https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIY_z7qh9O4

Sega has always been a bit heavy handed when it comes to disciplining fans who attempt to revive their dead franchises, such as Streets of Rage and Shining Force Online…the latter of which was recently pulled for too closely resembling the developer’s classic strategy RPGs. It seemed like Shining fans couldn’t catch a break, especially since the series was even attacked on youtube a while back.

Enter Kickstarter, where the intrepid fans behind the Shining Force Online project are asking for $9,500 in order to change out all of the art into something that isn’t liable to earn a trademark infringement.

The game looks to be fairly well thought out, with mod tools being part of the total package and a faction system determining who can and can’t join your party. Even more impressive is the fact that almost any NPC in town can be recruited into your party and there is no limit to the amount of people you can absorb into your growing empire.

Throw in the ability to buy (or steal) land that can be used to build your own base(s) and a inter-party morale system that requires you to emotionally satisfy your soldiers or else lose them and you have the makings of a strategy RPG fan’s dream.

The kickstarter has only raised about $600 as of this writing with 25 days to go, so if you’re like me and still play the Shining games, now would be a good time to give them your hard-earned cash.

One thing to note is that the game will no longer be an MMO. Though multiplayer features are planned, much of the MMO aspect of the game is being removed to better focus on the singleplayer experience.