Shining Force II

Shining Force II (シャイニング・フォースII 古えの封印, Shainingu Fōsu Tsū: Inishie no Fūin, lit.

“Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal”)^[4] is a tactical role-playing game for the Mega Drive/Genesis console developed by Sonic! Software Planning in 1993.

Its storyline is not directly connected to the original Shining Force, although a Game Gear title Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict links the two games’ plots.

Unlike Shining Force, the game is much longer, and contains more “free-roaming.”

There is no chapter system, so the player can return to previously visited parts of the world.

The game also includes several new ways of promoting the cast of playable characters.

Shining Force II received strong reviews from critics, with many citing it as superior or equivalent to its predecessor.

It is often regarded as one of the best video games ever made, with it being frequently featured on “top 100” lists. Shining Force II is followed by Shining Force CD and Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict.

A sequel to Shining Force II, Shining Wisdom, was released in 1995. After the game’s initial release, Shining Force II continues to see re-releases and remasters on modern consoles.

It was released on the Wii Virtual Console in Europe on October 3, 2008, and in North America on October 6, 2008, and on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on April 21, 2022.^[5]

The game was also made available for iOS and Android devices in October 2018.

It also appears in several game compilations, including Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3,^[6] Sega Genesis Classics for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5, and as a standalone game on Microsoft Windows and Steam.

Gameplay – Shining Force II

Top: Sarah preparing to attack.
Bottom: Sarah defeating a Gizmo.

Shining Force II is a tactical role-playing game.

The player assumes the role of the Shining Force leader, Bowie. When not in combat, the player can explore towns and other locales, talk with people, and set the members and equipment of the army.

Some towns have a headquarters where the player can inspect and talk with his allies.

While roaming through town or moving throughout the world, one can find both visible and hidden treasures and interact with certain objects.

Each ally unit is represented by a character with a background and personality. Some of these characters are hidden, requiring specific events to occur before they will join the force.

Each ally unit also has a class, which defines the abilities for that unit.

These abilities range from what type of weapons they can use to what kind of spells they can learn.

Units can become stronger by fighting enemies and performing various actions which give them experience points (EXP), which allow them to gain levels.

Once a unit reaches level 20, that character has the ability to advance to a more powerful class through promotion.

Some characters have two different classes they may be promoted to, one of which is only accessible using a special hidden item.

Battles take place on a square grid, and each unit occupies a single square.

Battles are turn-based. Each turn, a character can move and perform one action: either attack, cast a spell, or use an item.

Some commands, such as equipping or dropping an item during the turn, do not count as actions.

The battle is won if all enemies are defeated, or if the enemy commander is defeated.

If Bowie is defeated in combat or withdraws, the battle is lost and the player is returned to the nearest town, where he can recover his allies and fight the same battle again.