Just a few corrections: the Dark Knight is named Freedan, not Freegan. The energy attack gets an upgrade if you collect 30 red jewels, or get thw Dark Potion the city of Euro. And Will does not combine with Kara to form Shadow. He learns it at a certain point in the game. And he learns Firebird in the last dungeon. Not until the very end before the last battle as they need the power of both the Warrior of the Light and the Warrior of the Dark does Will and Kara join up in the form of Shadow.
Yeah, I was starting to wonder if they changed his name in a rerelease or something. Was this the Mandella effect, because I had to google that it was still Freedan.
Will gains the ability to turn into shadow in the dark space in the pyramid where Gaia also gives you shadow's aura. Also, Eric tries rescuing the slaves in Freejia, not Mu.
@@Hob1013 Either that, or there was a significant gap between play time and script writing that these errors slipped in. Either way, was pretty jarring.
@@isaac3000 I beg to differ. I played it for the first time a year or so ago as an adult with no nostalgia for it, and it was a great playthrough! One of the better SNES games I've played recently, and holds up well next to the other titles on the system. To each their own though, this old action RPG style isn't for everyone.
Same here! I randomly remembered this game from my childhood and was surprised to see a recent(ish) video about it just now. I was actually gifted this game for Xmas one year by a friend of my dad’s who was an official licensed Nintendo repair man at the time. I also got Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country 1&2 and like 6 other SNES games of varying quality… all at once! Apparently the reason I hit the Super Nintendo jackpot that year was because those games were brought to him to repair for various issues but they never came back for them after he fixed them.
Damn Jirard, it’s pretty insane you’re almost done with New Game+. It seems like just yesterday, you’ve completed Mega Man X again. All you have left are the Final Fantasy VII games, Shovel Knight, and Mother 3. You’re almost there! You got this!
Wow... never thought I'd see this game on this channel. Gaia was such a great adventure, I really enjoyed that it took place in real world locations. The music also gave the game a rustic and mysterious feel.
I still go back every couple years to play illusion of gaia again. It's definitely not as good as my nastolgia goggles made it out to be but I still enjoy the heck out of it every time. The original game had a guide included in the instruction manual for how to find all of the red gems. Was a really nice treat for anybody that played Soul Blazer (another of my favorites). I still have my original Illusion of Gaia OST CD as well.
I loved playing and conquering this game. Sadly, as someone who started playing RPGs later in life, I may never do it again because there are so many other games to play. But this game is arguably my favorite thus far. It's in the top three RPGs for me.
"The antagonist of SoulBlazer" Just the first boss. If you've never played SoulBlazer, I'd really recommend it - it's an incredibly fun game with a 10/10 soundtrack.
Illusion of Gaia remains a memorable game for me as it was one of my earliest experiences with the concept of melancholy in fiction. The way the story progresses through the game carries very palpable undertones of sadness and change that you as a player are powerless to stop. It's sweet and beautiful in a way my young self wasn't wholly aware narratives could do, and while I didn't get a chance to play its fellows Soul Blazer and Terranigma until much later, they carry similar themes that make the whole series uniquely engrossing to me. I'm still hoping for a Trilogy release of those games again. Probably won't ever happen but they deserve a chance to shine again.
Aye, back when I was young it was one of the games I'd play through from beginning to end and then almost immediately start playing over again. It wasn't the BEST action RPG on the SNES (Terranigma was better, for one), but it was a classic.
In my origin universe his name was Fredan?!!!! Man this is a blast from the past. Enix was the best back in the day! This and the 7th saga were my first SNES RPGs. Then Square came into its own with FF6 and Chrono Trigger!
Illusion of Gaia is incredibly nostalgic for me! My brothers and I had it as kids.. I always wondered why it didn’t get the recognition I feel is deserves. It may not quite be up there with games like A Link To The Past, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, or Earthbound.. but it’s definitely a great game! That music in the first village evokes so much childhood memories and nostalgia! It’s nothing INCREDIBLE or ground breaking, but the way it brings me right back and awakens feelings and long forgotten memories, gives the music so much more value. Man, I miss being a kid in the 90s. Thanks for covering this one Jirard! You’re the man!
I never owned Soul Blazer, but I knew a guy who let me borrow it for a bit. Not long enough to beat it though, and it wasn't til I became an adult that I learned those two games were connected, or even that they were made by the same people.
I remember buying Illusion of Gaia at a flea market because of just pure curiosity when I was a kid. Loved the game, would love to see the trilogy have a remaster on the Switch, similar to how Act Raiser had one. Lots of old classics needs to be known, but eternal gems like this one needs to be cherished, polished and shown to the world.
Fun Fact: In germany this game was called: "Illusion of Time" an english title, no german translation... and for a long time I thought it was its real name.
I played Illusion of Gaia before Final Fantasy VI as a kid. Although I like the later more, I consider the former a masterpiece: it knows what it wants to be, and it does it without reserve. PS: Jirard's experience is the reason why I usually don't complete games in my first run. Except for rare cases, I always use my own wits in my first attempt, and then I complete it or replay it completely with a guide.
I never knew about this game growing up, in fact it wasn't until ProJared's series that I first saw it. Glad to see more about, there are a lot of moments I forgot about.
I didn't know Jerd played that, though it does strike me as something he'd play. As someone who dabbles in his channel, I might have to watch that. Surely he didn't possibly grab all the Jewels.... surely.
Always happy to see more love for Illusion of Gaia! This game will always have a special place for me. I wasn’t aware of this game’s existence until high school. I made a friend in my computer programming class and after talking about our gaming interests, he asked if I ever played this one. I told him I hadn’t and, the next day, he brought in his copy for me to borrow. I enjoyed the game, but did give it back before I finished it. Later that year, he passed away… he committed suicide. It’s still hard to believe. I wish I knew why, and that I could have done something… I went on to buy my own copy of the game, which I replay from time to time. Its themes of resurrection and the ways that it handled death were a comfort to me. Years back, I made sure to feature it on my channel as a tribute to my friend. And like I said, I love seeing other people experiencing and sharing their own love of the game. Thanks for bringing more light to this gem, Jirard!
Just wanted to point out that Illusion of Gaia along with Soul Blazer and Terranigma were actually developed by a group called Quintet. They were published by Enix.
I was not ready for this video. I grew up playing this (as well as goof troop that Jirard mentioned) on my dads snes as I grew up. The ost is embedded into my mind, and almost kind of creeped me out in some parts. Such a gem of a game for me, I really wish square would port this but because of the lost(?) rights, I don’t see that happening.
Originally released on November 27, 1993 in Japan, I was 12 when it came to North America the following year. 30 years later Illusion of Gaia remains my all-time favorite game.
this has been one of my favorite games since I was old enough to understand video games. we've had it since before I was even born. its such an underappreciated game, almost nobody I've talked to about it had ever heard of it
Remember this game so fondly, my brother got it and it was one of our first RPG/Adventure games. The random red jewel at the pot with the fisherman in the first village was and is such a headscratcher.
Thanks for covering this classic game! As someone who researches world cultures, I think there should be more games that explore the cultures of the world like Illusion of Gaia did.
Oh my gosh. This brings back so many memories. I remember staying over at a friend's house and this was the game that no one knew how to start. Will had been in South Cape for eons because no one in the family bothered to talk to everyone in the cave. Illusion of Gaia was kind of difficult (especially the monsters in Mu), but it was a wild and fun ride.
This is one of the first RPG's I played and beaten as an adult once I started collecting for the SNES. I remember not being blown away by it, but I had some fun with it!
I think it just stood out more in Europe because we didn't get very many RPGs on the SNES. In the US, it was drowned out by the Final Fantasies and Chrono Triggers and Earthbounds, while we had to make do with what we got. I've always been more surprised that Terranigma never released in the US.
Oh yes, Illusion Of Gaia. Played this when I was a kid. Unfortunately had very little help with it, in the form of guides, but I pushed on through somehow. Then when I got older, due to how much of a maze the game was, I figure I needed to map it out. And now, I need to seriously update those maps, one day lol.
A friend picked this up back in the late 90s when snes games were selling for a couple bucks. We were desperate for more rpgs after playing through the main SNES rpgs and we were digging for anything. Such a good game.
I have been watching videos from this channel on and off over the years, and it has always been such an overwhelming experience. You do keep you criticism to the point, AND fair, and also keep yourself distant from personal biases, which is essential. So with just this brief and random comment, I would just like to say that every single time I have taken your ratings to heart, and either finish or complete a game (or even complete them all just to see,) I have never been disappointed, not once. Amazing review, as always, and I never played this game before, so you bet I'm doin' it next week... Much love from Brazil, keep up the great work. Goat.
Great review Jirard - I played this growing up when it was new and as someone that also loved the Indiana Jones movies, I loved the fantasy setting crossed with real-world locale based dungeons. That pushed an average game with fun combat up a notch. But alas I missed a few red jewels so I understand how much that sucks! An enix trilogy collection with this, Soul Blazer and Terranigma officially released outside PAL would be hype for me!
I got this game and lufia 2 for my birthday in 1995 and absolutely loved it, and 100% completing was easy back then thanks to the manual telling you all the gem locations. only place getting stuck for awhile was not noticing lance's letter in that town on the water
I think (when not killing immersion with FAQs) the game is naturally very immersive. It's an interesting world with an enrapturing atmosphere. All the events weigh heavily on dark topics (death, loss, real world evil) and the music really fits the themes. Playing it blind is the way to go.
I like the scene with the princess alone on the raft. It reminded me of that scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, where Tom is trying to look after Becky alone in a cave. The ending is really good too.
Been waiting a long time for this episode to come out since the announcement, and so glad its finally here. Illusion of Gaia stands at the top of my personal Top 10 of video games, and with it being a fairly unknown title it is always exciting to see people talking about it.
I regard this to be my favorite game of all time. Played it a lot when I was younger, it was the 1st game I downloaded via emulator on my Playstation phone and have been checking the Switch Online SNES port for this game literally every week.
What a pleasant coincidence. Looking at these comments, I realized this was uploaded just _6 days_ ago. I was looking for gameplay reviews and didn't expect such a recent one by The Completionist. Because I rediscovered the title of this game after the final boss theme had been stuck in my head for the past _9 years_ - despite not having listened to it, as I was unable to find the song or the name of the game. (Which is why I was surprised to hear that Jirard considered the soundtrack hit and miss.)
@@fatenabu1 yea i will never forget the first time i played it. The game is already translated for PAL regions.. we should start a petition to Nintendo to release the game for SNES online! They just released a shit pool game but wont release one of the best game of all time?!? Makes no sense
Been watching your content since the first original 100 episodes, and I have loved every one since. You will always be one of my favourite youtubers, Jirard! Kudos to you and your team for all the work you put in!
I'm thrilled to watch this episode, when i was seeing what upcoming games were on new game plus and saw this i was happy to see one of my childhood games being played by you. This has always been a treasured game of mine so much so that when I sold my SNES and my games to live I kept hold of this game.
Thanks for shining a spotlight on a part of the Quintet Soul Trilogy. You would enjoy Terranigma if you haven't. Just make sure to grind in the north woods a tonne before the Bloody Mary fight. I did 100% runs on the trilogy a few years back because I grew up with these games and they're such hidden gems
IoG is a great game and passed it in the mid 90s. Took me a while to get all 50 jewels but it was a fun experience looking through every location and item. Agree with you that it would be great to have more game time with the 3rd character.
Glad to see more people appreciate this classic, especially now that randomizer speed runs have been created for it. The music was so good, the story was haunting, and it tackled serious issues. Still a shame terranigma never made it to the US.
Even the music gives me slight nostalgia tears... I'm such a nerd.... Used to play this game with my friends, some that aren't with us anymore (passed on)
One of my best memories of my mother is getting into her car after school on a Friday and seeing Illusion of Gaia on the passenger seat. I enjoyed Soul Blazer so much and was so hyped up by Nintendo Power for it. Thanks for covering this game, I hope you get to Soul Blazer and Terranigma someday.
I learned of this game because my favourite manga creator and the mother of Shoujo Manga Moto Hagio designed the characters for the game. I really like when game companies hire manga artists to design things for the game, like Takehiko Inoue's great style in Lost Odyssey, and the most famous example being Dragon Quest with Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame. I think more games should do this to get more distinct styles to stand out, likewise with western developers hiring comicbook artists.
Ever since Jirard unleashed his original IoG video, I always couldn't help but wonder if he was going to play Terranigma, which is among my top favourite childhood games of all time alongside IoG. (Called Illusion of Time where I live.) Also Quintet is the developer. Enix was a publisher and pretty much never developed games themselves.
I never did play this, however I watched snippets of someone else play it when I was a kid. Weirdly enough I was thinking if anyone talks about this game still, and here we are!
Oof, that 30 years comment really got me at the end. I was one of the 600,000 people who owned copy of Illusion of Gaia back in 1994. It's a great game but has a bit of an unfinished feel that keeps it for reaching the heights of the undisputed SNES RPG co-champions: Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy III/VI. I agree with most of your conclusions with the exception of the music. While they overused some tunes and the game could have benefited from more tracks (the unfinished thing again), I find the music in the Illusion of Gaia to be extremely evocative. The South Cape theme, Royal Anthem, and Signs of the Past are three of my all-time favourites.
Just a few corrections: the Dark Knight is named Freedan, not Freegan. The energy attack gets an upgrade if you collect 30 red jewels, or get thw Dark Potion the city of Euro. And Will does not combine with Kara to form Shadow. He learns it at a certain point in the game. And he learns Firebird in the last dungeon. Not until the very end before the last battle as they need the power of both the Warrior of the Light and the Warrior of the Dark does Will and Kara join up in the form of Shadow.
Yeah, I was starting to wonder if they changed his name in a rerelease or something. Was this the Mandella effect, because I had to google that it was still Freedan.
@@Ixtlia I think Jirard just goofed.
Honestly I think he didn’t played the game at all, those are very obvious mistakes.
Will gains the ability to turn into shadow in the dark space in the pyramid where Gaia also gives you shadow's aura. Also, Eric tries rescuing the slaves in Freejia, not Mu.
@@Hob1013 Either that, or there was a significant gap between play time and script writing that these errors slipped in. Either way, was pretty jarring.
Jirard, I really appreciate your optimism and life-giving attitude. Such a wholesome welcome in a not so wholesome world.
speaking straight facts
Comment did not age well😅
ooof
@@midnightshadowz12 it was all more of an illusion than gaia
OMG, I love you for doing this video! Illusion of Gaia/Time is a fond childhood memory of mine. Thank you so much for covering this gem!
I never played this game it seems madiocre to be honest
@@isaac3000 I beg to differ. I played it for the first time a year or so ago as an adult with no nostalgia for it, and it was a great playthrough! One of the better SNES games I've played recently, and holds up well next to the other titles on the system. To each their own though, this old action RPG style isn't for everyone.
Mine too
@@isaac3000it's amazing.
Same here! I randomly remembered this game from my childhood and was surprised to see a recent(ish) video about it just now. I was actually gifted this game for Xmas one year by a friend of my dad’s who was an official licensed Nintendo repair man at the time. I also got Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country 1&2 and like 6 other SNES games of varying quality… all at once!
Apparently the reason I hit the Super Nintendo jackpot that year was because those games were brought to him to repair for various issues but they never came back for them after he fixed them.
Illusion of Gaia is one of my 1st snes games and I remember thinking the transformation mechanic was awesome
Damn Jirard, it’s pretty insane you’re almost done with New Game+. It seems like just yesterday, you’ve completed Mega Man X again. All you have left are the Final Fantasy VII games, Shovel Knight, and Mother 3. You’re almost there! You got this!
Wow... never thought I'd see this game on this channel. Gaia was such a great adventure, I really enjoyed that it took place in real world locations. The music also gave the game a rustic and mysterious feel.
After the Nazca stuff I had to dig into the Real world Nazca lines😊
I still go back every couple years to play illusion of gaia again. It's definitely not as good as my nastolgia goggles made it out to be but I still enjoy the heck out of it every time. The original game had a guide included in the instruction manual for how to find all of the red gems. Was a really nice treat for anybody that played Soul Blazer (another of my favorites). I still have my original Illusion of Gaia OST CD as well.
I loved playing and conquering this game. Sadly, as someone who started playing RPGs later in life, I may never do it again because there are so many other games to play. But this game is arguably my favorite thus far. It's in the top three RPGs for me.
"The antagonist of SoulBlazer" Just the first boss. If you've never played SoulBlazer, I'd really recommend it - it's an incredibly fun game with a 10/10 soundtrack.
Illusion of Gaia remains a memorable game for me as it was one of my earliest experiences with the concept of melancholy in fiction. The way the story progresses through the game carries very palpable undertones of sadness and change that you as a player are powerless to stop. It's sweet and beautiful in a way my young self wasn't wholly aware narratives could do, and while I didn't get a chance to play its fellows Soul Blazer and Terranigma until much later, they carry similar themes that make the whole series uniquely engrossing to me.
I'm still hoping for a Trilogy release of those games again. Probably won't ever happen but they deserve a chance to shine again.
Thanks for re-reviewing IoG. Playing that game is the only good memory I have of my old man. He'd play the dungeons and I'd fight the bosses.
YES! Illusion of Gaia is absolutely 100% my favorite SNES game of all time! I'm so glad that it's been looked at!
Man I have so much nostalgia for this game! I got thus for Christmas as a kid and it came packed with a t-shirt.
Lucky.
I played Illusion of Gaia so much when I was younger, it's a great game!
I still play it from time to time. Amazing game
same , and soulblazer!!!
Aye, back when I was young it was one of the games I'd play through from beginning to end and then almost immediately start playing over again. It wasn't the BEST action RPG on the SNES (Terranigma was better, for one), but it was a classic.
This game brings back so many memories! I really do hope they bring this to NSO along with secret of evermore.
In my origin universe his name was Fredan?!!!! Man this is a blast from the past. Enix was the best back in the day! This and the 7th saga were my first SNES RPGs. Then Square came into its own with FF6 and Chrono Trigger!
Illusion of Gaia is incredibly nostalgic for me! My brothers and I had it as kids.. I always wondered why it didn’t get the recognition I feel is deserves. It may not quite be up there with games like A Link To The Past, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, or Earthbound.. but it’s definitely a great game! That music in the first village evokes so much childhood memories and nostalgia! It’s nothing INCREDIBLE or ground breaking, but the way it brings me right back and awakens feelings and long forgotten memories, gives the music so much more value. Man, I miss being a kid in the 90s. Thanks for covering this one Jirard! You’re the man!
Its nice to see you covering 1993 classic, glad there are still people appreciating retro games
I loved Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaiaas a kid, underrated asf.
@@startopology To be fair, it was mentioned briefly @2:12
I never owned Soul Blazer, but I knew a guy who let me borrow it for a bit. Not long enough to beat it though, and it wasn't til I became an adult that I learned those two games were connected, or even that they were made by the same people.
There is a SEGA Genesis game called "Beyond Oasis" which always reminded me of Illusion of Gaia.
IoG is my favorite SNES game! I still have it and my SNES!
Sadly they haven't given us remakes or re-released since then.
I remember buying Illusion of Gaia at a flea market because of just pure curiosity when I was a kid. Loved the game, would love to see the trilogy have a remaster on the Switch, similar to how Act Raiser had one. Lots of old classics needs to be known, but eternal gems like this one needs to be cherished, polished and shown to the world.
Yes ! Hoping switch gets this !
nice to see this game covered once again
Fun Fact: In germany this game was called: "Illusion of Time" an english title, no german translation... and for a long time I thought it was its real name.
I played Illusion of Gaia before Final Fantasy VI as a kid. Although I like the later more, I consider the former a masterpiece: it knows what it wants to be, and it does it without reserve.
PS: Jirard's experience is the reason why I usually don't complete games in my first run. Except for rare cases, I always use my own wits in my first attempt, and then I complete it or replay it completely with a guide.
Completion challenge:
- Dark Cloud 2 (PS2)
- Elebits (Wii)
- Kirby: Planet Robot (3DS)
This is a great game. Before this game, I played Soul Blazer. After this game I played Terranigma. They're all great!
Soul Blazer is slept on! Great game!
I never knew about this game growing up, in fact it wasn't until ProJared's series that I first saw it. Glad to see more about, there are a lot of moments I forgot about.
Never played Illusion of Gaia myself, but I’ve deeply enjoyed Projared’s playthrough. Really cool to hear your thoughts on this game!
Yeah, didn’t the original feature him? Hard times.
I didn't know Jerd played that, though it does strike me as something he'd play. As someone who dabbles in his channel, I might have to watch that. Surely he didn't possibly grab all the Jewels.... surely.
Favorite game of all time. It’s so awesome to see you re complete this gem
Always happy to see more love for Illusion of Gaia! This game will always have a special place for me.
I wasn’t aware of this game’s existence until high school. I made a friend in my computer programming class and after talking about our gaming interests, he asked if I ever played this one. I told him I hadn’t and, the next day, he brought in his copy for me to borrow. I enjoyed the game, but did give it back before I finished it. Later that year, he passed away… he committed suicide. It’s still hard to believe. I wish I knew why, and that I could have done something…
I went on to buy my own copy of the game, which I replay from time to time. Its themes of resurrection and the ways that it handled death were a comfort to me. Years back, I made sure to feature it on my channel as a tribute to my friend. And like I said, I love seeing other people experiencing and sharing their own love of the game. Thanks for bringing more light to this gem, Jirard!
Just wanted to point out that Illusion of Gaia along with Soul Blazer and Terranigma were actually developed by a group called Quintet. They were published by Enix.
One of my favorites since childhood. It was actually developed by Quintet.
I was not ready for this video. I grew up playing this (as well as goof troop that Jirard mentioned) on my dads snes as I grew up. The ost is embedded into my mind, and almost kind of creeped me out in some parts. Such a gem of a game for me, I really wish square would port this but because of the lost(?) rights, I don’t see that happening.
This was one of my favorite games as a kid. Loved that you covered it!
My very favorite SNES game! Would love the trilogy on Switch or PS5
This game is so nostalgic for me, I still have my copy of Illusion of Time (UK chap here) and will never let it go.
thanks for everything Jirard you will always be my role model about completing games 🥺
Thats one Enix game, I await the day if Jirad tries out Terranigma
Originally released on November 27, 1993 in Japan, I was 12 when it came to North America the following year. 30 years later Illusion of Gaia remains my all-time favorite game.
this has been one of my favorite games since I was old enough to understand video games. we've had it since before I was even born. its such an underappreciated game, almost nobody I've talked to about it had ever heard of it
Remember this game so fondly, my brother got it and it was one of our first RPG/Adventure games. The random red jewel at the pot with the fisherman in the first village was and is such a headscratcher.
Thanks for covering this classic game! As someone who researches world cultures, I think there should be more games that explore the cultures of the world like Illusion of Gaia did.
I'm glad to see this game again. I enjoy see the retro games on the channel.
So often overlooked and underrated!
Oh my gosh. This brings back so many memories. I remember staying over at a friend's house and this was the game that no one knew how to start. Will had been in South Cape for eons because no one in the family bothered to talk to everyone in the cave. Illusion of Gaia was kind of difficult (especially the monsters in Mu), but it was a wild and fun ride.
The soundtrack this game had made you feel as if you were in a dream, especially as a kid!
This is one of the first RPG's I played and beaten as an adult once I started collecting for the SNES. I remember not being blown away by it, but I had some fun with it!
"fire up your Gamefaqs" love the callback to mine and many of our childhoods!
This is one of my favorite games of All Time!! I am 42 years old and I end up playing this and Crystalis for the NES every 5 years or so.
This game was pretty big in Europe in the early 90s! I was shocked that it didn't got that many fans in the US.
I think it just stood out more in Europe because we didn't get very many RPGs on the SNES. In the US, it was drowned out by the Final Fantasies and Chrono Triggers and Earthbounds, while we had to make do with what we got. I've always been more surprised that Terranigma never released in the US.
It was released here in 1994 so maybe everyone here in the US was busy playing DOOM.
@@sdcSpade As a programmer, the underworld map in Terranigma blew me away when I was younger.
I loved this game as a kid. Opened my eyes to action RPGs, and turned me into a history buff.
Oh yes, Illusion Of Gaia. Played this when I was a kid. Unfortunately had very little help with it, in the form of guides, but I pushed on through somehow. Then when I got older, due to how much of a maze the game was, I figure I needed to map it out. And now, I need to seriously update those maps, one day lol.
A friend picked this up back in the late 90s when snes games were selling for a couple bucks. We were desperate for more rpgs after playing through the main SNES rpgs and we were digging for anything. Such a good game.
Got that by chance; played it, and enjoyed it very, much.
Finally the remake of the video that got me into the channel in the first place.
Nice to be back to this one again.
I am so happy to see you cover games that are not too popular. Not many other youtubers do that.
This game was such a big part of my childhood, it's so wonderful to see it highlighted so lovingly. Thanks Jirard
I have this game, but in here Europe it´s known as Illusion of Time. Great classic RPG, and I have beaten this years ago.
I have been watching videos from this channel on and off over the years, and it has always been such an overwhelming experience. You do keep you criticism to the point, AND fair, and also keep yourself distant from personal biases, which is essential. So with just this brief and random comment, I would just like to say that every single time I have taken your ratings to heart, and either finish or complete a game (or even complete them all just to see,) I have never been disappointed, not once. Amazing review, as always, and I never played this game before, so you bet I'm doin' it next week... Much love from Brazil, keep up the great work. Goat.
Great review Jirard - I played this growing up when it was new and as someone that also loved the Indiana Jones movies, I loved the fantasy setting crossed with real-world locale based dungeons. That pushed an average game with fun combat up a notch. But alas I missed a few red jewels so I understand how much that sucks! An enix trilogy collection with this, Soul Blazer and Terranigma officially released outside PAL would be hype for me!
I got this game and lufia 2 for my birthday in 1995 and absolutely loved it, and 100% completing was easy back then thanks to the manual telling you all the gem locations. only place getting stuck for awhile was not noticing lance's letter in that town on the water
I got this game as a kid and still have it. Definitely and under-appreciated gem!
I think (when not killing immersion with FAQs) the game is naturally very immersive. It's an interesting world with an enrapturing atmosphere. All the events weigh heavily on dark topics (death, loss, real world evil) and the music really fits the themes. Playing it blind is the way to go.
I've heard Freedan pronounced many ways but this is a new one to me.
In the old review he pronounced it correctly.
I like the scene with the princess alone on the raft.
It reminded me of that scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,
where Tom is trying to look after Becky alone in a cave.
The ending is really good too.
I was really surprised to see Illusion of Gaia of all things show up! I love this weird little gem and am stoked to see you cover it
Been waiting a long time for this episode to come out since the announcement, and so glad its finally here.
Illusion of Gaia stands at the top of my personal Top 10 of video games, and with it being a fairly unknown title it is always exciting to see people talking about it.
This game is genuinely one of my favorite childhood memories, thank you for this.
One of my favorite games of all time. I think I might be the only person in the world that has an 'Illusion of Gaia' tattoo haha.
Aw man. I never realized that your original Gaia episode was in the 120! I loved the colab videos with Jared
I just bought this game and was delighted to see a Completionist Video on it! I'll be streaming it on my YT channel for sure.
Illusion of Gaia is one of my childhood greats!
I regard this to be my favorite game of all time. Played it a lot when I was younger, it was the 1st game I downloaded via emulator on my Playstation phone and have been checking the Switch Online SNES port for this game literally every week.
Comment back if u see it before I do !!
What a pleasant coincidence.
Looking at these comments, I realized this was uploaded just _6 days_ ago.
I was looking for gameplay reviews and didn't expect such a recent one by The Completionist.
Because I rediscovered the title of this game after the final boss theme had been stuck in my head for the past _9 years_ - despite not having listened to it, as I was unable to find the song or the name of the game.
(Which is why I was surprised to hear that Jirard considered the soundtrack hit and miss.)
YES!!! I love this game and feel like it is never talked about enough! Thanks for covering it!
Isn't the guys name Freedan? Because I have the game and its definitely Freedan
5:36 yeah it's definitely Freedan not freegan
In europes version called illusion of time he is called freedan
American changes celsius to farhenheit and freedan to freedag
Illusion of Gaia is truly the ‘Secret of Mana’ of SNES action JRPG’s.
And here I thought Secret of Mana was the “Secret of Mana” of SNES action RPGs 😂 (you’re not wrong though 🤔)
Terranigma is the better game from the Quintet Trilogy
@@chrisbeach423 Terranigma is so good
No, Secret of Mana is.
@@fatenabu1 yea i will never forget the first time i played it. The game is already translated for PAL regions.. we should start a petition to Nintendo to release the game for SNES online! They just released a shit pool game but wont release one of the best game of all time?!? Makes no sense
Been watching your content since the first original 100 episodes, and I have loved every one since. You will always be one of my favourite youtubers, Jirard! Kudos to you and your team for all the work you put in!
I'm thrilled to watch this episode, when i was seeing what upcoming games were on new game plus and saw this i was happy to see one of my childhood games being played by you.
This has always been a treasured game of mine so much so that when I sold my SNES and my games to live I kept hold of this game.
solid review, though I died a little inside every time you called Freedan "Freegan"...
One of my favorite childhood games. It holds up pretty well on a modern playthrough, but it was mind-blowing in it's day. Thanks for this review.
Thanks for shining a spotlight on a part of the Quintet Soul Trilogy. You would enjoy Terranigma if you haven't. Just make sure to grind in the north woods a tonne before the Bloody Mary fight. I did 100% runs on the trilogy a few years back because I grew up with these games and they're such hidden gems
IoG is a great game and passed it in the mid 90s. Took me a while to get all 50 jewels but it was a fun experience looking through every location and item. Agree with you that it would be great to have more game time with the 3rd character.
Glad to see more people appreciate this classic, especially now that randomizer speed runs have been created for it. The music was so good, the story was haunting, and it tackled serious issues. Still a shame terranigma never made it to the US.
Even the music gives me slight nostalgia tears... I'm such a nerd....
Used to play this game with my friends, some that aren't with us anymore (passed on)
Im super excited cos it feels like we are 1 step closer to a terranigma completionist episode
Developed by Enix? It was published by Enix, but the development was done by Quintet.
One of my best memories of my mother is getting into her car after school on a Friday and seeing Illusion of Gaia on the passenger seat. I enjoyed Soul Blazer so much and was so hyped up by Nintendo Power for it. Thanks for covering this game, I hope you get to Soul Blazer and Terranigma someday.
This game needs a remake i would totally play this again.
I learned of this game because my favourite manga creator and the mother of Shoujo Manga Moto Hagio designed the characters for the game. I really like when game companies hire manga artists to design things for the game, like Takehiko Inoue's great style in Lost Odyssey, and the most famous example being Dragon Quest with Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame. I think more games should do this to get more distinct styles to stand out, likewise with western developers hiring comicbook artists.
Hitoshi Ariga, the man known for the Megaman Megamix and Gigamix manga, did the actual sprite work for this game back in his youth.
I SOOO remember the streams where I helped out. So many late nights staying up to watch :)
Finally. This was the original video that got me into this channel. Thanks. Made my day.
I’ve played Illusion of Gaia myself on the snes, I’m so glad to see it getting some love from you now….
illusion of gaia and terranigma are truly amazing games
Ever since Jirard unleashed his original IoG video, I always couldn't help but wonder if he was going to play Terranigma, which is among my top favourite childhood games of all time alongside IoG. (Called Illusion of Time where I live.)
Also Quintet is the developer. Enix was a publisher and pretty much never developed games themselves.
Oh my God, FINALLY! Thank you so much! I hope you're able to complete Soul Blazer and Terranigma one day too.
I never did play this, however I watched snippets of someone else play it when I was a kid. Weirdly enough I was thinking if anyone talks about this game still, and here we are!
The 1st SNES RPG game I ever brought physically for the Hyperkin SupaBoy. So many memories
Oof, that 30 years comment really got me at the end. I was one of the 600,000 people who owned copy of Illusion of Gaia back in 1994. It's a great game but has a bit of an unfinished feel that keeps it for reaching the heights of the undisputed SNES RPG co-champions: Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy III/VI.
I agree with most of your conclusions with the exception of the music. While they overused some tunes and the game could have benefited from more tracks (the unfinished thing again), I find the music in the Illusion of Gaia to be extremely evocative. The South Cape theme, Royal Anthem, and Signs of the Past are three of my all-time favourites.