It's pretty sad that one of the best Action-RPGs ever made, Terranigma (called The Creation of Heaven and Earth in Japan), was released in almost every country except the U.S. and Canada. It was released in Japan, Britain, Spain, Germany and Australia (yes, Australia) and the reason for this was Enix's lack of interest in North American gamers and the fading popularity of the SNES in North America.

Most Action-RPGs have no real plot depth at all, and this is what makes Terranigma such a refreshing game since it has both good gameplay and an immersive plot. Terranigma stars Ark, a young man who lives in the small village of Crysta in the barren and desolate underworld, which is the mirror image of earth (in other words "hell"). But a twist of fate gives Ark the responsibility to resurrect all life on the upperworld. It may sound simple at first but once you get past Chapter 1 you start to see the plot become more complex. A cast of great characters, an original concept and a great ending make this plot of one my all-time favorites.

The best way to describe Terranigma's gameplay is Zelda's fighting style mixed with a traditional RPG style EXP system. For the most part the gameplay is very fun but it did have a few flaws, not being able to attack diagonally and the frustrating control when using magic. Later in the game you get to have an influence on the way towns evolve, kind of like Sim City. If you like the basic Zelda style of gameplay then you cant go wrong with Terranigma.

Terranigma is one of the better looking games on the SNES. The world map is one of the best examples of Mode 7 I have ever seen, especially the underworld, which shows the reflection of the upperworld surrounding it. The towns and dungeons each have their own style and are very colorful. The character sprites are also very animated and detailed. Terranigma may not have the graphic power of Seiken Densetsu III but it gets the job done in the graphics department nonetheless.

Terranigma sports one of the best SNES soundtracks ever; the sound quality is great, especially for a 16-bit game. The title theme, Zue theme, boss theme, underworld, overworld, Royd's theme and the ending theme are some of the classic tracks in Terranigma. A great soundtrack for a great game, very impressive.

If you're looking for an Action RPG then look no further. The great story, fun gameplay, detailed graphics and impressive music should makes this a must-play for any RPG fan. It's a crime that this game never saw a North American release.