Shining Force EXA

The story is pretty good. It starts out pretty simple at first, with the heroes trying to find something that each one is seeking for their own different reasons. And after one of them finally manages to get a hold of the item they are all out to get, the real story begins to unfold, with some interesting twists and turns here and there. However, despite the twists and turns this game takes, it does nothing that will try and confuse you. It is as simple as one event leads to another, and sometimes you have the opportunity to do a little side job.


The battles are simple enough to understand. You basically run around and take out all the monsters that stand in your way. However, later monsters will have some really crazy abilities, such as being able to kill you in one hit. Also, the monsters may just appear more frequently, or be able to withstand more of your attacks before they finally die. So, there is a certain risk factor to fights, and the abilities that the monsters can use against you are great enough in number to make the fighting more interesting, especially during sieges on your base. Also, if you manage to defeat all of the monsters in a certain area, you will be given a special bonus, so that's nice, too.

The characters are all very well done. Each character has their own personality which really sets them apart from the rest. One person has a sort of tough-guy attitude, and talks as if he's unbeatable. Another character is pretty formal and aspires to be a great knight, and feels that form during battle is very important, while his friend is more reckless, uses more slang, and feels that form isn't important, so long as the method you use works. I've heard complaints about the voice acting, but I have a hard time agreeing with that. Each character has a voice that suits them, and the acting is great overall. The conversations are voiced, and there are battle quotes, as well. The great thing about these characters is that every one of them changes as the story progresses. Instead of being shallow throughout the story, like some characters tend to be, they each seem effected to some extent by certain events in the storyline.

A great thing about this game that may seem annoying to some is how difficult this game is. You may feel that you're doing fine, but then you get to the next place, and you may discover that the monsters are doing more damage and taking less. Also, as stated earlier, they may actually be able to kill you off in one hit. To make this game possible, you will need to spend time leveling up and acquiring abilities. Also, you will actually need to level up every character you have. At first, it may seem like you can breeze along with the team you use, but then you may discover that certain characters do better in certain areas than others. Also, while one team is out adventuring, the second team, which hangs out at the base, will have to occasionally defend the place from enemy attacks, and the assaults can range from seeming somewhat tame to outright vicious. Another thing that makes this game harder is that, sometimes, you aren't just going up against monsters. There may actually be times where you have to endure cannon fire. And these cannons don't just fire at your base...they may also fire on you. Challenging dungeons, powerful monsters, and the need to level up everyone contribute to a challenging game.