In 1995, a video game was released by Square Enix for the SNES that would push the boundaries of what an RPG could be. It told the story of a hero fated to save the world from a great, evil force, and revolved around the passage and twisting of time. No, I’m not talking about Chrono Trigger<em>.</em> I’m talking about a game that never made it to the United States, and so never reached the worldwide renown it deserved.
I’m talking about Terranigma. If you’re one of the lucky souls who played Terranigma, either in Japanese or the translated PAL version, you probably remember it fondly. And now, there’s a chance that the game will finally get the comeback it’s owed, if one dedicated artist continues to push for its return.
Terranigma Never Got The Chance To Make It Big
Bad Timing Prevented Its Release In The US
Knowledgeable fans may have noticed that I stretched the truth a little in the introduction. Neither Chrono Trigger nor Terranigma were published by Square Enix, because Square Enix didn’t officially exist until 2003. Before that, the studio was two separate entities: Square and Enix. Chrono Trigger was published by Square; Terranigma was published by Enix.
When Enix was looking to merge, it considered both Square and Namco. If Square hadn’t recovered from the Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within movie flop, we might have ended up with Namco Enix, instead.
That latter fact would be the game’s eventual undoing. By 1995, Enix had already closed its American branch. And so, although three different European localizations were released, the game never made it to the US. America plays a large role in the market, influencing the games industry and making or breaking games and franchises. In Terranigma’s case, the axe was dropped before the game even had a chance to take off.
Terranigma Was A Classic In The Making
Fun Gameplay And A Huge, Compelling Story
Terranigma was the third title in what’s loosely considered a “trilogy” of games developed by the now-defunct Quintet. The other titles, Soul Blazer (1992) and Illusion of Gaia (1993), were also good RPGs, but Terranigma really stood out among the rest. The game follows a boy named Ark, who finds himself pulled from the little town where he’s always lived and thrown into a strange and mysterious world: Earth.
The Earth where Ark finds himself is barren and devoid of life. The first half of the game is all about Ark returning different kinds of life to the world, from plants and animals to the wind and finally human beings.
Humans bring civilization and technological advancements, which jump-starts the second part of the game. Here, players can directly influence the development of different cities around the world that represent various real-world locations. But not all is as it seems, and dark forces are at work in the shadows, threatening the peace of this new established world that Ark has helped to create.
This huge overarching story is pulled together by tight action RPG gameplay that’s challenging but rewarding. Even by today’s standards, Terranigma has a lot of innovative ideas. In 1995, it was simply ahead of its time.
The Original Terranigma Artist Is Pushing For Its Return
Will Terranigma Ever Be Released In The US?
The closure of Enix America and merger with Square undoubtedly mean that the rights to Terranigma are… complicated. Finally bringing it to US audiences more than 30 years after release wouldn’t be easy. But that hasn't stopped one man from trying.
Fujiwara Kamui is the original artist for Terranigma,, and he’s been actively trying to bring the game back in recent years. In 2021, Kamui became a vocal backer of a petition to bring Terranigma back, hosted by the Fire Sanctuary blog. The petition managed to gather 7,500 signatures before fizzling out. Shortly after, Kamui held Return of Ark, an art exhibition dedicated to the game with all-new art.
Over the next few years, Kamui took part in several fan projects, including the 2023 Radio Ark, created by the game’s original composers and posted to YouTube by masanori_pf. He also created a vast amount of new original art for the Terranigma Special Movie, which can be watched on YouTube at KAMUI VISION.
Kamui’s vocal support of this wonderful old game may have some sway at Square Enix. As the company capitalizes on retro classics and nostalgia,Kami is still working with studio to release aDragon Quest tie-in manga. Last year, two franchises collided in one intriguing X post.
The post shows theDragon Quest 3 map andTerranigma “Creation of World map displayed on top each other. Kamui followed this up by stating (translated from Japanese): “We’re now starting preparations invite you all on journey these two worlds. Please be patient. ” Then in September this year,Kamui held special art exhibition namedDragon Quest: Emblem Roto & ; Terranigama, which featured art from bothDQ3andTerranigama.
New Art Might Be The First Step Forward For A Long-Lost Game
Fans—and Kamui—Aren’t Giving Up Hope
All new art crossover exhibit withDragon Questmay be sign that Square Enix testing waters or might just Kamui’s enthusiastic desire bring back beloved action game Either way sincethe small but dedicated fandom has been taking small steps forward thanks artist’s efforts.
Video game companies are pulling out lot old games franchises for anaudience that’s grown along with gaming industry.
Huge beloved titles are course at top list remakes But they also risky Games likeFinal Fantasy7
have so much emotional cultural weight them that Square Enix had walk tight line remake keep thing fresh but true original Sometimes all takes for game become huge hit right circumstances quite bit luck Games likeChrono Trigger
Final Fantasy
and Dragon Quest were products their time It might just matter time beforeTerraningma
makes triumphant return rising from ashes much like Earth Ark restored I’ll waiting.
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