Back in the days of traditional RPG's like Zelda and Secret of Mana, people just loved to play them because they were fun, not because they were visually impressive (because they weren't). Hot off the heels of the extremely untraditional but awe-inspiring Final Fantasy VII comes Shining the Holy Ark for the Saturn. Well we've been taken back to those days of good ol' days of Role-Playing games but without sacrificing the 32-bit look.

Graphics
Well what can I say about these visuals other than perfect. They don't get much better than this. The game takes on a first-person perspective so theoretically, being close to the action, things would look pixelated. But they don't at all. Everything is gorgeous right down to the expressions on peoples faces. The dungeons are huge and beautifully rendered. The monsters are extremely detailed and range in a huge variety from bats to coins with legs to trees. There are tons of enemies and it seems like you're just constantly encountering new ones. The graphics are done very well and I give them a 95%.

Control
Control is a bit of a different story. You won't find yourself wanting to use the analog pad (actually I'm not even sure if you can) because the movement is very linear. When you turn, you automatically turn 90 degrees so there's really only 4 directions to face, except for certain areas where you can turn at 45 degree angles because of the situation. But I found that this did not detract from the gameplay one bit, it actually makes it easier to maneuver. The control is very responsive but it does slowdown a little bit when your in towns, especially Enrich but I don't know why. I give the control a 90%.

Sound/Music
The music is very traditional and nothing spectacular, as is the sound. There is only one battle tune which is reminiscent of elevator music in that it's cool the first 3 times but after that you start turning down the volume and listening to your own music every time you get attacked. Everything else is fine. I especially liked the music when your sleeping, it's kind of peaceful. The sounds of voices when the characters are talking get a bit annoying cause it's just a bunch of beeps but you get used to it. I give the sound a 85%.

Storyline
The story in Shining is excellent. There aren't really a lot of plot twists, but it still keeps you coming back for more. It's starts off with the King sending you, Arthur, and two other Mercenaries, Melody and Forte, to find Rodi, a criminal on the run. The party enters an old abandoned mine where Rodi has been cornered and all four are caught when the mine collapses and killed. Then a mysterious being comes down (from where I don't know) and revives the party members but each member is given an entity, as you might call it, that keeps them alive and protects them. They all have a slight case of amnesia and Rodi joins the party. The story takes off from there. I give the storyline a 93%

Gameplay
The gameplay is excellent. It's a very lengthy game (it took me about 45 hours the first time I played). And it is very addicting. You will find yourself trying to avoid monsters because they get a bit repetitive but I still never got sick of it. It's also a very hard game. I had to get help from friends on the web numerous times because there are many puzzles that are just brainracking. My only big gripe is that the world isn't really that big. It consists of only one body of land. Even though it's a long game, you find yourself going back and forth to the same places to find things. The whole game consists of only 4 villages and they are quite small. But don't let that turn you off of this game. It's a great experience for any RPG lover and I recommend it to all. I give the gameplay a 96%.

Overall
Buy this game, you won't regret it. Overall-93%