The article argues that Sega should revive Shining Force, its 1990s tactical RPG series, as Fire Emblem’s renewed popularity brings turn-based strategy games into the mainstream. Shining Force helped introduce the genre to Western players and remains appealing because of its accessible battles, memorable characters and distinctive sense of humour.

The series lets players build armies featuring classes such as archers, mages, monks and mounted knights, while also recruiting unusual allies including werewolves, robots, turtles and a flying jellyfish. Battles take place on grid-based maps with varied terrain and objectives, followed by animated attacks, while characters can be promoted after gaining experience and obtaining rare items. The first two games, released in 1992 and 1993, are available through Nintendo Switch Online’s Sega Genesis library, although later entries are harder to access legally.