After being so thoroughly disappointed with the previous Shining Force game, I thought I'd give a try to the sequel. I went in fully aware that the biggest problems I had with it were almost certainly not fixed, but I'd heard it was all around a fair bit better than the first game. And what I found... was a mixed bag to say the least ^^;. It took me around 25 hours to get through the English version of the game via the Genesis collection on PS3.

Shining Force 2 opens with the thief Slade stealing two crystals from a large tower in the kingdom of Granseal. It ends up causing a huge earthquake, unleashing a demon, and the demon possesses the king to the kingdom to the east and an invasion of Granseal begins. The king is momentarily defeated thanks to the efforts of the main character Bowie, but he manages to get away causing the citizens of Granseal to flee across the ocean to build a new kingdom until they can try and defeat this great demonic evil again. Overall the story is certainly trying to be a bit more in-depth and better written than the first game, but an overall significantly weaker localization hurts those efforts considerably. There are some neat character beats and twists, and some characters like Peter have some good (albeit perhaps not intentional) comedy to their character due to how awkward and direct everyone's speech is, but it comes off as a similarly generic story to the first game at the end of the day.

On a macro level, all of the gameplay issues I had with the first game has are more or less still present. You still can't see enemy movement ranges, so it's too difficult to work out how far they can move, and it's still too hard to discern turn order with their strange RNG-filled initiative system, so making sound strategic decisions is far more difficult than it needs to be. A couple of things help ease this to be not quite as bad it was in the first game, particularly with how the game tends to be a tiny bit more easy than the first one, but even then I'd say this game's difficulty peaks are MUCH higher than the first (still tons of maps with very tough, very mobile flying enemies who will kick the crap out of you) even though the valleys are a bit lower and more numerous.

A big reason for those valleys is down to just how many maps there are that are just "monsters attack you on the way to X-location". It's not exactly a sin to have story filler maps, but there's not really any meaningful story correlation to these maps and they're really just mandatory versions of the random encounters you can rarely run into while you trot around the world map. These random encounters are just repeats (or higher difficulty ones, depending on what point in the game you are) of those filler encounters. I get what they were going for here, but grinding already isn't very fun in a normal RPG where you have faster battles, and it's even less fun in a much slower strategy game like this. Even the world map itself is a really weird and not very fun design choice, as it makes it weirdly easy to just not know where you're supposed to go next (whether you just don't know or were only told once and won't be told again, much like Shining Wisdom would also have), which is a very strange problem to have in a strategy RPG.

Encounter and map design overall is a pretty mixed bag, and overall feel a bit weaker than the first game had it. There are a good handful of gimmick maps which range from needlessly annoying (such as the few dark maps in caves, where it isn't fog of war, it's just that you can only see a small amount of the map via your cursor, so nothing is actually hidden, it's just hard to see) to absurdly hard out of nowhere (like the super hard and story-wise quite insignificant chess board map), and I found those to almost universally be the weakest and least fun maps in the game. Maps like the dark maps also gave me an appreciation for how many other strategy games have a strong "Blue Vs. Red" color scheme between allied and enemy units. There are no such color distinctions in Shining Force, and if you're scrolling around in a dark map or even in a normal map, it can be pretty easy to not even realize there's an enemy in the middle of your front line because they had their turn so long ago and they blend in with other units so well.

As far as improvements to the first game go, the one that's easiest to point out is that the UI is far better streamlined and nowhere near as much of a pain to deal with. Menus could still use a bit more delay before confirmations, as it's really far to easy to select the wrong thing and be sorting through menus for ages (and it's also really frustrating that moving your unit, especially a magic user, to a spot still default the cursor to "end turn" instead of an attacking option), but overall it makes the general play a lot less painful than the first game had it. Another nice change from the first game is the enemy AI being nowhere near as likely to get stuck in a routine and simply never attack you. AI is far smarter and actually feels like its trying to kill you most of time, but even then you still have the common occasion of an enemy obviously picking the wrong attack to hit you with (like a caster pinging you for 1 damage instead of using a big AOE spell) or just standing there and getting beaten up for no reason.

The presentation is once again very nice. It's a really pretty Genesis game, with very well detailed monster sprites and character portraits that are also very nice looking. The music is also quite good, so the presentation (aside from the poorer localization) is once again a more easy point in the favor of a Shining Force game.

Verdict: Hesitantly Recommended. Though I'd heard a fair bit about Shining Force 2 (and I went into it knowing I probably also wouldn't like it very much), I not only have a hard time recommending it but also don't really think it's all that much better than the first game. The first game's map design and difficulty balancing also had its problems, but I overall prefer it a fair deal to this game, especially with the better localization. If you liked Shining Force 1, you'll almost certainly also like this, but Shining Force 2 will in no way sway anyone who wasn't sold on the first game.

If Legacy of Great Intention had its merits in its simplicity, Shining Force II does everything to top the original. It looks much more polished, sprites and battle animations are simply gorgeous, it has a better UI, it sounds incredibly well for Genesis standards and the world is much more expanded, with loads of secrets and a greater focus on exploration thanks to the world map being as wide as it is. There'll be mostly two big continents you'll explore and time and time again you'll be able to revisit villages and places, something the original couldn't in part because of its more linear approach to storytelling.

Alas, the game is wide and offers more content. If Shining Force I had a great chemistry between map design and encounters, Shining Force II offers 40 different scripted battles, of which you'll probably remember half. Off the top of my head, I remember the infamous Harpy Pool, the Kraken battle really sticks out for difficulty, but then comes the chessboard encounter, the temple fight or the glass panel battle right before the end. Everything else doesn't feel as memorable simply because they feel like random encounters; you'll walk through the map and then the screen will flash, just for a battle with demons to begin. Some battles do repeat themselves as well, going back to places in the overworld means that the half an hour encounters may just trigger again and again over stacks of woods and grass. Whenever that happened I would just sigh, save the game and let future me handle the fight with a fresher mind and perspective.

I would love to give more credit to this game, because it's got good looks and great performance, but it feels just less interesting than the original due to the flaws compounding what feels like half the game. The greatest flaw for me though might just be the script and the story: while the original was innocuous enough with its simple premise and conversation pieces, the sequel (which by the way doesn't connect to the original if not in passing dialogue) just. doesn't. stop. ever. talking. Characters expose, give you crap, directions and it's just a mindless amount of walking around a dispersing world, with random encounters by the way, and most just ... flies right over my head. It doesn't need to be this painful, generic as it is, even if it's just a fetch quest let it be so without over exposing and mindlessly filling the game with dialogue or characters that would seem important but then never appear again. Take the starting team, Sara, Chester and Jaha. For a good two hours the trio talks and helps the player immersing, but once the game kicks off for real they NEVER talk, again, like until the very end. Oh and what a peculiar thing the ending is. No spoilers, but let's just say that people love this game for the gameplay and not the riveting conclusion.

So what gives? I like Shining Force II a lot, it might just be Shining Force but better. I think the first game is more nuanced in some aspects and straightforward in others, offering a similar experience but half the struggle. It is a personal preference, so let it be known that I have no intention of dying on this hill. And who knows, maybe I'll change perspective once I'm done with the classic Camelot games. I have some games I want to play through like Shining the Holy Ark and Beyond the Beyond before playing the third installment of Shining Force. That's a long queue of games, but this approach is what is making me appreciate a lot more the Golden Sun series, and in retrospective this hobby of mine. I also am clinically obligated to play SRPGs.

Please don't look up the ending to this game. Even with context it's painful. Half the people in here haven't said a word since fifty hours prior. Thank you for reading and have a good night.

One of the best SRPG's ever made, Shining Force II takes an "it's not broke" approach to the core strategic battles from the first game, and greatly expands everything else. Unlike the SF1, there's a substantial overworld to explore, to support a greatly expanded story and cast of characters. The overworld, and towns in particular, are packed with secrets to find, including party characters and entire hidden battles.

The playable roster is enormous, ensuring you can choose a wide array of combinations, all of which will affect strategy greatly. Personally, I like a balanced party with a couple of archers, mages and healers supporting the bruisers up front. But even with that as the approach, there's a bunch of characters to pick from.

Every battle is unique and well designed, but the one that left a huge impression on me is the chess battle. You'll know it when it happens. Just brilliant game design and story telling focused into a unique, challenging and memorable battle.

There are a few odd story beats - some characters seem important early and then then stop contributing to the story entirely suddenly - and I wish the battle music didn't restart every time we cut to a character clash in battle. Other than that? I think this is a perfect SRPG and still a high water mark for the genre.

I love Shining Force because it's so different to Fire Emblem, but has the same addicting gameplay loop that made SPRG my favorite subgenre. I love the old , more straightforward FE titles the most, and Shining Force excels in that kind of gameplay, like a less serious but more creative, cozier and simpler brother. You can retreat battles when you want, there is no permadeath, and every class just promotes when you want them to without annoying gimmicks. Exploring towns and traveling are very rare things in these kind of games, so i treasure them here.

I would sell my soul for a gba like remake with the same graphic overhaul and bits that enriches the story (and trim the filler stuff down a bit in this case) like they did with the first game. But sadly that ship has sailed. Still really enjoyed what i got, and i can't wait to finally play the 3rth game one of these days.

SF2 offers a lesson in the impact of small design decisions. Mechanically, this game is identical to its predecessor; however, the developers nudged up the speed of the messages and battle animations (and allow the player to speed them up a little more by holding down a button) and this makes a world of difference for the game’s playability. Improved balancing and boss encounters also help. The only thing that felt like a step backwards was the humor, or relative lack thereof. This one has a frank quality to its translation that’s amusingly endearing, but I just didn’t find myself chuckling aloud frequently the way I did with the first

The sequel to Shining Force that improves upon the original in most ways, save for the balance that's still awful, but in a different sense.
Shining Force II's greatest strength is its variety. I think the game starts out slower than the first entry, but it's also longer overall. Some sections are very memorable and even contain enemies, tile sets and mechanics that don't show up anywhere else during the main campaign, that shows commitment to keeping things fresh.
Just as its predecessor, the game is divided into battles and regular RPG sections where you walk around towns and talk to NPCs. This breaths life into the world, which is a bit generic, but so are most strategy game settings anyway. At least the centaur knights are a cool idea.
I said earlier that the balance was still awful, and that's true, but this time instead of newer characters replacing old ones the opposite happens and early game characters tend to be superior because the player can promote them later and marginal productivity differences translate into larger gains in the long term. However, this is somewhat compensated by the introduction of new classes and promotions, it's not just knights this time around.
The presentation is also as good as ever, particularly the music. The only exception is the story which wasn't very good in the first entry either. Despite this I like how your party members (aka the titular Shining Force) have more of a personality this time around, it makes them more memorable.
Overall, I really like Shining Force II, about as much as the original and that's one of my favorite games ever. I realize I'm horribly biased too, but what can you do?

Picking up this title fresh in 2022 and coming to it without all the nostaligia. Wow, I had a very enjoyable experience in this medieval fantasy setting Strategy JRPG. You can easily see how this game laid the foundation for many others that would come in the genre.

Cons: You're getting quality-of-life features from the early 90's here so there's no real way of avoiding that. The mithril blacksmith RNG is an unnecessary slog and when traversing the overworld map I felt like I didn't really know when I would re-trigger a previously completed battle.

Pros: None of these cons ever seem to stop you from enjoying the full experience this game offers. The final sequence of back-to-back battles is certainly a challenge, and you're rewarded with a great ending sequence. Features a really fun and unique cast of characters. Really engaging story that kept me wanting more and more.

4/5

Objectively, I'd say this is a better game than the first. It has a larger roster of characters to choose from, and some interesting choices to make regarding their progression. It's also a slightly more complicated story (but only slightly), and it offers a little more exploration, compared to how linear its predecessor is. It has some interesting battles, with a few unique elements for some of the special bosses, and like its predecessor, a very cool OST. All that being said, I think I personally enjoy the simplicity of the original Shining Force a little more. This is definitely a case of improving on what came before, but it really just comes down to personal preference!

The original Shining Force was a solid start, but as expected, this game improves upon it in just about every way. There are a number of quality-of-life improvements that are a huge step up from the original (you no longer have to open a menu to speak to NPCs or open a chest but can just press a single interact button, wow!) and the battles have been sped up. You also get a big overworld to explore, which increasingly opens up throughout the story, rather than being shepherded from one isolated area to the next in a chapter-based structure like the first. The only problem here is that revisiting old areas can sometimes trigger re-fights of battles, and that grind is not something you want or need in a game like this.

On top of that, the artistic aspects are (mostly) better, with the sprite art being even more charming and full of personality (you'll especially be wowed by the transformations some of the characters go through upon promotion), and the story being far more involved. It's still a pretty basic fantasy plot, and not everything pays off super well, but it's a lot less straightforward than the original, with more involvement and input from various characters. The story of a group of people driven away from their homeland and having to settle elsewhere is easy to empathize with, and the characters grow on you, from your legendary bird pal Peter (who is called "Ash" in the manual for some reason and is a MONSTER in battle), to your gruff but kind mentor Astral. I'm not sure if it was just awkward and unintentional localization or not, but there were some lines that made me laugh out loud at their unexpected bluntness. My only major problem was the terribly awkward ending (there is another review on this site that goes into detail). The first was so much better in the elegance and power of its finale.

As with the first, the strategy gameplay is sort of slow and archaic, but is still fun, rewarding, and relatively forgiving (in that there is no permadeath and your characters will just keep leveling up the more you fight). I also found less of a problem with characters seeming non-viable upon recruitment than the first game (with a few exceptions... I never figured out how to make Slade NOT suck, which is a shame because I really wanted to use the rat man). I played on the hard difficulty, which is actually the third most difficult (with there being two more above that - Super and "Ouch!"), and noticed a few difficulty spikes in an otherwise smooth experience. The chess battle was one of these, but also a high point of the game which forced me to think harder than usual and made some things click about the strategy of this game that I hadn't considered before. The first two Shining Force games rely heavily on positioning and moving your group as a unit- anyone sent out too far on their own can be easily punished. While it can take patience, moving your group as a slower blob and waiting for enemies to come to you, with careful consideration to where in the blob you position your healers and distance-fighters, is often the smarter approach.

Overall, this is a game I would recommend to those who want a comfy old-school RPG. Try the first if you're extra-patient and tolerant of archaic menuing, but if you don't think that describes you, come straight here. There's a lot of charm and, while the climactic act kinda stretched on for a bit too long, for the most part the game doesn't overstay its welcome.

Also the main town song SLAPS

A turn-based tactical rpg that is divided into two phases: an exploration phase and a battle phase. In the exploration phase we will be able to talk to villagers, buy weapons, unearth secret items and more. Instead, we will spend most of the game fighting demons and monsters in turn-based battles. In the battle we will lead each team member and decide their movement. The maximum number of members you can have on your team in each battle is 12. Each character can perform one movement action, and one basic action such as attacking or using an object. Like any self-respecting role-playing game, each character will level up and increase their characteristics. From level 20 onward you can go to a church where you can promote the character to another class, thus improving his or her characteristics. For some characters, hidden within the world, you can find items that will be used to promote them to a different class than the standard one. The biggest flaw in the game for me is in some battles in which we will not keep a character who will be guided by the computer. In those battles he kills all the enemies taking all the experience points and not allowing others to level up.

It actually feels a bit weird to be doing a writeup about Shining Force 2. What can I say? It's my favorite video game, and it's easily the most influential game to me as someone who likes video games.

I had Sega Channel as a kid. I know, that makes me one of like, a dozen kids in the whole country who had it hahah. But I did, and I loved it to death. And every month when there were new games, I would check everything out. And lo and behold, I checked out this lovely gem hidden away in the RPG "folder" of Sega Channel.

Before SF2, I didn't know games could be like this. I didn't know that games could really have stories. I didn't know games could be this huge. I didn't know that games could have things like this in them.

SF2 just utterly and completely defined with a "Good" video game meant to me.

I love it with all my heart.