PlayStation 2 Critic Reviews

All in all, once you get over the fact that Shining Force EXA isn't a "Shining Force" in the strictest sense, you'll be hacking and slashing your way to a darned good time. [May 2007, p.80]

Shining Force offers small rewards every few minutes, and statisfies through a sort of goal-oriented mediation. [Mar 2007, p.54]

For what it is – a colorful, action-packed dungeon hack – it’s as much of a credit to the Shining Force name as any 15-year-old strategy game.

Nothing stands out here to make this a must-play title in any sense of the word. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying some average-quality anime-infused hack n’ slash, though.

All in all, Shining Force EXA is a solid game that doesn't quite compare to its predecessor.

EXA doesn't do much to further the legacy of the series but at least it doesn't critically damage it either.

Decent in bursts: the Geo-Fortress system is engaging, the varied locations and monsters that you'll fight against are varied, and the game is quite long, which should provide a lot of exploration for action RPG fans.

Shining Force EXA is can be fun at times, but the simplistic combat can wear you down after a while, and the overall experience is lacking in depth.

While not the worst game I've played, the combination of a dumb story, repetitive gameplay, and those damn in-battle voice clips made me have to relegate it to the scrap pile.

Awful sound and repetitive, unchallenging combat wreck any chance this game might have had to succeed with true RPG fans. A few tweaks to this formula, though, and Sega might have something.