ZedPower

Tenchi Sozou (Terranigma) may look and play like your typical action/roleplaying game, like The Legend of Zelda, or Secret of Mana, but is light-years beyond anything found in any of the great SNES-era classics where it matters: storytelling.

You play the role of Ark, a daring young man living in a mysterious subterranean world, built from lifeless crystal and bathed in an endless sea of fusing magma. After breaking the seal on a mysterious box hidden away in his village, Ark is suddenly entrusted with the impossible tax of bringing life back to the dry, withered lands of his planet's surface.

Eventually aided by the few struggling souls that survived a past cataclysm, Ark bravely begins this journey of resurrection so man could once again inhabit the world. But nothing is as it seems in this twisted reality... The fate of Earth comes to rest on his shoulders, and it's up to him to discover what really destroyed the world, and what exactly is the force working against his quest for life.

Anything else would be spoiling the story, but rest assured that it is but a fraction of the plot. You will be shaken to the core, that I can guarantee. The writers at Quintet have done their homework, and I can safely say that no video game plot has made me think and ponder more than Tenchi Sozou's, ever. This is definitely a well-deserved five star.

The game itself is a solid bird's-eye-view action/RPG, in the tradition of Zelda and its two prequels, SoulBlazer and Illusion of Gaia. Perhaps it won't blow your socks off, but it's challenging, well-balanced, and generally a blast to play.

The graphics and sound are on par with the plot. That means they're excellent. The soundtrack is memorable and fits the mood perfectly, and the visuals are near unmatched on the system. You want eye candy? It's there.

The bottom line is: if you can get your hands on Tenchi Sozou, by all means do. You won't regret it.