When I learned that Sega would be releasing a slew of new Game Gear titles for the 3DS
Virtual Console, I figured we�d be seeing the usual suspects: Sonic, maybe some Mean
Beans, y�know. And then I saw the actual list, and was met by my two favorite words
in all of gaming: SHINING FORCE. Or as you might call it, Sega�s answer to Fire Emblem.
Of course, here in the States, we never actually got to play Fire Emblem until Smash Bros.
players around the country raised the question, �Who are these jerks?� Not to say Shining
Force is perfect in that regard, though; we famously only got a third of Shining Force
III, and even this release, subtitled �The Sword of Hajya,� misrepresents itself a
bit. It used to be known as Shining Force Gaiden II, the sequel to the first Game Gear
Shining Force title what they�re presuming we don�t know about. And that�s disappointing,
because even scaled down, operating on effectively Sega Master System-grade hardware, and obscure
as all hell, it�s still unmistakably Shining Force. And that�s tough to beat.
I mean, seriously. The game opens with a human sacrifice. Tough to beat. The evil Iom Kingdom
has designs to steal the Sword of Hajya, which is terribly important. So important, in fact,
that Prince Nick of Cypress (no, not that Cypress) storms off to war, leaving defense
of the sword up to his longtime companion Mayfair and a band of rookie guards. Then
one jackass gets the wise idea to open his mouth and say those fateful words, �Nothing
is going to happen, anyway.� BAM. Invasion, and while said rookies are battling back goblins
and Skaven - I�m sorry, Scaben, hopefully Games Workshop doesn�t bring the Warhammer
of Copyright Law down upon us - some schmoe infiltrates the castle, absconds with the
sword, and you�ve gotta chase him through battle after battle. Expect plot twists. Expect
the stakes to raise by about 2 new, dangerous enemy units in each confrontation. Expect
to spend inordinate effort leaving enemies at one and two HP, just so your slow-to-get-started
Monk can sweep in for killsh... wait, I know that name! Luke�s a Warrior, not a Monk!
You�re thinking of Gong! And the hell�s up with Slade being a healer and not an anthropomorphic
rat ninja? The world�s gone topsy-turvy!
Fortunately, even if the names are confusing to longtime fans of the series, the gameplay
is as good as you�ve come to expect. That is, if you don�t mind the occasional AI
brain fart. You�re still battling over hill and dale, maneuvering your troops around the
field of combat, exploiting terrain for defensive purposes, castin� spells, promoting units
for exemplary performance... Really, just take Fire Emblem and remove weapon durability
and permanent death, and you�ve got the core Shining Force experience. Primary difference
is, Shining Force wasn�t afraid to rock the technicolor-hair anime aesthetic in character
portraits in 1993. And those portraits, along with the series-hallmark battle scenes, have
passed through the shrink ray and come out on the Game Gear looking pretty darn respectable.
The one thing that didn�t make it, though, are the cities full of NPCs to interrogate,
burgle, and nearly run over with a pushcart. Instead, you get a generic camp screen with
the Force�s headquarters on one side, a shop on the other, and Mayfair herself filling
the role of Priest to raise the dead or promote units. So that�s why she�s not on the
front lines.
While the Game Gear put up a fight against the Game Boy back in the day, I can�t say
I�m too eager to try to play an RPG on one. We know how that thing ate batteries. But
now, with this 3DS virtual console version, that trepidation is gone in favor of savestates
(because, this being a direct emulation of the US version, the inexplicable overpowering
of 3rd-tier magic is still an thing) and close-it-and-go game suspension. If you�re interesting in
playing a remade, less broken version though, the first two Shining Force Gaiden games were
compiled into Shining Force CD for the Sega CD. You just need to, y�know, find a copy,
and a working Sega CD, and a RAM cart. I�ll take this for the time being.