The landscape of tactical RPGs has expanded significantly since Fire Emblem: Three Houses captivated a broad audience in 2019, bringing the genre out of its niche. However, Sega's own '90s-era series, Shining Force, laid groundwork for many of these modern advancements years earlier. While the early Fire Emblem games were primarily Japan-exclusive, the Shining Force series made its debut on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in the early '90s, reaching North American and European players.
Shining Force (1992) and its successor Shining Force 2 (1993) established core mechanics familiar to fans of the genre today. Players assemble a diverse army composed of various classes, including archers, mages, knights, and warriors. As the roster grows, strategic decisions about troop deployment and character progression become paramount. Similar to Fire Emblem, characters can be promoted to more powerful forms upon reaching specific levels and acquiring rare items.
The series distinguished itself with its memorable cast of unusual characters, often defying traditional RPG archetypes. Beyond the typical fantasy fare, Shining Force allowed players to recruit a werewolf, a robot, a flying jellyfish, and even a sentient turtle. Shining Force 2 notably featured a character named Peter, a phoenix with a peculiar appearance who proved to be a formidable combatant.
Gameplay unfolds on a grid-based map where players maneuver their units to outwit opponents. Combat sequences, presented on a separate screen, showcased elaborate 16-bit pixel art depicting characters engaging in battles. Environmental factors, such as terrain, could impact troop movement and incur damage, adding another layer of strategy. Objectives often involved defeating all enemies or specifically targeting the enemy leader. The series also featured inventive battle environments, ranging from floating platforms and circus tents to areas inspired by Peru's Nazca lines.
Despite Fire Emblem's earlier release in 1989, Shining Force developer Hiroyuki Takahashi stated in a 2010 interview that he found Fire Emblem's pacing unengaging. Nevertheless, the similarities between the two series are apparent. Sega retains the rights to the Shining series, though its direction shifted after the Saturn era. Later installments, including a Japan-only PlayStation Portable trio and the 2018 worldwide release Shining Resonance Refrain, moved towards action-oriented gameplay, diverging from the classic tactical roots of Shining Force.