[quote]Shining Force EXA Interview
January 5, 2007 - SEGA’s Shining Force series has been around for some time now, having first premiered on the Genesis and then Saturn. After the company decided to take a software-only approach and develop for what were previously its competitors, SEGA updated the franchise and brought it to the PlayStation 2 in late 2005 in the form of Shining Force Neo. Its follow-up, Shining Force EXA, is currently scheduled for release this March.
We had a chance to fire off a number of questions to the game’s producer, Yoichi Shimosato, to see what’s in store for fans of the series. Here’s what he had to say:
IGN: The Shining Force series has been around for quite some time now and has evolved and changed a great deal. What can you tell us about how Shining Force EXA moves and progresses the franchise?
Yoichi Shimosato: There were three “Shining Force” titles released for the Mega Drive (Sega Genesis) and Sega Saturn; these games featured a turn-based, tactical RPG battle system. When bringing the series back on the PS2, we decided to keep the aspects of having comrades-in-arms venturing out onto the battlefield together, but we also wanted to modernize the game mechanics, increasing the tempo and making the gameplay more dynamic, and so that was our basic working concept when designing “Shining Force Neo” and also for “Shining Force EXA.” With the release of “Neo,” we were happy to see that fans reacted well to the new system we’d created, and we were also glad that we were able to bring in new fans who hadn’t necessarily played the original Shining series.
For “Shining Force EXA,” we’ve tried to expand upon the game system we’ve already created and improve things, such as putting together stronger visuals and putting together better conversations and relationships with the party members. We hope that fans of “Neo” will like “EXA” as well, and, of course, we hope that the appeal extends to new players as well.
IGN: How is Shining Force EXA connected to Shining Force Neo?
Shimosato: The game system in “Shining Force EXA” is an expanded version of the one seen in “Shining Force Neo,” but the world and the characters are all brand-new.
Of course, there are some recurring elements, like the different races that inhabit the world, that players will recognize as familiar. Things like centaurs and robots have appeared in the Shining Force series since the very first title on the Mega Drive, and so we’ve kept those thematic elements intact for this new title.
IGN: What can you tell us about the storyline?
Shimosato: The story is set on a continent that is divided up into a nation of Humans and a nation of the Magnus, and these two sides have historically always been at odds with one another. The main story, however, follows a group of outlaws not affiliated with either nation, who use an ancient mobile fortress, known as the Geo-Fortress, to put a stop to this conflict. There are two main characters: a hot-headed young man named Toma, and a more calm and cool-headed girl named Cyrille.
The plot follows along in the tradition of action-oriented anime and manga popular in Japan. Fans of the work of Hayao Miyazaki, or films like “AKIRA” should hopefully appreciate the sort of Japanese-style action-adventure storyline we’ve put together.
IGN: The Geo Fortress aspect sounds like a pretty interesting addition. How does it work in the game?
Shimosato: First off, the Geo-Fortress functions as a home base and also as a town where the main characters live. This is where the characters do things like power up their skills and purchase new equipment.
In combat, the Geo-Fortress acts to support the party with additional functions: there is a cannon that can be used to attack enemies out on the battlefield, and there’s also a radar system that adds more auxiliary support in allowing the players to find things like hidden treasure. Conversely, the Geo-Fortress is also a potential target for the enemies, and so there are magical barriers and defensive robots that come into play when other party members are forced to defend their home turf.
To us, it almost feels like the U.S.S. Enterprise from Star Trek. It’s a concept that we’re pretty sure has never been done in an RPG before.
IGN: We’re told that players will be able to customize their Geo Fortress in a number of ways and essentially adapt it to their play and character style. What can you tell us about this, and just how in-depth does it get?
Shimosato: The Geo-Fortress has a number of facilities, including a cannon, radar, barrier, and robot factory.
The cannon allows the players to deal massive damage to enemies near their current location; the radar can show players where enemies might be lying in ambush or where treasure is hidden; the barrier adds defense to the fortress when it comes under enemy attack.
When fighting defensive battles, robots that have been constructed will enter the battlefield along with the party and will act automatically. There are different types of robots, including ones oriented for defensive and offensive strategies.
There is a type of item in-game called “Core Metal” that is used to improve each of these functions. Each function has 10 different levels that it can be advanced through. Therefore, players have a choice on whether they want to focus their tactics and strategies on offense or defense, and they can develop the Geo-Fortress accordingly.
Also, at different points in the story, the Geo-Fortress will gain the ability to change some functions by switching to different modes, such as “Cannon Mode,” “Search Mode,” “Recovery Mode,” and others. Changing modes will result in different support effects coming into play on the battlefield, and they will also alter the relative offensive and defensive capabilities of the Geo-Fortress.
IGN: How much management do you need to keep up with?
Shimosato: Naturally, if the player is bogged down with too much micromanagement, that spoils the enjoyment of the game, and it also interferes with the fast-paced and dynamic gameplay inherent to a real-time Action RPG, and so we kept those factors in mind when determining how the fortress mechanics would work.
Also, if we allowed the fortress to change too much, we were fairly sure that we’d never be able to fit so much variation into the game code and still be able to actually finish making the game. (laugh) Even just the main room where the players speak to and switch between different party member characters was a big challenge from a development standpoint.
IGN: Can you tell us how switching back to defend your Geo Fortress will work? Is it possible to set up automated defenses?
Shimosato: While the controlled hero and their party members are wandering about the world, defensive battles can start in one of two ways: they happen sporadically over time, or they happen at specific points in the storyline.
When a defensive battle starts, the game switches over to the Geo-Fortress, almost like changing a TV channel. The action cuts away from the adventuring party and focuses then on the fortress and the party members left behind. The remaining hero gets to make a party with available members, and they then go out and fight the defensive battle alongside their defense robots in an attempt to repel the enemy attack.
IGN: What sorts of different missions can we expect to see?
Shimosato: There are varying mission styles, such as requiring the player to defend vital fortress systems, infiltrate enemy encampments and take out their commander, and race against the clock. The locales are also varied, with missions taking place within the fortress, in ancient dungeons, and out in the field.
IGN: How many character classes will we be able to play?
Shimosato: The player will be able to control two characters.
Also, the player-character will also be able to bring along two party member characters with them. These include a tiny, spunky witch, a retro-style robot, a wild-faced wolf-man, an untamed dragon, and a few others. We definitely tried to include a wide variety of types and personalities.
These party member characters are not controlled directly, but the player can obtain different equipment for them, which changes the way that they act in combat and affects what special abilities and techniques they use.
IGN: Lastly, is there anything you can tell us about the game that hasn’t yet been seen?
Shimosato: The characters’ appearance not only changes depending on the weapons and items they have equipped, but weapons and characters are also highly customizable beyond just standard level-up increases. In this way, players can do a sort of “fashion coordination” by improving certain pieces of equipment that fit with the look they want to have.
Also, while the game’s equipment and character development system are RPG-style, the combat action is definitely more frenetic than just inputting commands, and so the overall result is that the game is very fast-paced, with countless enemies to combat using classic RPG tropes, like massive swords and powerful spells that can cut through hordes of monsters in no time flat. We really hope that fans enjoy the end result.
IGN: Thank you for your time. [/quote]
This is what annoys me about the mass media the most: they never ask potentially tactless questions, lest they are denied one more story to feed to the brain dead zombies that they call their readership. Tactful as ever I see. Recruiting over-qualifed “journalists” who somehow don’t have a shred of talent between them seems to have become a sweeping trend these days.
Firstly, I would have asked why Neverland have no respect for their source material. Secondly, I would thank them for killing one of the most meaningful series of games I have ever known.
Shining Force helped me escape the abject misery of my childhood (people who claim that life is what you make of it have no idea), yet to our illustrious friends here, it is nothing more than a meal ticket used to feed their gluttonous greed. Let’s not pretend that the games industry hasn’t become a glutton of money.
Where is their sense of integrity? Seriously. This guy claims to have made the gameplay of the original series “more dymanic” which in reality, is actually a lie perpetuated to reinforce his own personal delusions of granduer.
More dynamic my ass.