There's something about action RPGs that really breaks the boundaries of traditional role
play gaming.
When realtime action takes place of rigid, turn-based tactics, a balance has been struck
that will satisfy the tastes of many.
Games such as these are sometimes heavily delayed for international release, and the
Shining Soul series is a prime example.
However, the connection between the first Shining Soul and its sequel is not extremely
important, which allowed American fans to enjoy the second seamlessly.
From Sega and Atlus, Shining Soul II is an almost nostalgic trip back to the days of
the action RPG section of the big happy Shining family, sharing the dinner table with Shining
Wisdom for the Sega Saturn, the ever important fan favorite for Sega Genesis fans, Shining
Force, and dungeon crawling titles like the Disney-like animated Shining in the Darkness.
Who could turn away from the adorable sprites, the customizable style of the item menus,
and the familiar button tapping that comes with swinging a sword or a ball and chain
at your foes?
With a storyline that simply involves good against evil, Shining Soul II's strengths
do not necessarily lie in its plot, which will flood your screen with seemingly endless
text that is unfortunately unskippable at its most monotonous.
The kingdom of Klantol is in danger of being lost to the imbalance between light and dark,
the dark which tempted Klantol's greatest knight Deatharte to eat the forbidden fruit.
Whether or not this is a biblical reference I will leave to other nerds to explain, but
at most it makes for a cute backstory.
Eventually the cloudy plot will blow away to reveal a world that is populated with armored
warriors, bloodthirsty goblins, and everything you'd expect to find in a JRPG set to the
theme of medieval times.
There are eight playable classes and one hidden class to choose from, each with their own
method of attack, spellcasting if possible, and passive attributes that all increase with
experience.
Also, each character has a default name, and when I saw the Warrior's name, I knew it was
fate that led me to the sword-swinging Eric.
The world of Shining Soul II is wide-open and fun to explore, and you can't wait to
clear one dungeon to get to the next one.
Similar to other hack-and-slash action RPGs like the Seiken Densetsu series and even compared
to Western RPG legend Diablo, you will control your character against hordes of enemies in
dungeon after dungeon.
The weapon and item loadout is unique in that you can customize three slots for each, and
you can switch your equipment and even heal yourself on the fly.
There were times that I felt pretty outmatched by my foes, even if I was able to use my Soul
power.
This is where the multiplayer factor comes in, and I happen to think that such an attribute
is an excellent idea, especially in RPGs.
Though it is a hack-and-slash adventure in its true colors, Shining Soul II is meant
for link cable play, and is much easier and fun to beat with a friend.
Adding to the game's real-time style and overall difficulty is the fact that pressing Start
does not stop the action.
Go to the main menu in the middle of battle and expect to get cheapshotted.
Also expect to learn the hard way that the left and right buttons are there for this
reason exactly.
But don't let the efficiency of the multiplayer drag you away if you'd prefer to tackle this
adventure yourself.
Shining Soul II, although it may be awkward to learn, is a decent action RPG with classic
RPG presentation, full of distinctive sprite animation, impressive sound that will tickle
the old school gamer's fancy, and an easy to follow, if not recycled, storyline.