Shining Force II
Sega Genesis
Before playing:
I've always heard good things about Shining Force II. Many say it is the best Shining Force game of all time. I'm familiar with the series. I played through the first game when I was a kid, and then I recently played through the Sega CD game in 2021. I've also played a few related titles like Shining Wisdom and Shining in the Darkness. I never got around to Shining Force II, though, which is somewhat of a surprise considering how much I liked the original.
I've had the means to play this game since 2008, when I got the Sonic Mega Genesis Collection for the PS3. Even with the game right there at my fingertips, I never played it. 16 years later, and 31 years since the game's initial release, it was finally time to play the game. Since starting this blog, I made the decision to play through the Shining Force games in order. So, I played the original (in fact, it was one of my first ever reviews here). I also played the Sega CD version, and looking back, I was very hard on the game in my review. I gave it a C, which I consider dead average. Shining Force CD: average. Funny, because when I look back on the game, I look back on it favorably in my mind.
So here it is. The moment I've been waiting for. Is this truly the greatest Shining Force game of all time? Let's find out.
Story:
The Shining Force games never really have great stories, but I enjoyed this one well enough. It's a fun blend of high stakes adventure with some comedy. Just don't expect any character development. The main character is a generic do-gooder who is often propelled forward by the momentum of the narrative.
I am not going to dive into every little detail of the game's plot. Instead, I present to you a humble summary. A treasure hunter unearths a demonic presence inside an ancient tower. It awakens an evil force known as "the Devils" around the game's magical/medieval world. They begin terrorizing the people of the world. The head demon goes around possessing people and getting them to do his bidding against their will. The King's daughter is kidnapped. The Devils and the possessed humans ignite a war. It's your job as the main character, a young apprentice who has been "gifted" with the power of the dark and light jewels, to defeat the enemy forces, rescue the princess, free the possessed people, and banish the evil Zeon from the universe once and for all.
Gameplay:
This game takes the formula introduced in the original Shining Force and expands upon it. Everything feels larger and more open than it did before. The world feels more alive. There is much more exploration involved than previous games. That is not always a good thing, however, as this game is often extremely cryptic as to where you are supposed to go and what you are supposed to do next. If I had played this as a kid, I think it would have frustrated me because I would always be getting stuck. An example of this is early in the game when you find an item known as a wooden plank. There is no description of the item, you can't use it, and the game doesn't even give you a hint as to why you are picking it up or what you need to do with it. Turns out, you need to backtrack to an old village that has a tree in it, and place the plank into the opening. Why would I have to do that? Nothing in the game ever hints that this is something you need to do! Luckily, I had the internet to turn to for assistance. Like I said, this game probably would have irritated me as a kid, because I did not have the luxury of internet help. And this wasn't the only instance of me getting stuck. Oh no. It happened quite often.
What I do like about the game is that there is more exploration on the map. You move from screen to screen like in an old Zelda game. The map is big and there is a lot to check out. It's a stark difference from Shining Force CD, where you don't explore at all - you just jump from battle to battle. I like that they did this, but if only it was not so easy to get lost...
Most of the time you spend playing this game will be spent in battle. Whether or not you like turn based tactical RPGs that take place on a grid will determine if you like this game or not. If you don't you won't have a good time here. Luckily this game is very easy to pick up and play. It's not daunting or intimidating like Final Fantasy Tactics. It doesn't hold your hand, but it does make things easy for you to grind and level up. And the stakes are very low if you die. You just respawn at the nearest church. You have to pay to resurrect your fallen teammates, but I never really ran into money trouble until later in the game. The good thing about dying is you keep all experience and items you earned in battle. So if you are having a tough time with a particular battle, you can just keep going at it, dying, and then coming back again. Eventually you will level up enough to where you are strong enough to pass the fight.
This game is HARD. It may be the toughest Shining Force I've encountered. I had to redo so many battles. It started to become tiresome after a while. Especially some of those late game battles. Sheesh! I remember coming to the end of the game and thinking I could beat it in an hour or so. And then it took me two nights of playing the same battle over and over again, grinding away until I finally was able to squeak through by the slimmest of margins. If you are frustrated by difficulty and grinding, this game will not be for you.
The game is okay. Overall, I had a decent time with it. But I have to get to the elephant in the room: the game's speed! Oh. My. God. How did I play through the original Shining Force when I was younger? It moves sooooo slowly. I'm talking about in battle, when you have to wait for each of the computer characters to take a turn. You could just die of old age. It's absurd. And the fact that you have to replay so many battles and grind makes it even more frustrating. It's SO SLOW. Thank god I decided to play this through emulation rather than the actual copy of the game on my PS3 collection. I was able to use the fast forward button to make things go infinitely faster. Even then, the game was still frustratingly slow and repetitive at times. If I did not have this fast forward option, I would have had a serious problem with this game.
Just look at how long it took me to beat this. I started it in August, and I am just now finishing it in the middle of November. Four months to beat a Sega Genesis game that really is not that long. I dragged my feet playing through this game because of the slow battles and because I seemed to get lost or stuck at every turn. I can't in good faith give this game glowing praise, because of how frustrating it often was. I do have an overall favorable impression of the game, but all the warts keep it from being a truly great experience. Instead it is just okay.
Graphics:
This game looks pretty good. It is probably the best the Genesis could possibly do for a 16-bit RPG. I love the sprite work. The characters are very bright, colorful, and distinct looking. The world of the game feels a lot more alive than previous Shining Force games.
Sound:
The original Shining Force had a much better soundtrack than this. You hear the same five songs over and over again. Some of them are okay, I guess, but they get to be tiresome after a while. Final Fantasy VI this is not.
Overall:
I am more conflicted with this review than I've been for any review in a very long time. The game is frustrating, with its challenging battles, slow pace, constant need to grind, and lack of direction as to where you are supposed to go next. That last one is probably my biggest complaint. I found myself looking online for help much more often than I would really like to. The slow pace would be my next biggest complaint. Thank the maker that I had the ability to speed up gameplay as I played through this. The slow speed would have been absolutely insufferable. So do I grade it based on the way I played it, or do I grade it how I would have liked it without being able to speed up battles? I have decided to grade it on the way I've played it.
The classic Shining Force battle system is a strength. I love positioning my players and figuring out strategies for tough situations. Having to wait for your enemies to fiddle around is a bit annoying. Hopefully you are able to speed it up. If so, this is going to be a pretty enjoyable game for you. Shining Force II also gives you a better story than previous Shining Force games, with better graphics and more interesting locales. And I have to give a shoutout to my homey Peter. That guy carried my team through most of the game.
So as you can see, it was a mix between frustration and a good time as I played through this. I definitely consider this an above average title. The only decision to be made would be if this was a C+ or a B-. I've decided on the latter. It took me several months to slog my way through this game. Sometimes I was really into it. Other times I was bored out of my mind. Or lost. Or bored and lost. But when it is all said and done, I look back on my time with the game favorably. I think that as the months and years go by, my memories of it will only improve.
If I was ranking Shining Force games, I would put this below the original Shining Force but above Shining Force CD.
THE GRADE:
B-