Not at all a perfect game. For as many things that were wrong with Illusion of Gaia, that game did have better level design by just a smidge and way better bosses. This game also has one of my rpg pet peeves: an unexpectedly op boss in the middle of the game that gives you the finger and tells you to go grind some more, dumbass. Also not sure if the story of Terranigma as a whole makes any sense, but I am sure it comes to a screeching halt whenever it’s about any of the ladies in Ark’s life, excruciatingly so when it’s about the twelve year old girl who has an unrequited crush on our hero.

But the music! Man, the European village theme alone still makes me weep just a little bit, and there’s a whole score to be listened to all throughout the rest of the game! Ark is also a great character, a smart aleck and fun and funny and lovable after the blank slates that you played as in Gaia and Soul Blazer, and not to mention far more versatile, with way more attack moves and spells at his disposal than any of those two put together.

But the very best part? Out of all the jrpgs out there where you have to build the world over again from scratch, your actraisers, soul blazers, dark clouds, etc., this one is better than them all by a mile. It’s so much fun to recreate the world as we know it! You get to talk to animals as you reintroduce them into the world, and it’s fun until humans come along and then it’s sad since you can never speak to them again. Birds and lions greet you with ... when they used to regale you with stories and jokes in the past. But then, it’s fun introducing technology into the world of humans! You get to help the French overthrow a corrupt monarch and discover democracy, Edison discover electricity, the Wright brothers invent air travel, and ray croc start McDonalds (really!). But at what cost, you start to realize when the world is so developed that it opens the door to mad geniuses and the brink of apocalyptic annihilation (and it makes perfect sense that this big baddie comes from Russia. Also, some pretty great character name puns are to be had if you can find them. Dr. Beluga, hah!). Plus, go back to those bustling metropolises you had a hand in building up, and you start to see some folks wonder if perhaps the simpler life was better? Remember your animal friends from chapter 2? Well, now they’re all in a zoo in Australia, so thanks a lot, jerk. The whole process is at once beautiful, messy, regrettable, and necessary, and Ark himself embraces it with his own warmth, humor, and empathy all throughout.

It is such a rewarding experience to actively participate in the birth and growth of the whole world that it makes the bittersweet ending all the more sad, when Ark, who had played such a major role in developing the world, is destined to never be a real part of it.