When I started looking for games to review as part of TBS, I wasn't shocked to find that many of the candidates were either second or third games in their respective series'. I was, however, surprised to see how many of said candidates were first entries.
Much as it was with Super Mario Bros. 2, developers would try and change it up for those entries before finally reverting to the style that put them on the map in the first place. That was common in the 3rd and even 4th generations. But it didn't always work out that way. There are several cases of developers starting a series with one type of game, only to completely pivot to something different and stay with it. Case in point, Shining in the Darkness. This is the very first game in the Shining series, known predominately for its turn-based strategy RPGs. I've already reviewed Shining Force 1 & 2, both of which I liked quite a bit. I wanted to see where the series started, so I fired up SITD, expecting an early attempt at a strategy RPG. What I found was...a first-person dungeon crawler? I mean, I guess it's not that far off, it's still an RPG at its core. It also firmly establishes the lore and world of the series, which continues through to its more popular successors. But still, what makes someone switch gears from a one far end of the RPG spectrum to what very well may be the complete opposite end?
While we think about it, let's talk about some of Shining in the Darkness' positives. Simply put, the game was visually and technically far ahead of its time and borderline revolutionary in those aspects. I should probably have mentioned, this, like its successors, is a Sega Genesis title, not a PC game. Dungeon crawlers were popular on PC, but attempts at them on consoles had largely failed to this point. Seeing a first-person view done this well was almost unheard of on consoles in 1991, most first person games were filled with static screens like Shadowgate and its ilk. But SITD has you exploring its giant labyrinth in all its faux-3D glory, seamlessly (by 1991 standards) scrolling as you traverse its many twists and turns. The scaling here is truly amazing for the era. It wouldn't be until the next generation that developers would get this kind of game right consistently and that's largely because they started using actual 3D. Compare this to eye of the beholder and it's night and day. The sound is pretty solid too, one of the better genesis soundtracks out there, but the graphics and effects are truly amazing for their time period. Unfortunately, this also contributes to one of the game's biggest flaws, but we'll get back to that.
The story is relatively simple, both the main character's father and the Princess of the kingdom of Thornwood have gone missing and its up to you to find them. To do so, you will need to enter the labyrinth and clear its four trials, before facing off against the evil wizard Dark Sol (not to be confused with Darksol from the Shining Force games, he's a different person). That's really all there is to it, but that's all you need in a dungeon crawler like this. You have three locations you can visit, the Castle, labyrinth and town. The labyrinth is the meat of the game, while the castle is filled with NPCs who will provide hints as to what to do next. The town has a tavern, where you can heal and talk to other characters, as well as shops and a temple for saving and reviving. Actions are performed via the series' trademark menu system. I know I complained about it a lot in reviews of the previous games, but I actually feel like its a little better here. It's still cumbersome, but it's way easier to manage the items and equipment of 3 characters as opposed to 25 in the Shining Force games. I do like how you can do more than just buy things from merchants, say the right things and they will show you special items they have for sale. Overall, there isn't that much to do, but it feels sufficient for a game like this. There are characters lost in the labyrinth that need to be rescued, I think it's three, that impact the story if you find them. I think that's pretty cool, it's an interesting sidequest and adds variety as well as replayability.
You start the game with just the hero but will quickly recruit two party members, an offensive mage named Pyra and a defensive character/healer named Milo. Battles are initiated through random encounters and play out like typical turn-based RPG fights of the era. You can attack, use items, use magic, or attempt to run away, and you build experience and earn gold by winning fights. Very few enemy attacks are animated, and their sprites are just still images, but at least they look okay. Some of the bosses are especially good looking. Most enemies will present little challenge once you have your full party, but it is very difficult to get going. You will absolutely have to grind at the beginning, or the first boss will absolutely destroy you. There are a few severe difficulty spikes throughout, but these are usually mitigated by buying better equipment rather than excessive grinding. Most enemies will become outclassed, though this does present a bit of a pacing problem. You have to enter the labyrinth at the same place every time, which means you will have to fight mobs and mobs of irrelevant enemies each run you make. It would be nice if these enemies left you alone at high levels, or you had an auto battle feature, but that isn't even the biggest obstacle to SITD's pacing.
That issue comes about due to one small, seemingly inconsequential problem. One simple feature the game lacks that modern gamers, or even gamers who started playing in the mid to late 90's, take for granted: a map. There is no in-game map in SITD, which, while it doesn't seem like much, is a massive, massive problem. You will get lost in this game and you will get lost frequently. While the scrolling effect and graphics are extremely impressive for the time, there are very few unique assets and many of the areas look the same, so you really have to get intimately familiar with where you are on the map and be able to retrace your steps with precision. The labyrinth is, well, a labyrinth, and is filled with dead ends and diversions, with no real indicators of whether you are on the correct path. Because of the way the camera shifts, you might not even realize you are going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to go. The only time you can see a map is by using an item called a wisdom fruit, which will give you a super zoomed in, non-scrollable version of a map and some information about how many paces you are in and which direction you are facing...which is useless because you don't have a compass either. This had to have been a nightmare in pre-internet 1991, you would have had to map it out with graph paper if you even wanted a chance. Even for that time, that was considered dated. I really try to not look up anything for these old games, but I had to go find a map of the labyrinth online because it was just taking so much time. I had entire play sessions where all I did was wander aimlessly.
The one fringe benefit to this is that it does mitigate the difficulty somewhat. I only had to grind at the very beginning of the game, largely because I spent so much time fighting enemies when I was lost and was over leveled anyway. Still though, it's a difficult game and there is very little handholding. As with many RPGs of the era, it's very difficult to get a playthrough of SITD started, as you start at level one with almost no resources or other party members. Your first hour or so has to be spent grinding, beating up on low level slimes and slugs while hoarding gold and building strength. Soon, you will be able to clear out the mobs with ease, even with no equipment. But then, without warning, the game throws the first of many difficulty spikes at you. You're just minding your business, wandering around the labyrinth completely lost when, suddenly, the game locks you in place and the Kaiser Crab scuttles out from behind a wall to attack (have to give them credit for the presentation here though, this legit made me jump). This guy will wreck you without equipment, plain and simple. He attacks twice, he hits like a truck, he has decent HP and he is most likely going to end your first playthrough on the spot. Sure, you can revive at the cost of half your gold, but this is going to set you back massively, as equipment is relatively expensive. And you need the best equipment you can get, while at level five minimum, to even have a chance against Mr. Crabs. Once you take him down, the game gets way easier, as your party members join you and most of the new enemies aren't particularly strong, but after the second trial the difficulty spikes again. This kind of stuff doesn't bother me as much as it does some people, I grew up with games like that, but it's still a flaw and even if you are an old school gamer, you have to make sure you know what you're doing when you start stuff like this up.
Still, SITD was an overall positive experience. It was definitely old school and rough around the edges in terms of gameplay, which was a bit jarring because it was so ahead of its time graphically. It's crazy how something as simple as not having a map can completely alter the experience, we would be having an entirely different discussion about this game if it was included. I part of the challenge is supposed to come from exploring, but it's not like it was unheard of in RPGs and adventure games at the time. The Zelda games had maps and they were plenty challenging. Still though, SITD is a mechanically sound RPG that requires the player to use sound strategies and solve reasonable puzzles. It's not that simple, but it's not so obtuse you wouldn't be able to figure it out without a guide either. I think they got a lot right on their first try, so in a way it's weird they decided to change course so drastically with the Shining series. Now the series is relatively dormant, but it was critical in introducing strategy RPGs to the west. It also spawned a sub-series of action RPGs and I've read that they did take another crack at a dungeon crawler on the Saturn (Shining the Holy Ark I believe it's called), but the strategy titles are the meat of the series. It's interesting to see how the series started, especially because its progenitor is so different from its successors. Old School RPG fans and Shining fans who want to go back to the series' roots will find plenty to like here. I would absolutely not recommend this for inexperienced RPG gamers, but it is a decent gateway into older games in the genre if you enter with the right expectations. SITD is not a top tier must play, but it's a fun game and interesting curiosity. Just don't get too lost and watch out for giant crabs.
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