30 years later: Beloved SNES classic is coming to PC and consoles

The year is 1995. The Super Nintendo is in its prime, and Japanese developer Quintet, together with Enix, releases a new action RPG that would go on to become an absolute cult classic, particularly in Europe: Terranigma. With its unusually emotional story, fast-paced real-time combat system and a game world that visibly changes over the course of the adventure, the title stood out significantly from many other RPGs of its era and quickly won the hearts of many Nintendo fans.

Anyone who wants to experience Terranigma again has, until now, had to rely on the original SNES cartridge (or an emulator). But that's about to change. More than 30 years after its release, the Nintendo classic is now set to be re-released by Clear River Games and launch in 2027 on PC (via Steam and GOG), PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 (currently $612 on Amazon). This was confirmed yesterday, August 24, in a press release. In addition to the digital versions, physical editions are also planned. There is no specific release window yet, but the Steam page is already live – and the official trailer is available on YouTube:

What is Terranigma about?

Players take on the role of a young man named Ark, who lives in the village of Crysta on the so-called Darkside. Out of curiosity, he opens a forbidden door – triggering a catastrophe: Every resident of his home village is frozen. To save them, Ark must climb five mysterious towers. Along the way, it becomes clear that his task is far greater than he initially thought: He must restore the destroyed surface world to life.

On his journey, Ark first brings the sunken continents back to the surface. Plants, animals and eventually humans then return. What makes the game special is that the world visibly changes as the story progresses. Cities grow, civilizations develop and Ark's actions leave their mark. Combat takes place in real time rather than being turn-based. Ark is armed with a spear and can sprint, jump and combine different movements into various attacks. There is also magic, equipment, experience points and classic dungeons featuring puzzles and boss fights.

Fans are excited, but not entirely convinced yet

Many fans had long since given up hope of a modern release. Unsurprisingly, the announcement of the re-release has been met with plenty of excitement on Reddit. However, the footage shown so far has also sparked some skepticism. Some users feel that the re-release currently looks like the original SNES game with a CRT filter layered over it. Fans would like to see a few more technical improvements, such as widescreen support, 60 Hz support and improved text rendering. Clear River Games, however, plans to reveal the actual enhancements and bonus content at a later date.

The re-release of Terranigma is also fueling hopes among fans that other Quintet classics such as Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia could eventually be brought to modern platforms as well. So far, however, there are no concrete indications that this will happen. If Terranigma proves commercially successful, it could at least improve the chances of further re-releases.