Shining Force II

シャイニング・フォースII 古えの封印 (Shainingu Fōsu Tsū: Inishie no Fūin)Genesis, Wii, Windows, iOS +71993

  1. JP1993
  2. NA1994
  3. EU1994
  4. RU—

In Japan the game is シャイニング・フォースII 古えの封印 (Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal); in North America and Europe the subtitle was dropped and it became simply Shining Force II. The easiest legal way to play it today is the SEGA Mega Drive app in Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

Shining Force II is a tactical RPG that Sega released for the Mega Drive in Japan on 1 October 1993, subtitled 'The Ancient Seal'. It was developed by Sonic! Software Planning, directed by Shugo Takahashi and Yasuhiro Taguchi, and scored by Motoaki Takenouchi. Western releases followed in 1994, with Europe getting it in September 1994.

Battles take place on a square grid: each unit moves and takes one action per turn. Unlike the first Shining Force, the sequel drops the chapter structure in favor of freer exploration. Characters can be promoted at level 20, and some have a second, hidden promotion path. Despite being the fifth Shining game, it had the same budget as Shining in the Darkness.

It has since been reissued on the Wii Virtual Console in 2008, on Windows in 2011, on iOS and Android in 2018 and on Nintendo Switch Online in 2022.1

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA Shining Force II Genesis 1994 Sega 1
NA Shining Force IIVirtual Console Wii Oct 6, 2008 Sega 1
JP シャイニング・フォースII 古えの封印 Genesis Oct 1, 1993 Sega 1
EU Shining Force II Genesis September 1994 Sega 1
EU Shining Force IIVirtual Console Wii Oct 3, 2008 Sega 1
WW Shining Force II Windows 2011 Sega 1
WW Shining Force IIalso Android iOS October 2018 Sega 1
WW Shining Force IINintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack; 22 April 2022 in Japan per Japanese Wikipedia Switch Apr 21, 2022 Nintendo 1

Also known as: シャイニング・フォースII 古えの封印 JP1Shainingu Fōsu Tsū: Inishie no Fūin JP1Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal JP1

Box art by region

  • Shining Force II box art, North America release
    NA Shining Force II
  • Shining Force II box art, Europe release
    EU Shining Force II
  • シャイニング・フォースII 古えの封印 box art, Japan release
    JP シャイニング・フォースII 古えの封印

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.

Version differences

  • TextEnglish

    The English release calls the three Devil Kings Dark Sol, Dark Dragon and Zeon; according to fan translators and co-director Yasuhiro Taguchi, they are actually Darksol, Lucifer and Zeon.1

Translations

  • English Official

    Sega1994Genesis · Japanese versionReleased · complete

    Sega's official English localization came out in North America and Europe in 1994.1

Where to play legally today

  • Nintendo Switch Online Subscription

    Shining Force II (SEGA Mega Drive - Nintendo Switch Online)

    Mega Drive/Genesis version

    Checked: 2026-10-132ec.nintendo.com

Reception

It holds an 89% average on GameRankings and was a best-seller in Japan. EGM ranked it 60th among the best console games in 1997 and IGN put it 48th in its 2007 top 100, although GamePro panned it at launch.1

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2ec.nintendo.com

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

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