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01-03-16 02:53 PM
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Shining Force CD: a Good, Challenging game

 
Game's Ratings
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Graphics
Sound
Addictiveness
Depth
Story
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9.6
8
10
9
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8

01-03-16 02:53 PM
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The Shining series is the flagship tactical RPG of the 16-bit era (and even beyond, for Sega). While the games are supposed to be linked together in some way, Shining Force CD actually makes an explicit link to Shining Force I, taking place 20 years after it. How does the game stand up?

NOTE THAT THE REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS.

Graphic: 7/10

I consider SF CD as “Shining Force I with Shining Force II capabilities.” Indeed, the graphics are a very big improvement from the first opus.

First, characters on the battlefield move more naturally, and so do the enemies – sometimes quicker than what the screen can follow. Even inside the battles characters seem to move better. Sword wielders have a more natural swing (Deanna has it better, though), centaurs wield their weapons as jousting knights did (and they move more than in SF II), axe wielders have a more “direct” swing (they go right at their opponent rather than slowly jump up in the air) and they all move in some way, be it the centaurs moving a leg or the sword wielders and the mages having their capes float.

Characters are also drawn more clearly. They are adults (or at least late teens) so they are taller and they are more detailed than both SF on the Genesis. The sword wielder’s clothing are very beautiful, especially when they get promoted (they are in an armor that is finely detailed). Mages are also well-drawn and their promoted version on the battlefield looks very elaborate; the ladies have a nice haircut! Speaking of the field all characters, despite their short size, are drawn better and more clearly than preceding games.

The battlefields are also more varied, especially in the third book. Of course, you have the classical outside field, the cave with stalactites and villages. But you also have the outside of a mansion, a tavern, a dojo and a nice garden (and a museum in the fourth book). This also means that the battle backgrounds are more varied, which is always pleasing to the eye.

Why am I rating the graphics so low then? Because outside the battlefield you have no power to explore anywhere, whatsoever. You are either in a dialogue (where you can not control your characters), in a “camp” limited to the priest helping you (Lowe, Mayfair or Sarah) and the shop or in a battlefield. I found it very disappointing as SF was an interesting game because of everything you have to explore to find new characters and special objects. Instead you have the (almost) impossible task to get them during your battles. Unless you use a guide, you will find the hidden characters only by pure luck…

Music: 10/10

Wow! Who would have thought that Sega could produce such high-quality music?

The soundtrack is truly incredible. True, the tracks are not numerous (and limited by the fewer actions you can do). However they involve genuine-sounding instruments; some of them (the battle themes, especially) even sound like the SF II tracks played with real instruments. They are also very appropriate; one underground battle theme sound very mysterious and has some harp, the battle in the tavern (book 3) has an interesting jazzy beat and a few foes in book 3 have an interesting “Eastern” track when they fight you. Also, boss battle themes and fields vary depending on the book, which was a nice touch.

Sound effects are also better. In the introduction and conclusion you hear a male narrator with a very deep, solemn voice who reads the text on-screen. At the end of the third book you can hear “Simone’s” voice too, although I found it annoying. Inside the game sound effects are better than SF II, especially the fire spell – it actually sound like fireballs raining from the sky rather than rocks falling on a hard surface. You can even hear the “woosh” sound from arrows and lances being thrown. Something strange: the “demon breath” spell sound like it is coming outside a machine.

Addictiveness: 8/10

Strategy games like Shining Force have this addicting factor (for me) that is hard to describe. I just love grinding my levels until enemies are worth one experience point so I can progress through the game.

Otherwise, considering the “intelligence” of the AI I found SF CD to be more addicting than other games of the series. Even at the easiest level (the only I played) you will have to think your strategy through if you want everyone to survive (or at least your swordsman). In some battles you will have enemies appearing ad nauseum unless you place someone on the right spot/do not move beyond a certain point. Some places are design to cram your team in one tiny space (rough terrain, narrow passages) so wizards can shock you with bolt 2 or 3, so be careful.

I also found the story to be addictive (see below). It is separated in three distinctive parts, all following each other. Despite the lack of interaction with villagers, I found the story very interesting and logical.

I did not give it 10 because book 3 (and especially 4) comes with pre-promoted characters, and not at their peak (level 20). I found it frustrating to have such weak characters whose opportunity to level up is limited (hell, it’s almost impossible in book 4). Plus, you can only promote at best up to level p20. Beyond that point you hardly gain any stats.

Story: 9/10

Book 1: 20 years after the events of Shining Force I, trouble is brewing again in Guardiana! A delegation from Cypress comes to see Queen Anri to offer her a gift… that poisons her! She will be fine as long as Guardiana obeys Cypress. But of course, you know better. Ken and Lowe (the same of SF I) send an expedition to defeat Cypress… but fail. They then send another one with descendants/relatives of the first Shining Force. It includes a mysterious swordsman (who looks like Max?) who does not talk much. Who is he? Will you be able to save Anri?

Book 2: Still having his arm in stone, Nick leads an expedition to defeat the evil Iom in order to restore peace. But just as his force leaves Cypress Castle, an invading Iom force strikes! The guards defeat them successfully but someone steals the sword of Hayja, the only weapon that can defeat Iom! Will you be able to get it back? Will you defeat Iom? And who is this (other) mysterious swordsman that Cypress rescues as Nick is leaving?

Book 3: Iom has been defeated, but troubles brews again in Cypress! Right during Nick’s coronation, an old woman named Dava appears out of nowhere with her henchmen to kidnap Anri! Will you be able to save her?

Book 4: As you were exploring the Cypress Museum of Bosses, they suddenly come to life! Will you be able to defeat every single boss you ever fought? Note that you can only fight this one if you get the ticket from the well in battle 2-5.

Depth: 7/10

Concomitant to the graphs, the game’s depth suffers a little from not having “freedom of movement.” Since you are either in a cut scene, a battle or in camp you can not interact with other people other than the one or two lines your character may say. I thought that was disappointing – it is an even shorter version of SF I, where you never could come back once a chapter was over. There were also some logical problems, like how the hell did Mayfair recover her eyesight?!

Other than that, the story is done very well and is a long, logical continuation. At the end of Book 1, even though you saved Anri and defeated the evil rulers of Cypress, Prince Nick still has his arm turned to stone, showing that there will still be trouble. Book 2 starts as he wants to defeat Iom, but like in Book 1 his expedition runs into trouble and he must be rescued in extremis.

Difficulty: 7/10

I only played at the easiest level, and it was much more challenging that SF I and II.

First of all, I found terrain to be much rougher, with fewer terrains having a land effect of 0 percent. This means that progressing through the battlefield was much more difficult except for birds and Gyan. As I said above this will make your party vulnerable to being crammed all together to magic spells. And since the AI is “quite” intelligent, luring those magic caster away will be difficult.

In addition books 3 and 4 come with pre-promoted characters who were not promoted at their peak. Their stats are therefore lower, making the grinding painfully long – Dava’s hordes are very strong, can re-spawn in many instances and will spare you no punch. And in book 4, even if your female magicians have mystery staff (magic regen) they will still use up their magic quickly, and your swordsmen will have to cast bolt carefully since they can not regenerate. I have still been unable to conquer the museum despite wiping the left half of the room – they still get to act twice per round, and very unpredictably so.

Finally, since there is no village exploration getting bonus objects will be a very difficult task. It seems that when an enemy uses something like the evil ring – believe me, they do – you can not obtain it afterwards. Or when you are grinding your levels and do not defeat an enemy with something to give you can not obtain it when you decide to finally complete the battle.

On the plus side leveling up in the first 2 books is relatively easy. Even as you are nearing level 20 doing a reasonable amount of damage to the enemy is still possible. This means that you will unlikely run out of money, which is ideal to buy –as a regular item! – heal shower for 20k gold.

In short I recommend Shining Force CD to any fan of strategy RPGs. The storyline is very interesting, the soundtrack is out of this world and the graphics are very pleasant to the eye, both from their diversity and for their colorfulness. Simply overlook the limitations that probably stem from the fact that books 1 and 2 were originally separate games for the Game Gear.

The Shining series is the flagship tactical RPG of the 16-bit era (and even beyond, for Sega). While the games are supposed to be linked together in some way, Shining Force CD actually makes an explicit link to Shining Force I, taking place 20 years after it. How does the game stand up?

NOTE THAT THE REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS.

Graphic: 7/10

I consider SF CD as “Shining Force I with Shining Force II capabilities.” Indeed, the graphics are a very big improvement from the first opus.

First, characters on the battlefield move more naturally, and so do the enemies – sometimes quicker than what the screen can follow. Even inside the battles characters seem to move better. Sword wielders have a more natural swing (Deanna has it better, though), centaurs wield their weapons as jousting knights did (and they move more than in SF II), axe wielders have a more “direct” swing (they go right at their opponent rather than slowly jump up in the air) and they all move in some way, be it the centaurs moving a leg or the sword wielders and the mages having their capes float.

Characters are also drawn more clearly. They are adults (or at least late teens) so they are taller and they are more detailed than both SF on the Genesis. The sword wielder’s clothing are very beautiful, especially when they get promoted (they are in an armor that is finely detailed). Mages are also well-drawn and their promoted version on the battlefield looks very elaborate; the ladies have a nice haircut! Speaking of the field all characters, despite their short size, are drawn better and more clearly than preceding games.

The battlefields are also more varied, especially in the third book. Of course, you have the classical outside field, the cave with stalactites and villages. But you also have the outside of a mansion, a tavern, a dojo and a nice garden (and a museum in the fourth book). This also means that the battle backgrounds are more varied, which is always pleasing to the eye.

Why am I rating the graphics so low then? Because outside the battlefield you have no power to explore anywhere, whatsoever. You are either in a dialogue (where you can not control your characters), in a “camp” limited to the priest helping you (Lowe, Mayfair or Sarah) and the shop or in a battlefield. I found it very disappointing as SF was an interesting game because of everything you have to explore to find new characters and special objects. Instead you have the (almost) impossible task to get them during your battles. Unless you use a guide, you will find the hidden characters only by pure luck…

Music: 10/10

Wow! Who would have thought that Sega could produce such high-quality music?

The soundtrack is truly incredible. True, the tracks are not numerous (and limited by the fewer actions you can do). However they involve genuine-sounding instruments; some of them (the battle themes, especially) even sound like the SF II tracks played with real instruments. They are also very appropriate; one underground battle theme sound very mysterious and has some harp, the battle in the tavern (book 3) has an interesting jazzy beat and a few foes in book 3 have an interesting “Eastern” track when they fight you. Also, boss battle themes and fields vary depending on the book, which was a nice touch.

Sound effects are also better. In the introduction and conclusion you hear a male narrator with a very deep, solemn voice who reads the text on-screen. At the end of the third book you can hear “Simone’s” voice too, although I found it annoying. Inside the game sound effects are better than SF II, especially the fire spell – it actually sound like fireballs raining from the sky rather than rocks falling on a hard surface. You can even hear the “woosh” sound from arrows and lances being thrown. Something strange: the “demon breath” spell sound like it is coming outside a machine.

Addictiveness: 8/10

Strategy games like Shining Force have this addicting factor (for me) that is hard to describe. I just love grinding my levels until enemies are worth one experience point so I can progress through the game.

Otherwise, considering the “intelligence” of the AI I found SF CD to be more addicting than other games of the series. Even at the easiest level (the only I played) you will have to think your strategy through if you want everyone to survive (or at least your swordsman). In some battles you will have enemies appearing ad nauseum unless you place someone on the right spot/do not move beyond a certain point. Some places are design to cram your team in one tiny space (rough terrain, narrow passages) so wizards can shock you with bolt 2 or 3, so be careful.

I also found the story to be addictive (see below). It is separated in three distinctive parts, all following each other. Despite the lack of interaction with villagers, I found the story very interesting and logical.

I did not give it 10 because book 3 (and especially 4) comes with pre-promoted characters, and not at their peak (level 20). I found it frustrating to have such weak characters whose opportunity to level up is limited (hell, it’s almost impossible in book 4). Plus, you can only promote at best up to level p20. Beyond that point you hardly gain any stats.

Story: 9/10

Book 1: 20 years after the events of Shining Force I, trouble is brewing again in Guardiana! A delegation from Cypress comes to see Queen Anri to offer her a gift… that poisons her! She will be fine as long as Guardiana obeys Cypress. But of course, you know better. Ken and Lowe (the same of SF I) send an expedition to defeat Cypress… but fail. They then send another one with descendants/relatives of the first Shining Force. It includes a mysterious swordsman (who looks like Max?) who does not talk much. Who is he? Will you be able to save Anri?

Book 2: Still having his arm in stone, Nick leads an expedition to defeat the evil Iom in order to restore peace. But just as his force leaves Cypress Castle, an invading Iom force strikes! The guards defeat them successfully but someone steals the sword of Hayja, the only weapon that can defeat Iom! Will you be able to get it back? Will you defeat Iom? And who is this (other) mysterious swordsman that Cypress rescues as Nick is leaving?

Book 3: Iom has been defeated, but troubles brews again in Cypress! Right during Nick’s coronation, an old woman named Dava appears out of nowhere with her henchmen to kidnap Anri! Will you be able to save her?

Book 4: As you were exploring the Cypress Museum of Bosses, they suddenly come to life! Will you be able to defeat every single boss you ever fought? Note that you can only fight this one if you get the ticket from the well in battle 2-5.

Depth: 7/10

Concomitant to the graphs, the game’s depth suffers a little from not having “freedom of movement.” Since you are either in a cut scene, a battle or in camp you can not interact with other people other than the one or two lines your character may say. I thought that was disappointing – it is an even shorter version of SF I, where you never could come back once a chapter was over. There were also some logical problems, like how the hell did Mayfair recover her eyesight?!

Other than that, the story is done very well and is a long, logical continuation. At the end of Book 1, even though you saved Anri and defeated the evil rulers of Cypress, Prince Nick still has his arm turned to stone, showing that there will still be trouble. Book 2 starts as he wants to defeat Iom, but like in Book 1 his expedition runs into trouble and he must be rescued in extremis.

Difficulty: 7/10

I only played at the easiest level, and it was much more challenging that SF I and II.

First of all, I found terrain to be much rougher, with fewer terrains having a land effect of 0 percent. This means that progressing through the battlefield was much more difficult except for birds and Gyan. As I said above this will make your party vulnerable to being crammed all together to magic spells. And since the AI is “quite” intelligent, luring those magic caster away will be difficult.

In addition books 3 and 4 come with pre-promoted characters who were not promoted at their peak. Their stats are therefore lower, making the grinding painfully long – Dava’s hordes are very strong, can re-spawn in many instances and will spare you no punch. And in book 4, even if your female magicians have mystery staff (magic regen) they will still use up their magic quickly, and your swordsmen will have to cast bolt carefully since they can not regenerate. I have still been unable to conquer the museum despite wiping the left half of the room – they still get to act twice per round, and very unpredictably so.

Finally, since there is no village exploration getting bonus objects will be a very difficult task. It seems that when an enemy uses something like the evil ring – believe me, they do – you can not obtain it afterwards. Or when you are grinding your levels and do not defeat an enemy with something to give you can not obtain it when you decide to finally complete the battle.

On the plus side leveling up in the first 2 books is relatively easy. Even as you are nearing level 20 doing a reasonable amount of damage to the enemy is still possible. This means that you will unlikely run out of money, which is ideal to buy –as a regular item! – heal shower for 20k gold.

In short I recommend Shining Force CD to any fan of strategy RPGs. The storyline is very interesting, the soundtrack is out of this world and the graphics are very pleasant to the eye, both from their diversity and for their colorfulness. Simply overlook the limitations that probably stem from the fact that books 1 and 2 were originally separate games for the Game Gear.

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