This action-RPG stays enjoyable to this day thanks to challenging combat and good storytelling.
As mentioned, Illusion of Gaia is set in a fantasy version of the real world during the time when explorers were discovering the unknown world and its many secrets. Players take control of Will, a regular teenager who survived a dangerous trip to the Tower of Babel a year prior but lost his father in the process. Will is soon called upon by Gaia, the spirit of all living things, to harness her Dark Powers and embark on a journey back to the tower and stop a comet from bringing untold destruction to the planet. Along the way, Will must also explore several ruins and collect the treasures within them as well as contend with other matters such as a slave trade, his travelling companions getting into trouble, and a ruthless assassin hot on his trail.
For its time, the themes present in Illusion of Gaia's storytelling were few and far inbetween in video games. However, its impact has been dampened with time due to several other developers constantly pushing the boundaries of what can and can't been shown and discussed in a game. Despite this, the story and the way it is told still carries a hint of uniqueness. Issues such as the slave trade and the pros and cons of evolution are still not that commonly found in the gaming world. The way the story is told has its rough spots as well, but is mostly solid. The translation job sometimes borders on sketchy, with a few oddly-worded statements and the occasional grammatical error, but still allows for some decent character development and engaging interactions. It also helps that the plot makes a few unexpected twists every now and then to keep the story moving at a good pace.
The gameplay, on the other hand, isn't quite as original, although in this case is not necessarily a bad thing. Illusion of Gaia plays like a more action-oriented version of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Much of Will's mission involves exploring ruins based on real life locations, solving basic puzzles, and fighting a veritable cornucopia of monsters. The game is very streamlined compared to Link's adventure: Exploration is kept to a minimum, the game progresses very linearly with multiple points of no return, and towns serve as little more than designated plot exposition points between dungeons. The RPG portion of the game comes in through Will gaining permanent boosts to his health, attack, and defense by defeating all the enemies in a room. The combat itself is shallow, with most fights boiling down to mashing the attack button a couple times, backing away from the enemy to avoid their attack, and occasionally using a special charge power to deal extra damage. On the plus side, the game does its best to maintain variety; enemy designs are numerous, completely changing from dungeon to dungeon, and Will can occasionally transform into other powerful beings, such as the dark knight Freedan, to switch things up a little and solve a few puzzles. There's also a certain satisfaction to be had from defeating an entire room of enemies and getting stronger because of it despite how routine it can feel at times.
It may be basic, but Illusion of Gaia is not an easy game. Will is fairly fragile at the start of most dungeons, with enemies able to deplete his life bar in just a few hits. Even after going through the trouble of defeating all the enemies in the dungeon to get all the power boosts, there is still the issue of the boss fights. These bosses create sudden spikes in the difficulty curve, as they often take place in confined areas and fill the screen with attacks that are both hard-hitting and hard to dodge. Further compounding this is the scarcity of ways to regain health; herbs are the only healing item in the game, and there are only one or two of them to find in each area. It's tough, but the level of challenge almost never gets high enough to make the game more frustrating than fun to play. Unfortunately, the game also has a couple moments where it's difficult to figure out how to progress without using a guide. For instance, an early puzzle involving a room filled with golden tiles leaves hints saying that the solution requires using a particular item, but doing so only makes one slight change, and the only clue that comes from it gives very little information. These moments are sparse but have the potential to be aggravating, especially for a game that's primarily geared towards combat.
If there is one thing that has aged gracefully in Illusion of Gaia, it's the presentation. The art style is vibrant and colorful, making good use of the SNES' 16-bit tech to create a solid variety of locations and setpieces. There is also a nice attention to detail, with little things like the wind blowing in Will's hair when he's standing still or the screen bobbing up and down when in an area that involves the ocean thrown in here and there. The music fares just as well, with entertainingly bombastic pieces for dungeons and slow pretty compositions for the more character-driven moments. The overall presentation is solid enough to make finding and exploring each new ruin part of the overall fun of the game.
Ultimately, Illusion of Gaia can be finished in less than ten hours and lacks much reason to keep coming back to it after seeing the end credits roll. However, what saves it from being a "pass" is its cheap price. Although it still only exists as a Super Nintendo game, used copies can easily be found around the seven dollar range online, and likely for even less at the local flea market or yard sale. For this reason, Illusion of Gaia is still worth a playthrough, whether it's for a good nostalgic romp or just to see how well stories could be told in past video games in spite of limited hardware.