Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon

"Pick out the fro, and sport the throwback, 'cause we rockin' it old school, son."

Now this is what i'm talking about. Back in the day, Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis were all the craze. The original console war raged between these two titans, and thanks to all the competition, lots of great games (such as this one) were brought to life. A lot of people tend of think that remakes are nothing but a quick ride on the cash train. However, there are some of us who would much rather play the older titles than the newer ones anyday. Let's take a little trip to the past, where Delorians could time travel and building tools were too legit to quit.

First Impressions:
Before I continue here, let me just say that Shining Force is one of my all time favorite rpgs (standing beside Phantasy Star IV and Final Fantasy VI), so i'm just a tad biased. And now that it's out of the way, let's continue.
I first heard about this game (rather the grandpappy version) when I was a small lad, reading in Gamepro and EGM, only to stumble across screen shots of this game, waaaay back in the ancient land of 1992. I saw strategy, I saw anime characters, I saw big fight cutscenes. I was sold.
So after hearing that this all time classic would be brought to the gameboy advance, I nearly fainted. Sure, it's a remake, but who cares!
This is just one of those games that I would gladly throw down 30 bucks for since it's a timeless classic. (for me, at least) And since it was Shining Force, I expected to worship this game like the next best thing since sliced bread. Well... just like a parent would be to it's child, we might be a little harsh at times, even though we love them.

Storyline:
If there was ever a memorable point in rpgs, it would probably be the story line. With this game, it's just a little bit different. The storyline at the time was pretty unique, but looking back on it, it really wasn't all that great. However, one thing that lasts the test of time is the characterization. There was just something about the characters that brought them to life, and this is no different. The idea is expanded upon exponentially, and you can get a lot of info on the world around
you by simply talking to your teammates, not to mention some hilarious scenes.
But wait, you wanna know about the game's story line? Don't get your panties in a knot, i'm gettin' there. The main premise of this story is that you are Max, an amnesia-stricken warrior who finds himself taken in under the wing of the kingdom of Guardianna, and ultimately must get some buddies together to combat the evil nation of Runefaust and defeat the newly resurrected Dark Dragon, as the title of this game so kindly hints at. (Keep in mind, the original sub-title of this game when it was on the Sega Genesis was "The Legacy of Great Intention", which sounds a lot more profound than the generic title it has now. Hmph.)
So while the story line seems like generic, cookie cutter stuff, this was really exciting when you were younger. Hey, it was! And thankfully, seeing it's age, Sega has decided to turn the story up a notch or two, granting us new characters, more dialog, and some pretty significant plot twists from the first game. All in all, it helps us relive the glory days, while keeping it fresh. This is what more remakes should take advantage of. However, all of it isn't presented that well, and if you've played the original at all, you'll quickly notice that a lot of the new cutscenes seem thrown in there. It just isn't cohesive, and doesn't flow as well. Regardless, the storyline isn't as big of a deal as you'd expect in an rpg. I've said it before in my reviews, and i'll say it again. Gameplay is what it's all about. Check out the hook while my gba revolves it. Word son.

Gameplay:
Oh my god, it's the 1990's all over again. And it's a beautiful thing. Sega seems to have a knack for making games that are simplistic at it's core, but end up being addictive as ****. And to think that Sega got it right all those years ago, it's quite an accomplishment. Aside from the enhancements made in the story line, the gameplay really bumps it up a notch. In typical strategy rpg (srpgs hereafter) fashion, you can create a team, this time up to 12 characters large. Considering you've got over 30 characters to collect, it provides a lot of replay value if you're aiming to play through with a little variety. Anyone remember Final Fantasy 1? Well, like that title, this is one of those games where you'll try to go through with a specific group, just to see if you can do it. Good stuff.
Now, the actual combat. It all takes place on a battle map, following a grid format as seen in the more recent srpgs. Each character can move, attack, use items, and magic if available. While this wasn't the first game to use this format, it was the first to bring the srpg genre to the states. (Fire Emblem was the first, but has only recently been brought over to the US on it's 7th iteration, on the gba.)
While it seems pretty basic compared to srpgs today, it's simple enough to get into, but satisfying enough to keep you playing. If you think of it more like an rpg instead of strategy, you'd probably understand where Shining Force comes from.
Now, the improvements. Sega was kind to trim all the unnecessary clutter from the original game. No longer will you have to open up a menu just to select "talk" or "search" while in town. It's all done with a single push of the A button. You also now have a run feature, which has been added to the B button. L brings up a user friendly interface, allowing you to view character stats, items, and options. Also new to this game is the addition of the item box, which allows you to easily
store excess items. Very convenient, and a most welcome addition. A lot of new weapons were added, which really changes things up for the better, in my opinion. Before, healers were, for the most part, restricted to healing. Now, you have items with strategic uses, such as higher damage against doll enemies, which gives you the option to use them as an attacking force, rather than just sitting back. So while there isn't a lot of strategy by means of placement, character management is very important. The little stuff adds up, and it really shows. And with the addition of three new characters, it changes the play style even more. You have Narsha, who is reminiscent of the monks in Shining Force 2, giving access to spells originally unavailable. Mawlock, a character who uses cards that can create a clone of a character, enhance a characters abilities, or use special effects. Probably the best new character to the force. Lastly, we have Zuika, an insect warrior who is capable of entering a frenzy when his hit points get low. Now, while I praise these new additions, I kind of wish that they would have touched on the originals a bit more. Since it is a remake, I guess they wanted to keep the original flavor intact, but if you're going to add little features from here and there, might as well draw from all the games, no? Shining Force 3 would have been a
grand example of a game to draw from.
Needless to say, everything here adds up quite nicely, and i'm happy with the final result. Add in the fact that the game becomes more and more challenging with a new game + feature that makes enemies tougher each time through, and you've got a game that you'll be playing for awhile. Let's hope we can see a remake of Shining Force 2 in the near future.

Graphics:
Okay, this is one of the main reason why this game gets a 8 instead of a perfect ten. While it seems harsh to judge a game on visuals, there are just some things that are simply unacceptable in my book. The game boy advance is unquestionably more powerful than the Sega Genesis. However, in some cases, it looks a little worse. This isn't apparent throughout the whole game, but some things just don't sit well with me. In the original, the character portraits were important to me. They really helped to provide the feel for characters. If a character was ugly, he was ugly.
Now in this game, it's not that the character is ugly... the artwork is just ugly. This doesn't apply to everyone, though. For example, Hans is by far my favorite change in the artwork. In the original, he really seemed like the little wussy guy who was afraid to do anything, which was his personality, but in this game, he seems to have an air of confidence about him, and it's reflected in his dialog. So sometimes the art is good, but often times it's just bad. Rather than keep a distinctly anime style, they have moved more towards a hard edged style, with deeper shading that doesn't really work well with these characters. And that's just for the character portaits.
In battle, I was wowed and disappointed more than I should have been. Remakes shouldn't consist of seesaw emotions, in my opinion. If you're going to remake a game, I feel that you should take the original ideas, and improve upon it, and not change it so that it's too different. For example, a lot of basic attacks were changed. There's no need for that, as you simply could have made the attacks look better since the system is more powerful, especially since the old attacks were more flashy, and now they're just boring swings and strikes. And as an added kick to the nuts, the graphics for the characters wouldn't look nearly as bad if they would have animated them better. Zylo the Wolfman, for example, looks way too stiff. Especially since his non-promoted form is more loose, as any animal should be. However, once promoted, he's wearing way too much armor and his attack doesn't quite look right. Then while he's standing there, his legs and shoulders move, yet his body is inexplicably stuck in the same place. It looks weird, along with the "I need crack!" battle stance for the gladiators. The final straw, was when they didn't upgrade Bleu's portrait. In the original, he was a
baby dragon who got promoted into this badass dragon with giant fangs and a pissed off look on his face. All in all, most of these complaints are minor, and come from a disgruntled Shining Force fanboy who held the original in such high praise. Pay no attention to the strange old man, kiddies. Just smile and nod... smile and nod.

Sound/Music:
Oh my freakin' orgasm. Alright, stop. Collaborate and listen. Back in the day, the Genesis pumped out some of the most blippy-bleepy music. But you know what? I loved every second of it. All of the music has been remixed, and it definitely sounds a lot clearer and crisper than the original, although you can tell it's still midi to the bone. A few new melodies were added to existing songs, making that smile curl on your face when you hear old familiar in a new light. It's definitely pleasant to the ear, and while it's not the quality of Golden Sun, it's catchy enough to hum over and over. Even better if you're an old time fan.

Closing thoughts:
All in all, this game has been a dream come true. Some of the graphics aren't as nice as i'd like them to be for a remake, but for their shortcomings, they do manage to impress. As I said before, if there was a problem, i'd solve it. But, as i've mentioned before, this is coming from a somewhat biased source. I loved the original to death, and we all know how memories can change one's perception.
However, if you're a new school gamer looking for a great introduction to the Shining Series or the srpg genre, look no further.
And if you're an old gamer looking for a piece of history, don't make the mistake of passing this one up. You'll make my inner twelve year old cry. Which is bad. And that'd be like killing your brain with a poisonous mushroom. Deadly.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/19/04