Shining Force III: Scenario 2 Review (Sega Saturn, 1998)

Sega, how could you? Of the mistakes the company has made few sting quite as much as their handling of Shining Force III. This came out on the Sega Saturn at a time when they were openly moving away from the hardware. In Japan they released three different scenarios for Shining Force III. Elsewhere this vision wasn’t fulfilled. You see, we only got the first of these simply entitled ‘Shining Force III. Thanks to some dedicated fans we finally have a translation of these scenarios to complete the trifecta. Today we’re going to take a look at Shining Force III: Scenario 2. Buckle up because this is one heck of a game. Let’s take a look.

This story takes place in a fantasy medieval world full of anime tropes. Shining Force III: Scenario I followed the story of Symbios and his struggle to maintain the independence of the Republic of Aspinia from the Empire of Destonia. In this game we see the other side of the coin. The main character is Medion, crown prince of the Empire of Destonia. Previously there were several interactions between the two heroes, but this time we’re viewing it from the other perspective. It’s really interesting because so few video games throughout time have done this so well. It makes many plot developments feel new despite us already knowing what happens. It’s genuinely interesting from a plot standpoint. Kudos to Sega in this regard.

The plot is pretty interesting, and very captivating. You feel like you really get to know these characters in a very intimate kind of way. You knew of them from Symbios’ perspective, but actually playing as them and seeing the trials they overcome really adds a new layer to the plot. The same goes for the other group from scenario 1. Honestly including different perspectives is one of the best ideas Sega has ever had in my opinion. The one thing it couldn’t do was make me care about Destonia, or the empires ambitions. He still seems like a jerk even here, and especially at the conclusion.

With the move to more powerful hardware we get actual 3D graphics. Well, sort of. While exploring (be it towns, dungeons, or the world map) the environments are rendered completely in polygons. The viewpoint is 3/4 overhead meaning it’s not completely top down. This can make elements in the environment difficult to see especially with the 3D buildings and scenery. Thankfully you can rotate the camera using the shoulder buttons. The same goes for during battle. Generally I found this aspect of the game a little annoying. It’s difficult to see, especially in the midst of battle, objects or enemies of interest. Generally I found myself trying to emulate the old overhead perspective by centering the camera as much as possible.

Scenario 2, just like it’s predecessor, stays true to the Shining Force formula. This is a turn based strategy RPG with a battle system based on grid battlefields. Each of these, regardless of location, has your characters placed on a semi-overhead 3D map wherein each turn you can move each of them, and when within range you can attack. There’s a heck of a lot more to it than just that though. There’s a basic rock-paper-scissors mechanism in place. You see, each character falls under a certain job. These include archers, fighters, monks, mages, clerics etc. Some of these are weak against specific attacks, and strong against others. This is also based on the weapons they are using, of which you generally have three different options per character.

The battle system is pretty much identical to that of the first scenario. You move your characters around, and when in range attack, and you’re whisked away to a 3D battle sequence. It’s still neat and works well. The first scenario introduced some really interesting battle scenarios but this one kicks it up a notch further. You have several arenas with different rooms (you can enter buildings, caves, or other areas) which have their own battlefields. There are other unique moments, such as a dungeon where you have to unlock cells with a key in the midst of battles to allow the other members of the force to join your team. As far as diversity goes Shining Force III: Scenario 2 is one has more of it than just about any other strategy RPG.

What’s interesting is the fact that you can switch weapons pretty much on the fly. You have to have these in your character’s inventory (each only has four slots total) but it’s an interesting mechanic. Most characters can use both melee and ranged weapons so having the option to switch between them is super helpful. Shining Force III: Scenario 2 does however reward you for sticking to specific weapon types while attacking. Each command used while equipped with one adds to your weapon experience points, and reaching milestones increases the attack stat, and allows them to use more powered strikes (which occur at random).

There’s also a cool buddy system which returns from Scenario 1. Basically characters on your team become more friendly with one another the more they attack in battle while standing next to each other. This is also true for when you heal them or cast stat boosting spells. There are several levels of friendship, and each offers bonuses for standing next to each other. This includes boosting stats such as attack and defense. Unfortunately when a character dies their friendships are completely reset to level zero. This is the biggest downfall of them being defeated.

Shining Force games are only as good as the roster of characters that they offer. Unfortunately the first scenario was held back a bit by it’s generally uninteresting line-up. There weren’t that many that joined who were particularly interesting. Scenario 2 fares a bit better in this regard. Sure, it has the typical centaur knights, archers, mages, clerics and warriors (they’re a staple of the Shining Force franchise by now). The first just didn’t have a lot of unique force members, and focused too much on the monk class. While there are too many archers in this version it’s not an issue because they’re all so good.

Furthermore there are some unique classes that aren’t found anywhere else. David is a ranger who is the only non-centaur character in the game that can use both swords and spears. He’s also super strong, but has low defenses. It’s kind of unique for this kind of game, and the issue can be circumvented with the right accessory. Then we have Arthur. He’s a typical centaur knight but can use magic. He’s a bit weaker than most centaur knights, and his magic is all low level, but he’s very versatile being able to use both. The most interesting new character however is Pappets. This little guy can recruit monsters to your team, and for the final battle in particular he’s exceptionally useful. Overall the roster still has some issues, but it’s an improvement from the first scenario.

What’s interesting is the fact that some of these characters can only be recruited if you performed specific actions in the first scenario, and migrate your save data when starting out. Arthur whom I already described is one of these. Bernard, the single best archer of the game, can only be recruited here if you released him from his bindings as Symbios. This is such a cool concept in my opinion even if it does make completionists buy all the games. There are also specific events and decisions you make here that determine which specific characters will be in your party in the third scenario. Developers take note because this is how you do a multi-release game.

That said, Shining Force III: Scenario 2 is a difficult game. How hard it is will largely depend on the player. Each character on the force can be upgraded in class. This offers a boost in stats and resets their level to 1. This action can be performed when each character reaches the tenth level, but you can (and should) hold off on this. It’s recommended to do so because switching your class retains some of your stats, and each character can be much stronger if left to level in their original form before transformation. The issue with this is that before promotion your characters are weak in the later battles. You should really stick it out especially because Scenario 3 really benefits from you making a strong team.

Make no mistake. The biggest upgrade for this second scenario is in the battle scene graphics. In the original these looked really good given the hardware. In this version they look downright amazing and better than most PS1 games to be honest. The characters now have facial features. The best part however is that the character models have higher polygon counts and animate much more smoothly. If I was told that Scenario 2 was a Nintendo 64 game I would believe it, outside of the jagged polygons of course. The spell effects are absolutely dazzling. The lighting almost feels like something from the next generation, and the polygon counts are astoundingly high. Scenario 2 of Shining Force III at times does not look like something the Sega Saturn should have been capable of.

The soundtrack is also really good, but almost all of the music is recycled from the first scenario. Honestly I wasn’t a huge fan in the first scenario but it all grew on me here. Maybe it’s the different story perspective which added new tones to the classic tracks. The basic theme for the outdoor battles in particular is really good. It’s redbook audio and really makes it sound like a grand adventure is occurring with lots of drums and trumpets. The rest is decent to good, but I found several tracks getting stuck in my head. My only complaint is the battle theme which you’ll be hearing a lot. Thankfully it changes once you promote your units. The voice overs in this scenario are all in Japanese, and as such, they don’t sound nearly as cheesy as last time. Maybe it’s because I can’t understand it.