Shining Force
Encyclopedia
Shining Force, known as in Japan, and otherwise known as Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention, is a 1992 turn-based strategy
role-playing video game for the Mega Drive/Genesis
console. While primarily a traditional fantasy
-themed game, it contains some steampunk
elements.
The game has been repeatedly re-released: in Sega Smash Pack 2
for the Dreamcast and Microsoft Windows
, in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
for Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
, and as a standalone game for the Wii
Virtual Console
. Additionally, in 2004 a remake was released for the Game Boy Advance
under the title Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon and in 2010 the game was released for iOS.
.
As is most common for the RPG genre, units become stronger by fighting enemies or by performing other actions in battle, such as healing allies. These actions give the units experience points (EXP.)
, which allow them to gain levels
.
In Shining Force, each allied unit is represented by a character with his or her own background and personality, much like in the Fire Emblem
series. Although there are no "generic" units, except on the enemy side, most characters contribute little or nothing to the plot upon joining the player army.
Each allied unit also has a class
, which defines a set of abilities for that unit and determines the spells and equipment they have access to. A unit can be promoted to another class at any level between 10 or 20. Upon promotion the character's level resets to 1 and statistics are reduced by a fixed amount, although they begin higher if the character had been promoted at a higher level.
Battle goals for the player are fairly simple: kill all enemies, kill the enemies' leader, or advance to a town or landmark. The enemy side wins if they kill the player's leader, Max, or if the player chooses to escape the battle by casting Egress. Even if the player army is defeated, the player can recover allies and retry the battle. The Force keeps any experience that is obtained, regardless of the battle's outcome. Thus, there is no Game Over
, and the player's army gets stronger even upon its defeat, although Max's death results in the player losing half of their money.
Most games in the Shining Force series (with the exceptions of Shining Force CD, all three Game Gear games, all five cell phone games, the Shining Force III premium disc, the Shining Force for Palm Pilot game, and Shining Force Feather) also possess an exploration mode that occurs outside of battle. This gameplay mode is essentially a Japanese-style traditional RPG game along the lines of Final Fantasy
or Dragon Quest
, although there are no labyrinths and few puzzles to solve. In this mode, the player's army is represented by Max, who is able to walk around, interact with people, find treasure, buy equipment and items, outfit the army, and choose which of the army's members will be used in battle.
, Max, is sent on a mission to prevent the evil Darksol, who commands the hordes of Runefaust, from opening the Shining Path and resurrecting Dark Dragon. Along the way, Max recruits a number of allies to join the Shining Force. Opposing the Shining Force are foes such as Kane and King Ramladu, who were both corrupted by Darksol.
The storyline is expanded in the Game Boy Advance remake. A second plot line, which follows Narsha, the Princess of Runefaust, has been added to the game as epilogues to its early chapters. The second plot eventually merges with the original plot line when Narsha is united with the Shining Force and joins with her allies, Zuika and Mawlock, who had helped her escape Runefaust and find the Shining Force.
. It tells how Anri became Queen of Guardiana, and relates the adventures of the young Lowe, Ken, Lug (mistranslated in English versions of Shining Force I as "Luke"), Hans, and Domingo before they went on to sire the heroes of Shining Force Gaiden and/or aid them in their struggle against Woldol. Tao, the sister of Wendy, also appears in Shining Force I.
Shining Force I also tells how Max and Adam's blood feud with Mishaela began, giving rise to the events of Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict
. Kane and Elliot appear as major characters, and the game shows how each one met his end. (It should be noted, however, that neither of their sons make any appearance in Shining Force I, nor is any hint of their existence given.)
. Most notably, the backstory of Max, the protagonist of the game, is entirely left out. The original Japanese script tells that Max has amnesia
and was found washed up on the beach by Lowe, who subsequently came to be his best friend. Later, it is revealed that Max is in fact the brother of Lord Kane of Runefaust. All these plot points were lost in the official translation. In the official translation Kane still expresses horror that Darksol forced him to fight Max, but without any explanation why.
Numerous lesser errors and omissions occur. For instance, the character Lug is mistranslated as "Luke", which confused gamers when both the correct translation of Lug's name and a completely different character named Luke appeared in Shining Force CD
. One character's name is translated as "Kane" in some parts of the game and as "Cain" in others. Also, the spell "Demon Breath" is mistranslated as "Demon Blaze"; though Demon Breath appears in all seven Shining games on the Mega Drive, Game Gear, and Mega-CD, Shining Force I is the only one where it is mistranslated.
The remake, Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon received a considerably more accurate English translation. However, since the remake itself contains additions to the plot which contradict the original story, it is not an authentic translation of the original Shining Force.
, Sega allotted only a minimal budget to the development of Shining Force.
Contrary to popular assumption, Shining Force was not influenced by archetypal Tactical RPG Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi. In fact, when asked about the game, lead Shining Force developer Hiroyuki Takahashi remarked "The tempo of that title was so bad that it wasn't something I even wanted to play." Takahashi recalled that Shining Force was chiefly inspired by Dragon Quest
. Asking himself how he and the rest of the development team could "take the battles from Dragon Quest and make them more fun", he drew inspiration from an obscure Japanese PC game called Silver Ghost, "a simulation action type of game where you had to direct, oversee and command multiple characters."
. Though Shining Force retained many elements from its predecessor, such as the distinctive menu system, the gameplay is drastically different. Shining in the Darkness is a dungeon crawler in first-person perspective, while Shining Force is a strategy RPG. The Shining series flips between many gameplay styles: returning to first person dungeon crawler for Shining the Holy Ark; adopting Legend of Zelda mechanics for Shining Wisdom; and the Shining Soul games being inspired by Diablo
, for instance.
under the title Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon. The changes included expanded plot, new playable characters, increasing difficulty level (starting considerably low, but increasing whenever the player finishes the game and begins a new play), and some tweaks in the gameplay (including the use of "cards" in battle). The game has also had a rerelease for the iOS line: The iPhone
, The iPod Touch
, and the iPad
.
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
role-playing video game for the Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
console. While primarily a traditional fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
-themed game, it contains some steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
elements.
The game has been repeatedly re-released: in Sega Smash Pack 2
Sega Smash Pack
Sega Smash Pack is a series of game compilations featuring mostly Sega Mega Drive games. Sega Smash Pack games have been released for the PC, Dreamcast, and the Game Boy Advance.-PC:The first Sega Smash Pack was released in 1999 for the PC...
for the Dreamcast and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, known as the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection in PAL regions, is a compilation of video games developed by Backbone Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles...
for Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, and as a standalone game for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
. Additionally, in 2004 a remake was released for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
under the title Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon and in 2010 the game was released for iOS.
Gameplay
Shining Force is a turn-based tactical RPG. Battles take place in square grids, and each unit occupies one square. Each unit can move up to a fixed amount of squares along the battlefield, determined by its Move statistic. Depending on its location relative to enemies and to allies, a unit can also perform one action: attack, cast a spell, use an item, or search the area. Some commands, such as equipping or dropping items, don't count as actions. The order of turns is determined by the unit's agility score and a random seedRandom seed
A random seed is a number used to initialize a pseudorandom number generator.The choice of a good random seed is crucial in the field of computer security...
.
As is most common for the RPG genre, units become stronger by fighting enemies or by performing other actions in battle, such as healing allies. These actions give the units experience points (EXP.)
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
, which allow them to gain levels
Level (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
.
In Shining Force, each allied unit is represented by a character with his or her own background and personality, much like in the Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem
is a fantasy tactical role-playing video game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems , the maker of Advance Wars , and published by Nintendo...
series. Although there are no "generic" units, except on the enemy side, most characters contribute little or nothing to the plot upon joining the player army.
Each allied unit also has a class
Character class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
, which defines a set of abilities for that unit and determines the spells and equipment they have access to. A unit can be promoted to another class at any level between 10 or 20. Upon promotion the character's level resets to 1 and statistics are reduced by a fixed amount, although they begin higher if the character had been promoted at a higher level.
Battle goals for the player are fairly simple: kill all enemies, kill the enemies' leader, or advance to a town or landmark. The enemy side wins if they kill the player's leader, Max, or if the player chooses to escape the battle by casting Egress. Even if the player army is defeated, the player can recover allies and retry the battle. The Force keeps any experience that is obtained, regardless of the battle's outcome. Thus, there is no Game Over
Game over
Game Over is a message in video games which signals that the game has ended, often due to a negative outcome - although the phrase sometimes follows the end credits after successful completion of a game...
, and the player's army gets stronger even upon its defeat, although Max's death results in the player losing half of their money.
Most games in the Shining Force series (with the exceptions of Shining Force CD, all three Game Gear games, all five cell phone games, the Shining Force III premium disc, the Shining Force for Palm Pilot game, and Shining Force Feather) also possess an exploration mode that occurs outside of battle. This gameplay mode is essentially a Japanese-style traditional RPG game along the lines of Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
or Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
, although there are no labyrinths and few puzzles to solve. In this mode, the player's army is represented by Max, who is able to walk around, interact with people, find treasure, buy equipment and items, outfit the army, and choose which of the army's members will be used in battle.
Story
The game opens in the Kingdom of Guardiana, in the land of Rune. The silent protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, Max, is sent on a mission to prevent the evil Darksol, who commands the hordes of Runefaust, from opening the Shining Path and resurrecting Dark Dragon. Along the way, Max recruits a number of allies to join the Shining Force. Opposing the Shining Force are foes such as Kane and King Ramladu, who were both corrupted by Darksol.
The storyline is expanded in the Game Boy Advance remake. A second plot line, which follows Narsha, the Princess of Runefaust, has been added to the game as epilogues to its early chapters. The second plot eventually merges with the original plot line when Narsha is united with the Shining Force and joins with her allies, Zuika and Mawlock, who had helped her escape Runefaust and find the Shining Force.
Shining Series continuity
Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention begins the saga of Guardiana that is continued in Shining Force GaidenShining Force Gaiden
is a 1992 tactical role-playing game released only in Japan for the Sega Game Gear, though it was later released as an enhanced remake for Shining Force CD in Japan, North America, and Europe. It takes place 20 years after the second Shining series game, and is the direct predecessor to the fourth...
. It tells how Anri became Queen of Guardiana, and relates the adventures of the young Lowe, Ken, Lug (mistranslated in English versions of Shining Force I as "Luke"), Hans, and Domingo before they went on to sire the heroes of Shining Force Gaiden and/or aid them in their struggle against Woldol. Tao, the sister of Wendy, also appears in Shining Force I.
Shining Force I also tells how Max and Adam's blood feud with Mishaela began, giving rise to the events of Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict
Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict
, the third of the Gaiden sub-series, is a 1995 tactical role-playing game for the Sega Game Gear, and is both a sequel to the original Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention, and a prequel to Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing. It was released after both games, with the intention of...
. Kane and Elliot appear as major characters, and the game shows how each one met his end. (It should be noted, however, that neither of their sons make any appearance in Shining Force I, nor is any hint of their existence given.)
Translation issues
The English translation of Shining Force has perhaps the most confusing errors and omissions of any translated game in the Shining series save the Working Designs translation of Shining WisdomShining Wisdom
is an Action-adventure game released for the Sega Saturn video game console. It is a part of Sega's Shining series of video games.- Gameplay :Shining Wisdom differs from its predecessors in the Shining series in that it was the first to employ an Action-adventure style of gameplay...
. Most notably, the backstory of Max, the protagonist of the game, is entirely left out. The original Japanese script tells that Max has amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
and was found washed up on the beach by Lowe, who subsequently came to be his best friend. Later, it is revealed that Max is in fact the brother of Lord Kane of Runefaust. All these plot points were lost in the official translation. In the official translation Kane still expresses horror that Darksol forced him to fight Max, but without any explanation why.
Numerous lesser errors and omissions occur. For instance, the character Lug is mistranslated as "Luke", which confused gamers when both the correct translation of Lug's name and a completely different character named Luke appeared in Shining Force CD
Shining Force CD
Shining Force CD is a 1994 remake of the Game Gear RPGs Shining Force Gaiden and Shining Force Gaiden II for the Sega Mega-CD console. The game is divided into four Books that can be played sequentially or separately. The first two Books contain adapted versions of the original Game Gear games...
. One character's name is translated as "Kane" in some parts of the game and as "Cain" in others. Also, the spell "Demon Breath" is mistranslated as "Demon Blaze"; though Demon Breath appears in all seven Shining games on the Mega Drive, Game Gear, and Mega-CD, Shining Force I is the only one where it is mistranslated.
The remake, Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon received a considerably more accurate English translation. However, since the remake itself contains additions to the plot which contradict the original story, it is not an authentic translation of the original Shining Force.
Development
Despite being the sequel to the successful Shining in the DarknessShining in the Darkness
Shining in the Darkness, released as in Japan, is a 1991 RPG for the Mega Drive/Genesis video game console. It was one of the first RPGs released for the system, and began the Shining RPG series that would span four Sega video game consoles as well as the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 2.On...
, Sega allotted only a minimal budget to the development of Shining Force.
Contrary to popular assumption, Shining Force was not influenced by archetypal Tactical RPG Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi. In fact, when asked about the game, lead Shining Force developer Hiroyuki Takahashi remarked "The tempo of that title was so bad that it wasn't something I even wanted to play." Takahashi recalled that Shining Force was chiefly inspired by Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
. Asking himself how he and the rest of the development team could "take the battles from Dragon Quest and make them more fun", he drew inspiration from an obscure Japanese PC game called Silver Ghost, "a simulation action type of game where you had to direct, oversee and command multiple characters."
Shining series
While the game is the first in chronological order in the Shining series, it is the second game released in the series, of which the first game released is Shining in the DarknessShining in the Darkness
Shining in the Darkness, released as in Japan, is a 1991 RPG for the Mega Drive/Genesis video game console. It was one of the first RPGs released for the system, and began the Shining RPG series that would span four Sega video game consoles as well as the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 2.On...
. Though Shining Force retained many elements from its predecessor, such as the distinctive menu system, the gameplay is drastically different. Shining in the Darkness is a dungeon crawler in first-person perspective, while Shining Force is a strategy RPG. The Shining series flips between many gameplay styles: returning to first person dungeon crawler for Shining the Holy Ark; adopting Legend of Zelda mechanics for Shining Wisdom; and the Shining Soul games being inspired by Diablo
Diablo (video game)
Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996....
, for instance.
Remake
The game was remade in 2004 for the Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
under the title Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon. The changes included expanded plot, new playable characters, increasing difficulty level (starting considerably low, but increasing whenever the player finishes the game and begins a new play), and some tweaks in the gameplay (including the use of "cards" in battle). The game has also had a rerelease for the iOS line: The iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, The iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
, and the iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
.
External links
- Shining Force on The Shining Wiki
- A Large Collection of Shining Force Sprites on The Spriters Resource