History Videogame / IllusionOfGaia

An ActionAdventure game with RPGElements for the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo, developed by Quintet. Enix (now Creator/SquareEnix) published the game in Japan, and Nintendo published it worldwide, with release dates of November, 1993 (Japan) and September, 1994 (North America). It was released in Europe in April, 1995 [[MarketBasedTitle under the title]] ''[[MarketBasedTitle Illusion of Time]]''. The game revolves around the adventures of Will, a boy with PsychicPowers who winds up having to SaveTheWorld from an ancient evil that wiped out the legendary civilizations of the past. The game never met the levels of success that ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' or ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' did, probably because of its shortness, but it is still well-remembered by many.

* GiantHandsOfDoom: The first boss attacks with these and [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]].

* SpaceElevator: The TowerOfBabel. [[WildMassGuessing Possibly.]]

* BraggingRightsReward: While you gain various rewards for reaching certain milestones in Red Jewel collection, you gain nothing for collecting all fifty of them aside from access to the BonusDungeon and its BonusBoss -- Solid Arm, the first boss from ''VideoGame/SoulBlazer''. Oh, and you have to fight him using Will (instead of the stronger Freedan or Shadow) so it's probably a longer fight than most of the others put together.

** [[spoiler: BonusBoss Solid Arm]] compliments Will's strength upon defeat and (seemingly) transports him back to the Tower Of Babel to save the world.

* AnimeHair: [[spoiler:The Jackal, of all people, has a blond, spiky, and ridiculously tall hairdo. Some might have interpreted it as an Aztec-styled hair ornament, due the readability of the sprite itself.]]

* BonusBoss: Solid Arm, a.k.a. Metal Mantis, the first boss from ''VideoGame/SoulBlazer'', [[spoiler: the true form of Gem the Jeweler.]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Soul Blazer'' (to the point where a leaked early translation was titled ''Soul Blazer: Illusion of Gaia''). And ''VideoGame/{{Terranigma}}'' is one to this.

* ThreePointLanding: Will (as well as his other forms) always lands like this whenever he jumps from one platform to a lower level.

* {{Bowdlerise}}: Slaves are never called slaves, they are laborers or servants instead. References to the [[ImAHumanitarian cannibal tribe]] eating people were written out to the point that players might not suspect they're a cannibal tribe. Most suggestions of polytheism are obscured.
-->'''Kara:''' It's as if we've become spirits[[note]]gods[[/note]]...
* BraggingRightsReward: While you gain various rewards for reaching certain milestones in Red Jewel collection, you gain absolutely ''nothing'' for collecting all 50 of them aside from access to the BonusDungeon and its BonusBoss. Oh, and you have to fight him using Will (instead of the stronger Freedan or Shadow) so it's probably a longer fight than most of the others put together. Since you have [[WhatTheHellHero to reveal the whereabouts of an escaped slave to an incredibly sinister hooded slave trader]] to get all 50 gems, you could say that this is just LaserGuidedKarma!

* ManOnFire: [[spoiler:The Jackal's fate.]]

* APigNamedPorkchop: Hamlet. [[spoiler: Sadly, unlike most instances of this trope, it becomes all too literal.]]

* RetGone: Defeating Dark Gaia erases the comet from history, reversing the damage it caused.
* RussianRoulette: The Russian Glass game. [[DeathSeeker Your opponent]] is [[spoiler:playing to lose.]]

* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Getting rid of the comet.

* SwissArmyHero: Will has three forms he can change between.

* AfterTheEnd: It's said that the comet's light brings TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. A Moon Tribesman tells you that this will be the '''FOURTH''' time it has done so.

* AnimeHair: [[spoiler:The Jackal, of all people,]] has a blond, spiky, and ridiculously tall hairdo. Some might have interpreted it as an Aztec-styled hair ornament, due the readability of the sprite itself.
* AntiGrinding: The only way to increase your maximum health, attack power, or defense is to clear all of the enemies from a room in a dungeon, at which point one of the three stats goes up. If you completely ignore the enemies and just rush through, you still get the power-ups anyway once you defeat a boss, discouraging a LowLevelRun.
** However, the game has some stretches without any bosses to activate this "catch-up" mechanic, particularly between the Great Wall and the Pyramid.
* AnyoneCanDie: Subverted when it's revealed that [[spoiler:Seth isn't actually dead]]. [[note]][[spoiler:Not yet, anyway.]][[/note]] Played straight later on, with [[spoiler:Hamlet's]] death being a major surprise.

* GuideDangIt: Finding the fifty red jewels, almost half of which are {{Permanently Missable|Content}}. The red jewel in the fisherman's pot is a double example; the manual ''has'' a guide, which tells you that's where the jewel is, but it fails to mention the condition for the pot appearing -- it's [[RandomNumberGod randomly decided each time you enter the area]].
** Worse, no one and no '''thing'' tells you the Red Jewels can be automatically sent to Gem by "using" them in the field. Pity the people who threw out herbs just to make room for a Red Jewel.

* HeKnowsAboutTimedHits: At the beginning of the game, Seth tells you to stand in front of the statue and use the L/R buttons.

* PressXToDie: You at one point have to win a game of [[RussianRoulette Russian Glass]] to advance the plot -- you and your opponent take turns drinking from a row of glasses, one of which is spiked with a deadly poison. Of course, Will is psychic, so if you actually pick that glass, he freaks out and makes you confirm drinking it with a yes/no dialogue, which you don't have to do if you picked one of the safe glasses. But if you say "yes"...

* EleventhHourSuperpower: The Firebird ability from Will's [[spoiler: Fusion Dance]], as well as the ability to travel into space to stop the comet.
* AccidentalTruth: When the king demands the Crystal Ring the player can chose to have Will respond, "I don't have it." Will genuinely has no idea where the ring is, but [[spoiler:all the way at the other end of the game, you find out that Will ''does'' have it -- it was on his flute all along]].

* AncientAstronauts: Subverted. Including the Nazca Lines suggests this trope, but the spaceship is replaced by a [[FloatingContinent flying city]], and instead of aliens there are {{Sufficiently Advanced|Alien}} {{Mutant}}s.

* AnimeHair: [[spoiler: The Jackal, of all people,]] has a blond, spiky, and ridiculously tall hairdo. Some might have interpreted it as an Aztec-styled hair ornament, due the readability of the sprite itself.
* AntiGrinding: The only way to increase your maximum health, attack power or defense is to clear all of the enemies from a room in a dungeon, at which point one of the three stats goes up. If you completely ignore the enemies and just rush through, you still get the power-ups anyway once you defeat a boss, discouraging a LowLevelRun.

* AnyoneCanDie: Subverted when it's revealed that [[spoiler: Seth isn't actually dead.]] [[note]][[spoiler:Not yet, anyway.]][[/note]] Played straight later on, with [[spoiler: Hamlet's]] death being a major surprise.

An ActionAdventure game with RPGElements for the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo, developed by Quintet. Enix (now Creator/SquareEnix) published the game in Japan, and Nintendo published it worldwide, with release dates of November, 1993 (Japan) and September, 1994 (North America). It was released in Europe in April, 1995 [[MarketBasedTitle under the title]] ''[[MarketBasedTitle Illusion of Time]]''. The game revolves around the adventures of Will, a boy with PsychicPowers who winds up having to SaveTheWorld from an ancient evil that wiped out the legendary civilizations of the past. The game never met the levels of success that ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' or ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' did, probably because it is short, but it is still well-remembered by many.

* BattleCouple: Jack and Silvana, the DualBoss [[UnholyMatrimony vampires]] of Mu. Though not all is well in paradise. If you kill Jack first, Silvana will say she's glad he's gone. That said, she'd not surrendering just because you did her that favor.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: The Jackal, a ruthless bounty hunter, notes that the King's plans for using the ancient bio-technology for power means that "He might be more evil than a mercenary like (the Jackal)." That said, the Jackal's willing to follow the King's orders for money.

* NiceHat: Your opponent for Russian Glass wears one.