Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom

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.

59%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

stability, grinding

51% User Score Based on 269 reviews

Critic Score 67%Based on 19 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $1.50

Buy NowGet on Steam$9.99

About

Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom is an action RPG with a unique animated style. Explore a mystical world as Chado and his friends, solving puzzles and battling enemies in tactical real-time combat. Engage in deep customization and upgrade systems while uncovering the mysteries of the Shiness world.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom screenshot

51%

Audience ScoreBased on 288 reviews

story48 positive mentions

stability12 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and a vibrant world that is visually appealing.
The combat system is engaging and offers a mix of action and RPG elements, allowing for various strategies and character abilities.
The story, while sometimes predictable, has interesting characters and a whimsical tone that can be enjoyable.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including camera problems and game-breaking glitches.
The controls can be clunky and unresponsive, particularly for players using a keyboard and mouse.
The pacing of the story can feel uneven, with some sections dragging on and others feeling rushed or incomplete.

story
210 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
68%
10%
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and filled with interesting characters, while others criticize it for being convoluted, unfinished, or poorly explained. Many noted that the narrative feels rushed and lacks proper closure, leaving significant plot threads unresolved, which diminishes the overall experience. Despite its artistic presentation and potential, the storytelling often suffers from awkward exposition and bugs that detract from immersion.
- “There are multiple story threads going on with many interesting characters.”
- “The quest to redeem Adorya is greatly narrated, and the characters have amazing voice acting for such a low-budget project.”
- “The overall story within this game, and what story they leave untold for potential future releases is very good.”
- “The story is sadly unfinished and the game is generally a bit buggy/sloppy in some feedback during combat.”
- “The weak and generic story isn't helping at all.”
- “The rest of the game isn't so bad outside the couple of undying bugs you can get in combat where you need to restart the game, the shi affinity system that makes almost no sense, and the story that seems to bounce between new and old plot points to the point where you just have an abrupt ending that also makes no sense.”
gameplay
101 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
72%
8%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the fast-paced combat mechanics and character abilities, while others criticize the clunky controls and repetitive nature of the gameplay. Many appreciate the integration of various mechanics from different genres, but feel that the execution is often unpolished and lacks depth, leading to frustration during combat and exploration. Overall, while there are enjoyable elements, the gameplay is seen as inconsistent and in need of refinement.
- “The gameplay takes place in the form of an adventure.”
- “It's a fun change from the usual combat being turn-based; as much as I do love turn-based combat, it's fun to try something new like this game and fight in a tense combat situation where not being aware of the game mechanics can really screw you up.”
- “The artistic style is amazing, and the gameplay is very intuitive and feels wonderful.”
- “The enemies' moves are fast and twitchy, so you can never properly foresee their attacks, which renders the stand-by blocking mechanic unusable.”
- “Pretty garbage game, terrible mechanics, doesn't work on controller or mouse and keyboard, story is disjointed and nonsensical, combat and characters are clunky and unrefined.”
- “The gameplay feels so dated and bad it's not even funny.”
graphics
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
63%
4%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant, cel-shaded art style and colorful environments reminiscent of anime and classic RPGs. While some players find the visuals charming and well-executed, others criticize them for feeling outdated or glitchy, likening them to PS2-era graphics. Overall, the artwork is often described as beautiful and appealing, though technical issues and inconsistent quality detract from the experience for some players.
- “It's a nice RPG with beautiful graphics and a cute original setting.”
- “The art style is really impressive and reminds me of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild; I think the cel shading style was very nice and the color palette is nice and easy on the eyes.”
- “The graphics are great and I love the music.”
- “It's got a half-decent art style, but that's all I can really say that it has going for it.”
- “The graphics themselves look about right for a PS2 game, which I guess can be said for what it was going for, but it doesn't seem to be the base when you factor in how many particles this game wants to render in.”
- “I had high hopes for this game, but it felt a bit lacking. The graphics were nice, and while the story seemed interesting but odd, ultimately the gameplay was very plain and got old very quick. It felt like a PS2 game I played a while ago, and considering how new this game still is, I cannot recommend it.”
music
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
48%
5%
The music in the game has received largely positive feedback, with many reviewers praising the beautiful and well-composed soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere and experience. However, some players noted issues with repetitiveness in certain tracks, particularly in the starting area, which detracted from their enjoyment. Overall, the soundtrack is considered one of the standout features, reminiscent of classic gaming scores, and effectively complements the game's vibrant world.
- “The soundtrack is really good, arguably one of the best parts of the game.”
- “Overall, the music acts as an amazing soundscape for the experience.”
- “As a keen listener and observer of soundtracks in general, I can say for sure that each track finds its rightful place in the game, lifting the atmosphere and bringing life into the world.”
- “Not memorable in the slightest, just some typical ambiance and themed music for the area you're in.”
- “I can stand how much the game takes itself too seriously in terms of its lore and language, and the horrible voice acting and bland music, but when your core gameplay is borderline unplayable even for a fighting game veteran like myself, then it really boggles the mind about why nobody decided at one point to ask: why did we bother?”
- “The music is also well composed, although the starting area music started to get on my nerves before I was through; it was just a touch too repetitive, and I spent way more time there exploring than I probably should have.”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
92%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as freezing during combat and in specific areas like the train. While players may find themselves invested in the story and characters, the overall experience is marred by these technical problems, leading to frustration. A patch is anticipated to address some of these issues, so those seeking a smoother experience might consider waiting for updates.
- “If you're worried about the reports of bugs in the game, don't hesitate to buy it. However, if you prefer a completely bug-free experience, it might be wise to wait a few days for the patch to be released.”
- “The game runs smoothly for the most part, and any minor issues I've encountered have been quickly addressed by the developers.”
- “I've experienced very few crashes, and the overall performance has been stable, making for an enjoyable gaming experience.”
- “The train area was super buggy and full of glitches.”
- “As much as there's a lot of bugs, I have only encountered one game-breaking bug, which freezes the input at the character with the train, '3 arrows' specifically, which will stop you from progressing through the game.”
- “Because if an enemy tries to engage combat when you do a pan out area view/cutscene, you end up in a deadlock and your game freezes (lost over an hour of progress just to that).”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while it can be tedious and lead to diminishing returns, especially in late-game scenarios, some enjoy the process of mastering spells and combos. The combat evolves over time, becoming more engaging, but the world feels bland and lacks variety, making grinding feel repetitive. Overall, while grinding is necessary for progression, it can become frustrating due to limited enemy encounters and level-based zones.
- “The world is bland and doesn't have much going on; the magic learning system at the start seems like a great idea but becomes tedious as the game progresses.”
- “The only combat for this game's combat is grinding, which isn't necessarily easy to do since you begin to get diminishing returns the moment you're one level above an enemy.”
- “Late game grinding is annoying as there are few enemies to fight leading up to the final boss.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as charming and quirky, with likable characters and amusing dialogue that adds to the overall enjoyment. However, some players noted inconsistencies in character emotions, which can detract from the comedic effect. Overall, the game features a mix of funny moments and interesting characters that contribute positively to the experience.
- “Charming, cute, funny, and beautifully animated.”
- “Some of the dialogue has been pretty funny, too.”
- “Good story so far, and humor all around.”
character development
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
Character development in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its natural pacing and integration into the story, while others criticize the lack of depth and agency for the characters. Although there are moments of engaging character design and writing, many feel that the overall gameplay detracts from meaningful character growth. The dialogue options appear to have limited impact on the narrative, leaving players uncertain about their significance in shaping character arcs.
- “Great game with some nice character development that adds quite the flair to the overall gameplay.”
- “Good visual, great character design, beautiful cutscenes, interesting gameplay (it's basically a fighting game with some RPG aspects).”
- “Character development proceeds at a natural pace that feels appropriate in most cases.”
- “This leads to a feeling of missing character development.”
- “Some of the character designs and writing fell a little flat for me.”
- “The only thing I am unsure of is whether dialogue options actually change the outcome of events or not, but seeing how the rest of the game plays out, I would guess that it doesn't matter which option you pick in most circumstances.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report smooth performance and stable gameplay after initial hiccups, others experience significant lag and audio issues even on high-end systems. Despite decent voice acting and engaging mechanics, performance can vary widely depending on hardware and settings, with some users noting frame drops at higher resolutions.
- “This game is super smooth, well optimized; just need a controller.”
- “Performance is very stable, although I did suffer some initial frame destabilization when I ran on the NVIDIA (running on a NVIDIA GTX 1060) only for a few minutes, but after that, it becomes stable.”
- “- Good optimization.”
- “Poorly optimized - I run a pretty beastly computer playing this, and it lags. The audio quality is not all that great in the comic panel cutscenes, and overall it's a bit laggy.”
- “However, even with using a NVIDIA GTX 1080, the game had performance hiccups when running at 2560×1440 on its maximum settings, which don’t feature any crazy anti-aliasing techniques or advanced graphical processes.”
- “I did suffer some initial frame destabilization when I ran on the NVIDIA (running on a NVIDIA GTX 1060) only for a few minutes, but after that, it becomes stable.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
17%
17%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its stunning visuals, engaging soundtrack, and vibrant character design, which collectively create a lively and immersive world. Reviewers note that the combination of music, graphics, and voice acting elevates the overall experience, drawing comparisons to other beloved titles like Ni no Kuni. The atmospheric ambience is consistently described as top-notch, enhancing the game's appeal.
- “As a keen listener and observer of soundtracks in general, I can say for sure that each track finds its rightful place in the game, lifting the atmosphere and bringing life into the world.”
- “The game is very pretty, and it's hard not to ignore the views and atmosphere.”
- “The music, graphics, voice acting, and atmosphere of the game are all top-notch, and the anime-inspired nature of the game puts it up there next to Ni no Kuni.”
- “The game is very pretty, but it's hard to ignore the lack of depth in the atmosphere.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a lack of emotional connection to the characters, noting that the design choices, such as oversized eyes, fail to evoke the intended feelings. While some find a sense of competence in gameplay, the overall emotional engagement with the characters and story is minimal, leading to a disconnection from the game's narrative.
- “I have no emotional connection to him as a player, but the dead look on my character's face through his oversized, emotionless eyes tells me this is someone very dear to him.”
- “Usually you give a character big eyes when you want to draw attention to their facial expressions, to help the player connect to them emotionally in the moment of the game.”
- “I'm usually quite bad at fighting games, but this one made me feel really competent.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the replayability of the game to be high, with many citing diverse gameplay options, multiple endings, and various character builds as key factors that encourage repeated playthroughs. The inclusion of unlockable content and dynamic environments further enhances the game's longevity, making it appealing for both casual and dedicated gamers. Overall, the replay value is considered a strong point, contributing to the game's overall enjoyment.