Illusion of Gaia is an action RPG developed by Quintet and published by Enix for the Super Famicom in Japan on November 27, 1993, as Gaia Gensōki. Masaya Hashimoto directed it; the story came from novelist Mariko Ōhara, the characters from manga artist Moto Hagio and the music from Yasuhiro Kawasaki. Fans count it as the middle part of an unofficial trilogy between Soul Blazer (1992) and Terranigma (1995).
Nintendo published the game in North America in September 1994 and in Europe in 1995 as Illusion of Time, in English, German, French and Spanish. A leaked English prototype was still titled "SoulBlazer: Illusion of GAIA" and called the hero Tim instead of Will.
The Western versions differ noticeably from the Japanese one: religious imagery was toned down, a boss was redesigned and several fights became harder. Quintet reported 650,000 copies sold worldwide.123
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Illusion of GaiaEnglish Wikipedia gives 26 September 1994, Spanish Wikipedia 1 September 1994 | SNES | September 1994 | Nintendo | 2 |
| JP | ガイア幻想紀 | SNES | Nov 27, 1993 | Enix | 1 |
| EU | Illusion of TimeEnglish, German, French and Spanish versions | SNES | Jun 21, 1995 | Nintendo | 2 |
Also known as: ガイア幻想紀 JP1Gaia Gensōki JP1Illusion of Time EU2SoulBlazer: Illusion of GAIA NA2
Box art by region
NA Illusion of Gaia 
EU Illusion of Time
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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CensorshipSNES (NA)SNES (EU)
Religious references were toned down outside Japan: the large cross in the South Cape school was replaced, church and priest references were changed, and a prayer became a poem.2
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CensorshipSNES (NA)
The tribe near Angkor Wat, depicted as cannibals in Japan, was altered for North America.2
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GraphicsSNES (NA)SNES (EU)
The Sky Garden boss Viper is a giant bird in the Japanese version and a winged Babylonian-style statue in the Western ones.4
Translations
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English Official
Nintendo1994SNES · Japanese versionReleased · complete
English version published by Nintendo in North America in 1994 and, as Illusion of Time, in Europe in 1995.2
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German Official
Nintendo1995SNESReleased · complete
German version of Illusion of Time.2
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Spanish Official
Nintendo1995SNESReleased · complete
Spanish version of Illusion of Time.5
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French Official
Nintendo1995SNESReleased · complete
French version of Illusion of Time, the only European version with significant text changes.2
Reception
Quintet reported 650,000 copies sold worldwide: 200,000 in Japan, 300,000 in North America and 150,000 in Europe. The game holds an 80.17% GameRankings average and won GameFan's Action/RPG of the Year Megaward.2
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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