Shining Force III facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shining Force III |
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| Developer(s) | Sonic! Software Planning Camelot Software Planning |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | Yasuhiro Taguchi |
| Producer(s) | Hiroyuki Takahashi |
| Designer(s) | Hiroyuki Takahashi Shugo Takahashi |
| Writer(s) | Hiroyuki Takahashi |
| Composer(s) | Motoi Sakuraba |
| Series | Shining |
| Platform(s) | Saturn |
| Release date(s) | Scenario 1
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| Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Shining Force III is a fun tactical role-playing game made for the Sega Saturn console. It's a game where you lead a team of heroes in turn-based battles.
In Japan, Shining Force III was released in three separate parts. These were called Scenario 1, Scenario 2, and Scenario 3. Each part came out at a different time in 1997 and 1998. What's cool is that you could save your game data and use it in the next scenario. This meant your choices and characters could affect the later parts of the story! Each scenario told the story from a different character's point of view, but they all happened in the same game world.
For players in North America and Europe, only the first part, Scenario 1, was translated into English. It was simply called Shining Force III when it came out in 1998.
This game was the last in the popular Shining series to be made by Camelot Software Planning. It was also the last Shining game made for Sega's own game consoles. Even though it sold a bit less because it came out late in the Sega Saturn's life, people generally really liked the game. The other two scenarios were never officially released outside Japan, but fans later translated them so more people could play the full story!
Contents
How to Play Shining Force III
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Shining Force III is a turn-based tactical role-playing game. This means battles happen on a grid, like a chessboard. You take turns moving your characters and attacking enemies.
- Moving and Acting: Each character can move a certain number of squares on the battlefield. After moving, they can do one action. This could be attacking an enemy, using a magic spell, or using an item. Some simple things, like changing equipment, don't count as an action.
- Turn Order: Who goes first in battle depends on how agile your characters are.
- Getting Stronger: Your characters get stronger by fighting enemies or helping allies. When they do these things, they earn experience points (EXP). Earning enough EXP helps them gain levels.
- Character Classes: Each character has a special class, like a Knight or a Mage. This class decides what skills, spells, and equipment they can use.
- Promoting Characters: When a character reaches level 10 or higher, you can promote them to a new, stronger class. Their level will reset to 1, but their stats will be better than before!
Winning and Losing Battles
The goals in battle are usually simple:
- Defeat all enemies.
- Defeat the enemy leader.
- Reach a specific town or landmark.
You lose a battle if your leader character is defeated. In Scenario 1, your leader is Synbios. In Scenario 2, it's Prince Medion. In Scenario 3, it's Julian. If your leader falls, you lose half your money. But don't worry, there's no "game over"! You can try the battle again, and your characters keep any experience they earned, even if you lost. This means your team gets stronger even if they are defeated.
Friendship and Exploration
- Friendship System: When characters fight together often, they become better friends. This makes them stronger in battle when they are close to each other.
- Exploring the World: Outside of battles, you can explore towns and areas. This is like a traditional role-playing game. You can walk around, talk to people, find treasure, and buy new equipment for your team. You also choose which characters will join you in battle.
The Story of Shining Force III
The story of Shining Force III is big and exciting, told from three different viewpoints.
Scenario 1: Synbios's Journey
Scenario 1 follows a young lord named Synbios from a place called Aspinia. Aspinia used to be part of the Destonia Empire, but they broke away because they didn't like the Emperor's unfair rules. There was still tension between Aspinia and Destonia.
The game starts with Synbios at a peace meeting. But soon, a mysterious group called the "Bulzome Sect" causes trouble. They trick Aspinia and Destonia into fighting a full-scale war again! Synbios and his team fight against the Bulzome Sect. During his journey, Synbios meets Medion, a young prince from Destonia. Even though they are on opposite sides of the war, they both realize something bigger is going on. They work together to find the real enemy.
Scenario 2: Prince Medion's Quest
Scenario 2 tells the story from the perspective of Medion, the youngest prince of Destonia. He is loyal to his father, Emperor Domaric, but he also feels that something is wrong. He attends the peace conference with his brothers.
Medion discovers that the Bulzome Sect is behind many of the problems. He also finds out that some groups within both Aspinia and Destonia are secretly working with the sect. Medion often helps Synbios by dealing with rogue Aspinian groups. This way, Synbios doesn't have to fight his own people. Near the end of this story, Medion's forces even have to battle Synbios's team briefly when Julian steps in.
Scenario 3: Julian's Adventure
Scenario 3 focuses on Julian, a mercenary who appears in both previous scenarios. He is actually the main hero of the entire Shining Force III story. At first, Julian is trying to find and defeat Galm. Galm is a very powerful being from an ancient race called the Vandals. Julian believes Galm killed his father and wants revenge.
Julian joins Synbios in Scenario 1. After a fight with Galm, Julian is thought to be dead. But he reappears in Scenario 2, joining Medion's army. He knows the Bulzome Sect is connected to the Vandals. Julian then takes on the important job of protecting a child named Gracia. Gracia is meant to become a powerful, god-like being called an Innovator. Julian helps Gracia reach his destiny.
Finally, Julian leads a huge team made up of both Synbios's and Medion's armies. They face off against Bulzome, a powerful Vandal who has been trapped in another dimension. Bulzome is the true mastermind behind all the conflict in the world.
How the Game Was Made
The game was first announced in August 1997. Over thirty people worked on it at Camelot Software Planning. In Japan, players who bought all three scenarios could get a special "Premium Disk." This disk had cool concept art, a way to view character models, and extra battles you could play using your saved game data.
As mentioned, only Scenario 1 was released outside Japan. It was called Shining Force III and had some small changes to its story to make it feel more complete. Sadly, Scenario 2 and Scenario 3 were never officially released in other countries.
