Collection essentials #328: Shining Force III: Scenario 3 (Saturn)

The epic conclusion.

Scenario 1 and 2 took place at the same time, with the two games having you control different characters. The events of Scenario 3 start out much later, over halfway through the first two games. The main character, Julian, is a mercenary who is not affiliated with the republic or the empire. He joins your army in the first game temporarily, and does the same in the second game, until he leaves at the point just before when Scenario 3 begins. And of course, if you carry over your save files he will retain his exact level and items held throughout the three games. The story of Scenario 3 is a little less about politics and war, with the focus being on taking down the evil cult that has been working to stir up trouble the entire time.

Again, the gameplay features are the same as in the previous two games, so do refer to my post about Scenario 1 for that information. I do think that Scenario 3’s gameplay is the most fun out of all three games. What really helps it is the fact that your characters start at higher levels. You see, in turn-based and tactical RPGs, I tend to find the gameplay somewhat boring early on. There’s usually not much you can do, making combat rather simplistic and uninteresting. But with Shining Force III: Scenario 3, your characters start out levels that aren’t reached until the middle of the previous two games. The developers still tried to keep the beginning of the game fairly simple, but it ramps up quicker, and I really appreciate that.

Another super-duper cool thing about Scenario 3 is how the leaders from the first two games and their armies join forces with you just before the final battle. With your save data carried over, you’ll be able to play as your squads from those games exactly as they were they last time you saw them! The final mission involves the three armies splitting up, with Synbios and Median’s army making it possible for Julian’s army to enter the chamber where the evil god of the cult awaits for a final showdown. It’s a marvelous way to finish this incredible trilogy.

One thing fun about Scenario III is that they got creative with the recruitable characters you can get. This is one odd, ragtag bunch of heroes you can control, in the best way. Some characters you get include a unicorn, a big white dragon, a fairy, and a small goblin dude who rides on top of a big ogre. It’s delightful. 

I have a few small complaints with this game. After you attack an enemy and the screen cuts away to a brief battle animation, upon returning to the map of the battle, the music now restarts. In the previous two games it would pick up wherever it left off before the animation, which I think is way better. Kind of nitpicky, but it does bother me a little. This game is also a little bit shorter than the previous two, unless maybe you account for the fact that at least a little bit of grinding will almost certainly be required at the end of the game so you can get all of your units “promoted” one last time. I found the grinding actually pretty fun though, especially since I enjoyed playing as the characters from the first two games again.

Shining Force III: Scenario 3 is not only my favorite Sega Saturn game, but one of my favorite games of all-time, period. The developers really worked hard to make something truly epic and special, an experience to span three whole games, but it came out on a console at a time where it just wasn’t going to get the recognition it deserved, and after all these years it’s never enjoyed the benefit of a rerelease to help it reach a wider audience. I’m just thankful it reached me, and that I can have these incredible quintessential essentials in my game collection.