THIS. IS. SHINING FORCE. I've just done a week's worth of games that aren't Shining
Force, despite having "Shining" or even "Shining Force" in their titles. But they aren't Shining
Force. Closest one among them was Mario Golf, for crying out loud. Shining Force changed
hairstyles into the drab hinterlands of northern Pennsylvania. I didn't know what to make of
it back in 1993, but I knew it was the start of something big. This game would singlehandedly
inform my tastes for decades. And it all started with an elf girl and a book.
As an up-and-coming swordsman training under the venerable Lord Varios, you're given a
chance to make a name for yourself by fighting off the hordes of Runefaust, who are presently
attacking that huge mysterious gate outside of town. What's on the other side has been
lost to the ages, point being that whoever sealed it doesn't want anyone to know. Lovely.
After dispatching these interlopers (and remembering to pick up Gong the Monk over at the nearby
cabin), and going through rough terrain and another batch of foes to make it back to your
now-ransacked home, your quest begins, through eight chapters of battlefields, cities, and
odd characters to recruit, as you travel the world to thwart Darksol's machinations.
And oh, what a cast of characters it is. Centaurs all over the place, birdmen and women, Domingo
the proto-Tentacool, elves and dwarves as per contractual obligations, a cyborg, a dragon,
a samurai, a ninja, an old dude in a rickety flying contraption, a werewolf, a werellama
(I think that's what Khris is) archers, knights, warriors, mages, and a freakin' armadillo
in a steam-powered battlesuit. Now that's what I call diversity. The mechanics are fairly
basic by today's standards: Move your dudes around the map, beat down enemies, get to
the other side with as few fatalities as possible. It's a formula that's been recreated time
and again since then, and... well, let's be fair... it's alarmingly similar to Fire Emblem.
There are a number of differences, though, starting off with the fact that you could
actually get Shining Force in the States. Death isn't really a terminal thing in this
game, either; it's one of the few JRPGs where churches aren't the enemy by default.
While Sakuraba wouldn't be a part of the equation until Shining Force III, the soundtrack takes
full advantage of the hardware with strong bass, pulsing drums, and high fanfares that
- despite your hearing them a billion times per fight - suitably convey the gravity of
the situation. The art is also a high note, as the bright colors and very anime-styled
characters were atypical for a US release in '93... well, once you look past the box
art, anyway. Eight-year-old me wondered why that was the case, and I'm still looking for
more and better answers. So if you're familiar with the current spate of tactical RPGs and
want something a bit more retro... well, you've got options. This game's available on almost
every platform Sega ever published on, from the Genesis original to the Dreamcast on a
Smash Pack, to the Wii virtual console, to the PS3 and 360 in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis
Collection, to Steam, and it'll probably see re-re-release another dozen times in my lifetime.
How many of those other quote unquote "Shining" games can claim that? I didn't think so. Heck,
Shining Force was even the recipient of that rarest of boons, a remake that didn't completely
suck! Just search the deep archives here at CGR for "Resurrection of Dark Dragon" for
the GBA and you'll see what I mean. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go party like
it's 1993. That's right, I'm bustin' out the Taco Doritos and Snapple, and throwin' on
the Aladdin soundtrack. See if I don't.