Shining Tears is a 2004 video game released on the PlayStation 2. It's the first game in the Shining Series released on a non SEGA home console as they stopped making consoles in 2001 with the Dreamcast, and it uses the Action RPG format rather than the turn-based one. It managed to get released in English, even though the sequel wasn't as lucky.
The game centers around an amnesiac boy named Xion, who's found washed up on the shore by the elf Elwyn in front of the Heroes Hearth inn. On his hand is a pair of rings called Dragon Rings, if equipped in two people, they grant great power. On the other hand, that also changes Xion's personality. He's an insecure wimp when no one's wearing the ring, he's a serene, noble hero if his pair has a dark soul, and he's a taunting battle crazed maniac when his pair has a light soul. As he tries to uncover his memories, he ends up joining the newly formed mercenary group Weiss Ritter, alongside Elwyn, Doctor Pios; who nursed him back to health; Priestess Ryuna, (literal) Dragon knight/guardian Lazarus, Ice witch Blanc Neige, Wolfkin merc boss Volg, and Cat Girl Ninja Mao, against the Runegeist kingdom who sought to subjugate the whole land. They are later on joined by a wandering swordsman named Keiner, and an elvish bard, one of the past heroes of the age, named Cupido.
While there is an English version and voice acting was provided, they're rather minimal while the Japanese version has voice acting in cutscenes, but otherwise it is still a solid game on its own. It also has an anime or sorts in Shining Tears X Wind, crossing over with the next game, Shining Wind.
Tropes associated with Shining Tears
- Aloof Big Brother: Keiner for Blanc Neige. They're also Aloof Elder Siblings for Galahad.
- An Ice Person: Blanc Neige. Not only with her Meaningful Name, the first thing she introduces herself as is "Ice Witch".
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: Mao only agreed to be a spy for Rune Geist because Galahad promised her that he would give her leads on where her father was.
- Badass Crew: The Weissritter, of course.
- Blood Knight: Dark!Xion is a bit too wee happy about fighting and chopping up his enemies.
- Cain and Abel: At first it sets up like this for Keiner (Cain) and Blanc Neige (Abel). But then, they are the Abels compared to their psycho little brother Galahad.
- Captain Ersatz: Keiner looks like a dead-ringer to K', minus sunglasses, plus katana.
- Cat Girl: Mao, as her mother was a regular human and her father is a Beastman. She's also the only one shown in game.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Those with Dark souls aren't evil people, they are just pretty aloof.
- Defeat Means Friendship: After defeating him twice in different stages, Keiner will officially join the heroes' side and he can be used as a partner.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Blanc Neige is at first very standoffish and aloof, but once her past and relations are revealed, she shows signs of defrosting and warms up to the others, sorta. If you get her ending, she'll give her very first smile.
- Easy Levels, Hard Bosses: The levels aren't all that challenging, but the final boss will always be at least five levels higher than the lowest leveled enemies, making the levels feel like they're easy.
- Evil Prince: Prince Galahad of Rune Geist is cackling mad and starts the whole things, although things are far more complex than it eventually seems...
- Face–Heel Turn: Not in a traditional sense, but Lazarus starts out with a Light soul, but after he returns from his Heroic Sacrifice, he has a Dark soul. Considering what 'dark' here entails, it wasn't so bad.
- Fallen Princess: As it turns out, Blanc Neige was the Princess of Runevale before Galahad took over and turns the kingdom into Runegeist and also attempting to kill her, forcing her to enter the life of a common ice witch for hire, and making her overall bitter. Her brother Keiner is also a male version, ending up in a life of a wanderer.
- Full-Name Basis: In the original Japanese, they always refer Blanc Neige with full name, while in the English version, she's just called 'Neige'. Subverted later that her real full name is Ira Blanc Neige Gardenias, and she's never called with such full name on regular basis.
- Glass Cannon: Volg might be fast and powerful, but he can get taken out with just a few hits without gear with high defense. Unlike Mao and Keiner, he's unable to increase his evasion with skill points unless you equip with with something that increases it.
- Guide Dang It!: Good luck with attempting to obtain all 276 enemy cards. Not only is the drop rate random depending on the enemy note most enemies will appear on one specific stage, some of the stages being the ones that are only available before the player clears the main story stages.
- Heel–Face Turn: Also again, once Mao discovers her Princess lineage, she goes from Dark soul to Light soul. Also, as of the normal one, Keiner is at first the enemy, then he later joins you.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Xion and his broadswords. The one who wields katana is Keiner.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Lazarus eventually sacrifices himself in a huge explosion to save the party from the masked mage. He got better though.
- Lady of Black Magic: Blanc Neige, a cold, intelligent ice sorceress and Princess of Runevale Ira.
- Level Grinding: The boss at the end of each stage will be at a much higher level than any of the enemies you encountered during a stage, meaning that if you want to stand a chance against them, you'll have to do a bit of grinding.
- Lightning Bruiser: Volg is the fastest character you can choose in game and he can deal the most damage with the right equipment. He even has a skill that increases his movement speed.
- Loads and Loads of Loading: This game is pretty infamous about the loading time. While in some cases, it can end up being around 10 seconds, in other cases, the loading time can take more than half a minute.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: At the end of the 2nd last stage, it's revealed that after searching for him for so long, Diocles, the king of Bestia is Mao's father she had looked searched for so long.
- Meaningful Name: So any wonders someone named Blanc Neige ("Snow White" for French) is going to be your local ice mage?
- The Medic: Ryunna's primary ability besides defeating undead enemies is to heal herself and the player. One of her skills even increases the hit point regeneration speed.
- Mighty Glacier: Lazarus moves very slowly, but he hits like a truck and he has the best defense out of all the other characters.
- Moses in the Bulrushes: The game starts with Elwyn finding an unconscious Xion stranded in the shores near Heroes Hearth inn.
- Non-Indicative Name: "Heroes Hearth" inn. It's just a name of an inn, but Ryuna at first thought it's a place where heroes gather, so she came expecting to find heroes. In a way, she did find 'heroes' to help her there regardless.
- Our Dragons Are Different: Lazarus. A tanking, axe-wielding, and all around noble dragon.
- Outside-the-Box Tactic: Normally, it's hard to know whether or not the player has enemy cards of certain enemies. But if the player is surrounded by enemies, they can pause the game, select system and them select war info. Not only will it display the name of the mission and the objective, but it will also display the enemies. If the player has an enemies info card, they can view their stats. Without a card, it'll just display their name but show that the character needs to obtain their info card.
- Overly Long Name: Ira Blanc Neige Gardenias.
- Permanently Missable Content: Certain enemies will only appear on stages that are used to get more experience to level up characters. After clearing a story mission, the enemies will be different and in order to obtain enemy cards of those specific enemies, they'll have to clear the game in order to reach the stages again.
- Relationship Values:
- There are 8 endings, and it's decided by who do you take to battle the most. In one mission, the one closest to you will be kidnapped by monsters. That party member will likely be the person you get the ending for, unless the player were to use another player more frequently until the end
- Also, if the player has a high relationship with certain characters, they will get exclusive cutscenes and friendship missions that will have new enemies.
- Sibling Murder: Averted. Galahad attempted to kill his sister, Neige, but she managed to avoid getting killed with the help of Cupido.
- Split Personality: Xion and the effects of Twin Dragon Rings. He has about 3 personalities.
- Turn Undead: Ryunnas' main ability is to deal more damage than usual against undead. Undead skeletons come back to life after a little bit and the best way to keep them from respawning is to use her Turn Undead spell that kills them for good once they've fallen.
- White Mage: Ryunna's main strength other than having great power over the undead is the ability to heal both her and her partners' hit points, while also having a spell that increases the attack and defense of the two members.
- Wolverine Claws: Volg's weapon of choice.
