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
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