Shining Force II
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing | |
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| Developer(s) | Sonic Co. |
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| Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Sega Genesis/Mega Drive |
| Media | 24 megabit cartridge |
Shining Force II is a 1994 tactical role-playing game for the Mega Drive/Genesis console, and a sequel to the original Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention game. The two games are not directly connected story-wise, although a Japanese Game Gear title "Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict" does draw the two games together directly. Also, the events of the first game are often referred to through book titles and small bits of dialogue.
The game is longer than the first, and is more free-roaming. Gone is the chapter system, so the player can return to most of the places that he/she had been before. There are also a larger number of characters.
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[edit] Gameplay
Shining Force II gameplay is similar to its antecessor, and it's considered to be relatively simple compared to other tactical RPGs. Battles take place in square grids, and each unit occupies 1 square. Units can belong to one of 2 sides: allies (usually controlled by the player) or enemies (usually controlled by the computer AI). This is not an absolute rule, since cheat codes allow enemies to be controlled by the player, or allies to be controlled by the computer AI.
The gameplay is turn-based; each unit can both move and perform one action (attack, use a spell, use an item) on its turn. Some commands such as equipping or dropping items don't count as actions. The order of the turns is determined by the unit's agility score. Units can use offensive actions (such as attacking or using a BLAZE spell) only on units belonging to other side, and they can use support actions (such as using a HEAL spell or a medical herb item) only on units belonging to the same side. There are a very few exceptions, such as the Prism Flower's Laser attack, which can hit units from both sides.
Like most video game RPGs, units can become stronger by fighting enemies and performing some actions. Those give the units experience points (EXP.), which allow them to gain levels.
On Shining Force II, each ally unit is represented by a character with its own background and personality, much like the Fire Emblem series. There are no "generic" units, except on the enemy side. Like what happens on most RPGs with a large cast of characters, however, many of these characters are poorly developed and give little or no contribution to the plot.
Each ally unit also have a class, which defines a set of abilities for that unit. Once a unit reaches level 20, it can advance to another class, called "promotion". A unit can be promoted at any level between 20 or 40; the longer you wait to promote a unit, the stronger it will be after being promoted. Some characters don't have promotions, so they may be considered pre-promoted. These units tend to be significantly weaker than those promoted at level 40. Some characters also have two options of promotion; one of them is accessible only through a special item.
Battle goals for the player (ally side) are fairly straightforward: either kill all enemies, or kill the enemies' leader. Killing the leader of the opposing army will herald the defeat of the entire opposition. Likewise, the enemy side wins when they manage to kill your leader, Bowie. Even if you escape or have your leader killed, however, you can recover your allies and fight the same enemy again. Since you always carry the EXP. and money gained, regardless of the battle outcome, the game is considerably easier than most strategy RPGs, since there is no Game Over, and most of the time, your army gets stronger even if your side is defeated. However, if you are defeated in a battle, you lose half of your money.
Most games from the Shining Force series (with the exception of the Game Gear and Sega CD games) also possess an exploration mode, besides the regular battle mode. This gameplay mode is more similar to a traditional RPG game. In this mode, you play as the Shining Force leader (Bowie on Shining Force 2), and you can walk around, interact with people or the scenario, and set the members and equipment of your army.
[edit] Story
The world of Shining Force is a Medieval fantasy scenario populated by humans, centaurs, dwarves, birdmen, and many other races. Gods and devils walk among mortals. The world becomes in trouble when Slade, a wererat thief, steals two ancient jewels. Unfortunately, the purpose of these jewels was to seal the Devil King, Zeon, one of the three legendary Devil Kings sealed in ancient times by his enemies and fellow Devil Kings, DARK DRAGON and Darksol. Awakened, Zeon begins to gather his minions and creates the Devil Army, which in turn wreaks havoc around the world.
Zeon's desire is to conquer the world, but first he needs to obtain one of the ancient jewels, the Jewel of Evil, which will allow him to recover his full power. Once he reaches his full power, it's certain that no one will be able to stop him - not even the Gods. To confront him, an old wizard named Sir Astral gathers his students and creates an army of good to defeat Zeon - the Shining Force.
You play as the Shining Force leader, Bowie. Your goal is to gather allies around the world and put an end to Zeon's resurrection.
[edit] Characters
Shining Force II features many more characters than the original. The following is a list of the more significant characters in the game.
[edit] The Shining Force
The Shining Force are the playable characters of the game. In parenthesis it's indicated the name of the class of the character and its promotion(s).
BOWIE (Swordsman => Hero): The main character of the game, he's your standard archetype of an RPG hero, much like Max from the previous game. However, he is much younger than Max, as he's still in school at the beginning of the game. Also, breaking away from the "silent hero" cliché of many RPGs, he does occasionally speak, but usually doesn't say much. Bowie and his classmates, Chester and Sarah, become curious of what's going on in the castle and decide to follow Sir Astral there, and end up being caught up in the storyline. He leads the Shining Force, although he never really took up any leadership role; people just seem to follow him. As in the previous game, if he dies in battle, you automatically lose. Just like Max, he can use the Egress spell and uses a sword. He can also learn the BOLT magic spell at later levels.
SARAH (Priest => Vicar or Master Monk): A close friend of Bowie, and strongly hinted to have a crush for him. As a Priest, she is physically weak and her main ability is healing, although she is able to use a few other spells. Priests normally promote to Vicars, but finding a Vigor Ball allows them to become Master Monks. Vicars are essentially the same as Priests; Master Monks lose the ability of using staves but may use knuckles instead, and have better physical stats than Vicars. In Shining Force II, unlike Shining Force I, support characters can earn experience points by repeatedly casting healing spells such as Heal and Aura on undamaged characters.
CHESTER (Knight => Paladin or Pegasus Knight): Chester is a centaur, and also a good friend of Bowie. Centaurs are balanced physical combatants. They have excellent movement ranges, although terrain penalties affect them greatly, and ability to wield lances and spears. Lances generally deal more damage, but spears have a 2-square range. Knights promote to Paladins or, if you have found the Pegasus Wing, Pegasus Knights; Paladins are similar to Knights, where Pegasus Knights also have the ability to fly. Compared to other centaurs, Chester has excellent HP (hit points) but extremely low defense.
JAHA (Warrior => Gladiator or Baron): Jaha is a warrior, and another friend of Bowie. He is has a crush for Princess Elis of Granseal. Warriors use axes in battle, and typically have good attack, defense and HP, but low agility and movement. They may be promoted to either Gladiators, which are very similar to warriors, or, with the Warrior Pride, Barons, which have worse defense but increased movement, plus the ability to use swords.
KAZIN (Mage => Wizard or Sorcerer): Kazin is another friend of Bowie. He is a mage, and hinted to have a crush for Sarah. He is an apprendice of Sir Hawel, a sage whose knowledge rivals Sir Astral's. As a mage, he has awful physical stats, but can use offensive spells like BLAZE. Mages may be promoted to either Wizard or, with the Secret Book, Sorcerer. Wizards are basically the same as mages and keep the same spells; sorcerers are able to use summoning spells, but lose all their previous spells. Summoning spells divide a set amount of damage between all targets in their affected radius, which means they deal more to solo enemies, but less to each of a group of enemies. Compared to other mages, Kazin has a weaker selection of spells, but learns all his spells quickly.
SLADE (Thief => Ninja): A wererat thief who stole the ancient jewels that kept Zeon sealed. After accidentally releasing the devil, he felt guilty for what he had done and joined the Shining Force. As a thief, Slade is somewhat weak comapared to the other melee fighters, having decent speed, but mediocre attack and defense. After he promotes to Ninja, however, he becomes very powerful, gaining excellent attack and the ability to cast the KATON and RAIJIN spells. He also gains the ability to equip the one-of-a-kind weapon Gisarme, which has a chance of killing in a single blow. Only Slade can equip this weapon.
KIWI (Tortoise => Monster): Kiwi is a wereturtle found by Bowie in Granseal. He is a kind of "pet", since you can even name him. Kiwi has extremely low hit points but a very high defense compared to the rest of the Force. While he does not take much damage from melee attacks, he is very weak against magic. After he promotes to Monster, he can move over any terrain with no movement penalty (as if he were "flying") and will sometimes use a flame breath attack.
PETER (Phoenix (PHNK) => Phoenix (PHNX)): A powerful phoenix, Peter arrives at New Granseal but is mocked by the inhabitants. He joins your party and is controlled by the computer until you speak to the god Volcanon, who instructs Peter to help you to defeat the devils. Peter is extremely strong, possessing formidable attack, defense and HP. He also has a large movement range, flies and revives automatically (if he was killed) at the end of every battle (the mythical Phoenix rising from the ashes).
MAY (Ranger => Bow Knight): May lives in Ribble and joins the Force because she despises the cowardice of the people from there. As a centaur archer, May can attack from 2 or 3 squares, but can't attack adjacent units. She has better movement than archers, but her HP is very low, meaning she needs protection to survive in battle.
GERHALT (Wolf Man => Wolf Baron): A werewolf who is found attempting to save a boy in Polca and is aided by the Shining Force, Gerhalt fights using his bare fists. He is very strong and although his movement can be limited, he is one of the best unarmed fighters of the game.
LUKE (Bird Man => Bird Battler): A messenger from Bedoe and a servant of God Volcanon. As a birdman, Luke is an average combatant and fights with a sword. His ability to fly and high agility, however, can prove a large advantage in combat.
ROHDE (Brass Gunner): Rohde is an expert at machinery. He drives the Caravan which the Shining Force uses for transport, and he is also a brass gunner, driving a vehicle armed with a ballista. Brass gunners can attack any foe from 3 squares, but they move slowly.
RICK (Knight => Paladin or Pegasus Knight): An adventure-loving centaur who is on his way to Hassan, and he is able to proceed after the Shining Force defeats the legendary Kraken. He joins the Force to see more "interesting things". Compared to other centaurs, Rick has good stats, especially in defense, but he is slightly weaker than Eric.
ELRIC (Archer => Sniper or Brass Gunner): An elf that is protected from harpies by the Shining Force. He then joins the Force in gratitude. As an archer, he can attack from 2 or 3 squares (depending on the weapon), but can't attack adjacent enemies. Archers may promote to Snipers or, with the Silver Tank, Brass Gunners. Snipers are basically the same as archers, although they gain one movement range. Brass gunners can attack from 3 squares regardless of the weapon they are equipping, but they move slower.
RANDOLF (Warrior => Gladiator or Baron): Randolf is one of the four playable characters who live in Mr. Creed's mansion. These characters are among the most powerful units of the game - each one is the best character of their respective classes. Unfortunately, you can initially only select one of them to join your group. You can come back to Mr. Creed's mansion only near the end of the game; the three remaining characters will then join the Force.
KARNA (Priest => Vicar or Master Monk): Karna is another character from Mr. Creed's house. She can gain levels very quickly through repeated use of the BOOST and AURA spells. Eventually, she can learn the AURA level 4 spell (which restores all HP of your entire group), making her an extremely valuable member of the Force.
TYRIN (Mage => Wizard or Sorcerer): Tyrin is another character from Mr. Creed's house, and as one may expect, he is the best mage of the game. As Kazin, he may promote to either Wizard or Sorcerer, which is a tough decision, since he is very powerful in both forms.
ERIC (Knight => Paladin or Pegasus Knight): Eric is another character from Mr. Creed's house, and as such, he is the centaur with the best statistics. He is better as a Paladin, if only for the reason that Rick is a useful Pegasus Knight.
JANET (Archer => Sniper or Brass Gunner): Janet is another elf, and hinted to have some romantic relationship with Elric. In terms of abilities and statistics, she is similar to him, although she tends to have a lower attack rating.
HIGINS (Paladin): A centaur which leads the Pacalon Army. He confronts Geshp when the Devil Army invades Pacalon, but doesn't prove to be a match for the Greater Devil. Geshp then attempts to use a Gizmo to possess Higins, but the paladin is saved by the Shining Force. He then joins the Force to aid defeating the Devil Army. As a pre-promoted unit, Higins doesn't have the same potential as Rick or Eric.
TAYA (Sorceress): A sage who serves Mitula, Taya was turned to stone by the evil magic of Zalbard, but was restored to human form after the defeat of the Greater Devil. As a sorceress, she can use the mighty summoning magic, but since she is pre-promoted, she is noticeably weaker than Tyrin or Kazin promoted to the same class.
SKREECH (Bird Battler): If Bowie saves him from his fall at Bedoe, Skreech later returns to join the Shining Force after he grows up (and he grows up quickly...). He is similar to Luke, but tends to be weaker since he is a pre-promoted unit.
FRAYJA (Vicar): A priest from Pacalon, Frayja attempts to save the people of Moun from the Devil Army but fails. In order to redeem himself, he joins the Shining Force. Despite being pre-promoted, Frayja may become very powerful because he can gain levels quickly by repeatedly casting the AURA spell. He is also the character who learns the AURA level 4 spell first.
JARO (Pegasus Knight): A former member of the Galam Army, Jaro can't stand to fight alongside evil and leaves them to join the Shining Force. He is pre-promoted, which means he is considerably weaker than Rick or Eric promoted to Pegasus Knights.
ZYNK (Robot): Zynk is a Robot, and he says he comes from the past. No other information for him is available. He is physically very strong, despite being pre-promoted, but he is also a tad slow. He fights with his fists, and has a special attack - he sometimes releases a laser beam from his chest.
GYAN (Gladiator): Gyan was stuck in an underground passage in Moun, and was eventually released by the Shining Force. He is pre-promoted, so he isn't as powerful as Jaha or Randolf, though he is fairly powerful.
SHEELA (Master Monk): A former pupil of Sir Astral, Sheela trained to turn her body into a "living weapon", as she says. She wants revenge against the Red Baron, who killed her fiancé. Since she is pre-promoted, she is not strong as Karna, but she can gain levels very quickly by casting the BOOST spell.
CLAUDE (Golem): A golem who joins the Force if Bowie restores his arm. Claude fights with his fists, and has a formidable defense, but lower HP, movement, and agility. He is resistant to BLAZE spells, but FREEZE spells usually mean death for him.
LEMON (Red Baron): A general in the Kingdom of Galam, who originally blindly supports the King of Galam, but eventually finds out that his King is being possessed by a Gizmo. He rebels against King Galam, but he is possessed himself and becomes an immortal vampire under the control of the Devil Army. After being released from the Gizmo by the Shining Force, Lemon gains the ability to revive himself automatically at the end of the battle (in case he dies), just like Peter. The Red Baron class is very similar to the Baron class, with the exception of the revive ability; Lemon can use either an axe or a sword in battle. The fact that he is pre-promoted, however, makes him noticeably weaker than Jaha or Randolf promoted to Baron.
CHAZ (Wizard): The last member of the Force, Chaz, is Hawel's (Kazin's master) son and a scholar fascinated with books and expanding his knowledge. He joins the Force with a weak set of spells, but he can become very powerful if you take the time to advance him in levels, although not as powerful as Tyrin.
[edit] Allies
SIR ASTRAL: A 70 year old wizard and teacher of Bowie, Chester and Sarah, he acts as an advisor to Bowie much like Nova did in the original Shining Force. You can't actually play as him. Sir Astral is very wise and trusted by many, and his knowledge of the Devil Army is invaluable to Bowie's quest. Although he rarely demonstrates, he is a very powerful wizard, and shows to be at the same power level as King Galam.
KING GRANSEAL: The king of Granseal, hometown to Bowie, is possessed by a devil known as a Gizmo early in the game but Sir Astral manages to get it out of him. His daughter, Elis, is kidnapped by the devils, although he presumes she may be dead, he eventually finds out otherwise and sends Bowie and his team out to find her.
VOLCANON: The mighty god of air and fire, he is also the deity of birdmen and other bird-like creatures, such as phoenixes. Volcanon's appearance is of a large, statue-like bird. He is kind to birdmen and his other servants, but is arrogant with the people of the land. Vulcanon is very powerful, but as Mitula says, he won't be a match for Zeon if the King of Devils is allowed to reach his power.
MITULA: Like Volcanon is the god of the air and fire, Mitula is the goddess of earth. She looks like a blue-haired woman dressed with a purple robe. She was sealed inside the Ground Orb but the Shining Force was able to release her. She doesn't fight alongside the Force, but she aids with her knowledge and wisdom. She can also predict the future, but she never tells it to anyone, not even to help. Like Volcanon, Mitula is also very powerful, but neither her will be able to defeat Zeon when he reaches his full power.
PRINCESS ELIS: The daughter of King Granseal who is kidnapped by King Galam. Zeon then demands the Jewel of Evil in return of the princess. *SPOILERS* At the end of the game, Bowie awakens her from her coma-like sleep with a kiss. It is then implied that the two fall in love, although Sarah departs in tears.
KING BEDOE: The ruler of birdmen and a dedicated servant of Volcanon. King Bedoe is introduced to the Shining Force by Peter, and helps them in order to stop Zeon and his Devil Army.
ODDLER: A blind boy who lost his memory, and is found by Bowie and Peter. The boy follows them for a while, until Mr. Creed asks him to stay with him. Unfortunately, he holds a terrible secret...
MR. CREED: A Greater Devil who once followed Zeon but redeemed himself. Creed is now an eccentric aristocrat who has the habit of collecting miniaturized people. As a former Devil, he has a great deal of knowledge about Zeon and the Devil Army. He also has the powers of a priest, and the ability to summon an evil spirit at will. The spirit acts as his eyes and ears, delivering to Creed information that could not have been obtained by ordinary means.
[edit] The Devil Army
The Devil Army are the main antagonists of the game. They are a mixed legion of humans, demihumans and monsters working to complete Zeon's full revival, which in turn will bring chaos and destruction all over the world. The following characters are called Greater Devils - the main leaders of the Devil Army.
All Greater Devils share common traits which make them deadly adversaries: they can act twice in a round, and they recover a fraction of their HP every round. They are immune to many spells, such as DISPEL, DESOUL and MUDDLE, and suffer reduced damage from other spells (except Ninja spells). They also have unusually high amounts of HP and MP.
ZEON: The main antagonist of the game, Zeon, is a giant, hideous looking devil who seeks to dominate the world. It was said Zeon fought with the previous SF antagonists, Darksol and Dark Dragon, for the title of King of the Devils and won. But his victory was short-lived when Darksol and Dark Dragon got their revenge by sealing his power into the Jewel of Evil. He was sealed in Arc Valley until Slade inadvertently released him. Zeon possesses a tremendous power, even terrifying gods like Volcanon and Mitula. It's certain that he will be unstoppable once he reaches his full power. He needs evil energy in order to do that, and the easiest way to get it is by obtaining the Jewel of Evil. However, even without the Jewel, he eventually reaches his full power by channeling the evil energy present in Arc Valley. His Demon Breath attack, a geyser of evil souls, is the most powerful area attack of the game.
KING GALAM: After the evil Gizmo failed to take permanent possession over King Granseal, it instead sought out and possessed the King of the nearby country of Galam. The possessed Galam conquers Granseal and completes the unsealing of Zeon, then takes his place as Zeon's closest and most powerful minion. King Galam is a skilled magician, and can use a weaker version of the Demon Breath attack.
ODD-EYE: A blind young man with incredible sword skill. After being defeated by Volcanon in Bedoe, Odd-Eye temporarily loses his memory but is able to recover it later. He is the only Greater Devil with human appearance, and sometimes is shown to have human feelings. In spite of this, nothing can affect his loyalty to Zeon. He is rumored to be as strong as Volcanon, and also possesses a special attack, the Odd Eye Beam, shooting rays when he opens his blind eyes. Curiosity: Odd-Eye is a playable character in Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict.
GESHP: Geshp is a cunning and coward devil in service of Zeon. He prefers to ambush and spring elaborate traps on his enemies rather than confront them directly. Because of that, he is a recurring enemy in the game, always trying a new "perfect plan" to defeat the Shining Force. He is a formidable spellcaster and can hold his own in battle. He doesn't seem to be very popular among other Greater Devils; he is despised by Cameela and underestimated by Odd-Eye. When finally defeated by Bowie, Astral lets him go as he loses his powers but Zeon stops him and kills him by flame.
RED BARON: This warrior is always seen with a helmet covering his face, and his rage in battle seems unstoppable. He wears red armor, covered in the blood of his fallen enemies. He wields the terrible Dark Sword, which can cast the DESOUL spell. This attack can instantly kill his adversaries. It is revealed that he is actually Lemon being controlled by a Gizmo.
CAMEELA: An arrogant Greater Devil who often prefers to do things her own way rather than precisely obeying Zeon's orders. She also despises Geshp and plots against him whenever possible. She wields a mace called Iron Ball, and is the only character in Shining Force II to wield such a weapon. After being defeated by Bowie at the Nazca peninsula, she betrays Zeon and begins to tell Bowie the Devil Army's weaknesses, but Geshp shows up to kill her by flame.
ZALBARD: The weakest of the Greater Devils, Zalbard is a wielder of evil magic and keeps Mitula imprisioned in the Ground Orb. He shows his treacherous personality when he hopes for Odd Eye's death so he can take the blind Devil's place.
[edit] Rarity and reception
Despite its popularity in emulation and frequent discussion on gaming sites such as GameFAQs, Shining Force II is one of the most difficult games to find for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and meets the standards of a collector's item. A copy of this game in it's original box with instructions can sell for as much as $60-$70 on ebay and specialty stores.
