Illusion of Gaia, World Wonders

Illusion of Gaia, World Wonders (subtitled Wonders of the World) is the 3rd episode of Game Theory on The Game Theorists.

Description
We're looking at ancient cultures, mysterious landmarks, and beautiful women as we save the world in ILLUSION OF GAIA.

Transcript
Put on your conquistador helmets and brush up on your geography, because we're exploring some world wonders. Hello internet and welcome to game theory. Gaming’s tangential learning experience. Through these videos, it's my goal to teach you a little bit about a diverse cross-section of subjects and yet, I'll admit, I too have been learning. For example, after last week's episode, I got a much better sense of what you the viewer want most from these videos, but, I digress. In any event, I'll keep you abreast, of any new developments. Back to the point. Illusion of Gaia was my third favorite game growing up and, some now consider it a forgotten 16-bit gem from the Super Nintendo. What truly boggled my young mind, aside from it being packaged with a really nifty t-shirt, was the game's use of real-world locations. After years of Mushroom Kingdom’s and Hyrule’s, for the first time, I was able to look around outside and feel like video games could actually be real. Illusion of Gaia passes through at least 10 real-world historical sites, but today we're going to look briefly at the game's portrayal, of four. The story follows the adventures of Will, the son of an explorer, as he works to uncover the mystery behind his father's disappearance. The first leg of the journey finds him exploring an invisible Incan village, and eventually discovering a ship made entirely of gold. So, fact or fiction? Well, there's no doubt about the Incans. They were the largest empire in the early Americas centered in the Cusco region of modern-day Peru, and yes, if the name Kuzco rings a bell, you would be on the right track. Even though an invisible village and a ship of gold seem far-fetched, they're not that far from the truth. As a culture, the Incas worshipped Inti, the Sun God. And gold, which was thought to possess the holy image of the Sun, was used for religious worship, not for currency. Their wealth made them a target for Spanish conquistadors, namely Pizarro, who kidnapped the Incas last Emperor, held him ransom for three rooms, filled floor to ceiling with silver and gold, then killed him anyway. This tragic fall of a great empire coincides perfectly with the timeline presented in the game. Gaia takes place during the Age of Exploration, a period between the early 15th and 17th centuries, in which Portuguese and Spanish sailors, searched for new worlds, new trade routes, and new sources of silver, gold, and spices. It's explained in the game that the village is invisible to protect it from all the outsiders trying to invade. As for the ship of gold, it seems likely that they would have had enough supply to complete such a structure, but there is no lore about any such ship. Instead, their ships tended to be made of reeds, and balsa wood. After helping to combat some slave trade near the diamond coast, the team makes its way back to Peru, to explore our second location: the mysterious Nazca Lines. Specifically one formation named the Condor. The game describes them as ground paintings, but they are really, shallow channels made by removing the reddish rocks on the desert ground, to reveal the pale layer underneath. There are hundreds of these figures, ranging from simple lines to elaborate designs of spiders, hummingbirds, and even monkeys. The mysterious formations date back to the year 400, and are still around today due to the windlass and stable climate of the area. Though the game only allows you to explore the Condor, it is recreated almost perfectly. The game also agrees with real-life theories as to their purpose; communicating with a higher power. Anthropologists studying the Nazca culture have said that the lines were created for the benefit of their gods in the sky. On the other end of the spectrum, some theories have postulated that they are runways for aliens. Illusion of Gaia links the paintings to a mysterious garden in the sky, possibly alluding to another world wonder: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which also relates to the final location of the game, but what isn't as exact, is the game's attempt to connect to the drawings to the constellation Cygnus, or the Swan. Stones placed around the Condor in the game, are supposed to relate to positions of stars in the sky, but, in fact, don't come close to matching their real-world arrangements. A third leg of the journey leads Will to Angkor Wat, an ancient temple filled with gorgons, zombies and fighting shrubbery. It was my favorite level in the game, so finding out that it actually exists in Cambodia, and is even featured on their national flag blew my mind. Built in the early 12th century, it is the world's largest religious building, designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the Devas, the benevolent supernatural beings of Hindu mythology. Again, the game recreates the location well, from fighting through its multiple tiers of courtyards to, the reliefs decorating the walls, to even the shrub monsters that mirror the actual plant life found around the complex. But most importantly of all, it recreates the location’s significance. At Angkor Wat’s center in the game, there isn't a relic to find or a secret weapon, but rather a spirit, who provides wisdom and a mystical cure. The game's equivalent to Angkor Wat’s real life Devas. Finally, Will makes it back to the Tower of Babel, the place of his father's disappearance, and the final stretch of the game, but, why did the developers choose to end the game here? Well, let's look at the facts. The Tower of Babel story originates in the Bible's Book of Genesis, but it is said to have once stood in modern-day Iraq. Generations after Noah's great flood, the world existed as a united people, who possessed only one language. Their objective was to build a tower that would reach the heavens, that is, until God put an early halt to the construction, by scattering the builders across the world and creating multiple languages as an act against human hubris. Soon after, the kingdom became known as the story to Babylon, but, why is it in the game? Without spoiling anything, the events in the tower result in a massive change, from an old way of life, to a new and unfamiliar world. Like the babel tale, Illusion of Gaia is an etiology, a story meant to explain some phenomenon. The Babel lore explains the birth of the languages of the world. In Gaia, the events surrounding the tower usher in another type of birth; a rebirth of the earth itself. A big task for a video game, and quite an epic place to conclude an already epic journey. And now it's time for my final thought. This game is all over the map. No, really, look at the map. Why visit all these ancient civilizations? And this video doesn't even mention the Great Wall of China, or the pyramids at giza, two more landmarks that it includes. Other games like Ducktales or Bart vs. The World also visit famous landmarks. But the locations are simply settings, excuses to make the obligatory jump between ice level, water level, and mountain level. Never are the places themselves vital pieces of the narrative. Illusion of Gaia is different. From starving tribes, to slave trade, from personal losses, to the loss of a way of life, this game isn't about Will and his missing father. It's about a planet, and the beautiful, mysterious, and terrible things that happen on it. Earth is the main character. I mean, for crying out loud, Gaia, the Greek goddess personifying earth is in the title, so that should be the first clue. In brief, our world is an amazing place if only we're curious about it. That was how this game captured my imagination as a kid, and is one of the reasons that I do these videos in the first place. To learn more about a planet that's easy to overlook. The real world can be just as cool as a Midgar, Ferelden, or Cyrodiil, we just have to pay attention. Anyway, it's just a theory. A game theory. Thanks for watching.

Trivia

 * Whenever MatPat said words such as "but", "back", or "brief", the video shows images of women's posteriors, backs, and briefs, respectively.
 * There was even an Achievement of the Week called "Saw Lots of Attractive Females".