Shining Force Review by: janus - 8.9/10
Shining Force: COnquer evil at all costAfter wreaking havoc in Thornwood, Dark Sol decided wreaking havoc in Guardiana by controlling the kingdom of Runefast. Using the distraction, he will try an summon Dark Dragon, a terrible foe sealed 1000 years ago…
Graphs: 8/10
The graphics are a very nice improvement from Shining in the Darkness, a (distant) prequel to the game. Towns and villages are huge and
there are lots of town folks to talk to. Although your characters walk clumsily (compared to Shining Force II), they are well-drawn and all have distinctive features – you can distinguish every centaur. There are many hidden characters, and even more classes of characters than SF II! Unfortunately, once a chapter is over there is no going back. So make sure you get everything in time.
The battlefields are nice and varied. Their drawings are all right for the time, but the details are much better on Super Nintendo games – mountains, rivers, deserts, etc., show finer images. They can be very challenging as some backgrounds (sand, rock) will considerably slow you down in your course (except if you are flying). This will make planning crucial in forests so enemies don’t catch up and gang on someone.
In addition, battles are very well drawn. Unlike the Final Fantasies, you can see many of your characters attack the enemy directly, especially after they are promoted (centaurs throw their lances/jump to the enemy, arrows reach the enemy, birdmen charge the enemy directly, many jump at them...) However, characters themselves, except for the Hero and flying allies, are rather static before they attack. On their side, many enemies are static too before they attack. However, bats are flying, horsemen move one leg and seashells are crawling. Also, their attack movie is more elaborate than almost any SNES RPG.
Finally, magic is very well drawn. The stronger the spell, the more it pushes Genesis graphics to the limit. Fire 4, for example, sends a raging storm of fireballs that looks more menacing than the same spell in SF II. Some enemies are unique spells (fire/ice breath, laser ray) that are deadly and well-drawn too.
Music: 9/10
Even after all these years, I still love the soundtrack. It is very varied; there are five (counting the one at sea) different battlefields music, each of them with an appropriate military music. Unfortunately, there is only one battle theme for everyone, which could have been improved.
It is also very fitting. The normal town theme is lively, whereas the sad one (after a town has been attacked (also known as Shade Abbey)) does sound sad; there is even a sad theme when a new ally joins in such a situation. Also, the castle music sounds regal enough and the intro music has an intriguing tone that sounds mystical (you also hear it when meeting a certain prophet).
Addictiveness: 8/10
As I said above, there are many hidden characters, and finding them all can be challenging. In fact, you might need a FAQ to find many of them as they can be hidden in place like a bush.
Also, as in most RPGs, you have to grind quite a bit if you want your characters to be strong enough. Fortunately in this game (unlike SF II), you CAN pick up treasures on the battlefield, so you can sometimes stock on Atlas Axes or Herbs and sell what you don’t need!
Story: 8/10
To add to the addiction, the story is very-well presented. It’s a classic tale of the fight between good and evil, but it includes many plot twists (and some Deus Ex Machina against you) and keeps you on the edge of your seat at many places.
In ages long forgotten...
... Light fought Darkness for control of the world.
Dark Dragon led the evil hordes of Darkness.
The Ancients fought back with the Powers of the Light.
Dark Dragon was defeated and casted into another dimension.
The Lord of Darkness vowed to return in 1,000 years.
Time passed and Dark Dragon was forgotten by all.
Ten centuries of peace ruled the land of Rune.
Until the kingdom of Runefaust brought war and fear to Rune.
Hordes of evil creatures ravaged every land.
Here and there, strongholds of Good still held out...
... awaiting a Hero who could wield the Powers of Light!(From the introduction of the game).
Depth: 9/10
As I said the plot contains many twists. Evil characters will sometime join you/advise you before they have to fight you (loyalty, you know). The Legacy of the Ancients spans across eight long chapters, each one containing its twists and plots to slow your progress towards Runefast. Will you be able to stop the resurrection of Dark Dragon?
Difficulty: 6/10
Since it’s an RPG, level-grinding usually does the trick. Not in this game. Some bosses are very strong and vicious early on – one of them already has Freeze 3 before you can realistically get promoted. Plus ALL bosses have unlimited magic, so they can freeze/burn your ass off pretty easily. On many battlefields, especially in caves or near mountains, your progress will be slow, if not impossible due to rugged terrain. In other words, there will often be a chocking effect when passing mountains, making that ally vulnerable to enemies, especially if they are flying.
Fortunately, you don’t have to complete all fights. Should you reach the next village/dungeon/get the strategic treasure before the battle is over, you can get away from it. Plus, once you get the Quick ring, you get one more person able to make your team fly away from a battle (and that person
permanently gets +1 agility each time he/she uses it).
In short, I warmly recommend this game to any RPG lover out there. It has a lot to offer, a good plot that twists from time to time and many secrets to be found. You will see that you don’t need to have the newest game out there to have a good time.
Graphics
8 Sound
9 Addictive
8 Depth
9 Story
8 Difficulty
6
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