This excellent remake of the original Sega turn-based tactical RPG can compare to even the best of the genre.
Don't worry folks, this isn't just a Fire Emblem clone. In fact, the two titles are vastly different. The biggest difference would definitely be the in-between sequences of the two games. While in Fire Emblem the gameplay was solely based around the battles with only dialogue in-between, this is not the case for Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon. In Shining Force, you are actually able to interact with NPC's in towns, go exploring, and find hidden items and secret characters if you are vigilant enough.
The other thing that makes this game differ from Fire Emblem is the fact that characters can be resurrected at the end of the battle, whereas in Fire Emblem if a character dies they are gone forever. Make no mistake, this is not to say that the game is easy, as your characters will die, on multiple occasions. Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon still requires much planning, leveling up of your party members and strategy on the battlefield if you are to make it through the game, as some of the "boss enemies" in certain levels can kill off half of your party if you're not careful.
But let's get to the breakdown, shall we?
Gameplay:
For the most part, it works flawlessly. Outside of battle, movement is simple, and you can talk to NPC's with ease. No problem there. A very minor hitch that occasionally arises are in the menus; sometimes it's difficult to navigate and sort your items effectively and make it work the way you want to. However, the addition of the useful feature of the item box for storing items when characters are already too overloaded to carry anything else is bound to create a slight increased difficulty in menu navigation.
The main "shining forces" (bad pun, I know) and faults of the gameplay come during the lengthy battle sequences, however. Nearly everything works smoothly, and the fact that you get special bonuses for completing the mission in a specified amount of turns helps to keep the game going at a good pace and set challenges for yourself. Also, the AI is somewhat intellingent, as they will normally target your weaker enemies to help make your life more difficult. Unfortunately, the problems with the formula can get in the way and make a difference if you're in the wrong situation at the wrong time. For example, certain units can be easily become obsolete unless you make a huge effort to use them constantly, such as healers. Since healing give little experience, you have to find other ways to get them to level up quicker, such as attacking enemies with 1 hp left or using rare spells at the exact right situation to boost your experience. Eventually, it becomes a hassle, but a necessary one. Also, terrain affects battle much more than it needs to. Instead of just having a forest cut you back a couple of spaces, it cuts certain units' advancements by 3/4 almost, which can really throw you off and make that long battle just a little bit longer. These are minor faults, however, and they hardly affect the overall quality of the game.
As a side note, the gameplay is slightly made better in this game than the original by the fact that three new characters have been added to the game. To help integrate them into the main story, they are playable in the first few chapters' epilogues (also a new addition) until they eventually meet up with the main party to help save the world from an evil lord and his malevolent plans to resurrect the Dark Dragon (surprise!) and destroy the world. These new characters are useful, and help add a little bit more "planning ahead" than the original, as you now have three more units to consider releasing into battle.
Graphics:
Not much to say, except for the fact that you can tell that this game was originally on the Genesis. Make no mistake, the game still looks and works really well, even with a few new improvements on battle animations and character models. This is good, as it helps to freshen up the original game to exploit the GBA's improved graphics engine over the Sega Genesis.
Another thing that should be noted is the colour scheme of the game. While the colours are simple and somewhat plain, this helps make each aspect of a characters costume or a battlefield that much more defined; things stand out more, and the game seems that much more vibrant.
Sound:
Definitely the worst aspect of the game. While the music may have been acceptable back when it was on the Genesis, it doesn't cut it so much nowadays. Every place that is similar to another (caves, towns, etc.) will have its own universal track, which is bad enough. What makes it worse is that the music for each really isn't all that good, so you'll probably find yourself going through the majority of the adventure with the sound off. However, the thing that prevents me from giving this game a sound score of 4 or less are the sound effects. When you attack an opponent with a weapons, magic, etc. it has its own appropriate sound effect, and it livens up the battle sequences greatly. It helps you forget about the bad quality of the music, if only for a few seconds.
Value:
Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon has a surprising amount of value. With the addition of a sort of "collectible card" sidequest (it's not as bad as you think!), you can try and look for them to use them in battle with the third of the three additional characters. These cards can have various effects, from allowing a character to increase their attack range by two, attack a certain distant enemy, etc. They make battles much more interesting, and finding and discovering the abilities of these cards can be a fun little sidequest to partake in.
What's more, when you beat the game, you can choose to continue your previous save file, which in turn will have a little star beside your name. What this means is that you are now playing in hard mode, and more cards are accessible as well as the enemies get tougher and smarter. It doesn't even end there! If you happen to beat the game again, you can continue your game AGAIN, but this time in Very Hard mode! Now you'll really have your work cut out for you, but the best cards in the game will be accessible to you. The biggest challenges are ahead of you, but you now have the most options in which to beat the game. Rarely has there been more incentive to play through a game again!
To tell the truth, I love this game to death. It brought back memories of playing the game during my childhood, and the fact that it's an excellent game on even today's standards really helps. Any fan of the Fire Emblem, or even the genre in general, should not hesitate to try out this game. While the music may aggravate you, the volume button remedies that problem easily and efficiently. If you have a GBA and a thirst for a somewhat-unique experience, don't hesitate to get this game!