Shining in the Darkness (1991)

Preliminary: Hmmm, not happy to hear it has the Wizardry type CRPG dungeon crawling tedium antics, but I love how cutesy Phantasy Star/Sega-RPG-y the Look is. And instead of passing on all first-person dungeon crawlers, especially after enjoying some of the recent ones namely Phantasy Star, I should give this an earnest try.

And even if it is just a nice coating on a tedious dungeon crawler to come, I am falling for this cutesy beginning with a great tune

Great font and great fast-paced text too. I feel like I'm playing an interactive storybook, like a 1995 DOS educational game but in a dungeon crawler's, uh, "body"

It's definitely got that classic dungeon crawling format where you can only venture so far, return to the town, venture a bit further and grind, return to town, and so on. So far I'm enjoying that but we will see how long it lasts. It's so heavy on the first-person side, I may burn out. We shall see. It's cartoony and DOS game-esque vibe might get me to push through!

Welp I finally got my first level up. Definitely grind-y. And I can imagine that adventuring deep into the labyrinth could get very disorienting, especially with no map function. Hmmm, this is a tough one to decide whether to proceed. I'll return to it tomorrow.

Early Game

Despite the amazing Look and cute DOS-esque Sound, it feels like something is missing from the Play. I just can't fully get into it. However, it's starting to grow on me... likely thanks to copious use of Fast Forward for grinding while watching a movie :-p

It's nice that it has landmarks to help with making maps, though I of course used premade maps. And automap feature would've been nicer.

Ok I am still really enjoying the town segments but gosh, once you get deeper into the labyrinth, even with a map, it's really tedious. I hope you eventually get a Compass or spell that does it? An auto-map seems quite basic. Hey, I'm down for self-made maps too, but even that can only go so far without a compass feature. At least there is the Angel Feather/get out of labyrinth quick item.

I'm trying to hold onto enjoying it but the extremely limited inventory space (with equipment taking up spots even while equipped) and lack of compass feature (tho I'm learning some tricks to help it, still. Basic niceties). And having to go back through the whole menu to drop each item. Seems like the basic stuff for a Genesis RPG... Looks like I'm about to get a full team. Hopefully it gets me reinvigorated cuz I was really enjoying this (well, the Look, the Town part, and the early parts of the Labyrinth :-p )

Darn I was hoping Cave of Strength would have a new tune besides the usual Labyrinth repeated tune.

Eh yea I'm a bit disappointed in myself cuz this has a lot of potential but meh. I'm burning out on it. A cute cartoony Town area can only do so much. Not sure why this didn't get the full RPG hook (the very beginning did hook me tho tbh), but I'm ready to move on. So it goes.

Look: 8/10 Great stuff, tho the first-person Labyrinth/Caves' Looks aren't anything special.

Sound: 7.5/10 Some great tunes, but far too repetitive dungeon jingle.

Play: 7/10 Misses some critical niceties that make what could've been a great RPG just an okay one.

Feel: 7.5/10 One of those games I wanted to like more than I did. Plus the Town and Overworld map etc etc have such a great Look and Feel.

Attachment: 7.5/10 .5 boost cuz I'm debating whether to actually drop it. But most likely a safe move-on situation.

Overall: 7.5/10

Completion: Cave of Strength

Playtime: ~1h 30m

I just finished this and really enjoyed it. This was my first time playing a game that required mapping. I have played Phantasy Star 1 before, but on the Switch version which has a map feature.

I always wanted to play this because I love Shining Force, but was worried the mapping thing wouldn't jive with me. I found the gameplay loop of fighting and gradually mapping out the dungeon really satisfying, but it took me a while to finally finish the game because I don't necessarily always want to be playing a game like this after work.

The game is pretty simple and tough at the beginning, but once you get your party it becomes easier. I have heard complaints that it requires too much grinding, but I got lost enough that I didn't need to grind really.

I did make use of save states a bit but didn't look up maps. I highly recommend you get some graph paper (I printed some) and map it yourself! Just be mindful of which direction you're facing so you don't end up like me with a bunch of messed up maps lol.

I'm very curious to see what changes were made for the Saturn game but I think I need a break from maps haha.

I'm giving this a 3/5 as an "objective rating" but I personally having never really played a first person dungeon crawler like this, it's a 4/5. I'm sure there are better takes on this genre but I really loved this nonetheless.

I went into this one knowing I wouldn’t enjoy it, but I forced myself seeing as how I’ve bought it twice - the cartridge, back when Power Rangers was a thing, and again as part of the PS4 Genesis Classics pack.

As a kid, I was not nearly patient enough for this type of game, so I dropped it before I even got the two allies to join me, which is barely an hour into the game. I couldn’t make it far because I didn’t want to sit down and grind 1 EXP enemies before moving out of the dang entry way, so I threw it aside.

This time around, I found it kind of charming and even a bit enjoyable. It’s a first person dungeon crawler, which I don’t like, and it is a mega grind fest, but there’s something kind of zen about a game where you can just zone out and fight monsters for a few hours, with some window dressing plot on the side. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely used a guide to find treasure when needed and maps when I got lost. I’m not about to invest that much time in an almost thirty year old game in a genre I feel some kind of way about. But all in all, an okay experience, and interesting to see where some of the Shining series tropes originated.

Shining in the Darkness may stand out as one of the first RPG experiences on the Genesis, but it settles for the tedium of Wizardry with a cute layer on the surface.

Set in the kingdom of Thornwood, the princess has been kidnapped by the evil Dark Sol and only you can save her. On top of the fairly light plot are some charming animations in a single town and a castle, along with a massive nine-floor dungeon to explore. A lot of the style on the surface is generally reminiscent of the Shining Force series that would come after, with cute and vaguely elvish anime aesthetics. Keeping it lean, there're a few shops that sell the basics and moderate gear, along with a master crafter that can make better gear from found ore.

The dungeon proper is shamelessly Wizardry, down to the pits, spinning tiles, and DIY mapping. There is a View spell to help properly orient the player but it'll count on the player's tile-counting wits to make up the most of dungeon crawling. Style is less charming in the dungeon pits, with enemies that aren't as cute or distinct from the denizens above. The game plays out as a standard JPRG with three partners (and the odd extra character that joins you in the dungeon) and that they all can level up while fighting a large number of slow battles. The pacing is fairly tedious and the dungeon's navigation (especially regarding fast travel) discourages returning to the village frequently so much that you'll be coming up with excuses to stay as long in the dungeon as possible.

That said, the quality of life is far better than Wizardry, with stat changes that won't randomly make-or-break a game, traps that aren't as hurtful (no random warping into walls and lower floors-within-floors don't take too much effort to get out of, and the hardest enemies won't be too painful with enough grinding. It seems unfair to directly compare it to Wizardry from a difficulty sense as it's easier on the heart but the structure's still there.

If you're looking for a slice of Genesis history, really enjoy dungeon crawlers like Wizardry or are charmed by the Shining Force series, this might be worth a checkout.

About the Game:

Shining in the Darkness is a first-person dungeon crawling RPG set in the Shining series of games that includes Shining Force. The gameplay takes place almost exclusively within The Labyrinth as you search for the missing Princess Jessa.

My RPG experience with the Sega Genesis can be summed up entirely with a single game, Might & Magic: Gates to Another World. That was the game that I grew up playing with my dad alongside a stack of notebooks and maps that he and my mom had made when they used to play together. It wouldn't be until years later that we'd finally see the game's (disappointing) ending. I bring up Might & Magic because there's a similarity with how it and Shining in the Darkness play, with the except being that one is driven by story and mystery, while the other relies entirely on its exploration aspects to keep you playing.

Gameplay:

Mechanically, Shining in the Darkness is very straightforward. You explore dungeons to fight monsters for EXP to level up gold to buy new equipment with. You'll head into town to rest at the local inn to recover your HP, shop around at the equipment vendors, stock up on some herbs and save your game at the shrine before heading back into the monster-infested Labyrinth. All standard RPG fare.

Where Shining differs is that it deliberately denies players an in-game map with which to navigate its large, winding and often complex mazes. Instead, you'll be playing this game with a stack of graph paper and a pencil at the ready as it's all on you to chart corridors and mark notable locations in order to find your way.

This added step goes a long way to not only add a sense of investment into the game, but also stave off the undeniable tedium.

That tedium is really the game's biggest issue, as once you do start to notice it, it's really hard to shake. The way the game flows you'll be spending short amounts of time in town for shopping, sleeping and saving, an even shorter amount of time in the castle to progress window dressing story, and then the other 90% of your time will be in the dungeon.

Aside from mild aesthetic differences and new enemies, the Labyrinth really doesn't change much from level to level, and unless you absolutely love penciling out maps, you'll grow tired of it pretty quickly. The pacing is a little better when you pick up your two companions (who will stay with you for the rest of the game) but the game itself basically remains unchanged.

So why no just find maps online? Shining in the Darkness is a HARD game. I got 3-4 gameover screens in my first 30 minutes of play. The difficulty can be frustrating at first, but with some cautious play early on, a few levels, and saving up for the right pieces of equipment, it quickly becomes manageable and even fun. By drawing your own map, you force yourself into a slower pace, thus encountering more monsters, finding more gold, and ensuring you're leveled and geared enough to progress through the early game. With a map already charted out, you'll move too quickly and be forced to linger around grinding in order to move forward. On top of that, without drawing a map, you've basically had most of the game played for you!

Beyond all that, it's a good old fashioned RPG. In combat you can attack, defend, cast spells, use items or try to run away. Monsters will attack or use magic against you, and your companions will learn new abilities as they level up.

Presentation, Music and Sound:

Visuals are a mixed bag. While the town and castle is bright and colorful with large expressive sprites, the dungeons feel confined and boring. It's unfortunate that the dungeons don't share the same of detail, since that's where you'll spend most of your time. This is understandable given technical limitations of the time, but the difference is still somewhat jarring.

The music is forgettable but never obtrusive, and the sounds are effective enough. While spells will display a visual in combat, all normal battle activity is conveyed strictly through text.

Fun:

It seems to be a trend where if I'm excited about an RPG early on it inevitably becomes boring to me sooner rather than later. Fun fact, I hated Suikoden until I first myself to play it for more than a couple hours and, well, Suikoden...

My biggest complaint, and I acknowledge this as a dumb complaint, was being unable to comfortably play in the dark. I tend to game at odd hours, this being the direct result of having a two year old and a four year old. In addition, the lighting in my house isn't what you'd call ideal. So, when it's 11:00 PM on a weekday and I want to get in my hour of play before bed it becomes a bit much for me to haul out the pencil and paper and... lamp...

More than that is the lack of variety and no real story to make up for it. After nearly 4 hours of play I finally progressed from Brown Maze to... Light Brown Maze. I'm just not enough of a cartography nut to really have fun doing this. I could easily see this being different were I to play this game when it was new, when my options for this kind of game ere significantly more limited. As it is, when I sit down for a long game, I need something to drive it forward. A good story, deep or interesting game mechanics, varied scenery at the very least! Shining in the Darkness, while not a bad game, just doesn't have any of that.

Review:

Playthrough: