I originally played Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma years before I played Soul Blazer. As such, when I decided to play Soul Blazer, I knew the mechanics and saw how a lot of its gameplay was reused or improved on for Illusion of Gaia.
Overall, the game is very enjoyable. The concept of unlocking the creatures in the various locations can be a little repetitive and the reuse of a handful of tracks will mean you'll hear a track more often than you like, but it's thankfully not a large problem.
The plot doesn't seem all that deep. You have to unlock the creatures, who were locked away... somehow. It's likely where the idea of resurrecting the creatures in Terranigma came from, but not as well thought out.
The final boss is, unfortunately, a letdown for me. Deathtoll is mentioned repeatedly, but outside of being labelled the Big Bad and having to be defeated, there's no much to him. He's there, you need to defeat him.
My main gripe with the game, though, comes from the romance that is suddenly sprung into the player's face between the protagonist and Lisa, a minorly important NPC that you likely forgot about when she reappears hours after you left her location; the initial town of Grass Valley.
The romance adds nothing to the game, it serves no good purpose and feels tacked on to have a 'romance'. It could have been cut and nothing would have changed, except for the post-credit scene.
I'd definitely play the game again and recommend it, but if you want a romance between the protagonist and a minorly important NPC? I suggest to play Terranigma, instead, where it was done better or Illusion of Gaia, where it did lead to something plot-necessary.
Enjoyable Game With Pointless Romance
I originally played Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma years before I played Soul Blazer. As such, when I decided to play Soul Blazer, I knew the mechanics and saw how a lot of its gameplay was reused or improved on for Illusion of Gaia.
Overall, the game is very enjoyable. The concept of unlocking the creatures in the various locations can be a little repetitive and the reuse of a handful of tracks will mean you'll hear a track more often than you like, but it's thankfully not a large problem.
The plot doesn't seem all that deep. You have to unlock the creatures, who were locked away... somehow. It's likely where the idea of resurrecting the creatures in Terranigma came from, but not as well thought out.
The final boss is, unfortunately, a letdown for me. Deathtoll is mentioned repeatedly, but outside of being labelled the Big Bad and having to be defeated, there's no much to him. He's there, you need to defeat him.
My main gripe with the game, though, comes from the romance that is suddenly sprung into the player's face between the protagonist and Lisa, a minorly important NPC that you likely forgot about when she reappears hours after you left her location; the initial town of Grass Valley.
The romance adds nothing to the game, it serves no good purpose and feels tacked on to have a 'romance'. It could have been cut and nothing would have changed, except for the post-credit scene.
I'd definitely play the game again and recommend it, but if you want a romance between the protagonist and a minorly important NPC? I suggest to play Terranigma, instead, where it was done better or Illusion of Gaia, where it did lead to something plot-necessary.