Shining the Holy Ark: This game has aged so well!

[drunkensailor]

my disc rotted away several years ago and it has always been a thorn in my eye since I loved this game so much. recently bought a disc+manual only copy and have invested 8 hours into it already (hadn't plated it in more than 10 years). my god has this game aged well! the graphics as well. also I can't stand most turn based battle anymore but this game is so much quicker and pixie system is tremendous and I can never get over the dungeon design. this game has the best level/dungeon design out of any rpg ever made.

it's not just one of saturns best rpg's ever made it's one of the best rpg's ever made period and is still tremendous to play today.

also I love how it connects to the shining force 3 games in storyline as well as graphics and interface.

[DomingoRules!]

As somebody who played this game for the very first time ever about three years ago (geez, it does not feel like it's been that long, but thread post dates insist it has), I can attest to the game aging well without needing to worry about my opinion being clouded with nostalgia. From the first time I powered it on, I couldn't put it down during my free time, and found myself anxious to get home and continue every day at work. And that's coming from somebody who generally doesn't care for first-person dungeon crawlers.

[Moondog]

i first played STHA when it came out (about 20 years ago now lol), loved it back then. i then bought my own Saturn around 2006, haven't played it in a few years since my Saturn has been packed away for while, or been breaking down due to age.

i've just recently taken a gamble on ebay for a £25 Saturn that was sold as 'faulty' due to the seller not having a cable to connect it to the TV, so was unable to test it, but they had powered it on and the light came on.

i tried it out and it seems to work fine, so i've now bought a SCART to HDMI converter, so should hopefully be playing my Saturn in HD very soon

any time i've went back to STHA i've always loved how well it holds up too, the graphics and framerate on the worms that come out the ground are still top notch, and i can't get enough of the awesome battle theme.

i've never finished the game (last save was just after beating Rilix so not sure how far that is but pretty far), but i should still have my save on my cart to carry on where i left off and hopefully finish it after 20 long years lol.

[knight0fdragon]

I have to disagree, the very low frame rate is a major drawback to this game, thus not allowing it to age well.

[DomingoRules!]

I myself have never really been bothered by changes in frame rate. I didn't even mind it in Mighty No. 9, which is one reason why I actually enjoyed that game. As for frame rates in Shining the Holy Ark, I feel that drops are even more moot in a game like an RPG where the frame rate drops don't actually affect the player's ability to properly play the game (outside testing their patience).

[knight0fdragon]

Not the change in frame rate, the actual game runs in its entirety in a low frame rate (not as low as virtual hydlide, but still sluggish)

[DomingoRules!]

That to me just makes it even less noteworthy because of being consistent within itself. I've just never been one to understand why people make such big deals over frame rates.

[knight0fdragon]

because choppy animations hurt the eyes, imagine a strobe effect

[legalize freedom]

It does lag in spots, but nothing that ever bothered me compared to the rest of the experience.

[Pappets]

I also remember the lag of this game. One place is in Enrich Town in several spots. But the curious thing is that when i played it in an emulator there was almost no lag. So this game is better played in an emulator.

[DomingoRules!]

I definitely ran into some lag here and there when playing the game for the first time a few years ago, but because my Saturn isn't in the best shape I wasn't sure if it was the way the game simply acted, or if it was the condition of my console. Especially since the lag was so much of a problem at first, that it actually kept freezing the game until I adjusted the laser a bit so I could clear the first dungeon. Even after the adjustment, the game still lagged at times, but no longer froze as a result.

[Moondog]

I find it runs really good on my 4K Panasonic TV with clear motion enabled, possibly smoother than a CRT TV too.

[drunkensailor]

I find it runs really good on my 4K Panasonic TV with clear motion enabled, possibly smoother than a CRT TV too.

this should always be played on a crt. preferably a pvm.

[Righteous Force]

Interesting. Didn't notice there is a low frame rate average to this game (if that's what KoD means) in my recent to-end playthrough of this game. What is the fps standard in StHA? Unless he's talking about obvious drops here and there like two spots in Enrich town.

And I'm pretty picky about frame rates these days. Prefer 60fps in my modern games now, but for older 3D games, 30fps is a good standard and hasn't yet crossed my mind to be that critical of frame rates in retro 3D gaming. But if the option is there, like Saturn Japanese Outrun, yeah, crank it up to 60 from 30.

As for StHA? Yes, very awesome RPG. Such atmosphere and coolness "In the land of mercenaries" how cool are that. Graphics, such charm, style, and immersive. As for the turn-based combat, top-notch too, with it being fast-paced and not too convoluted. Camelot was great at making games. Well... granted Beyond the Beyond I finally beat too recently and that wasn't so hot. But good enough to beat. Still haven't beat Shining Wisdom and any Golden Sun game, and Nintendo sports games. Ditto for the Dragon Quest games that Hiro Camelot brother worked on.

[knight0fdragon]

No, it is not an average. The game itself runs at a consistent low frame rate. Variable frame rates were not a thing as of yet, games were stuck to a multiple of the VSync.

[Pappets]

StHA deserves a remaster or a fan mod. The game is a bit easy. And Melody becomes quite useless in the last dungeon and in the two last boss battles. I believe the DEVs rushed to finish StHA because our party stops talking after the battle with Rilix at Enrich Castle, someone in the far east village says the sacred treasures can be upgraded but that is not possible and other things.
In other words, Shing the Holy Ark needs to be polished / remastered.