Fans of SNES RPGs are in luck, as Clear River Games confirmed that Terranigma would be headed to North America for the first time in the future. Throughout the lifespan of the SNES, Nintendo’s 16-bit home console was the exclusive home of timeless RPGs, such as Final Fantasy 6 and Chrono Trigger.
Originally released in Japan in October 1995 and in Europe in December 1996, Terranigma is the third entry in an unofficial trilogy of RPGs made by Quintet and initially published by Enix. The Quintet trilogy consists of Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma. In short, Terranigma tells the story of a boy from the underworld named Ark. Guided by a mysterious voice, Ark is tasked with reviving all the plants, animals, and humans that once called the barren surface world their home. While Terranigma is currently exclusive to the SNES, that will not be the case for much longer.
Terranigma is Coming Back in 2027
Thanks to a licensing agreement with Square Enix and Quintet, Clear River Games will bring Terranigma to PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch systems sometime in 2027. Clear River Games posted a two-minute trailer that showcased various cutscenes and artwork from the upcoming Terranigma port, including original pieces from the game’s art director and character designer, Kamui Fujiwara. Although Terranigma was released and translated in Europe, the cult-classic SNES RPG never released in North America during the lifespan of the SNES. However, no precise release date was offered by Clear River Games, so fans must wait for more information.
While the 2027 port of Terranigma does not appear to be a full-on graphical remake, some quality-of-life changes are already apparent within the game’s main user interface. The spell or item that Ark has equipped is visible on the right side of the screen, which can be changed by pressing the left and right triggers on a controller. Additionally, the experience points that Ark will need to reach the next level can be seen near the weapon selection panel. While Terranigma‘s upcoming port will keep the original game’s 4:3 resolution format, the placement of the new UI elements will allow players to see more objects on the main screen without any obstructions.
Though Terranigma will launch on platforms such as Steam and Nintendo Switch 2, GOG also confirmed that it will be part of the GOG Preservation Program. In short, GOG’s Preservation Program is an ongoing campaign aimed at preserving games on the popular PC storefront without any digital rights management (DRM) attached to it. Each game listed in the program is also changed to make sure it can run on operating systems like Windows 11 and utilize modern controllers. As of this writing, over 300 games have been included in the GOG Preservation Program, including Final Fantasy 9, Breath of Fire 4, and the first three Resident Evil games.
Given the resurgence of SNES and Sega Genesis games, Terranigma‘s eventual return comes at the perfect time for retro gaming fans. It remains to be seen what other surprises Clear River Games has in store.
- Released
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October 20, 1995
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