Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya

Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya is a tactical role-playing game released in 1993. It was developed by Sonic! Software Planning and published by Sega for the Game Gear. This game is the sequel to the original Shining Force Gaiden, not to be confused with Shining Force II. Along with the first Gaiden, it was remade as Shining Force CD, which added two new scenarios that extend the story of Cypress.

The gameplay is identical to its predecessor, Shining Force Gaiden. Players progress through turn-based tactical battles separated by short cutscenes. Between these scenes, they can save, promote characters, revive fallen allies, and sometimes buy or sell weapons and healing items. Each battlefield is a grid where player units and enemies take turns moving, attacking, casting magic, and using items. Characters gain experience from combat and can upgrade to a more powerful class once they reach level 10.

The story takes place two months after Shining Force Gaiden. It follows Deanna and his companions, young soldiers in the army of Cypress. Prince Nick has left the castle to fight the aggressor nation of Iom, but he cannot wield the powerful Sword of Hajya because his arm has been turned to stone. Deanna and his friends are left to defend the castle and the sword, with Prince Nick’s friend Mayfair in command. When Iom forces attack and steal the sword, Mayfair orders the young soldiers to pursue them and recover it. The story continues in new scenarios within Shining Force CD. This game is a direct continuation of Shining Force Gaiden, which explains how the war began, how Nick met Mayfair, how his arm was petrified, and other key plot points. Characters like Gyan, Ruce, Woldol, and Randolf first appeared in Shining Force Gaiden. Shining Force CD includes a scenario set a few months after this game, featuring most of the major characters. The hidden characters Hanzou and Musashi (mistranslated as "Higins" and "Rush") previously appeared in the original Shining Force.

The North American release made drastic changes to the spells Blaze level 3 and Freeze level 3, more than doubling their damage and increasing their area of effect from two to three squares. This makes mage characters overpowered compared to others, and enemies with level 3 magic can kill several full-health characters in one move.