Sega Nerds

Review: Shining Force EXA

by Chris on April 2nd, 2007

The Shining Force series is one of my most beloved RPG franchises ever. I loved the turn-based strategy, the vibrant colors and interesting characters (talking animals anyone?) that had been a long-time series’ staple.

But for some reason, Sega thought it would be wise to transform the series into more of a real-time, hack ‘n slash RPG with Shining Force Wisdom, Shining Soul and Shining Force NEO.

It seems as if Sega thought the formula in Shining Force NEO was pretty good, because EXA is basically the same exact game with the addition of new characters, storyline and a few new gameplay elements.

But does Shining Force NEO EXA distance itself enough from its predecessor to warrant your purchase?

Whoa, deja vu anyone?
Like I said before, EXA is extremely similar to Shining Force NEO. The game engine is the same, the combat system is identical, the character art hasn’t changed and even some of the music has been recycled for the sequel.

At first look, most people may be put off by EXA’s extreme similarities to NEO. However, I think this problem may stem from how the RPG genre has evolved when compared to other video game genres.

If you look at fighting, sports or even most action games, little is usually changed from sequel to sequel. And the funny thing is, most gamers are okay with this. But we’ve been spoiled by the Squares, Konamis and Segas of the world. They have generally done a really excellent job at offering entirely new gameplay elements and universes in most of their games.

But having said that, I do find it a bit disappointing that Sega has relied so heavily on what it has already made in the past. Gamers have said Sega is generally a lazy developer, and I usually disagree with them, but it’s hard to argue with that sentiment here.

However, the saving grace here is everything works pretty darn well. The combat is fast-paced and fun, jumping into a group of a dozen enemies with a huge-ass sword is pretty gratifying, and the bright colors continue the series’ traditional look and feel. The voice acting is done very well, too.

Once upon a time …
But even if the gameplay, graphics, battle system and music are virtually the same as the previous game, the most important aspect of an RPG is the storyline, right? Well, like I said before, there are good things and bad things here, too.

The story kicks off with a young lad named Toma accompanied by a centaur named Gadfort and Cyrille, a female magician, all whom are seeking the legendary Shining Force sword that will give the bearer unparalleled powers. After finding the sword stuck in stone, each of the heroes takes their turn attempting to pull it out.

As luck would have it, neither Gadfort or Cyrille are successful, and Toma pulls the sword out and becomes the legendary heritor of the sword. But the surprise doesn’t end there. Soon after, the cave begins to crumble, and a giant fortress is unearthed.

This fortress, called the Geo-Fortress, is basically a huge warmachine complete with robots and a talking dog that’s the caretaker of sorts.

From here, Toma and the gang meet up with a few other characters, but the crux of the storyline is a battle between Ragnadaarm III, who is the ruler of the Northworld Empire, and Liemcyan La Verse, a demon who is the chief of the Magus (magic users). Both rulers are vying to have the heritor and the Geo-Fortress on their side so they can conquer the other.

While the storyline is pretty interesting and moves quickly enough, the big blunder here is Sega somehow forgot to actually develop its characters. It took roughly eight hours of gameplay before I actually found out anything about Toma’s past. Often while playing, I asked myself why these characters were trying to find the Shining Force or how they fit into the story, but it just was never addressed.

There are ways to find out more about the characters, but you have to actively seek them out in their living quarters. Little to nothing is revealed through the course of the game for a long time, and that’s a shame, too, because the characters seem like they could be likeable.

We built this city …
Sega’s big addition to EXA was the Geo-Fortress, which I’ve previously mentioned. It’s a pretty interesting element in the game, because you can go out to find upgrades like cannons or create defensive or attacking robots through finding core metal.

Through the course of the main game, you will be notified that your fortress is under attack and the remaining members of your group who aren’t with you are left to defend it. At first, it’s a pretty fun break from the main storyline and it allows you to fight hordes of enemies while defending a certain part of the fortress.

But before too long, it starts to become burdonsome because you actually want to advance the storyline and you realize the Geo-Fortress battles do little more than level up your remaining characters.

After awhile I was able to actually predict the flow of the game. It goes a little something like this:

• Cutscene that introduces a new turn in the storyline;
• Toma or Cyrille leave the Geo-Fortress to accomplish this new task;
• During the mid-way point of the mission, your Geo-Fortress is attacked;
• After defending the fortress, the rest of the storyline is unlocked to finish;
• Toma returns to the Geo-Fortress for a new cutscene; and
• Rinse, repeat.

Yeah, that’s pretty much how the entire game flows.

Are you finished complaining yet?
Not quite. Here’s a list other things that annoyed me.

• You can’t change your supporting character’s equipment;
• Item advancement is very slow;
• Merchants usually don’t offer any improved weapons or armor;
• Healing potions are sometimes hard to come by; and
• When the battle starts heating up, there can be some noticable slowdown.

Geez, you like to complain quite a bit, eh?
Whoa, there, buddy. I never said I didn’t like the game. In fact, I’m having a lot of fun. The art style is really well done, the cutscenes are gorgeous, and I really dig that items are actually shown on your character during battle. It adds a bit to the realism. Oh yeah, clicking the R3 button will warp you back to the Geo-Fortress, which makes it very convenient when you need to travel back for supplies.

Overall, Shining Force EXA is a pretty decent game with some noticable flaws that distract from the experience, but the most important thing is it’s a fun game. I don’t think it will hold up very well when compared to the likes of Final Fantasy XII and other series heavyweights, but if you’re aching for a fun, action-packed romp through the Shining Force universe, you won’t go wrong here.

7/10

Tags: Shining Force

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POSTED IN: Chris, News, Review, Sony PlayStation 2