Shining Force III
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| Shining Force III | |
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| Developer(s) | Camelot Software Planning |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Sega Saturn |
| Media | CD-ROM |
Shining Force III is a video game designed for the Sega Saturn by Camelot Software Planning. It is a continuation of the Shining Force Series. Comprised of three separate but overlapping storylines, the Japanese version of Shining Force III was released in three volumes, known as: Scenario 1 | "God Warrior of the Kingdom" Scenario 2 | "Target: Child of God", and Scenario 3 | "Bulzome Rising". For players who collected all three volumes, Camelot Soft also issued a Premium Disc featuring artwork, a character model viewer, and additional extras.
In the United States and Europe, only Scenario 1 was released. Originally it was planned to be a trilogy, with each disk covering the same story from a different point of view. The real ending to the game can only be viewed by completing all the games in the series. This concept would later appear in Suikoden III as the "Trinity Sight System".
Contents |
[edit] Scenario 1
Scenario 1, God Warrior of the Kingdom, features Synbios, a young general from the Republic of Aspinia. Aspinia was once a part of the Empire of Destonia, but seceded after a war of independence spearheaded by some of the more democratic-minded nobles. They opposed Emperor Domaric's totalitarian policies, which disenfranchised a large number of people, creating a huge disparity between the wealthy and the poor. Tensions remained between Aspinia and Destonia after the secession, marked by occasional border disputes.
As the game begins, Synbios is part of a military force representing Aspinia at a peace conference in the neutral city of Saraband. Due to manipulation by outside forces - later discovered to be connected with a religious cult known as the "Bulzome Sect" - full-scale war breaks out again between Aspinia and Destonia. The majority of the game's storyline covers this conflict as well as Synbios and his team's fight against the Bulzome sect. Throughout the game Synbios has periodic encounters with Medion, Destonia's youngest prince, who also recognizes the truth behind the war. Although on opposite sides of the war, the two work together to identify the real threat. Medion's role is portrayed in more detail in Scenario 2.
Scenario 1 was the only volume of Shining Force III to be released outside of Japan. Due to the diminishing success of the Sega Saturn, the other volumes were not localized.
[edit] Scenario 2
Scenario 2, Target: Child of God, features Medion, Prince of Destonia, and youngest of three sons of Emperor Domaric. Although loyal to his father and his country, he senses that there are other forces at work beneath the tensions between Aspinia and Destonia. He attends the conference in Saraband on behalf of Destonia, along with his brothers Arrawnt and Mageron. As discovered in Scenario 1, much of this influence comes from the Bulzome sect, as well as collaborating separatist factions within both Destonia and Aspinia. Medion works parallel to Synbios of Aspinia, often disposing of rogue Aspinian elements to spare Synbios's force from fighting against its own countrymen.
[edit] Scenario 3
Scenario 3, Bulzome Rising, stars Julian, a mercenary who appears as a secondary character in both Scenario 1 and Scenario 2. He is for all intents and purposes the true main character of Shining Force III. His initial motivation as the story begins is to track down and kill Galm, one of, if not the, most powerful member of the Vandals, a powerful race of beings that existed over 1,000 years ago. Julian believes that Galm killed his father and is seeking revenge. This story arc is first introduced in an earlier Shining game, Shining the Holy Ark, in which Julian appears as a young boy who asks your party to search for his missing father.
Julian joins Synbios in the midst of his quest in Scenario 1, but after an encounter with Galm, he is tossed over a waterfall at the suspension bridge and believed by Synbios' army to be dead. He reappears in Scenario 2, apparently washing ashore at the site of a battle between Medion's army and the Bulzome Sect. Knowing the sect's ties to the Vandals, Julian agrees to fight alongside Medion. As it becomes clear that the sect is trying to kill Gracia, a child intended to become the next Innovator (A Shining Series figure equatable to a god), Julian takes on the task of protecting him and helping him realize his destiny.
Scenario 3 picks up where Scenario 2 left off, and focuses primarily on battles against the Bulzome Sect and their allies in both Aspinia and Destonia. Eventually Julian leads a three-party coalition consisting of the armies of both Synbios and Medion, to engage in the final conflict against Bulzome, a powerful Vandal long sealed in another dimension, and the true orchestrator of the conflict.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Scenario 1
- Playable Characters
- Synbios
- Dantares
- Masquirin
- Grace
- Hayward
- Obright
- Irene
- Julian
- Cybel (Civilary)
- Eldar
- Khan
- Noon
- Justin (Justice)
- Horst
- Pen
- Ratchet (Manipul)
- Frank
- Hagane
- Murasame
- Fynnding
- Non-playable Characters
- Benetram
- Palsis
- Zero
[edit] Scenario 2
- Playable Characters
- Medion
- Campbell
- Synthesis
- Irryudo
- Walz
- Rock
- Bernard
- Hazuki
- Zero
- David
- Hedoba
- Julian
- Donhort
- Hera
- Robby
- Arthur
- Garosh
- Jade
- Penko
- Pappetts
- Non-playable Characters
- Grantack
- Gracia
- Honesty
- Dominate (Domaric)
- Rogan (Reliance)
[edit] Scenario 3
- Playable Characters
- Julian
- Gracia
- Donhort
- Edmund (Equal)
- Kate
- Isabella
- Brigit
- Cyclops
- Rollie
- Thousand
- Leon
- Honesty
- Produn (Profound)
- Harold
- Pendolf
- Jubei
- Spiriel (Spirited)
- Marky
- Primera
- Turk
- Non-playable Characters
- Bresby
- Benetram
- Melinda
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Camelot Software Planning - Official site of Camelot Software Planning (Japanese)
- Shining Force Central - Fan site with comprehensive coverage of Shining Force III
