We are still waiting on a suitable Amiga AGA emulator with robust recording features before tackling such games.
Shining Force III Scenario 3: Hyouheki no Jashinguu (Fan Translation)
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Player's Review
Shining Force III Scenario 3: Hyouheki no Jashinguu ( lit.: " Evil Shrine of Ice Wall" ) is a turn-based tactical role-playing game released for the Sega Saturn on September 23, 1998. In Japan, Shining Force III was an episodic video game with three discs - Scenario 1, Scenario 2, and Scenario 3 - released individually across late 1997 and 1998, followed by the Premium Disc. Each scenario utilizes the same core gameplay mechanics, but follows a different character's perspective of the overarching narrative in a shared game world. In North America and Europe, only the first entry, Scenario 1, was translated into English, and was simply titled Shining Force III for its release in mid-1998.
The title was the last in the long-running Shining series to be developed by Camelot Software Planning, and the last to be developed for Sega hardware, as the series would go on a hiatus until the early-2000s after Sega's exit from the hardware industry. While the ending of Scenario 3 clearly suggests a continuation of the same plot, none of the consequent titles can be considered a sequel to Shining Force III.
At times I feel like the first scenario teaches players about poverty and greed through gameplay. The way you are always short on money for most of the game, and then by the end have so much treasure that you can't possibly use all of it has to be intentional, especially considering the fact that poverty and unfair distribution of material goods are major themes of discussion in the dialogues of Scenario 1. And of course, the optimal gameplay plan is to not hoard treasure but to share it with the other force from Scenario 3. Scenario 2, on the other hand, seems to teach players about inequality, which is fitting, since it is told from the perspective of the Destonian Empire, which follows a strict feudal hierarchy, while the gameplay forces you to prioritize levelling only the most useful characters, while leaving others behind. And finally, the third scenario seems to be about virtue, faith and moral values on which a just society could be built, with the three forces combining at the end to defeat evil which seeks to end human civilization by engendering war.
In this longplay, I complete the game in New Game+ mode. About 31 hours were spent grinding before the final battle, while trying to show as many special moves, spells and items as possible. None of the three scenarios are balanced for higher difficulty levels, which is especially evident during battles where you need to save CPU-controlled characters in order to recruit them. As usual, many alternative or extra scenes are at the end of the video.
Translation for the post-credits scene:
E: Well done, Galm.
G: What are you talking about?
E: Quit acting innocent.
Galm: ...
E: To eliminate the eyesore Bulzome, you guided that Enrich boy's fate onto the track you laid. You even aided the Expedition, didn't you?
G: If I say that's true, what are you really trying to say?
E: You really are the most powerful, the most vicious, Vandal of all Vandals.
The title was the last in the long-running Shining series to be developed by Camelot Software Planning, and the last to be developed for Sega hardware, as the series would go on a hiatus until the early-2000s after Sega's exit from the hardware industry. While the ending of Scenario 3 clearly suggests a continuation of the same plot, none of the consequent titles can be considered a sequel to Shining Force III.
At times I feel like the first scenario teaches players about poverty and greed through gameplay. The way you are always short on money for most of the game, and then by the end have so much treasure that you can't possibly use all of it has to be intentional, especially considering the fact that poverty and unfair distribution of material goods are major themes of discussion in the dialogues of Scenario 1. And of course, the optimal gameplay plan is to not hoard treasure but to share it with the other force from Scenario 3. Scenario 2, on the other hand, seems to teach players about inequality, which is fitting, since it is told from the perspective of the Destonian Empire, which follows a strict feudal hierarchy, while the gameplay forces you to prioritize levelling only the most useful characters, while leaving others behind. And finally, the third scenario seems to be about virtue, faith and moral values on which a just society could be built, with the three forces combining at the end to defeat evil which seeks to end human civilization by engendering war.
In this longplay, I complete the game in New Game+ mode. About 31 hours were spent grinding before the final battle, while trying to show as many special moves, spells and items as possible. None of the three scenarios are balanced for higher difficulty levels, which is especially evident during battles where you need to save CPU-controlled characters in order to recruit them. As usual, many alternative or extra scenes are at the end of the video.
Translation for the post-credits scene:
E: Well done, Galm.
G: What are you talking about?
E: Quit acting innocent.
Galm: ...
E: To eliminate the eyesore Bulzome, you guided that Enrich boy's fate onto the track you laid. You even aided the Expedition, didn't you?
G: If I say that's true, what are you really trying to say?
E: You really are the most powerful, the most vicious, Vandal of all Vandals.
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