Shining Soul II

In a generation of games where developers put more time into cutscenes, talking, and character development than into pure gameplay, this hack/slash RPG is a huge relief. There's a time and place for games that are more like movies, but Shining Soul 2 is a reminder as to what this hobby of videogames is all about.

Slow-to-roll-out dialogue bogs down the game at the beginning, but the pace quickens when the fighting begins. [Mar 2004, p.120]

With eight character classes the possibilities for multiplayer and replay are endless. [Summer 2004, p.41]

It feels a little bit like "Zelda" and has the depth of "Diablo." Not bad. Not bad at all. [Feb 2004, p.114]

The game is obviously hard, and the fact that there’s no pause screen doesn’t help either.

Vastly improved graphics and animations make this practically a new game. [Jan 2003, p.93]

Shining Soul II suffers from a very flawed combat system, leaving it open to RPG veterans only.

Best portable rouge like game ever! Sadly developer team has dismissed and we never get the sequel

Shining Soul II feels like it has all the makings of a cult classic - it has a solid understanding of what makes a good video game, and takes some interesting risks, but also has some serious shortcomings. This game is a very, very solid Diablo-like action RPG that does quite well when considering that it is a GBA game. However, its gameplay loop gets repetitive fast, feels very dependent on grinding, and doesn't convey some important details about the game very well. As such, the finished product gave me moments of delight that ended in moderate satisfaction, but a little disappointment or frustration was mixed into some moments. Overall, Shining Soul II is solid, deeper than expected, and does enough right to merit giving it a shot. However, I would refrain from calling it more than a niche experience.

Better graphics, more characters and a deeper storyline, but ultimately it's still a bit too reliant on level-grinding.