Shining Force Feather

       With Shining Force 2 recently released on the Virtual Console we've all been reminded just how important this series is to console strategy games. There have been countless sequels, but Feather looks to be more promising than everything that has come before it. 

      Because the game was completely in Japanese I have no idea what the TGS demo contained story-wise. Instead I can only comment on the battle system that I briefly experienced at the SEGA booth. In the demo I was given control over four characters, with a top-down view of a battle field much like the original Shining Force. However, once combat starts, the updates to the series are very apparent. 

      First off, the grid is gone. Instead of moving characters a set number of squares over the battlefield, each soldier can move in a set circular radius. This allows for quite a bit more freedom of movement. Once in place, each character also has a designated range of attack that once initiated throws players into a close-up side view of the action. To attack, players must press a series of buttons in time with an oscillating attack meter, allowing for multiple strikes in one turn. The instructions at the booth illustrated that it was possible to team up for more powerful attacks, but I wasn't able to accomplish this during my play session. 

      The screen also displays a horizontal timeline of when each character will be given a turn, making it much easier to check up on the flow of battle. So far Shining Force Feather appears to be upgrading the classic strategy game without changing too many of the qualities that made it great.
Provided by ign