Shining Force II

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Shining Force II
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Virtual Console, Steam, Nintendo Switch Online
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sonic! Software Planning Winds (some graphics) M2
Distributor: Ecofilmes (PT) Zegetron (GR) Sega-Ozisoft (AU) Tec Toy (BR) Samsung (KR)
Genre: RPG, Simulation
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1993-10-01 ¥8,8008,800 G-5521 US 1994-10 1315 EU 1994-09 1315-50 PT 1994 MDJ1315 UK 1994-10-28 £49.9949.99 1315-50 GR 199x AU 199x $105.95105.95 FSHI00SMC BR 1994 046510 KR 199x GM93044JG JP ▼ 2008-07-15 700pts700 US ▼ 2008-10-06 800pts800 EU ▼ 2008-10-03 800pts800 AU ▼ 2008-10 800pts800 US ▼ 2011-01-26 $2.992.99 71160 EU ▼ 2011-01-26 €2.492.49 71160 DE ▼ 2011-01-26 €2.492.49 71160 UK ▼ 2011-01-26 £1.991.99 71160 AU ▼ 2011-01-26 $3.493.49 71160 US ▼ 2019-02-01 $0.990.99 71160 EU ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 71160 DE ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 71160 UK ▼ 2019-02-01 £0.790.79 71160 AU ▼ 2019-02-01 $1.351.35 71160 US ▼ 2019-02-01 $0.990.99 71160 EU ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 71160 DE ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 71160 UK ▼ 2019-02-01 £0.790.79 71160 AU ▼ 2019-02-01 $1.351.35 71160 JP ▼ 2022-04-22 SUBsub US ▼ 2022-04-21 SUBsub EU ▼ 2022-04-22 SUBsub UK ▼ 2022-04-22 SUBsub AU ▼ 2022-04-22 SUBsub

Shining Force II, known as Shining Force II: Inishie no Fuuin (シャイニング・フォースII 古えの封印) in Japan, a sequel to Shining Force. It was released in Japan for the Sega Mega Drive in 1993, before seeing overseas releases in the following year. The game has been critically praised, and it is often considered one of the best Sega Mega Drive games.

Despite a multilingual cover and manual in PAL regions, Shining Force II is only thought to have been translated from its original Japanese incarnation into English. The English script, like many RPGs of the era, has many inaccuracies and continuity issues with other Shining games, being said to drastically alter plots from Shining in the Darkness and Shining Force in the process.

Story

Introduction

In a shrine south of Granseal Castle, a thief named Slade unwittingly breaks the power of a magic seal by stealing the jewels of Light and Darkness; this unseals the demon king Zeon trapped therein. The following day, King Granseal falls sick when he is attacked by an unknown creature. Sir Astral, the court's adviser, along with his apprentices, Bowie the squire, Sarah the healer and Chester the knight, investigate these events at the castle. They find that the door to the Tower of Ancients has been unlocked and stands open.

Greeting their arrival in the tower are devils named "Gizmos" springing forth to attack, though their ultimate intentions are unknown. Upon their defeat, the Gizmo that appears to be the leader flees. It is discovered thereafter to have possessed King Granseal. Sir Astral and the nascent Shining Force visit the king, finding him possessed. Sir Astral exorcises the demon, which promptly flees. The Minister, in place of King Granseal who is looking over a fainted Astral, then orders the slaying of the Gizmo by a platoon of Granseal's soldiers. The Gizmo subsequently possesses the king of the neighboring kingdom of Galam. Bowie and his friends are captured by the Galam military: while in their dungeon, they meet the thief, Slade. When the party breaks out, Slade helps Bowie retrieve the Jewel of Light and accompanies his party back to Granseal, which has been invaded by Galam forces. They find the possessed King Galam inside the Ancient Tower, who has taken Princess Elis as a hostage. In the ensuing battle, Bowie wrests the Jewel of Darkness from him, but he is unable to rescue Elis, and the ground around the Ancient Tower collapses.

With the island is now being ravaged by earthquakes, entire population decide to evacuate the island and escape to the continent of Parmecia, to rebuild their kingdom and hopefully, one day take the Granseal Island back and rescue the Princess. One year later, New Granseal is visited by Peter, a phoenix and a servant of the God Volcanon. Believing that Volcanon can help them take their island back, Sir Astral orders Bowie and others to visit Volcanon and seek his help. Bowie and friends must now travel across Parmecia to gather allies, solve the riddle of the Jewels, obtain the Force Sword, and seal away Zeon once more.

Gameplay

Battle map and scene

Shining Force II is a tactical role-playing game. The game is longer than its predecessor and more free-roaming, with no chapter system, so the player can return to previously visited parts of the world. The player assumes the role of the Shining Force leader, Bowie, and plays a series of turn-based tactical battles. Battles take place on a square grid, and each unit occupies a single square. Battles are turn-based. Each turn, a character can move a fixed amount of squares along the battlefield, determined by its Movement statistic, and perform one action: either attack, cast a spell, or use an item. Some commands, such as equipping or dropping an item during the turn, do not count as actions. The order of turns is determined by the unit's Agility score and a random seed. Characters gain experience points from attacking, using magical abilities, and defeating foes, which allow them to gain levels that increase their statistics and sometimes grant them new abilities. Defeated enemies also drop gold, which can be used to buy weapons and other items. Units are defeated when they lose all of their hit points. They receive a defensive benefit from the Land Effect of the tile on which they are standing.

When not in combat, the player can explore towns and other locales, talk with people, and set the members and equipment of the army. Each town has a priest that can promote characters once they reach a certain level, resurrect fallen characters, and save the game. Some towns have a headquarters where the player can inspect and talk with allies and decide who joins the battle party. Later, the player obtains a Caravan that acts as a roaming headquarters and can store surplus items. While traveling through town or moving throughout the world, one can find both visible and hidden treasures and interact with certain objects.

Each ally unit is represented by a character with a background and personality. Some of these characters are hidden, requiring specific events to occur before they join the force. Each ally unit also has a class, which defines the abilities for that unit. These abilities range from what type of weapons they can use to what kind of spells they can learn. Units can become stronger by fighting enemies and performing various actions which give them experience points, which allow them to gain levels and improve their statistics. Once a unit reaches level 20, that character has the ability to advance to a more powerful class through promotion. Some characters have two different classes they may be promoted to, one of which is only accessible using a special hidden item. Characters have the following statistics:

• HP: The number of hit points that the character has, which is the amount of damage the character can take from enemies before dying.
• MP: The number of magic points that the character has, which is used for casting spells.
• Attack: The amount of damage that the character deals to enemies.
• Defense: The amount of damage that a character can absorb without losing hit points.
• Agility: The priority in which a unit takes a turn in battle.
• Movement: The number of tiles that a character can move in battle, which is affected by the type of terrain (except for flying units).

Statistics can also be improved through the use of items. The player can assemble an army of at most 12 members; members can be substituted in between battles, with the exception of Bowie, who must be present in every battle.

The battle is won if all enemies are defeated, or if the enemy commander is defeated. If Bowie is defeated in combat or withdraws, the battle is lost and the player is returned to the nearest town, where the player can recover allies and fight the same battle again. The Force keeps any experience that is obtained, regardless of the battle's outcome, but players lose half of their gold if the team leader is defeated.

The player can find pieces of Mithril hidden throughout the game. Near the end of the game, the player can find a dwarven town with a blacksmith who can use the Mithril to forge special weapons. Mithril weapons are more powerful than regular weapons and often have special effects, such as improving secondary statistics or casting a spell when used as an item. The player can also find cursed items, which deal especially high damage but reduce a secondary statistic and have a chance of stunning the character for a turn or doing a small amount of damage to the wielder. Cursed items can only be unequipped by having a priest remove the curse.

Characters

The spell level requirements include the level of the character at promotion. For example, if Bowie is promoted at level 20, he learns Bolt at level 2 after being promoted.

	Bowie
	Race: Human Initial class: Swordsman (SDMN) Promoted class: Hero (HERO)
	Leader of the Shining Force. Bowie is studying with Sarah, Chester, and Jaha under Sir Astal to become a swordsman. He is a well rounded fighter with the second highest movement range. He carries the Jewel of Light and the Jewel of Darkness with him on his neck. He is the only character that can equip the Achilles Sword (the only weapon that can harm Taros) as well as the Levanter and the Force Sword (the most powerful non-cursed swords in the game). Magic spells Spell Level Acquired 1 2 3 4 Egress Initially learned — — — Bolt Level 22 Level 31 Level 42 Level 51
	Sarah
	Race: Elf Initial class: Priest (PRST) Promoted class: Vicar (VICR) Optional promoted class: Master Monk (MMNK)
	One of Bowie's classmates. A young elf who is training to be a Priest. She learns higher levels of the Heal spell before other characters do. She also learns Detox, which allows her to cure allies of status ailments. She can be promoted to a Master Monk with a Vigor Ball, which greatly improves her as a front-line fighting unit. Magic spells Spell Level Acquired 1 2 3 4 Heal Initially learned Level 7 Level 22 Level 40 Detox Level 4 Level 13 Level 33 Level 45 Blast Level 10 Level 16 Level 25 Level 36 Slow Level 19 Level 29 — —
	Chester
	Race: Centaur Initial class: Knight (KNTE) Promoted class: Paladin (PLDN) Optional promoted class: Pegasus Knight (PGNT)
	One of Bowie's classmates. He is a knight with high movement and fair fighting ability. He can be promoted to a Paladin, which improves his defense, or to a Pegasus Knight with the Pegasus Wing, which improves his mobility (but this cannot be done until fairly late in the game).
	Jaha
	Race: Dwarf Initial class: Warrior (WARR) Promoted class: Gladiator (GLDT) Optional promoted class: Baron (BRN)
	One of Bowie's classmates. He is a strong warrior with low movement (which can be mitigated with the Running Pimento or the Running Ring). He can be promoted to a Gladiator or, with a Warrior's Pride, a Baron. The latter increases his movement and allows him to equip swords in addition to axes.
	Kazin
	Race: Elf Initial class: Mage (MAGE) Promoted class: Wizard (WIZ) Optional promoted class: Sorcerer (SORC)
	Pupil of Hawel, a character who would later appear in Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict. He is fairly weak as a Mage or Wizard since he is lacking in offensive spells, but he can be promoted to a Sorcerer with the Secret Book and learns a new set of powerful offensive spells. Mage/Wizard Spell Level Acquired 1 2 3 4 Blaze Initially learned Level 5 Level 22 Level 35 Muddle Level 9 Level 25 — — Dispel Level 13 — — — Desoul Level 18 Level 29 — — Sorcerer Spell Level Acquired 1 2 3 4 Dao Initially learned Level 12 — — Apollo Level 4 Level 17 — — Neptune Level 7 Level 26 — — Atlas Level 21 Level 32 — —
	Slade
	Race: Wererat Initial class: Thief (THIF) Promoted class: Ninja (NINJ)
	Slade is a thief who stole the Jewels of Light and Evil and plunged the world into its current chaos. He wishes to make up for his mistake and joins in the dungeons of the Galam Castle. While he initially can only be equipped with knives, he becomes much more powerful when he is promoted to a Ninja and starts using swords. He has high movement speed and learns two unique magic spells. He is the only character who can equip the Gisarme, which has a chance of cutting an enemy into pieces and inflicting a one-hit kill. Magic spells Spell Level Acquired 1 2 3 4 Katon Level 24 Level 29 Level 45 — Raijin Level 34 Level 39 Level 52 —
	Kiwi
	Race: Tortoise Initial class: Tortoise (TORT) Promoted class: Monster (MNST)
	A dragon-turtle hybrid who can be recruited from Granseal Island after the seal holding back Zeon is broken. The player can give him a name when he joins. He has low health but high defense, so he takes very little damage from physical attacks but is especially vulnerable to magic users. Once promoted to Monster, he gains the ability to float and ignore terrain effects. After promotion, he has a chance of performing a devastating fire breath attack, though his hit points remain low and he fares poorly against the stronger enemies of the later game.
	Peter
	Race: Phoenix Initial class: Phoenik (PHNK) Promoted class: Phoenix (PHNX)
	A legendary Phoenix. He initially follows the Force into battle as an uncontrollable character. After meeting Volcanon, he joins the party. He is one of the strongest characters in the game with both high attack and defense and excellent mobility since he can fly. He gains resistance to fire attacks after he is promoted. If he falls in battle, he revives himself for the next battle.
	May
	Race: Centaur Initial class: Ranger (RNGR) Promoted class: Bow Knight (BWNT)
	A centaur archer recruited in Ribble. Her attack power is average, but she has excellent mobility and range and better stat growth than the other archers in the game.
	Gerhalt
	Race: Beastman Initial class: Wolf Man (WFMN) Promoted class: Wolf Baron (WFBR)
	A wolfman from Polca who joins during the battle in the streets of his hometown. Though he uses no weapons, he hits quite hard. His weakness is his slow speed (which can be mitigated with a Running Pimento or Running Ring).
	Luke
	Race: Birdman Initial class: Birdman (BDMN) Promoted class: Bird Battler (BDBT)
	The Prince of Bedoe, who joins the Force after Polca. He can fly and has a decent attack, but he has weak defense (which can be mitigated with the Protect Milk or Protect Ring).
	Rohde
	Race: Human Promoted class: Brass Gunner (BRGN)
	Rohde initially follows the Force as the Caravan's driver. He later joins as a member of the Force after clearing the way to North Paramecia. As a Brass Gunner, he has a strong attack but poor movement.
	Rick
	Race: Centaur Initial class: Knight (KNTE) Promoted class: Paladin (PLDN) Optional promoted class: Pegasus Knight (PGNT)
	A knight who can be recruited after defeat of Talos. He has high speed but middling attack. Like Chester, he can be promoted to a Paladin or, using the Pegasus Wing, a Pegasus Knight.
	Elric
	Race: Elf Initial class: Archer (ACHR) Promoted class: Sniper (SNPR) Optional promoted class: Brass Gunner (BRGN)
	An archer who is recruited after saving him from harpies. He has long range and fair attack but low defense. He can be promoted to a Sniper, which has high agility, or to a Brass Gunner with the Silver Tank, which has improved defense.
	Eric
	Race: Centaur Initial class: Knight (KNTE) Promoted class: Paladin (PLDN) Optional promoted class: Pegasus Knight (PGNT)
	One of the four characters who can be recruited before leaving Creed's mansion. He is a knight with high health. He can be promoted to a Paladin, but he becomes the strongest Pegasus Knight if promoted using the Pegasus Wing.
	Karna
	Race: Elf Initial class: Priest (PRST) Promoted class: Vicar (VICR) Optional promoted class: Master Monk (MMNK)
	One of the four characters who can be recruited before leaving Creed's mansion. She is a healer who learns Aura and Boost (but does not learn Heal Level 4). She has the greatest magic point growth of all the healers in the game. She can be promoted to a Vicar or, with a Vigor Ball, a Master Monk. Magic spells Spell Level Acquired 1 2 3 4 Heal Initially learned Level 5 Level 22 — Blast Level 8 Level 16 Level 26 Level 37 Boost Level 12 Level 30 — — Aura Level 33 Level 41 Level 55 Level 60
	Randolf
	Race: Dwarf Initial class: Warrior (WARR) Promoted class: Gladiator (GLDT) Optional promoted class: Baron (BRN)
	One of the four characters who can be recruited before leaving Creed's mansion. He is a strong warrior but has lower defense than Jaha. Like Jaha, he can be promoted to either a Gladiator or, with a Warrior's Pride, a Baron.
	Tyrin
	Race: Elf Initial class: Mage (MAGE) Promoted class: Wizard (WIZ) Optional promoted class: Sorcerer (SORC)
	One of the four characters who can be recruited before leaving Creed's mansion. He is a Mage who learns more offensive spells than Kazin (including Freeze Level 4 and Blaze Level 4, which inflict high damage on a single target). He can be promoted to a Wizard or, with the Secret Book, a Sorcerer. Mage/Wizard Spell Level Acquired 1 2 3 4 Blaze Initially learned Level 11 Level 51 Level 56 Freeze Level 5 Level 22 Level 31 Level 38 Sleep Level 25 — — — Bolt Level 28 Level 35 Level 54 Level 60 Sorcerer Spell Level Acquired 1 2 3 4 Dao Level 21 Level 32 — — Apollo Level 23 Level 36 — — Neptune Level 28 Level 45 — — Atlas Level 40 Level 49 — —
	Janet
	Race: Elf Initial class: Archer (ACHR) Promoted class: Sniper (SNIP) Optional promoted class: Brass Gunner (BRGN)
	Elric's girlfriend, she joins the Force after acquiring the dynamite from Granseal. Her attack is lower than Elric, but her defence and agility is better. She can be promoted to a Sniper or to a Brass Gunner with the Silver Tank.
	Higins
	Race: Centaur Promoted class: Paladin (PLDN)
	A Paladin who joins the Force after he is rescued from Geshp. He initially has an average attack and weak defense, though his stat growth increases at higher levels.
	Taya
	Race: Elf Promoted class: Sorceress (SORC)
	A Sorceress who was turned into stone by Zalbard. She can join the party if Bowie talks to her "statue" in the Shrine of Mitula. As a Sorceress, her spells do more single-target damage than Mages and Wizards. Magic spells Spell Level Acquired 1 2 3 4 Dao Initially learned Level 15 — — Apollo Level 12 Level 19 — — Neptune Level 22 Level 29 — — Atlas Level 25 Level 34 — —
	Skreech
	Race: Birdman Promoted class: Bird Battler (BDBT)
	A birdman who joins the party if Bowie saves him in Bedoe. He has a slightly stronger attack than Luke but lower health, and both birdmen have weaker defense than the other flyers in the game.
	Frayja
	Race: Human Promoted class: Vicar (VICR)
	A Vicar who joins the Force in Moun. He learns Heal, Detox, as well as Aura. Magic spells Spell Level Acquired 1 2 3 4 Heal Initially learned Level 13 Level 56 Level 60 Detox Level 5 Level 17 Level 37 Level 43 Aura Level 34 Level 40 Level 46 Level 52 Attack Level 49 — — —
	Jaro
	Race: Centaur Promoted class: Pegasus Knight (PGNT)
	Jaro is a Pegasus Knight who initially appears as an enemy but defects to the Force during the battle in Northern Pacalon. As a Pegasus Knight, he can fly and is more resistant to arrows than birdmen.
	Gyan
	Race: Dwarf Promoted class: Gladiator (GLDT)
	A Gladiator who joins after the battle in Moun. He is a strong tank with high health and defense but low movement (but like other Gladiators, he can equip the Ground Axe, which increases his movement speed).
	Sheela
	Race: Human Promoted class: Master Monk (MMNK)
	A Master Monk who is seeking the Red Baron for the murder of her fiancé. She can be found in her dojo in the southwest of the Nazca ship crash site. She has lower attack growth than the other Master Monks. Magic spells Spell Level Acquired 1 2 3 4 Heal Initially learned Level 5 Level 41 Level 51 Blast Level 7 Level 18 Level 38 Level 47 Muddle Level 11 Level 36 — — Boost Level 20 Level 44 — —
	Zynk
	Race: Robot Promoted class: Robot (RBT)
	A robot who does not use any weapons. He joins after the Force reaches Roft. He has a high attack but mediocre defense and poor movement. He usually attacks with his arm but sometimes uses a special laser attack.
	Claude
	Race: Golem Promoted class: Golem (GLM)
	A golem who joins the Force if the player finds his missing arm in Moun and takes it to him in the ancient tunnel. He has a high attack and defense but low hit points and movement.
	Chaz
	Race: Human Promoted class: Wizard (WIZ)
	Hawel's son, who joins when the Force returns to Yeel. He is a powerful Wizard but joins fairly late in the game. Magic spells Spell Level Acquired 1 2 3 4 Blaze Initially learned Level 11 Level 56 Level 60 Freeze Level 6 Level 17 Level 25 Level 46 Bolt Level 40 Level 44 Level 49 Level 53 Dispel Level 41 — — —
	Lemon
	Race: Human Promoted class: Red Baron (RDBN)
	A general in the Galam army who becomes possessed by a Gizmo and transformed into an emotionless killer known as the Red Baron. After defeating him in battle, he is freed from his possession and tries to kill himself out of remorse, but he is unable to do so as he has become an immortal vampire and joins the party instead. He is a Baron with high defense and mobility. He possesses the cursed Dark Sword, which casts the Desoul spell when used as an item. Like Peter, he revives himself if he falls in battle.

Items

Dwarven blacksmith

Items are sold in shops, found in chests, or sometimes dropped by defeated foes.

There is only one of each promotion item hidden in the game, with the exception of the Vigor Ball, which appears twice in the overseas versions of the game.

There are 15 Mithril pieces hidden throughout the game, which can be used at the dwarven blacksmith near the end of the game to craft Mithril weapons.

Category	Item	Cost (in gold)	Description
Auxiliary	Angel Wing	40	Escapes the battle and returns to the last priest.
Healing	Antidote	20	Cures poison.
	Fairy Powder	100	Cures poison and paralysis.
	Medical Herb	10	Restores about 10 HP.
	Healing Seed	200	Restores about 20 HP.
	Healing Drop	300	Restores about 30 HP.
	Healing Water	400	Restores all HP.
	Healing Rain	10,000	Restores all HP for all allies.
	Fairy Tear	300	Restores about 20 MP.
	Right of Hope	10,000	Restores all MP for all allies. Only attainable in the Japanese release.
Boosting	Cheerful Bread	500	Increases 4-5 HP.
	Bright Honey	500	Increases 4-5 MP.
	Powerful Water	500	Increases Attack by 2-4.
	Protect Milk	500	Increases Defense by 2-4.
	Quick Chicken	500	Increases Agility by 2-4.
	Running Pimento	1,500	Increases Movement by 1-2.
	Brave Apple	2,000	Raises the character's level by 1.
Attack	Shining Ball	1,000	Deals about 20 HP of damage.
	Blizzard	1,200	Deals about 30 HP of damage.
	Holy Thunder	1,500	Deals about 50 HP of damage.
Promotion	Warrior Pride	3,000	Promotes Warrior (WARR) to Baron (BRN).
	Pegasus Wing	3,000	Promotes Knight (KNTE) to Pegasus Knight (PGNT).
	Vigor Ball	3,000	Promotes Priest (PRST) to Master Monk (MMNK).
	Secret Book	3,000	Promotes Mage (MAGE) to Sorcerer (SORC).
	Silver Tank	3,000	Promotes Archer (ACHR) to Brass Gunner (BRGN).
Crafting	Mithril	2,000	Used to craft Mithril weapons at the dwarven blacksmith.

Equipment

Character status

Weapons

Category	Weapon	Cost (in gold)	Attack	Range	Notes
Arrows	Wooden Arrow	250	+5
	Iron Arrow	600	+7
	Steel Arrow	1,270	+12
	Robin Arrow	1,480	+17
	Assault Shell	2,500	+25
	Great Shot	5,000	+29
	Nazca Cannon	3,000	+33
	Buster Shot	6,800	+37		Mithril weapon.
	Hyper Cannon	8,700	+40		Mithril weapon.
	Grand Cannon	9,800	+43		Mithril weapon. Casts Muddle Level 1.
	Evil Shot	13,000	+50		Cursed. Reduces Defense by 5.
Axes	Short Axe	120	+5
	Hand Axe	340	+9
	Middle Axe	610	+13
	Power Axe	1,100	+17
	Battle Axe	1,370	+21
	Large Axe	2,250	+25
	Great Axe	4,600	+28
	Heat Axe	7,200	+32		Mithril weapon. Casts Blaze Level 2.
	Atlas Axe	9,600	+35		Mithril weapon. Casts Blaze Level 3.
	Ground Axe	10,000	+39		Mithril weapon. Increases Movement by 1.
	Rune Axe	10,000	+42		Mithril weapon. Casts Detox Level 1.
	Evil Axe	15,000	+50		Cursed. Reduces Defense by 5.
Gloves	Leather Glove	1,300	+26
	Power Glove	1,800	+33
	Brass Knuckles	2,900	+39
	Iron Knuckles	4,800	+43
	Misty Knuckles	5,500	+48		Mithril weapon. Drains MP from targets.
	Giant Knuckles	7,500	+55		Mithril weapon. Casts Muddle Level 1.
	Evil Knuckles	9,500	+63		Cursed.
Knives	Short Knife	70	+5
	Dagger	320	+8
	Knife	500	+12
	Thieves' Dagger	940	+18
Rods and Staves	Wooden Rod	60	+3
	Short Rod	130	+5
	Bronze Rod	360	+8
	Iron Rod	560	+12
	Power Stick	1,050	+15
	Flail	1,490	+19
	Guardian Staff	2,380	+22		Increases Defense by 5.
	Indra Staff	3,200	+25		Drains MP from targets.
	Wish Staff	6,100	+26		Mithril weapon. Casts Boost Level 1. Can only be equipped by Vicars.
	Mage Staff	6,300	+27		Mithril weapon. Casts Blaze Level 2. Can only be equipped by Wizards and Sorcerers.
	Great Rod	7,900	+28		Mithril weapon.
	Holy Staff	9,000	+29		Mithril weapon. Restores 2 HP after each turn. Can only be equipped by Vicars.
	Goddess Staff	9,700	+31		Mithril weapon. Casts Aura Level 2. Can only be equipped by Vicars.
	Supply Staff	8,500	+32		Mithril weapon. Drains MP from targets. Can only be equipped by Wizards and Sorcerers.
	Freeze Staff	9,500	+37		Mithril weapon. Casts Freeze Level 3. Can only be equipped by Wizards and Sorcerers.
	Mystery Staff	10,000	+39		Mithril weapon. Restores 2 MP after each turn.
	Demon Rod	12,500	+50		Cursed. Reduces Defense by 10.
Spears and Lances	Wooden Stick	70	+3
	Short Spear	120	+6
	Bronze Lance	260	+9
	Spear	460	+12
	Steel Lance	810	+16
	Power Spear	1,270	+20
	Heavy Lance	1,600	+23
	Javelin	3,400	+26
	Chrome Lance	6,900	+31
	Valkyrie	7,700	+33		Mithril weapon.
	Halberd	7,300	+37		Mithril weapon.
	Holy Lance	9,300	+39		Mithril weapon. Increases Defense by 5.
	Mist Javelin	9,900	+42		Mithril weapon.
	Evil Lance	11,000	+48		Mithril weapon. Reduces Movement by 2.
Swords	Wooden Sword	60	+3
	Short Sword	140	+5
	Middle Sword	340	+9
	Long Sword	620	+12
	Steel Sword	1,120	+16
	Achilles Sword	1,350	+19		The only weapon that can damage Taros. Can only be equipped by Bowie.
	Broad Sword	1,600	+22
	Buster Sword	2,600	+26
	Great Sword	5,100	+29
	Critical Sword	7,200	+32		Mithril weapon. Increases chance of critical hit.
	Katana	9,600	+34		Mithril weapon. Can only be equipped by Slade.
	Battle Sword	9,200	+35		Mithril weapon.
	Counter Sword	13,000	+39		Mithril weapon. Increases chance of counter attack.
	Ninja Katana	11,500	+39		Mithril weapon. Can only be equipped by Slade.
	Gisarme	15,000	+42		Mithril weapon. Chance of one-hit kill. Can only be equipped by Slade.
	Levanter	14,000	+42		Mithril weapon. Casts Blaze Level 3. Can only be equipped by Bowie.
	Force Sword	10,000	+46		Mithril weapon. Can only be equipped by Bowie.
	Dark Sword	17,000	+50		Cursed. Casts Desoul Level 1. Reduces Defense by 5.

Rings

Ring	Cost (in gold)	Description
Power Ring	3,000	Increases Attack by 5, casts Attack.
Quick Ring	3,000	Increases Agility by 5, casts Egress.
Protect Ring	3,000	Increases Defense by 5, casts Boost Level 1.
Running Ring	3,000	Increases Movement by 2.
White Ring	5,000	Increases Defense by 10, casts Aura Level 2. Can only be equipped by Heroes and Vicars.
Life Ring	5,000	Restores 5 HP after each turn. Only attainable in the Japanese release.
Black Ring	5,000	Cursed. Increases Attack by 10, casts Blaze Level 2. Can only be equipped by Wizards and Sorcerers.
Evil Ring	5,000	Cursed. Increases Attack by 15, casts Bolt Level 2. Can only be equipped by Wizards, Sorcerers, and Vicars.

Magic

Sorcerer spells are stronger when they hit fewer units.

Category	Name	Level	Mana cost	Area of effect	Range	Description
Auxiliary	Egress	1	8			Escapes the battle and returns to the last priest.
Healing	Aura	1	7			Restores HP.
		2	11
		3	15
		4	20			Restores all HP for all allies.
	Detox	1	3			Cures poison.
		2	6			Cures poison and paralysis.
		3	10			Curses poison, paralysis, and curses.
		4	16
	Heal	1	3			Restores HP.
		2	5
		3	10
		4	20			Restores all HP.
Offensive (Mage/Wizard)	Blast	1	2			Deals wind magic damage.
		2	5
		3	8
		4	8
	Blaze	1	2			Deals fire magic damage.
		2	6
		3	10
		4	10
	Bolt	1	8			Deals fire magic damage.
		2	15
		3	20
		4	20
	Freeze	1	3			Deals ice magic damage.
		2	7
		3	12
		4	12
Offensive (Sorcerer)	Apollo	1	10			Deals fire magic damage.
		2	17
	Atlas	1	14			Deals earth magic damage.
		2	23
	Dao	1	8			Deals earth magic damage.
		2	15
	Neptune	1	12			Deals ice magic damage.
		2	19
Offensive (Ninja)	Katon	1	6			Deals fire magic damage.
		2	10
		3	12
	Raijin	1	15			Deals lightning magic damage.
		2	18
		3	20
Support	Attack	1	7			Boosts attack.
	Boost	1	2			Boosts defence and speed.
		2	5
	Desoul	1	8			Small chance of one-hit kill.
		2	13
	Dispel	1	5			Silences target (prevents casting magic).
	Muddle	1	6			Confuses target.
		2	11
	Slow	1	3			Lowers enemy defence and agility.
		2	6
	Sleep	1	4			Puts target to sleep.

History

Development

Despite being preceded by the successful Shining in the Darkness and Shining Force, Sega remained reluctant to back development on Shining Force II, giving it the same limited budget as previous entries in the series and indirectly threatening the break-up of Sonic! Software Planning should the game not deliver as hoped. This put enormous pressure on producer and programmer Hiroyuki Takahashi and his team, many of whom dropped out before production of the game.

“	We were in a really precarious position at that point because we knew that if we couldn't produce another hit we would have no future. The number of staff we had working on the Shining Force series varied with each game until the Saturn era, during which time the team was pretty settled and didn't change much. We carefully chose our staff from among many candidates, and after Shining Force II the core staff remained and grew stronger together. Shining Force II was an experimental title where we improved the story and enhanced the game's 'RPG-ness'.	„
— Hiroyuki Takahashi

Localisation

The most notable translation error is that the three Devil Kings are named as "Dark Sol, Dark Dragon, and Zeon." Shining Force II co-director and programmer Yasuhiro Taguchi has confirmed that the Devil Kings are in fact Darksol, Lucifer, and Zeon. The official translation's assigning Dark Sol and Dark Dragon the relatively detailed history of the Devil Kings not only alters Shining Force II but effectively rewrites the entire premises of Shining in the Darkness and Shining Force, the games in which they are the foremost villains. For similar reasons, the entire plot of Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict is rendered nonsensical, since it is based on Darksol's role as a Devil King and shows "Dark Sol" (actually "Mephisto" in the original script, and an entirely different character from Darksol) being born less than a century before Shining Force II. This mistranslation also creates at least two major contradictions between the English versions of Shining Force and Shining Force II: Shining Force strongly implies that Dark Dragon is a creation of the Ancients, not a devil at all. Darksol is trying to resurrect Dark Dragon in Shining Force, while Shining Force II tells that the three Devil Kings are fierce arch-rivals.

Legacy

Shining Force II is amongst the most successful Mega Drive games in Japan, and it also well received in North America and Europe.

It has since been released as part of the Wii's Virtual Console service and through numerous compilations, including the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2008, the Sega Mega Drive Classic Collection Volume 4 for Windows PCs in 2010, and Sega Mega Drive Classics for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Steam in 2018. It was released for Android and iOS as part of Shining Force Classics in 2018.

It was included in the North American and European versions of the Mega Drive Mini 2 in 2022.

Comic adaptation

Sonic the Comic included "Shining Force" comics strips. The plot followed Shining Force II heroes trying to stop followers of Zeon from bringing demon into their world. The comics also brought Max in, the hero of the first Shining Force. The single story arc was called "The Curse of Zeon" (issue #73 to issue #78). It was the last big (6-7 issues) non-Sonic story arc featured in Sonic the Comic, not counting short Decap Attack stories.

Versions

The overseas localization of the game lacks the ability to search in battle. This makes several items unattainable in these versions, including the Right of Hope and Life Ring items. However, a second Vigor Ball was added to elven town in the overseas versions, which allows players to promote both Sarah and Karna to the Master Monk class (giving the party up to three Master Monks once Sheela is found).

Localised names

Also known as

Language	Localised Name	English Translation
English (US)	Shining Force II	Shining Force II
Japanese	シャイニング・フォースII 古えの封印	Shining Force II: Inishie no Fuuin

Production credits

Main article: Shining Force II/Production credits.

Japanese version

Shining Force II Staff

• Program: Yasuhiro Taguchi, Shugo Takahashi, Haruki Kodera, Kenji Numaya, Yutaka Yamamoto, Tsukasa Tanaka
• Subscript: Hiroyuki Takahashi, Ritsuko Hasasue, Shuji Shimizu
• Map Design: Ritsuko Hisasue, Shuji Shimizu, Tatsuya Niikura
• Character Design: Suezen
• Graphic: Fumihide Aoki, Masayuki Hashimoto
• Music Compose: Motoaki Takenouchi
• Sound Effects: Dogen Shibuya, Enzan Shibuya
• Manual: Naoko Okada, Riko Kushida, Masayo Umetsu, Junko Mikami
• Special Thanks to: Winds Co., Ltd., R.I.S. Co., Ltd., Rit's Co., Chaki, Hiroshi Kajiyama, Satoshi Tezuka, Minoru Yasuda, Akira Takahashi, Satomi Yokose, Daichan Ikejiri
• Directerd (sic) by: Shugo Takahashi, Yasuhiro Taguchi
• Produced by: Hiroyuki Takahashi
• Created by: Sonic Co., Ltd.

© Sega 1993

Source:

In-game credits

English version

Shining Force II Staff

• Programmers: Yasuhiro Taguchi, Shugo Takahashi, Haruki Kodera, Kenji Numaya, Yutaka Yamamoto, Tsukasa Tanaka
• Subscript: Hiroyuki Takahashi, Ritsuko Hasasue, Shuji Shimizu
• Map Design: Ritsuko Hasasue, Shuji Shimizu, Tatsuya Niikura
• Character Design: Suezen
• Graphics: Fumihide Aoki, Masayuki Hashimoto
• Music Composer: Motoaki Takenouchi
• Sound Effects: Dogen Shibuya, Enzan Shibuya
• Manual: Naoko Okada, Riko Kushida, Masayo Umetsu, Junko Mikami
• Special Thanks to: Winds Co., Ltd., R.I.S. Co., Ltd., Rit's Co., Chaki, Hiroshi Kajiyama, Satoshi Tezuka, Minoru Yasuda, Akira Takahashi, Satomi Yokose, Daichan Ikejiri
• Directed by: Shugo Takahashi, Yasuhiro Taguchi
• Produced by: Hiroyuki Takahashi

SOA Staff

• Producer: Jerry Markota
• Marketing: Jaime Wojick
• English Text: Shinobu Yokoyama, Jerry Markota, Conan Tigard, Blair Bullock
• Lead Tester: Conan Tigard
• Asst. Leads: Blair Bullock, Christine Watson
• Testers: Crisi Albertson, John Amirkhan, Greg Becksted, Janine Cook, David Forster, Lawrence Gibsen, Wesley Gittens, Tracy Johnson, Jason Kuo, Jeff Loney, Chris Lucich, Tony Lynch, Dermot Lyons, Mike Madden, Todd Morgan, Kim Rogers, Ben Szymkowiak, Kurt Tindle, Gregg Vogt, David Wood
• Special Thanks to: Shinobu Yokoyama, France Tantiado, Stephan Patterson
• Created by: Sonic Co., Ltd.

© 1994 Sega

Source:

In-game credits

Digital manuals

• 

  Steam manual

• 

  Mega Drive Mini JP manual

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  Mega Drive Mini 2 US manual

• 

  Mega Drive Mini 2 EU manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Shining Force II/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

File:ShiningForceII MD JP TVAdvert.mp4

JP TV advert

File:ShiningForceII MD JP TVAdvert.mp4

Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1993-10: "October 1993" (1993-09-08)

Print advert in Game Champ (KR) #1993-11: "xxxx" (199x-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Game Champ (KR) #1993-12: "xxxx" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1993-11: "November 1993" (1993-10-08)

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #21: "October/November 1994" (1994-xx-xx)
also published in:

• EGM² (US) #5: "November 1994" (1994-1x-xx)
• Sega Visions (US) #22: "December/January 1994/1995" (1994-xx-xx)

Artwork

• 

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source Sega Magazine (UK) 90 №9, p96

	90
Based on 1 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 95 Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J 80 Cool Gamer (RU) 80 Digitiser (UK) PAL 90 Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) NTSC-U 58 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 68 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU) 80 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 95 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 60 Gamer (GR) 96 Gamestar (AU) 80 Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL 85 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 69 Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J 70 Joypad (FR) NTSC-J 97 Joypad (FR) PAL 91 Mega (UK) PAL 92 Mega Force (FR) PAL 89 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 87 Mega Play (US) NTSC-U 71 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 91 Player One (FR) 90 Play Time (DE) 87 Power Unlimited (NL) 79 Sega Magazine (UK) PAL 92 Sega Power (UK) 90 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 88 Sega Force (SE) 91 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 84 Sonic the Comic (UK) PAL 75 Todo Sega (ES) 91 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 88 Video Games (DE) PAL 82

	84
Based on 33 reviews

Shining Force II

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart Manual Map

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, PT
Cover

Mega Drive, GR
Cover

Mega Drive, AU
Cover

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, KR
Cover
Cart

Technical information

Main article: Shining Force II/Technical information.

External links

• Sega of Japan Virtual Console pages: Mega Drive
• Nintendo catalogue pages: US, UK, AU
• Shining Force II on Steam