Shining in the Darkness Turns 26 Years Old

Shining in the Darkness was quite an experiment for Sega on their Genesis console. I personally rejoiced when I first saw this game back in issues of Gamepro magazine, or was it Game Player’s? Anyhow, I am a First-Person dungeon crawl nut – even more so if I don’t have to worry about more than one adventurer (any extra just become ruck sacks to hold gear as far as I am concerned). Shining in the Darkness was not going to be a solo conquest, this was apparent from the three-character information boxes across the top of the screen. While this was not ideal for me, I was willing to overlook it considering this was coming out on a 16-Bit console. This was going to be my first experience with a 16-Bit role playing game. What challenges were they going to throw my way? My mind boggled with how complex the puzzles would be, how many enemies would attack at once, etc.

For the most part, I should not have gotten so worked up.

Anyone that has played Shining in the Darkness can tell you, it was just a slightly prettier version of 8-Bit First-Person role-playing games. There was not a lot of anything new going on here. I mean, sure, the between level stuff was new – you were not traversing a whole town on foot, rather you were making use of a wide graphical representation of the town – a horizontal menu basically. Same when you enter the tavern – sliding left and right to highlight characters you want to interact with. Okay, this is interesting, it is better than wasting time wandering around towns trying to find that one elusive character you need to talk with. It helps get you back to the dungeon as quickly as possible.

The Master System did it better

If you remember the original Phantasy Star then you probably remember the impressive dungeons. The Master System game had FULL SCREEN dungeons. On an 8-Bit console! Shining in the Darkness has about 1/3 screen dungeons – rather weird that they had to step back like that on the more powerful console. I am sure not many people caught that back in the day.

It is more about the journey than the destination

This is completely true for gamers. Gamers are all about getting there, to the destination, rather than partaking in the celebration afterward. At least I know I have pounded the text forward button in whatever game when I have beaten them. Maybe I am just weird that way. The journey is why role-playing games last 10+ hours.

Sega Upped the ante on graphics

While the dungeons are disappointingly small in screen real estate, the town, between dungeons map, etc. are all top notch. Sega really pushed the graphics of role-playing games forward. Just look at any of the non-dungeon screens – there is detail pouring out of them. Wood has grain, there are barely a bare section in the weapon shop, etc.

Still worth your time

I am not trying to knock Shining in the Darkness. This is the first game in the Shining series and if you have played any of them, you will instantly recognize the menu system – it is certainly the most elegant one devised so far. If you want a challenging dungeon romp and a justification for your keeping graph paper around then you would be hard pressed to find a better reason than Shining in the Darkness. It holds up well, even though I do have gripes about it.

Grab Shining in the Darkness off Ebay, Amazon, or Steam. Shining in the Darkness is also available for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 as part of Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.