Shining the Holy Ark
Encyclopedia
is a first person
role-playing game
released for the Sega Saturn
. It is a part of Sega's Shining series of video games.
. While in the town of Enrich, Arthur and the others meet a young boy named Julian. He tells them that his father went to investigate a haunted mansion in the woods, but never returned. Since that time he has been in the care of a family friend. It would later be discovered that Julian's father was killed by Galm, one of the mythical Vandals that ruled over the world during the time of the 1,000 year kingdom. His father's death compels Julian to seek revenge against Galm, which sets into motion his involvement in the events of Shining Force III.
; the player explores towns and dungeons in the first-person view, with battles almost exclusively taking place in dungeons. Battles take place in a turn-based format, maintaining the first-person view but also allowing the player to view allies as they take their actions. One unique mechanic is the "pixie
" system, where the player can befriend pixies that will attack enemies as the party encounters them.
The game's soundtrack was composed by Motoi Sakuraba
, who later wrote the music for Shining Force III
.
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
released for the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
. It is a part of Sega's Shining series of video games.
Story
Three mercenaries - Arthur, Melody, and Forte - are hired by the King of Enrich to hunt down and capture a renegade ninja by the name of Rodi. The group pursues Rodi to the nearby mines where, after a brief skirmish, an unknown craft crashes through the roof. All four characters are gravely injured, but soon healed by being possessed by strange spirits. While those inhabiting Arthur, Melody, and Rodi seem benevolent, Forte is occupied by an evil spirit. From here the story follows the three unwitting heroes as they fight to stop the revival of the legendary 1,000 year kingdom, which would return the world to an age of darkness.Shining Series continuity
Shining the Holy Ark takes place 10 years before Shining Force IIIShining Force III
is a video game designed for the Sega Saturn by Camelot Software Planning. It is a continuation of the Shining series. Comprising three separate but overlapping storylines, the Japanese version of Shining Force III was released in three volumes, known as:...
. While in the town of Enrich, Arthur and the others meet a young boy named Julian. He tells them that his father went to investigate a haunted mansion in the woods, but never returned. Since that time he has been in the care of a family friend. It would later be discovered that Julian's father was killed by Galm, one of the mythical Vandals that ruled over the world during the time of the 1,000 year kingdom. His father's death compels Julian to seek revenge against Galm, which sets into motion his involvement in the events of Shining Force III.
Gameplay
Gameplay is most similar to Shining in the DarknessShining in the Darkness
Shining in the Darkness, released as in Japan, is a 1991 RPG for the Mega Drive/Genesis video game console. It was one of the first RPGs released for the system, and began the Shining RPG series that would span four Sega video game consoles as well as the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 2.On...
; the player explores towns and dungeons in the first-person view, with battles almost exclusively taking place in dungeons. Battles take place in a turn-based format, maintaining the first-person view but also allowing the player to view allies as they take their actions. One unique mechanic is the "pixie
Pixie
Pixies are mythical creatures of folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon and Cornwall, suggesting some Celtic origin for the belief and name.They are usually depicted with pointed ears, and often wearing a green outfit and pointed...
" system, where the player can befriend pixies that will attack enemies as the party encounters them.
Playable Characters
- Arthur - a mercenary swordsman, silent protagonist, and host for the spirit. With experience, gains the ability to use both support and offensive magic. The player sees through his eyes.
- Melody - a mercenary shaman, and host for the spirit. Uses powerful healing and offensive summon spells.
- Rodi - a ninja from Far East Village, and host for the spirit.
- Forte - a mercenary wizard. Possessed by an evil spirit for a while.
- Lisa - a mercenary soldier skilled in swordsmanship and support magic, a PaladinPaladinThe paladins, sometimes known as the Twelve Peers, were the foremost warriors of Charlemagne's court, according to the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. They first appear in the early chansons de geste such as The Song of Roland, where they represent Christian martial valor against the...
. - Basso - a dragonman mercenary, and companion of Lisa.
- Akane - a kunoichiKunoichiis the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...
, and sister of Rodi. - Doyle - a wolfman ninja. Appears several times as an NPCNon-player characterA non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
, and later as a secret character.
Non-playable characters
- Rilix - a Vandal who secured a position as the king's advisor and court wizard; seeks the revival of the 1,000 year kingdom. One of the games major antagonists.
- Sabato - A sage who served as the king's advisor and chancellor before being ousted by Rilix. He is responsible for summoning Galm back to the mortal realm, and in return Galm told him what would soon happen at Godspeak. Despite being stripped of his political power, Sabato seeks to manipulate that course of events so that good will triumph over evil.
- Lord of the Far East Village - An elder who serves as leader of Far East Village. He is also the father of Rodi and Akane, and adoptive father of Panzer. He provides help and advice for the party in their struggle against Rilix.
- Galm - the most powerful Vandal, yet for unknown reasons does not wish to see the 1,000 year kingdom revived, which puts him at odds with his brethren.
- Elise - Rilix's sister; like Galm, she doesn't seem too interested in reviving the 1,000 year kingdom.
- Panzer - a young Vandal from Far East Village, he seeks to revive the 1,000 year kingdom. One of the game's major antagonists.
Development
The story of Shining the Holy Ark was designed with a more mature audience in mind than earlier games in the Shining series were targeted towards. In a 2009 interview, producer Hiroyuki Takahashi commented:
Until [Shining] Wisdom, the idea had been simply to develop a story that would attract a broad range of users. From Holy Ark on, the story and game were redesigned to focus on the Saturn players of the time. Japanese Saturn owners were generally in their late-teens or early-twenties. The age group had shifted away from children, so... the concept was 'fantasy that can be enjoyed by adults'. This new approach led to a darker, deeper world than we had been creating for the 'all ages' category prior to Holy Ark. We started to work on the plot of a story that would be appropriate in such a world.
The game's soundtrack was composed by Motoi Sakuraba
Motoi Sakuraba
is a Japanese composer of video games, anime series, and television dramas as well as independent progressive rock albums.-Biography:Motoi Sakuraba was born in Akita Prefecture, Japan...
, who later wrote the music for Shining Force III
Shining Force III
is a video game designed for the Sega Saturn by Camelot Software Planning. It is a continuation of the Shining series. Comprising three separate but overlapping storylines, the Japanese version of Shining Force III was released in three volumes, known as:...
.
External links
- Shining Force Central's entry on Shining the Holy Ark
- Home of Shining the Holy Arc - Fansite
- Shining the Holy Ark on the Shining Wiki