Introduction
Zackcat posted:
When I signed up for this class, I was under the impression I would just be hitting monsters with arrows. All this reading is hurting my brain.
You know, you're right. This course is a lot of work. I think we'd better enroll in some fluff classes to keep our average up.
Give It The Old Community College Try -- Let's Play Shining Force Bare Minimum!
Shining Force was one of my favorite games growing up. The freedom to make an army out of birdmen, wolfmen, and robots was just about the greatest thing my barely pubescent mind could conceive, and save-scumming for optimum level-ups was my first taste of the number porn drug that's been a big chunk of my taste in games ever since. It's not particularly deep or difficult, though, which drives fans like myself to seek new challenges and ways to enjoy the game with our mature, post-middle-school sensibilities.
The defining characteristic of this simplistic tactical fantasy RPG is the cast of thirty playable characters, only twelve of whom can be brought into any battle as the titular "Force." Picking a team is what gives the game its personal charm and replay value. After a couple of runs through the game, the player probably has played out his or her favorite characters, and there's fun to be had trying new variations and neglected characters the next time through.
This particular challenge upends the spirit of the game a bit. There is a simple exploit early in the game that allows the player to skip recruiting the first five teammates that would normally form the initial Force. By using this glitch, as well as avoiding every other optional or secret character in the game, the player can reach the final boss with exactly twelve characters -- just enough for a full active team, with no substitutes on the bench. This challenge bypasses many of the most powerful characters in the game, and forces the player to make the best of limited resources, exploit the game's legendarily stupid AI, and give consideration to characters that otherwise would barely see the light of day.
Oh, and of course it wouldn't be a challenge run if I let myself use savestates, so those are out as well. So, let's begin!
