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System: Sega Genesis | Released: 1993 |
| Developer: Sonic Co. & Climax Co. | Publisher: Sega |
| Genre: RPG | Players: 1 |
| Game Medium: 24 Mbit Cartridge | Reviewer: Mystik |
The original Shining Force introduced the world to a brand new style of strategy mixed with strong RPG elements. Battles came forth that no one had ever seen before. All the characters and enemies were dropped on a grid, right on the map where they were standing just moments before, taking turns (according to agility). During a character's turn, they could move a certain number of squares in the four compass directions, the distance of which was effected by both the terrain being traversed AND the movement stat of the character, also determined by how they move (whether flying, riding or walking). Then they could either stay where they were, attack if the enemy was in range, use an item or cast a spell, any of those options ending the character's turn and moving on to the next. Normally, battles were ended by one side completely defeating the other (though if the Hero is killed, the game automatically ends), though often there would be a specific enemy who, if killed before the rest, would automatically end the battle as well. This, however, robs the characters a chance to gain much desired experience. As typical, experience goes toward level advancement, 100 experience points per level. In this installment of the series, the characters had to reach level 10 before they could go through a class promotion. Interestingly enough, some promotions resulted in a drop in some stats while others rose, though promotions were always worth it once the characters got a little more experience under their belt.
The format of plot progression in this game goes in chapters. Places in previous chapters are NOT revisitable as you progress through the game, so make sure you've absorbed as much as you desire of each area before progressing to the next chapter, cuz you won't see it again! The story is very involved for a strategy game; it helps that the RPG element is very strong outside of battles, with the Hero wandering around and talking to people normally, and special characters (most of them playable) having a Portrait alongside their dialogue boxes (their mouths move!) These elements help move along an engrossing story about a powerful and rather evil (or just misguided?) nation trying to revive a legendary, feared demon of the two-headed-Dragon type, called Dark Dragon. This nation is led by an evil man(?) named Dark Sol, who apparently has personal experience with the Dark Dragon. Not good. The king of Guardia leaves it up to the Hero (default name is Max) and a group of willing warriors, mages and healers to fight against this powerful and efficient force that's attempting to bury the world in darkness. By the last chapter, you feel so deep in, it's hard not to get sweaty palms with anticipation.
As for difficulty...it depends. If the player is patient and a good strategist, the easy setting isn't very hard at all. For the rest of us, the easy setting is difficult enough for perfect satisfaction by the end of the game. It's totally normal, and quite expected, to fail quite a few battles, often more than once. But learning is half the battle, just like real life, and going back into battle having a better grasp on the enemies and the situation can REALLY make a difference in player performance. Also, Max always has access to his spell Egress (the only character with the spell) that instantly teleports the party to the nearest priest (where everything from reviving dead party members to promoting characters to saving the game occurs), so the player can either start over if failure is eminent, or give the player a chance to fight the battle over and over to gain experience for needy characters.
Overall, Shining Force is a quite enjoyable experience for RPG fans, and even more so for strategy fans. Gamers outside the genres, however, will find little luster in this game, if any at all. The game does suffer a little from visual and audio flaws, being pretty well dated, but the gameplay is great enough and the plot gripping enough to keep a player who gives it a go to stick with it all the way. Besides, you can always turn the volume down if you REALLY want...
Score: 3/5
