Shining Tears

"Shining series is back on track!"

Many many years ago back in the 8-Bit era there was a system known as the Sega Genesis. On this system there was a series of games made named Shining Force/in the Darkness. About 10 or more years later Sega has brought the Shining games back to the Gameboy Advance and the Playstation 2. On the Gameboy Advance you have the Shining Soul games that are much like Zelda and you hack and slash your way through level after level and then there is Shining Tears the game that is being reviewed here now another hack and slash game but with much more complexities then the GBA's Shining Soul games.

Like stated this game is a Zelda type game however non-like Zelda games this game has a lot more RPG-ish stuff. For example you can level up in Shining Tears something you could not do in Zelda games as well when you level up you receive 3 stat points and 1 skill point which you can distribute to all of your stats/skills how you like. It is much like Diablo II where you choose where your stats go and what skills you want to learn. If you wish you can focus on leveling up one skill or or you can distribute them evenly much like your stat points. Whatever way you choose this makes the game much more appealing then your typical Zelda game and adds even more customization then you could believe. As well more then likely it will make each time you play the game much different then the previous time because depending on how you focus your stats/skills you may need to change your tactics for certain levels.

The graphics of the game bring many great memories from the PSX/SNES days when you had bright colorful anime characters who didn't strive to look real. With beautifully designed levels and areas that look amazing the graphics won't disappoint a soul, actually I don't see how they can disappoint. The enemies and characters are done just as well and look fairly cool. They won't distract you from the game play and make you wish you weren't playing the game. However there is one flaw with the graphics and thats the frame rate. From time to time a lot of enemies will pile into the screen and when this happens it slows the game down considerably. It happens very rarely and I've noticed it usually only happen with purple bug enemies (I don't know the name). As well it happens when there are a lot of magic enemies shooting/casting spells at you, this tends to happen just as rare as the purple bug enemy thing. Even so it can be a problem when it occurs, thank god it rarely occurs.

There are some optional things in the game as well that make it that much more enjoyable. For instance once you complete a mission there is a mirror in your hideout that will allow you play the mission again if you wish. As well you can get your friends to help you slash through the hoards of monsters that inhabit Shining Tears. Your friend has the option of picking a character from his memory card file or he can just use one of your characters that are in your game. With a friend is much more enjoyable then with the very stupid AI this game has. Also you may want to check out some of the side quests. I've heard of a tower with over 50 floors that you can go through, I have yet to reach it but I've heard that it is a challenge and should only be tempted by the most powerful group.

Shining Tears has a rather unique item system in which you don't usually buy new armor/weapons instead you forge them to make new ones, you confused? Let me explain. You cannot buy weapons instead you need to bring the weapon you have for each character to a Blacksmith and have him force your weapon with 3 materials of your choosing. As far as I know the materials you choose determine the outcome of the weapon you get, this however cannot be confirmed by me it just seems that way to me. As well you can also bring armor that bought or found to the Blacksmith to have him forge the armor with 3 pieces of material to create something new. It's the same process and as far as I know the materials you use determine the outcome of the piece of equipment.

Now for the part of the game that made me like it so much; the battles. Shining Tears is much like Final Fantasy Tactics in which you pick the level of your choosing to go to and a set of enemies are placed on the map and your goal is to beat the mission (whatever that may be). However there is one difference, a big difference Shining Tears is a free roam hack and slash and Final Fantasy Tactics was a SRPG. But still it's somewhat alike, level wise. Anyways when on a mission you get to bring a partner of your choosing with you and you go through the level hacking down all the enemies along the way you can use the nifty little skills which were explained in the top section. As well you can use 'tagteam' spells which consume a certain amount of MP from both party members. There is also treasure chests which need to be picked up in levels so be sure not to miss them.

The story of Shining Tears is rather simple but joyful at the same time. A young man named Zion washes up on shore of a town and is found by a young Elf woman who nurses him back to health along with a doctor. Soon to be found out Xion is in possession of two very powerful rings which hold a legend of triumph and backstabbing. As well who ever wears the rings gain amazing power and are able to do great things. Anyways eventually a neighboring kingdom will attack and Xion is recruited by the local mercenaries to protect the city and they use him and his rings to do just that.

If you are wondering if you should buy the game or not, I suggest buying it if you enjoy these types of games if your not a big fan just rent the game however you will not beat it by renting it. I've been playing for approximately 10 hours now and am still not complete I have heard the game is somewhere close to 15-20 hours long excluding side quests.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/31/05