Play Illusion of Gaia (Beta) Online

Illusion of Gaia came out on the Super Nintendo in 1994, developed by Quintet. It was part of that wave of ambitious action RPGs that tried to push the hardware with big worlds and a serious tone, a step beyond the simpler platformers and arcade ports that were common earlier in the console's life.

You control a boy named Will, traveling across continents to stop a cosmic threat from destroying the world. The gameplay mixes screen by screen exploration of towns and dungeons with real time combat using a short range weapon. You also solve environmental puzzles and transform into two other beings, Dark Knight and Shadow, each with unique abilities to access new areas. The pacing is deliberate, with a moderate difficulty that comes more from navigation and resource management than relentless enemy waves. It feels like a somber, thoughtful journey where every discovery carries a quiet weight.