Shining Force: Legacy of the Gods

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    Japanese box cover for Shining Force.
    Japanese box cover for Shining Force. Illustration by Yoshitaka Tamaki (玉木美孝).

    Shining Force: Legacy of the Gods (シャイニング・フォース 神々の遺産, Shainingu Fōsu Kamigami no Isan) is a strategy role-playing game developed by Climax Entertainment and Sonic! Software Planning and published by Sega for the Mega Drive in March 1992 in Japan. The Japanese game's English title, Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention, was reused for the game's English localization, released in July 1993 in North America and Europe.

    A remake titled Shining Force: Resurrection of the Black Dragon (シャイニング･フォース 黒き竜の復活, Shainingu Fōsu: Kuroki Ryuu no Fukkatsu) was codeveloped by Amusement Vision and Climax and published by Sega for the Game Boy Advance in April 2004 in Europe and August 2004 in Japan.[1] Atlus published the game in North America in June 2004. The game was renamed Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon for its Western releases. The remake features a rewritten script by original Shining Force story writer Masaki Wachi and new artwork from returning series artist Yoshitaka Tamaki.

    The story of Shining Force centers on Max and his company's efforts to learn the secrets of the Legacy of the Gods, the military conflict between Runefaust and the other countries of the Runic continents, and Dark Sol's plot to resurrect Dark Dragon.

    Game Title Translation

    Japanese does not have anything akin to the indefinite and definite articles found in English, i.e., "a" or "the". As such, the most conservative English translation would be "Legacy of Gods", but as kamigami (神々, "gods") is used in the game to refer to a definite group of people, i.e., "the Gods", it is logical to use this style in the game's title.

    The title uses the possessive construction kamigami no (神々の), with its sense typically rendered as "Gods' [. . .]" or "[. . .] of Gods". The word isan (遺産) is given as "Legacy" in the English title The Legacy of Great Intention, but also more broadly refers to "inheritance", "bequest", or "heritage", and could be presented as such in English. However, the word "legacy" works well given its use in the story to refer broadly to that which was left behind by the Gods.

    In-Game Titles

    The title of the game is always given in Japanese as Shainingu Fōsu: Kamigami no Isan (シャイニング・フォース 神々の遺産, "Shining Force: Legacy of the Gods"), but it is also printed as Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention in English on the Japanese box art and in Japanese publications. The Japanese version of the game also displays The Legacy of Great Intention as its subtitle on the game's title screen.

    The title Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention is used in the published materials for all English-language versions of the game.

    Yoshitaka Tamaki's Doom Blade: Shining and the Darkness Gaiden, a comic that connects Shining Force to Shining and the Darkness, introduces the concept of an entity called the Great Intention as a metaphysical force.

    Game Development History

    See: Shining Force Game Development History

    Translation Resources

    Introduction

    See: Shining Force Introduction

    Character and Location Names

    See: Shining Force Names

    Classes

    See: Shining Force Classes

    Items

    See: Shining Force Items

    Translation Patch

    See: Shining Force: Legacy of the Gods Translation Project

    Editors of the Shining Lore & Translation Wiki have translated Shining Force's original Japanese script into English and patched it into the game to provide a closer adaptation of the game's Japanese story. The first draft of the patch is currently undergoing testing and revisions. The patch has not yet been released.

    Western Box Art

    Painting by Mick McGinty used as cover art for the North American and European versions of Shining Force.
    Painting by Mick McGinty used as cover art for the North American and European versions of Shining Force.[2][3]

    Resources

    See: Shining Media § Shining Force: Legacy of the Gods

    References

    1. ↑ Product page, company website, Climax Entertainment, Climax.co.jp. [Archived] December 28, 2007.
    2. ↑ "Video Games and Pop Culture", McGinty.com. [Archived] October 3, 2023.
    3. ↑ "Art Appreciation: The Sega Genesis Box Art of Mick McGinty", PsychoAndy.Com. September 20, 2021. [Archived] October 23, 2021.

    Game Directory

    Seeː Shining and Related Games
    Shining Games
    Mega Drive Shining and the Darkness・Shining Force・ Shining Force II・Shining Force CD
    Game Gear Shining Force Gaiden・Shining Force Gaiden II・Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict
    Saturn Shining Wisdom・Shining the Holy Ark・Shining Force III Sc. 1・Shining Force III Sc. 2・Shining Force III Sc. 3・Shining Force III PD
    Game Boy Advance Shining Soul・Shining Soul II・Shining Force: Resurrection of the Black Dragon
    PlayStation 2 Shining Tears・Shining Force Neo・Shining Force EXA・Shining Wind
    Mobile Shining Road to the Force・Shining Road 2
    PlayStation Portable Shining Hearts・Shining Blade・Shining Ark
    Nintendo DS Shining Force Feather
    Arcade Shining Force Cross・Blade Arcus from Shining
    PlayStation 3 Shining Resonance・Blade Arcus from Shining EX
    PlayStation 4 / Switch Shining Resonance Refrain・Blade Arcus from Shining Rebellion
    Related Games
    PC-88 Fangs: The Saga of Wolf Blood
    Mega Drive Land Stalker: The Emperor's Treasure・Ragnacënty
    Super Famicom FEDA: The Emblem of Justice・Lady Stalker
    Saturn FEDA Remake!・Dark Savior
    PlayStation Alundra・FEDA 2: White Surge the Platoon・Alundra 2
    Dreamcast Climax Landers
    Game Boy Advance Golden Sun: The Broken Seal・Golden Sun: The Lost Age
    Nintendo DS Golden Sun: Jet Black Dawn
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