Prerelease:Shining Force III
This page details prerelease information and/or media for Shining Force III.
 | To do: When was the game first announced for localization? |
Contents
Timeline
- 1996
- Planning on Shining Force III starts as a single game. The developers claim to have held back a few years to better understand the Saturn hardware.
- Dec 1996
- Around the time Shining the Holy Ark is released in Japan, production of Shining Force III starts in earnest. What seems to be a SEGA AGES port of the first two games is also tossed around internally, but would ultimately be scrapped.
- 1997
- At an unknown time the game's official website is created, with updates teasing the new features and content that would never make it to the final game.
- Early 1997
- By May the decision is made to split the game into 3 scenarios. Unused data in the game as well as the ABSTRACT.TXT suggest this was made after the game had begun production
- September 1997
- The game is shown off at the Tokyo Game Show.
- The game is also announced in the US via Electronic Gaming Monthly.
- October 1997
- A slightly revised version of the TGS demo is sent out via a magazine.
- The first US mention of the game is in EGM's November 97 issue, page 28. Localization status is unclear by this point.
- November 1997
- Version 1.005 is compiled, shortly before the released version.
- Version 1.006 is released.
- May 1998
- US Version 1.000 is compiled.
- The Sega Flash Vol. 7 disc is released, oddly showcasing a Japanese prototype.
- June 1998
- European version 1.005 is released.
- The US localization is featured at that year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. One of the levels shown is the Quonos Graveyard Battle.
- July 1998
- US Version 1.001 is released.
Single Game
The Premium disc shows off a pair of unused title screens for Scenario 1. While the other is the same as the one used for the FSS and Otanoshimi demos, this one isn't used in any known build (The other demo reuses Shining the Holy Ark's as a placeholder). The strange part about both of these title screens is they both feature the Walcurary, an enemy that doesn't show up until Scenario 3, though it is alluded to via some NPC dialogue.
Promotional Video
Shining Force III's Premium Disc contains a Making of, titled "Promotional Video". The gameplay footage shown appears to be incredibly early. So early that it appears the footage is running off a PC workstation, as a mouse cursor can been seen multiple times. It shows off many areas' assets, and sprites cut from the final game, including the Monk sprite from Barrand, Barrand proper, MUBAR.MPD, the Train station that's VERY different to the final, Tree, an early Saraband, Fort, and the version of Maya Village shown off in concept art.
Early Screenshots
The developer's website for the game contains a number of early screenshots, some of which appears in the promotional video.
Barrand
In-game screenshot.
Wireframe of the map.
This is the town of Barrand (バーランド). [1] The town is a big part of the final game, but you never visit it and it isn't even present in the game's files. The map would eventually be reworked for Scenario 2.
Fort
Called "Fort" in the final game. The website description reads as follows:
 | ...But what does it mean? This game has text or audio that needs to be translated. If you are fluent with this language, please read our translation guidelines and then submit a translation! Notes: Developer description for Unused Area |
| Japanese | Translation |
|---|---|
| 魔天要塞・・・遥かに高くそびえるいにしえの要塞。 | [Maten] Fortress...The ancient fortress positioned in a very high place |
Saraband
The final, for comparison.
Early version of Saraband. The main difference is the water textures, which are a much lighter blue than the final.
Strangely, this exact same image is used on the back of the US box art.
An interior map that's quite different to anything used in the final. However, notice the soldier in the middle of the image. This particular sprite shows up often in early footage, but in-game its use is fairly limited.
Train Station
An unknown train station. Bears a resemblance to Storich's station in Scenario 2. Features early trains with colorful fronts, though still looking nothing like the concept art.
Vagabond
The Tent is much more colorful than final.
World Map
Original in-progress map.
The completed map.
An in-progress map made during Scenario 1's development. The most interesting thing to note is while most of Scenario 2's portion has yet to be filled in, the swamps are already present, and even has the connecting caves to Storich placed.
Battle Changes
In Ruin Battles, Scavens were originally used in place of the "Thief" enemy. The internal enemy list suggest Thieves were added incredibly late into development, most of their entries come directly after the final boss, though the first entry and model itself slightly precedes it.
Synbios casting an unknown spell.
A battle scene featuring what appears to be a stormy background. The background doesn't seem to fill the screen like it does in the final.
Another unused background. Notice how the Sniper is standing in a black void. Appears to be smoke and some kind of structure in the background, possibly related to the train.
HUD
Early HUD. Name, Level, HP and MP would be condensed into a single box in the final, with "LV[##]" being shortened to "L[##]" while the second would be used to describe Land Effect values.
Concept Art
Present on the Premium Disc is a ton of concept art for all of the games:
Characters
| To do:
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- ネコウサ獣人
Rough translation would be "Cat Beastman", the English fan translation calls it "Catman". The top portion reads "おまけです。" (As a Bonus.)
- Penn
Various early designs for Penn.
Areas
- Maya Original (マヤ原集)
Resembles the area seen in the Promotional Video.
- デコトレ伝説
Called Railhead Train in the English fan translation. This train looks nothing like the one used.
- Suspension Bridge
Top left reads "バトルフィールド"(Battlefield).
- ()
Concept art for an unused village. A description as well as a higher quality drawing of it is in the World Book, Page 151:
It reads:
Amity Village A Birdman village in the Republic of Aspinia It is also the birthplace of Elder and Zero. This village has produced many excellent avian swordsmen. It is also a place where information is frequently exchanged between Birdmen, who are often engaged in information gathering.
Autumn TGS Video
3:34 and 9:12 of the video show off incredibly brief snippets of a prototype, not quite like anything we have currently. In it, we can see FIELD.MPD was actually a working battle at some point, and an entirely different status bar, featuring some unknown icons next to the character's name. We can also see that the game was on display at the show floor, however, it's very likely to have been similar to the Segakore demo. This is based on the modification date of the game's files, the latest of which is dated Sept 10th, a few days after the show.
Sega Flash Vol. 7
The European demo Sega Flash Vol. 7 contains a short gameplay clip, from an earlier version of the game. The only immediate difference, aside from the camera being static like in the FSS demo, is the title screen which uses the background image from the demo, and lacks a Scenario as well as a subtitle.
