"Greatest Game for the Sega Saturn!"

This masterpiece made by Sega and Camelot is no doubt the best game for the Sega Saturn in my opinion. This is the first installment of one of the greatest video game trilogies. Fans of the Shining series will definitely be pleased with the new improvements and additions in this game.

Gameplay 10/10
If you have ever played any of the previous Shining Force games for the Sega Genesis, it is pretty much the same. For those new to the series, the learning curve is pretty easy since the menus are very straight forward and easy to understand. The game basically has two modes of play: exploring towns/castles and fighting battles. Exploring the towns includes talking to townspeople, purchasing weapons, and searching for hidden treasure. The battle system is well developed. Your Shining Force consists of Swordsmen, Centaurs, Warriors, Archers, Wizards, Healers, and many other different classes for your disposal. The fighting has a somewhat Paper-Rock-Scissors system (for example: Sword beats Axe, Axe beats Lance, and Lance beats Sword) which can be used to your advantage. In addition to the attacks and spells used during the battle, a friendship system was added in which by your characters fighting along side their allies, their relationship level increases. With this relationship level increased, the allies can give each other stat boosts during battle by standing next to each other. This game does get difficult at times but if you spend time to level up your characters and listen to advice from the Force's advisors, you shouldn't have too much problem.

Graphics 10/10
I honestly didn't know how a 3-D Shining Force game would be, but I was blown away by how well this game looked. The intro FMV looks somewhat lifelike and is very well done. The characters sprites in towns and in battles are perfect for the game. The polygonal characters appear when they attack or cast a spell and look amazing and fit perfectly into the game. Spells and summons in battles are just plain awesome and are a definite plus for the game. The backgrounds are very well detailed from the bookshelves and cabinets inside houses to the ruins found on battle maps. A definite masterpiece.

Story 10/10
The plot to this game is simply amazing. At first, it seems that the story basically consists of a Republic and an Empire at opposing sides of a war, but attempts are being made for a treaty to come into place to stop the fighting and calm both sides. When a third party comes forth and ruins the peace talks, the entire story begins. In this scenario, you play as the swordsman Lord Synbios, son of Lord Conrad who is a noble in the Republic of Aspinia. Each scenario in the Shining Force III series tells the story from a different viewpoint (it's called the Trinity System) and this scenario tells the story from the viewpoint of the Republic. To get the entire story, you need to play all 3 scenarios. The story is full of plot twists and it will keep the player entertained for hours on end.

Music/Sound 10/10
The music is well orchestrated in this game. It seems to capture the moment in the game from the music played in the towns to the battle fanfare. The voices when a character is about to cast a spell or strike a critical hit are just awesome (I never get tired of hearing Dantares say ''Prepare to die!''). The music and sound do not disappoint.

Replay Value 5/10
Not too much reason to play the game again besides trying to get all the characters and all of the treasures that you have missed. People who like it such as myself will definitely play it over a couple of times.

Playtime 10/10
A ten is given only because it is a pretty long game (20+ hours it took me the first time around) which is pretty decent for a game of this caliber. Players will not be disappointed in game-length.

Final Word 10/10
If you own a Sega Saturn, you must own this game. It is a must-have game for Saturn owners who want the perfect collection. It's a shame that this is the only scenario brought to the U.S. so if you don't understand Japanese, you must get this scenario to experience some of Shining Force III. It is an excellent addition to the Shining Force series.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/13/03