might expect with some scenes proving successfully shocking even today.

More linear than you'd expect from an RPG of this era, how beautifully the story is told certainly compliments the engaging gameplay. Replacing random encounters, levelling up is awarded when you clear each area of enemies. With vanquished enemies remaining dead permanently, there is a limited number of upgrades available, therefore significantly reducing the need to grind. This limitation should prove a welcome exclusion for those not fans of the FF series and its ilk.

Though you can transform into 2 other characters and learn new moves, the majority of the battle mechanics are repetitive & eventually rather dull. It's also a very easy game even bosses (bar perhaps the final one), and while these factors make for an excellent introductionary RPG, where it excels in other areas should be enough to engage even the most hardcore genre fans.

Other Statistics