Shining Force in Spanish: The Mega Drive Tactics Classic Made on a Shoestring
Shining Force went on sale in Japan on 20 March 1992, then reached North America in May 1993 and Europe in July 1993. It was made by Climax Entertainment and Sonic! Software Planning and published by Sega, and it topped Japan's Famitsu sales chart in April 1992. The Spanish version on this cartridge is a fan translation, a language the game was never officially released in.
At a glance
- Based on: original game
- Created by: Climax Entertainment and Sonic! Software Planning, published by Sega
- Released: Mega Drive, March 1992 in Japan
- Genre: tactical RPG
- What sets it apart: a grid-based tactical RPG in which losing a battle does not wipe your progress
The game
You lead Max and the Shining Force against Kane and the Runefaust army, who are trying to revive the Dark Dragon. Behind them stands Darksol, and Max ends the story by sealing the Dragon with the Chaos Breaker. Battles take place on grids: units move according to their Move stat, act once per turn and gain experience from fighting. Characters can promote to new classes. Failure is gentler than in many contemporaries, as the army keeps its experience after a defeat.
Behind the scenes
Sega gave the project a minimal budget despite the success of the first Shining game. Designer Hiroyuki Takahashi said the main inspiration was Dragon Quest, not Fire Emblem, and that he also drew on an obscure PC game called Silver Ghost.
Reception and legacy
Magazines were enthusiastic, with scores like 92% from Mega and 95% from Mega Force, and Mega later ranked it number 33 among the best Mega Drive games. A Game Boy Advance remake, Resurrection of the Dark Dragon, followed in 2004 and added characters and battles.