The Genesis/MegaDrive tactical RPG of choice, Shining Force, was recently put up for sale on the App Store for $2.99.
Being a fan of grid-based tactical games- or as Nigel would say, a nerd- I was excited to give this game a shot on the iPhone. My only experiences with the Shining Force franchise were at a friend’s house many years ago, so delving into Shining Force this time around was a relatively fresh experience for myself. Based on what I could remember, I was expecting something akin to the Fire Emblem series.
Drawing comparisons to Fire Emblem, as it turns out, is a great way to describe Shining Force. The game is an old-fashioned tactical RPG in which the player shuffles characters about on the board with the hopes of destroying an enemy army. Combat is handled similarly to the Fire Emblem series as well, even in the use of zoomed in 1v1 battles each time combat is initiated. For those that don’t know Fire Emblem, think Advance Wars with role playing mechanics. Shining Force does separate itself from FE by ditching permanent death in battle, and through its lack of a rock-paper-scissors like battle hierarchy.
Just leaving my description of Shining Force at, “like Fire Emblem but not,” doesn’t seem to be a fair treatment of what many consider to be a classic. The game pulled me in the second its corny plot started to scroll across the screen. Political intrigue, mysterious ancient forces, and an unlikely rise to power, all of the things a geek like me looks for in their gaming experiences. The role playing mechanics are satisfying, and nicely complement the game’s tactical element. I never find myself feeling cheated when one overrides the other, but if I had to point fingers I would likely fault the leveling system for giving the more advanced units too much of an edge in combat.
Shining Force does do a couple of things outstandingly well, and while I am not sure that they can or should be called original, they are what now separate the game in my mind. The way Shining Force integrates the world and the combat feels both natural and striking. When exiting town, the player will sometimes end up in a battle that spans the overworld all the way to the next destination-what was once just a tool for contextually linking settings in games now becomes part of the story. Shining force does this without the need for random encounters, or even player initiated combat sequences. The way Shining Force handles the transition from one battlefield to the next is seamless, and ends up feeling impressively modern.
The rest of the game, unfortunately, feels decidedly old. Graphics, (excluding battle animations) sound, and controls all feel dated in Shining Force. I specifically bring up controls because the sole way to control Shining Force is through garish “transparent” buttons that cover a portion of the game screen. Switching modes to avoid this interference only results in a shrunken screen, which is not the solution I would hope for. I know Sega was only looking to put out a quick port, and at the reasonable $2.99 I find it hard to complain all that much about what only claims to be a port. Still, I can’t help but wish that Sega had created a special edition that cleaned up the sound and added a nice new touch control scheme. Other tactical RPGs like Wesnoth control so perfectly with the touchscreen that I find myself wishing for a similar control experience each time I pick up Shining Force.
I wouldn’t let my control quibbles stop you from playing Shining Force on iPhone, they certainly aren’t stopping me. Since the game has a slow pace, I never ended up in a situation where the control layout interfered with my input of the game.
Shining Force has even cut into my Dragon Quest IX time, high praise if you understand my tastes in gaming. Perhaps it is the convenient, “hit the home button to save” feature that makes me feel I can play the game for just a bit and put it down without worry. Or, perhaps, it is the traditional story, epic battles, and familiar TRPG goodness all working together to create an experience I can’t help but recommend to fans and newbies alike.
