Shining in the Darkness

Shining in the Darkness became available for the Sega Genesis console in 1991. It was a massive dungeon exploration for its time, with none of the dungeon levels being randomized. The game sported colorful graphics, plenty of sound effects and well-done (but limited) visual effects that highlighted the capability of the Sega system.

The story starts in the kingdom of Thornwood, from where the princess has been abducted, as well as the father of the main character. Along with his friends, Milo and Pyra, the main character must venture into a huge labyrinth to try and find arch-enemy Dark Sol, and bring back the captives. The labyrinth and the creatures found within its walls are quite colorful, bringing to mind a Japanese influence on the game, reminiscent of Phantasy Star. Even the labyrinth walls glow faintly as if a perpetual light shines upon their surface. The stark visuals help to offset a somewhat tedious trek through the dungeon levels, which are fairly large. Since the monsters are encountered every few paces, no matter how many of the nasties have been killed already, exploring these tunnels in full can require a lot of combat.

The Shining in the Darkness combat mode is very basic, with monsters simply popping up in front of the party, a la Dragon Warrior. Much of the strategy in battle centers around deciding which monster to attack with which player. The main character is a fighter who cannot cast magic spells, but has a slightly higher number of hit points than either of his companions. Milo and Pyra each have their own spell lists, and all three characters have weapons and other items that only they can use.

Shining in the Darkness is a very linear role-playing game, which means that there's not much exploration that is not tied to the main quest. The town outside the labyrinth is comprised of point-and-click buildings, rather than developed areas to investigate. Some may find this kind of adventure boring or tedious, but this game will appeal to those who played it many years ago, or who simply like a very structured, goal-oriented dungeon adventure.