Developer: Sonic Software Planning Publisher: Working Designs Release: 06/27/96 Genre: Action RPG
Sega continually knocks it out of the park with the Shining Force tactical Rpgs. However every time they stray from that genre we end up with mixed results. For every Shining the Holy Ark and Shining in the Darkness there are numerous turkeys like Shining Force Neo that are less than stellar. One of their earliest attempts at experimenting with genres was Shining Wisdom. It has its flaws that mostly stem from the move to another platform but is still charming enough to be worth playing in the end. But it could have been better.
Sir Giles is the legendary hero who once saved the kingdom of Odegan long ago. With his passing his son Mars now trains to be a knight. When the Princess Satera is kidnapped by the Dark Elf Pazort to summon a demon to destroy the world Mars now has his chance to follow in his father’s footsteps.
The story is simple and charming thanks to the localization. Although the cast of characters is small they exhibit a lot of personality. Story wise Shining Wisdom takes place many years after Shining Force 2 and makes many references to prior games. Unfortunately these connections are not evident as Sega would not let Working Designs reference anything in the games localization. It is an odd choice and one that hurts the game a little. Character personalities have also been changed and not always for the better. Oddly enough Sega of Europe handled the European localization and as such is closer to the Japanese original.
Shining Wisdom began life as a late generation Sega Genesis title. You can see this in its visuals which are less than impressive. But this fact is incredibly evident in the game’s interface. The game only uses three buttons, more than likely as a remnant of its Genesis roots. The problem is it is unwieldy. You build up a large volume of items and equipment and all of these are used with the C button. Switching items to attack or solve puzzles happens every few seconds and grows annoying fast. All of the other buttons are relegated for the inane dashing method which is stupid.. Even allowing you to cycle items with L + R would have gone a long way toward making the game more playable. This is the game’s biggest missed opportunity and hurts it tremendously.
It is very obvious that Shining Wisdom follows the Zelda mold. You do not gain experience with your only stat growth (HP) coming from blue crystals. Enemies only drop gold, herbs, or orbs to replenish health. This largely makes combat not worth it, especially since enemies respawn seconds after you leave the screen. It is a shame as combat becomes fun later in the game when you earn elemental orbs and combine them with your items for varying effects. If you did not have to fidget with the stupid UI it would be even better.
By and large Shining Wisdom excels when it comes to puzzle solving. Although it is similar to Zelda the design of its caves and dungeons are different. Levels do not follow the strict room by room structure of that game and favor wide open expanses. Puzzles stretch across multiple floors in different ways that are at times brilliant. As your equipment expands the game can be quite clever in how it asks you to use your abilities, from freezing bombs to carry them long distances to using the blaze orb + magic gloves to burn distant objects. Outside of a few dungeons none are all that long. However they can take a while because the game can be obtuse in its solutions. You receive few hints unfortunately and will probably have to consult a faq multiple times.
The controls are definitely off putting but manageable. If you can deal with that and the game’s slow opening than Shining Wisdom is a treat. Once it gets going it barely slows down, sending you to new areas and earning cool new equipment at a brisk clip. Almost the entire map is open from the start but obviously certain areas require specific gear. The world map is full of secrets that are practically begging for discovery later once you have the appropriate items. It is also a little non-linear for large stretches. While there are a lot of dungeons overall the game falls on the short side. There are a few optional areas but they are not major. Thankfully the main quest is fulfilling on its own.
In Closing
It has its flaws but Shining Wisdom is still worth playing in my opinion. The gameplay and story make up for the annoying deficiencies in its interface. And to be honest it is not like Saturn owners have many options for action RPGs. While good it had the potential to be even better.
