The Shining Force series may have retreated from the west of late, but back in the early 1990s it was incredibly popular in both the US and Europe, managing to attract a large audience while Nintendo's rival Fire Emblem franchise remained Japan-exclusive. As well as scoring critically-acclaimed entries on the Mega Drive / Genesis, Shining Force enjoyed three outings on the portable Game Gear — the second of which saw an English localisation. The first two Game Gear games were upgraded and included in the Sega CD exclusive Shining Force CD, which was launched in 1994 and hit the west a year later, when the format was on its last legs.
Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya is a direct continuation of the story seen in Shining Force Gaiden, the first Game Gear game. Set around two decades after the events of the 16-bit Shining Force II, the game sees Nick — the hero of Shining Force Gaiden who has had his hand turned to stone following the events of the previous game — replaced by newcomer Deanna. When Nick leaves to meet the forces of the evil nation of Iom, Deanna and his companions are left to defend the nation of Cypress and retrieve the titular Sword of Hajya, which is stolen in the opening mission.
Like its forerunner, Shining Force: Sword of Hajya focuses totally on combat and does away with the exploration segments seen in the 16 and 32-bit entries. It's an arrangement which is arguably better suited to mobile play; with no filler in-between missions, you can swiftly move from one to the next with the minimum of fuss. Those who like a large side-order of role-playing in their turn-based strategy titles may find themselves missing the ability to wander around towns and converse with NPCs, but the omission isn't as harmful as you might imagine.
Battles follow a fairly traditional blueprint; you and your opponent take turns to move your units around a grid-based map, engaging in combat, unleashing magical spells and using items. Unlike many other tactical titles, the order of turns is jumbled up — it's not a case of you moving all of your units and then waiting for your opponent to do the same. The fact that you're both marshaling your forces concurrently adds a deep strategic edge to the game, making it feel slightly more dynamic.
Combat is straightforward. Successfully attacking an enemy gives your character experience points, which allow them to level up. To add some variety, your blows are sometimes evaded, or — at the opposite end of the “luck" scale — you get a second attack. Unlike Fire Emblem, your enemy does not respond to your assault — they have to wait until their turn before they can strike a blow. Defeated foes drop coins and sometimes special items, which can be used to restore health, replenish spell-casting points, and so on. If you manage to push one of your characters to level 10, then they are able to upgrade their current class, which results in additional strength, vitality and health. Sadly, you're not able to choose which upgrade path you pick, as was the case in Shining Force II.
The graphics are exactly what you'd expect from a Shining Force game on the Game Gear. Sega and Sonic! Software Planning (now known as Camelot) did an admirable job of squeezing the art style seen in the 16-bit versions into more humble hardware, but predictably everything takes a visual hit. Battlefields appear slightly simplistic (and they could hardly be considered overly complex and detailed in the Mega Drive / Genesis games) while combat scenes look like heavily pixelated equivalents of what has gone before. Even so, Shining Force: Sword of Hajya is still an appealing game to behold, and certainly pushes the Game Gear to its limits. Audio is very much the same tale; the music is catchy but basic, and the sound effects are your typical selection of beeps and farting sounds, which will no doubt be familiar to anyone who grew up with Sega's handheld — or the 8-bit Master System home console on which it is based.
Presentation isn't really an issue here, however; despite the somewhat rough appearance, Shining Force: Sword of Hajya remains notable for its engaging and rewarding gameplay. While it sometimes feels like a dumbed-down version of the two 16-bit games, there's more than enough entertainment here to retain your interest for the entire duration of the campaign. At points, the game is immensely challenging, too — while it lacks permadeath, there are several missions later in the game which boast enemies who can kill a fully-stocked character in a single magical attack. Frustrating, yes — but such a roadblock only forces you to rethink your tactics.
Conclusion
Shining Force: Sword of Hajya isn't the best entry in the lineage — in fact, it's not even the best version of the game (that honour falls to the Sega CD port, which combines both Game Gear titles with two additional chapters) — but as a 3DS download, it's a must-have entry for fans of the series. When you consider how expensive the original Game Gear cartridge is these days, the fact that it's available for such a low price on the 3DS eShop is sure to make it even more desirable to life-long Sega lovers. For everyone else, it should be considered a perfectly passable pint-sized portrayal of the famous tactical RPG franchise. While it doesn't quite scale the heights of Shining Force and Shining Force II, it's still an adventure well worth embarking on.
Comments 39
Yay! Good review man. I've been playing this, and it's really addicting. You're right that it's no SF1 or 2, or even CD, but it's still great in its own right.
I may pick this one up, it just appeals to me for some reason.
I'll be purchasing this game today now, I believe. Now Sega just needs to make a new Shining Force already..
Already bought it last week, but now I'm excited to play it even more. If only I could put down AC:NL at nighttime...
It has the name shining Force. Sold!
@Deadstanley I'd give my right arm for that. Amazing game, with a truly gorgeous soundtrack!
Never played any of these games so might give the series a try with this one...
Great review Damo. I grabbed this on a whim and am absolutely loving it. (I think I'm near the end...the battles get really challenging!) So simplistic but so much fun. And you're right about the one-hit kills later on...I really had to rethink my tactics, and stumbling upon something that works was extraordinarily satisfying. (Especially doing so without restore points.)
Great game.
I'm sad there's no permadeath in this, but great game anyway!
Shining Force had three games on the game gear, not two. There was a third one in 1995 for Japan, Shining Force Gaiden: The Final Conflict. http://www.gamefaqs.com/gamegear/563049-shining-force-gaiden-final-conflict
Too bad I can't buy anything from the store due to Nintendo not releasing prepaid cards here. I wanted some Game Gear games...
Came here for the Pink Floyd reference.
Yup this is a diamond software. I keep doing some levels over and over to level up my guys for promotion. Just a great bit of portable strat/RPG keep them coming sega! At least someone besides capcom is bringing out good VC games (lookin at you Nintendo)
@Deadstanley shining the holy ark is my favorite dungeon crawler of all time. I so wish sega would make a 3ds sequel. Or even just bring out the original so we can play it again in 3d
Excellent review, intersting and concise overview of the series to start.
i only played Shining Force 1 & 2, which were amongst my favourite MD games so will start this one soon.
Pink Floyd references always good too, Wish you were here is an amazing album
@Deadstanley I too would love to see Working Designs RPG's released on the Wii-U or 3DS eshop. Especially Lunar Silver Star Story and Lunar Eternal Blue. I don't know if you already know but you can download Lunar Silver Star Story and Vay on the App Store for your iPod, iPhone or iPad.
@brianvgplayer Oops! Thanks for the heads up. I'll amend the review to reflect this information.
@oOo-Sega-oOo I've got Vay (which is a really underrated RPG) but it's not the Working Designs translation, which is annoying. I'm guessing the same applies to Lunar: SSS?
@Damo The port of Lunar Silver Star Story for iPod, iPhone or iPad does contain the original translation by Working Designs. The graphics and cutscenes are from the PSOne and the music is from the updated PSP version so it's a bit of mixed bag but I do highly recommend it.
@Damo All the info you require about the IOS port of Lunar Silver Star Story is here. http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/Lunar_Silver_Star_Story_Touch/index.html
@oOo-Sega-oOo I'm sorely tempted now...I loved the PSX version of the game. I just hate using touch-based controls, but I guess it doesn't matter quite so much in an RPG - it's not like reaction time is a factor!
I might try it out, thanks for the info!
@Damo, yeah, mobile touch controls work wonderfully in turn based RPGs (Chaos Rings is fantastic).
I'll probably pick this up someday, but I'm saving up for a retail title now.
UMMM What are you talking about
hining Force: Sword of Hajya isn't the best entry in the lineage — in fact, it's not even the best version of the game (that honour falls to the Sega CD port, which combines both Game Gear titles with two additional chapters) — but as a 3DS download, it's a must-have entry for fans of the series. When you consider how expensive the original Game Gear cartridge is these days, the fact that it’s available for such a low price on the 3DS eShop is sure to make it even more
on amazon
Note: This item is only available from third-party sellers (see all offers.)
Available from these sellers.
Genre: RPG, Strategy
Top-Down Perspective
12 used from $9.95
would not call 10 bucks expensive LOL
How long would you say this game is? I am deciding between this and getting Oracle of Seasons in addition to Ages which I already got.
I didn't realise this was on the eShop last week! I played a tiny bit of this at my cousins house a few years ago and I like that it is a turn-based battle game. Hopefully I'll buy an eShop card and purchase this the moment I remember to!
Camelot, as in the people who make Mario Golf? What?
@justinj42 Yep, they make golf games and RPGs, they also make the Golden Sun games.
Shining Force when done like this is a classic and masterpiece.. much the same way FF Tactics was.. but better in my humble opinion...
Easily one of the best Game Gear VC titles available at this point.
A true classic.
I still have this cartridge! And the other two games! ...and no Game Gear to play them on anymore. I would love to play this game again on 3DS, though, even if I would probably just be wishing that I was playing the Sega CD version the whole time (which I also own).
If Shining Force 1 and 2 ever made their way to the eShop, I would be so damn happy! I still need to play Shining Force CD, but man, I can never get enough of Shining Force!
I loved the Shining Force games on the Genesis and never got to play this, so I snatched it right up. Glad to hear it holds up pretty well. Now then, how about Shining Force 1 & 2 for 3DS Virtual Console? They'd be an instant buy for me, not hesitation. Hell, there's a lot of Genesis games I'd like to see on 3DS. Not sure why Nintendo chooses to focus so much on handheld games for 3DS Virtual Console, the 3DS can certainly handle any SNES or Genesis game they throw at it. How about some TurboGrafix 16 games while they're at it?
Really, the Virtual Console scene on the 3DS is pretty disappointing. It could be so much more than it is and there's no good reason why it isn't.
@slidecage if you'd actually check the sellers, you'd see that only one person is selling it for $10, and the rest are selling it for 18 or more dollars. Complete it goes for much more. On ebay, there were only 2 sellers of this game, one for $15 and another for $20. That's 4-5 times as much as what SEGA is asking for on eshop, before even including the shipping.
I always want to like strategy RPGs but have a hard time getting into them. Any suggestions for a good game to start with for beginners?
Sega, please make more old-school style Shining Force games. (I do not care about the new Shining Force games as they suck.) Also, bring Shining Force 3 to Wii U console... shining force 3 was so good that I will definitely play it again!
@TonLoco Shining force gamegear is probably easier than Shining force genesis.
@CanisWolfred, @Squashie, @Rezalack, @Zodiak13, @Captain_Toad, @Damo, @datamonkey, @Philip_J_Reed, @TsunamiSensei, @Brianvgplayer, @Belmont, @DAaaMan64, @Windy, @Retrogamerfan, @oOo-Sega-oOo, @RR529, @slidecage, @yojo, @Marakuto, @justinj42, @Relias, @KnightRider666, @ecco6t9, @kurtasbestos, @DoctorJonAngus, @Donald_M, @tonloco, and @GreatPlayer:
As part of my effort to celebrate every single Virtual Console game, E-Shop game, and expansion for Wii U and 3DS, I am going through every single NintendoLife.com Review (or offsite review for those games that NintendoLife.com never reviewed) to see if it is worth our collective time in the Virtual Console's final year.
For Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya from Game Gear on 3DS Virtual Console, here are my questions.:
1) As someone who likes to 100% games, can anyone tell me how many hours of gameplay it would take to 100% the game? (collect all the secrets, max every character's level, etc.)
2) Considering how essential story is for an RPG, are Shining Force I and Shining Force II (this game's prequels) available for download on Wii U Virtual Console or 3DS Virtual Console?
3) If no, is it available to follow the story without playing the 1st 2 games or will you feel lost?
4) The only franchise I have any experience with that I enjoy is the Paper Mario / Mario & Luigi franchises.
How much of a step upwards is the increase in complexity for this game with respect to the combat/battles from Paper Mario
/ Mario & Luigi games?
5) I saw another commenter compare this game to the Fire Emblem franchise, but I thought those games were 150+ hours in length for a casual player and this game looks nowhere near that long.
Is the Fire Emblem comparison accurate?
6) When you enter/exit a room, do the enemies you previously defeated respawn or do they stay defeated?
7) Are there Random Battles in this game (meaning when you try to walk across a room, small enemies force you into battle, but the level up options are non-existent: this mechanic is often used to pad out an otherwise short game)
(If any of you read IGN, Craig Harris is notorious for HATING Random Battles!)
8) How many blocks of space does this download take up and what is the current price? (in both US dollars and Euros)
9) What number score out of 10 would you give this game and why?
Thanks so much for your info!
@SportyMarioSonicMix Wow, so many questions!
First, let me say that if you've never played a Shining Force game before, the Game Gear games aren't the best place to start. Find a way to play the original (Genesis/Mega Drive collection on Switch is good, though there are plenty of other ways to find it (and if you can find a way to play Shining Force III then do it because it's easily the best game in the series)), and if you like it, then by all means play these games. Now on to your plethora of questions:
1) Maybe 10~20 hours, depending on how much time you waste resetting the game trying to get better stat gains when your characters level up.
2) The setting and characters are related to the first Shining Force, but the story is so bare-bones that you won't be missing much if you don't play that first. Still, you should play that game first.
3) No, you won't feel lost, you'll just feel slightly more attached to the characters. Maybe.
4) I've never played any of those games!
5) I played like 10 minutes of one Fire Emblem game, and the fact that battles take place on a grid is probably the only thing that makes the games seem comparable.
6) If you exit a battle your characters keep any experience and gold/items acquired, and when you re-enter the battle everything resets to the original state.
7) No, every Shining Force game features a set number of battles that occur as the story progresses.
8) Uhhhhhh... not many. And not much. I'm not your Google.
9) That's tricky... Shining Force is in a constant battle with Xenoblade for my favorite series of games, and even though they're both JRPGs, they're also completely different beasts. The first three Shining Force games are absolutely amazing, and each is like 600 times better than the last. Because of the hardware, the Game Gear Shining Forces are probably only good if you liked the original series. Also, Shining Force CD is a compilation of the first 2 GG Shining Force games, and it's SO MUCH better than those games are. A few years ago I re-played the Shining Force games on my 3DS, and because of the nostalgia factor they were pretty great. If I didn't have that, though, they'd be pretty average at best.
The moral of the story is that if you're at all interested in this game, go play as many other, better Shining Force games as you can first.
P.S. Any Shining Force games released after III are crap. Or at least, they don't resemble the first 7-ish games in the series and aren't worth mentioning here. I guess Shining Force Feather was kind of okay, though.
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