Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom

A hybrid of an interesting RPG setting, a fighting game style combat system of pleasing back and forths, and a great manga aesthetic, that is let down by frequent technical issues, a frustrating camera, and a poorly told story. Fans of both RPGs and Fighting games may well find something to love here but be prepared for a general lack of polish and some more glaring issues.

While creativity should be appreciated and rewarded in the gaming industry, and a very interesting world has been put on display here, the rest of the game is just not up to snuff. Shiness may be worth checking out for those who are yearning for more fantastical worlds to explore and the return of PS2-era style RPGs, as it certainly scratched that itch for me. but others should carefully consider ...

An indie adventure with far Eastern inspirations that does a great job of masquerading as a big budget spectacular, Shiness will delight those looking for a fix of action RPG goodness with one eye on the classics of yore.

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If there ever was a golden era for Japanese action role-playing games, it definitely was the second half of the 90s, with games such as the Alundra titles, Brave Fencer Musashi, Threads of Fate and many others setting a new bar for the genre. Since then, action role-playing games have changed a lot, with only some of them, like the Kingdom Hearts games, retaining the light-hearted feel that made t...

It's true that most RPGs can be played passively as you watch your characters level up and the story unfold. However, Shiness is here to whip you into shape with its action-packed battles so let's check it out.

Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom (called Shiness from here on out) makes a good first impression with many positive traits, showing less rough edges than many of its equally ambitious indie peers, that you’d be forgiven for believing it comes from a bigger studio at an early glance. Mixing the RPG genre with deep fighting game mechanics and environmental puzzles, Shiness is an impressive outing for ...

All told, Shiness is an uneven adventure, but one I’m glad I undertook. While it’s too ambitious for its own good, deep down, and despite some hard-to-overlook faults, you can just sense that this was a passion project. I’m not sure if Enigami will get to make a sequel, but if it does, I’d be up for it.

If it weren’t for the camera, archaic controls, and sort of… indie feel of it all, you’d think this could pass for a big AAA RPG. And I think that’s what Enigami had in mind. It’s clear their ambitions are sky high, just perhaps lacking the budget needed to make this a “must play”. Still if you’re a fan of unique manga, action combat like you might find in the Naruto console games, and PS2 era JRP...

Despite its issues though, Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom is overall, an enjoyable experience. I’m certain that fans of the franchise will be more than happy to be able to step into Mahera as their favourite characters. The game shows so much potential and promise going forward, and I will look with eager eyes to see what Enigami come out with next. Unfortunately, the game spread itself far too th...

Life can sometimes feel like waiting for the proverbial bus. While everyone has been patiently anticipating Yooka-Laylee, it actually isn't the only colourful Kickstarter game to make its way to the PlayStation 4 this month: somewhat lesser known is Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom. This is an action role-playing game, but it's not just any action RPG, as it's one infused with platforming elements, ...