Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom gets a new trailer

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Anyone who lived through the 16-bit RPG era at the video rental store will understand the charm of Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom. In February 2017, the game from small French studio Enigami got a new trailer, showing a colorful action RPG that draws both from Japanese classics and from fighting games.

The adventure takes place in Mahera, a world that shattered into pieces and became a set of floating islands. The player controls Chado, a critter-faced waki, and travels between these islands aboard a flying ship, ending up in the middle of a political dispute between rival kingdoms. Alongside Chado is Shiness, a magical spirit that only he can see and who seems to be the key to calming the conflict.

There are five playable characters, each with their own style. Combat is the big draw: instead of turns, fights happen in real time, in an arena, with combos, guarding, parrying and spells, like in a traditional fighting game. Outside the fights, each hero’s powers are used to explore the map, such as using strength to clear obstacles from the path or telekinesis to activate mechanisms.

Focus Home Interactive came on as publisher to help the studio finish the game, which would come to PS4, Xbox One and PC.

What came next

Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom reached stores on April 18, 2017. Reception was divided, with a 67 average on Metacritic: critics praised the anime-style visuals and the gameplay ideas, but pointed to a weak story, uneven dialogue and unpolished combat. It was the kind of game indie RPG fans cherish, a project made with passion by a small team.