Shining Force like games

Cafe Society
1

Hello all,

I’m not quite sure if I posted this in the right forum - if not, please move

I’m looking for turn-based RPGs like Shining Force for either PSone or PC…I don’t care for anything with robots/aliens/etc/etc. More looking for monsters/dragons/etc

They have top be truly turn-based though (Final Fantasy is not what I’m looking for)…please can someone help me?

Thanks,

2

I remember Shining in the Darkness. Assuming you have the original Genesis tapes, I would advise you to find an emulator, and play the old games.

That being said, no current games spring to mind. http://www.firingsquad.com/games/tbgameseditorial/
explains why.

3

I once played a game called “FEDA” which was said to be like the Shining force games as far as gameplay went.

I got through 3 chapters and then stopped playing for good when some of my best characters got sick of my “violent ways” and left the group all of a sudden.

I never quite understood that, since we were only killing armed bad guys.

4

This happens to be one of the game genres I enjoy the most. I’ll assume you’re asking about strategy RPGs, where you have to position your characters on a map to attack, and they’re affected by terrain, height, facing, and the like; in addition, they get stronger after successful battles. If you were interested in a different aspect of Shining Force, I’ll revise these recommendations.

PSOne games:
Vandal Hearts reminds me the most of Shining Force of all of these. It’s very early PSOne, and not as complex as many of the others, but has a great feeling of quick action, and it’s a great feeling when you set things up right. The combat system is rock-paper-scissors by unit type- magic beats armor beats sword, and so on. You have an army of up to twelve, and you field them all at once.

I recommend Kartia to anyone who enjoys the genre; I think it’s one of the overlooked gems. You control up to five humans dictated by the story, who summon up to ten monsters; if any human dies you lose, and if any monster dies you lose it for good and have to resummon one. Magic and items come from the same resource you use to summon monsters, and magic can alter the terrain, incuding raising and lowering it in unusual patterns. The monsters can be summoned as either rock, paper, or scissors, (common beats doll beats shadow) independently of their type and strength; humans are neutral.

Saiyuki was a very late-era PSOne game, based on the legend of the same Goku as in the Dragon Ball anime. Besides that it shares very little similarity with the series. All of your characters can transform into various animal spirits. Beyond that, though, I’ve forgotten most of the details except that the game was very good.

Other possibilities to look into if none of these sound appealing:
Final Fantasy Tactics (frustrating difficulty)
Front Mission 3 (sci-fi setting)
Vandal Hearts 2 (unusual turn structure)
Tactics Ogre (overly complicated)

PC games:

Vantage Master might be worth a shot. There’s no character advancement, and it is hard. The price is right though, if nothing else.

Here are some other PC options. (I love both of these games dearly, but they don’t sound like exactly what you’re asking for. You’re probably best sticking with the PSOne.)
Jagged Alliance 2 (modern setting)
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (more strategic than tactical)

5

Fire Emblem (there are two for the GBA)

Final Fantasy Tactics (PS)
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (GBA)

  • these two don’t play like the other FFs and are truly turn-based, so don’t be leery of the name.

La Pucalle Tactics (PS2)
Disgaea (PS2)
Phantom Brave (PS2)

  • These three are all made by the same company (Nippon Ichi) and there are obvious similarities. These feature ridiculous overpowering (max level in Disgaea is 9,999 or so I hear) and optional randomly instanced dungeon worlds for the powergamer’s dream.
6

I think that article primarily applies to PC games. Even so, since it’s come out I’ve enjoyed Wizardry 8, Silent Storm, Jagged Alliance 2, Heroes of Might and Magic 4, Civilization 3, Galactic Civilizations, Disciples 2, and many other turn-based PC games. Not mainstream games, perhaps, but certainly not no-production-values shareware either. The market may or may not be dry, especially given PC gaming’s paltry 5% share of sales these days, but the games continue coming out.

And it’s completely inapplicable when it comes to console RPGs. In this case, I can actually go through mainstream games: Final Fantasy X, Paper Mario 2, Xenosaga, Chrono Cross, Shadow Hearts 2, Disgaea, Gladius, and many more.

7

Thank you all for the recommendations…

I’ll check out the games mentioned.

8

:frowning: I hate this thread. It makes me think of al the games I want to have but don’t own!