Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing
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| Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal | |
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| Developer(s) | Sonic! Software Planning |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Platform(s) | Sega Genesis/Mega Drive |
| Release date |  October 1, 1993 July 1994 October 19, 1994 |
| Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Media | 24 megabit cartridge |
Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal is a tactical role-playing game for the Mega Drive/Genesis console developed by Sonic! Software Planning in 1994, and is a sequel to the original Shining Force game. The storyline in both games are not directly connected, although a Japanese Game Gear title "Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict" does draw the two games together. It should also be noted, that the first game is often referred to through book titles and small bits of dialogue.
The game is much longer than the first, and is more free-roaming. There is no chapter system like in the original, so the player can return to most parts of the world that he/she had been to before. There is also a larger number of playable characters giving you plenty of options on how to build your Force.
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[edit] Gameplay
Shining Force II gameplay is similar to its predecessor, and it's considered to be relatively simple compared to other tactical RPGs. There are two forms of gameplay during the game: Exploration and battles. Most games from the Shining Force series (with the exception of the Game Gear and Sega CD games) possess this exploration mode, besides the regular battle mode. This gameplay mode is more similar to a traditional RPG game. In this mode, the player assumes the role of the Shining Force leader (Bowie in Shining Force 2). The player can walk around, interact with people, and set the members and equipment of the army. It is also possible to find a headquarters in some towns where you can inspect and talk with the other allies. While roaming through town or moving throughout the world, you can find both visible and hidden treasures and interact with certain objects.
[edit] Building Your Army
In Shining Force II, each ally unit is represented by a character with a background and personality, much like the Fire Emblem series. There are no "generic" units, except on the enemy side. Like what happens in 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. Some of these characters are also hidden, requiring specific events to occur before they will join the allies. Not all the characters can be used during a single battle so you must mix and match your forward team. In most cases, you'll start favoring certain characters over others. The main character, Bowie, must be in every battle.
Each ally unit also has a class, which defines a set of abilities for that unit. These abilities range from what type of weapons they can use to what kind of spells they can learn. Like most video game RPGs, units can become stronger by fighting enemies and performing various actions which gives them experience points (EXP), which allow them to gain levels. Once a unit reaches level 20, that character has the ability to advance to more powerful version of their class through a "promotion". A unit can be promoted at any level between 20 or 40; the longer the player waits to promote a unit, the stronger it will be after promotion. Some characters do not 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 the options is only accessible only through the unit holding a special item that must be found.
[edit] Battles
Battles take place in a grid of squares, much like a chess board, and each unit occupies a single square. Units can belong to one of two sides: allies and enemies. Allies are normally controlled by the player while the enemies are usually controlled by the computer's AI). This is not an absolute rule however, since the secret built in configuration mode allows the player to modify the settings so that the enemies can be controlled by the player, or allies to be controlled by the computer's AI).
The gameplay during battle is turn-based where during a character's turn, they can move and perform one action: attacking, casting a spell, using an item, or standing by). Some minor commands such as equipping or dropping an item during your turn does not count as the one action that can be taken. The order in which units take their turn is determined by the unit's agility score. Units can use offensive actions (such as attacking unarmed or with a weapon and some units have spells they can cast like BLAZE) only on units belonging to other side, and they can use support actions (using an Angel Wing to retreat from battle and casting HEAL to recover the health of others) only on units belonging to the same side. There are some attacks that damage units regardless of which side the unit is on, such as a prism flower's laser attack. These attacks are usually a blast radius or a line crossing the entire battlefield.
Battle goals for the player (ally side) are fairly straightforward: either kill all enemies, or kill the enemies' leader, if an enemy leader is present. 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 Bowie. Even if the party escapes or the leader is killed, however, the player can recover the allies and fight the same enemy again. In fact, it is possible through retreating from the battle before obtaining the main goal to fight the same battle again and again. However, the amount of money and EXP that is obtained from damaging and killing an enemy is reduced as a unit increased in level. Anything gained or lost during battle is not changed even in the event of an ally being defeated. This included even if you lose an entire battle when Bowie is defeated. This makes the game much easier than most strategy RPGs since there is no Game Over result.
[edit] Plot
Shining Force II opens with a thief, Slade (who later joins your party), stealing two jewels in an ancient shrine, thus setting in motion strange events leading to the resurrection of Zeon, the Devil King. When the king of Granseal, protector of the Tower of the Ancients, falls ill, Sir Astral and the game's leader, Bowie, investigate the opened tower with a small force called the Shining Force.
When an evil Gizmo escapes and possesses the king of a neighboring kingdom, Galam, Granseal's princess is kidnapped and the door to Arc Valley (home to Zeon and the greater devils) is opened. Arc Valley and the evil that resides there begins consuming Grans Island, causing Bowie and friends to flee their home.
When the true danger of the opened door is realized, Bowie and friends have to fight against the invading armies of Zeon to find the Holy Sword and the stolen jewels so they may once again reseal the Devil King in Arc Valley.
[edit] Characters
The following is a list of the more significant characters in the game. They are sorted by the Shining Force, the playable allies, Allies, non-playable characters that assist the The Shining Force, and the Devil Army.
[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. 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 a swordsman, Bowie is primarily a melee combatant and has some limited magic ability.
SARAH (Priest => Vicar or Master Monk): A close friend of Bowie, and strongly hinted to have a crush on him. As a priest, Sarah wields mainly support and healing magic. Priests may promote to either Vicars or Master Monks. Vicars are essentially the same as Priests; Master Monks have much better capability to physically fight, but their magical ability is slightly weaker.
CHESTER (Knight => Paladin or Pegasus Knight): Chester is a centaur, and also a good friend of Bowie. Centaurs are balanced physical combatants with excellent movement ranges and the ability to use lances and spears. Knights promote to Paladins or Pegasus Knights; Paladins are similar to Knights, where Pegasus Knights also have the ability to fly.
JAHA (Warrior => Gladiator or Baron): Jaha is a warrior, and another friend of Bowie. He has a crush on Princess Elis of Granseal. Warriors are strong physical combatants with somewhat low speed. They may be promoted to either Gladiators, which are very similar to Warriors, or to Barons, which have worse defense but increased movement, plus the ability to use swords.
KAZIN (Mage => Wizard or Sorcerer): Kazin is a mage, and hinted to have a crush on Sarah. He is an apprentice of Sir Hawel, a sage whose knowledge rivals Sir Astral's. As a mage, Kazin's main weapon is his offensive magic. Mages may be promoted to either Wizard or 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.
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 a fighter with decent speed, but mediocre attack and defense. After he promotes to Ninja, however, he becomes much more physically powerful and becomes able to use offensive magic.
KIWI (Tortoise => Monster): Kiwi is a turtle found by Bowie in Granseal. He is a kind of "pet", since you can name him. As a tortoise, Kiwi has the highest defense of any member of your team. However, he also has the lowest hitpoints which make him very vulnerable to magical attack. After he promotes to Monster, he becomes substantially stronger, gaining the ability to move over any terrain with no penalties, and becomes able to randomly attack with his powerful flame breath.
PETER (Phoenix Kid (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 shuns Bowie and the rest of the party for unwittingly releasing Zeon and dooming the planet. Peter disagrees with Volcanon's abandoning of the world's inhabitants and from then on is controlled by the user. Peter is a very powerful physical combatant with the ability to fly and revive automatically (if he was killed) at the end of every battle.
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 moves faster than regular archers, but she has less defensive capabilities.
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 is a melee combatant who fights with his bare fists. Upon promotion, Gerhalt assumes a transformed wolf form and his attack improves.
LUKE (Bird Man => Bird Battler): A messenger from Bedoe and a servant of God Volcanon. As a birdman, Luke is a physical combatant with average strength, great agility and the ability to fly.
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 foes from distance, have better defense than archers, but sacrifice movment range.
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".
ELRIC (Archer => Sniper or Brass Gunner): An elf that is protected from harpies by the Shining Force. Afterwards, he joins the Force in gratitude. As an archer, he can attack from distance, but can't attack adjacent enemies. Archers may promote to Snipers or Brass Gunners (see Rohde's description). Snipers are archers with a better movement range.
RANDOLF (Warrior => Gladiator or Baron): Randolf is one of the four playable characters who live in Mr. Creed's mansion. You can initially only select one of them to join your group. If you come back to Mr. Creed's mansion later in the game, the three remaining characters will join the Force.
KARNA (Priest => Vicar or Master Monk): Karna is another character from Mr. Creed's house. She has the Boost spell, which enables her to increase allies' defense and agility. She can use this ability to level up without attacking enemies. Exploiting this mechanic can allow Karna to become one of the strongest characters in the game.
TYRIN (Mage => Wizard or Sorcerer): Tyrin is the third character from Mr. Creed's house. As a sorcerer, he learns his spells more quickly than others, gaining the destructive Atlas level 2. He is also very effective as a wizard, learning all three elemental spells (Blaze, Freeze, and Bolt).
ERIC (Knight => Paladin or Pegasus Knight): Eric is the fourth and final character from Mr. Creed's house. He is essentially the best knight in the game, with balanced statistics. However, with the other 3 characters available for selection Eric would be a less favorable one.
JANET (Archer => Sniper or Brass Gunner): Janet is another elf and girlfriend to Elric. She joins the force to be closer to her boyfriend.
HIGINS (Paladin): A centaur who 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.
TAYA (Sorceress): A sorceress who serves Mitula, Taya was turned to stone by the evil magic of Zalbard, but can be restored to human form after the defeat of the Greater Devil.
SKREECH (Bird Battler): If Bowie saves him from his fall at Bedoe as a child, Skreech returns to join the Shining Force after he grows up.
FRAYJA (Vicar): A priest from Pacalon, Frayja attempts to halt the devil invasion by sealing the gate into the kingdom. In doing so, he must lock the people of Moun outside the protection of Pacalon, essentially dooming them. In order to redeem himself, he joins the Shining Force.
JARO (Pegasus Knight): A former member of the Galam Army, Jaro fights alongside the demon army on the road to Moun. During the battle, Jaro will have a change of heart and fight alongside the Shining Force (he will be computer-controlled). After the battle, Jaro will officially join the Force.
ZYNK (Robot): Zynk is a Robot who says he comes from the past. He aids the team in flying the Nazca ship. As a robot, he is physically very strong, but is one of the slower members of the party. 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. Instead of returning to his home, Gyan decides to tag along with the Force to battle devils.
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.
CLAUDE (Golem): A golem who joins the Force if Bowie restores his arm. Claude fights with his fists, and has a formidable defense, but he is also very slow and somewhat vulnerable to magic.
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 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 identical to the Baron class, with the exception of the revive ability.
CHAZ (Wizard): The last member of the Force, Chaz, is Hawel's (Kazin's master) son and a scholar fascinated with reading books and expanding his knowledge.
[edit] Allies
SIR ASTRAL: A 70 year old wizard and teacher of Bowie, Chester, Sarah and Jaha, he acts as an advisor to Bowie much like Nova did in the original Shining Force. 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 his magical abilities, he is a very powerful wizard.
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 which causes him to fall into a depression. 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 phoenix. Volcanon's appearance is of a large, statue-like bird. He is kind to birdmen and his other servants, but is arrogant and short-tempered with humans. Mostly because he blames the entire human race for releasing Zeon. Volcanon 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 full power.
MITULA: The goddess of earth. She appears as 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. With her ability to teleport she can move around unseen. Like Volcanon, Mitula is also very powerful, but neither will be able to defeat Zeon if he reaches his full power.
PRINCESS ELIS: The daughter of King Granseal who is kidnapped by King Galam. Zeon demands the Jewel of Evil in return for the princess. Her true love is later revealed to be Bowie.
KING BEDOE: The ruler of birdmen and a dedicated servant of Volcanon. King Bedoe is introduced to Bowie by Peter, and allows him audience with Volcanon in the effort to stop Zeon and his Devil Army.
ODDLER: A young man who lost his memory during a volcano eruption. The disaster also burnt his eyes leaving him blind and confused. Bowie and Peter find him and take him back to the nearby town to have his wounds treated. He later asks to continue on with Bowie to aid him in any way for his generosity. But who is Oddler and where did he come from?
MR. CREED: A Greater Devil who once followed Zeon but redeemed himself. Creed is now an eccentric aristocrat who lives alone and has a habit of collecting miniaturized people through curses. 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 information that could not have been obtained by ordinary means.
[edit] The Devil Army
The Devil Army is the main antagonist of the game. They are a mixed legion of humans, demihumans, monsters, and devils working to fully revive Zion, which in turn will bring chaos and destruction all over the world. The following characters are called Greater Devils - the generals and leaders of the Devil Army.
ZEON: The dark lord, Zeon, is a giant, hideous looking devil who seeks to dominate the world. It was said Zeon fought with the previous Shining Force 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 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. His energy can only be fought with the power of light.
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 King of Galam invades and 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 enhanced through Gizmo's possession, and can use a weaker version of Zeon's 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. Odd-Eye is later revealed to be Oddler, much to the party's dismay. Odd-Eye is also 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.
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.
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 is very competitive towards him always plotting 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.
ZALBARD: The weakest of the Greater Devils, Zalbard is a wielder of evil magic and keeps Mitula imprisoned in the Ground Orb. He shows his treacherous personality when he hopes for Odd Eye's death so he can take his place in the Devil Army.
[edit] Reception and rarity
Shining Force II has continued to remain a popular title through emulation and frequent discussion on gaming sites such as GameFAQs. Shining Force II is highly desired, and a copy of this game in its original box with instructions can sell for as much as $60-$70 on ebay and specialty stores.
[edit] External links
- IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time (#48)
- Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing at MobyGames
- The Ultimate Shining Force II Guide
- A Large Collection of Shining Force Sprites on The Spriters Resource
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