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What an intriguing concept! Besides the Phantasy Star series, Shining Force 1 & 2 are the only fantasy video RPGs that really captured my imagination. As far I recollect, the premise of Shining Force was similar to Phantasy Star, in that Light fights Darkness and scores a temporary victory, casting the embodiment of Darkness into another dimension. However, manifestations of the Darkness return every 1,000 years, when the seal weakens. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
To my knowledge, the game concepts were developed by different individuals, so I guess Kaloes is probably right, and the similarities may be purely coincidental. The struggle between good and evil, or darkness and light is integral to most epics and indeed most fiction. Modern fiction frequently internalises the struggle.
But isn’t it interesting to speculate about a unifying premise? Much as the “Great Light” left Algo, and went off to nurture new solar systems, a component of the Profound Darkness may have escaped from the seal and sought pastures new. Rather than manifesting as “Dark Force”, as it does in Algo, it is epitomised in the Shining Force solar system as “Dark Dragon” and “Zeon”. They're all slaves to the same master, as it were.
There’s a certain elegance to amalgamation, isn’t there?!
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