Shining (series)

Shining Force is a video game series by Sega. The games are the genre of strategy role-playing games associated (English short SRPG ).

Description

The first part appeared in 1992 on the Sega Mega Drive and was based heavily on the unknown in the West Fire Emblem series of Nintendo. But since Shining Force was expelled by Sega world, it is in the Western world as one of the forefathers of the genre. With advanced graphics and intuitive controls, this game quickly became a sought after classic. It was heavily applied linear content, and knew primarily through the characters very different scale to convince that accompanied one through the game. Playful moving yourself between the battles in real time through a world shown from above and very limited. The fights themselves were turn-based, and were presented in the same area, which was divided in to squares. The strategic aspect of this was especially the proper selection of the participating characters, and the proper positioning and order of trains. Into German, the game was not translated.

In 1993, a second part was published. The story was clichéd (including rescue a princess), and graphical one made no quantum leaps; during the fight representations now offered something finer and more considerable representations, the known from the previous overland view had hardly developed. Also in Shining Force II is a strictly linear gameplay was still on the agenda: as you could with the main character from and to make simple yes -or-no decisions while, but this had no effect on the further action. After all, the game offered an unusual for the time scales feature: during the game, it was possible to travel all previously visited areas. Also in the second part of Sega did without a translation into various European languages ​​and provided the PAL version with English lyrics.

For the Sega Game Gear, there are three parts. The first, Shining Force Gaiden, already appeared in 1992, but there was never a version outside of Japan it.

The second part, Shining Force Gaiden II or The Sword of Hajya, which was released in 1993, then was also known as English language release in the U.S., but not published in Europe.

In 1995, the last part for the Game Gear was released, The Final Conflict. Like the other two parts of this game was nothing more than a more or less shallow packed fantasy story that was presented with the Shining Force.

In Shining Force CD for the Sega Mega - CD in 1994 individual parts were re-used, for example, the otherwise never published in English Shining Force Gaiden. The peculiarity of this CD version was the continuity between the different parts that allowed a character transfer. Due to the storage capacity of the CD and the higher resolution of the Mega Drive graphics and sound were much better than on the Game Gear. Again had to European players, to make do, despite the storage space of the CD -ROM that would have allowed multiple languages ​​with English lyrics.

For the Sega Saturn a multi-part game was released in 1997, which have been divided into three separate scenarios, as well as a so-called premium disc. Outside of Japan appeared due to the failure of the console on the market, only the first part. The presentation took place this time in a pseudo-3D isometric style, and new, already known from other games mechanisms have been introduced (for example, known from Fire Emblem partner system ). A German translation does not exist for this part.

The last incarnation of this series so far in the Strategy RPG genre is The Resurrection of the Black Dragon, a remake of the first Shining Force for the Game Boy Advance, which was released in 2004. In addition to a very significant improvement of graphics and music, there was also a substantive extension that quite clearly differentiates the game from the original. In addition, it was the first game of the series, which has been completely translated into German. Among fans, this version is disputed due to various bugs.

For the PlayStation 2 in 2005 with Shining Force NEO Shining Force EXA and 2007, two action role-playing games of Neverland and Amusement Vision in the series in Japan and the United States appeared. The response was only moderate in both cases.

In Japan since 2005 with Shining Road to the Force, Shining Road II and Shining Force Chronicle, all for mobile phones, for the first time appeared since Shining Force III classic strategy game in the style of the original series.

In autumn 2010, Shining Force was released as an iPhone app in a nostalgic version with unprocessed graphics.

Others

• Shining Force was the unofficial successor to Shining in the Darkness.
• The team at Climax Entertainment, which takes joint responsibility for Shining Force, consisted partly of former programmers of Enix's Dragon Quest series. Similarities in visual style as well as in the user guide are obvious.
• Also involved in the development was Sonic! Software Planning, a Sega subsidiaries, which in 1995 split from the parent company and developed under the new company name Camelot Software Planning primarily for Nintendo. The produced by them, the highly successful Golden Sun parts for the Game Boy Advance in turn have similarities in style and user guidance to Shining Force on.