


In the four years since the release of Shining Force II and the demise of the Genesis, Sonic Software Planning has turned out more duds than any self-respecting developer could bear. The first of Shining Force III's three scenarios, however, is a surprising break from the developer's current rut, proving once again that a dying platform can still provide great games. The Destonia Empire and the Aspinian Republic have always been at odds, but peace was finally within reach. Unfortunately, the evil Bulzome monks and their four leaders have other plans. During a peace summit in the floating city of Saraband, the monks impersonate the Aspinian king and kidnap the Destonian emperor, throwing the world into a bloody war. You control a stalwart band of explorers and seek to stop the Bulzome sect's evil plans and avoid war at all costs. Needless to say, that's easier said than done.įor those familiar with the series, Shining Force III sports virtually the same turn-based gameplay that popularized the series and provided the starting point for so many other games of its ilk. You command a legion of up to 12 warriors, fitting the usual RPG character descriptions - knights are strong attackers but have no magic, archers can attack from a distance but don't hold up in hand-to-hand combat, and mages deal out powerful magic but, up close, make the archers look like masters of hand-to-hand combat. A handful of other unique character types exist but most are variations on the previously established themes. Each character has its own set of stats, all upped occasionally through experience-gained level-ups. Like previous games in the series, you can promote your characters to better classes after they've reached level 20, not only giving the characters a new look in battle, but also faster stat growth rates and new abilities.Īt first glance, Shining Force III sounds all too similar to Tactics Ogre or Final Fantasy Tactics. However, there is one major difference: Shining Force III is infinitely more playable. Shining force 2 rom money code software#.
