Shining Force III represents the final hurrah for Saturn's troubled history in the U.S., as this long-running strategy-RPG makes its way to the 32-Bit realm. The tale follows Lord Synbios, a swordsman seeking an end to a bloody war in the city of Sarabond. With an adventure clocking in around 35 hours, the intriguing journey of Synbios will have one's attention from start to finish. We were further overjoyed to learn that the English translation is faithful and professional with few creative liberties taken. Camelot Software Planning utilized full 3-D environments to bring depth to its game world, from exploration to combat. Players can rotate the camera 360-degrees with the shoulder buttons to find hidden items within castles, villages, and battlefields - even beneath bridges and behind buildings.

---

Combat takes place in traditional, turn-based battles atop a gridded battlefield with varied points of elevation. Environmental differences affect damage and movement, not unlike FF Tactics, meaning careful arrangement of your party members will be critical. Battle scenes are impressively animated with beautiful spritework blending well with the 3-D world. One stand-out addition is the incorporation of a friendship system, a technique allowing characters to strengthen their bonds to improve abilities via teamwork. Other elements such as monster summoning and spellcasting add some variety to combat. Do take heed, however, these battles are tough as nails. You are often outnumbered from the get-go, and the enemies will waste no time surrounding your weakest party members and knocking them out cold.

Printed in Issue #47, July-August 1998