Shining Force series will return as RPG for Android and iOS
SEGA'S classic franchise Shining Force is set for a return on mobile devices.
The Shining Force series is one of the most beloved in SEGA’s back catalog that seems to never get the attention it deserves. However, we’ve learned that developer Hive recently licensed the Shining Force IP from SEGA, and they’ve announced a new mobile game is in the works for Android and iOS platforms.
As first reported by Japanese site Gamer.ne.jp, the new game is tentatively titled Shining Force – Heroes of Light and Darkness. This turn-based RPG is expected to be free-to-play and launch within the first half of 2022.
Hive has the right to distribute the game across many Asian countries including Japan and South Korea. They also have the right to distribute the game in Europe and the United States. However, it remains unconfirmed whether the new Shining Force game will release simultaneously across all territories.
Shining Force mobile port
The original Shining Force was ported to iOS by SEGA in 2010. Instead of adapting the game for standard touch controls, SEGA opted to include a virtual controller in an attempt to replicate the SEGA Genesis experience. It will be interesting to see how Hive handles the new title, since touch controls are optimal for turn-based combat.
Hive, the Japanese subsidiary of Korean developer Vespa, currently only has two games to its name to date. Aggretsuko: the short-timer strikes back and Peko-Pop are both match-three puzzlers on Android and iOS. With the rich history of the Shining series, this is Hive’s most ambitious project yet.
The series first debuted on the SEGA Genesis in 1991. The first game Shining in the Darkness was a dungeon crawler that led to many spinoffs and sequels. The most recent entry in the series is 2018’s Shining Resonance Refrain, a remaster of 2014’s Shining Resonance. That release also marks the first time fans in the West have received a new game in the Shining series since 2007’s Shining Force EXA.
Shining Force – Heroes of Light and Darkness is currently in development by Hive and is expected to be released on Android and iOS platforms in the first half of 2022.
Via NME
