Indeed, this is one of the most enjoyable RPGs I have played in a long time. I have had my Saturn for less than a year (never had the money to get one until now), and Shining the Holy Ark was one of the games that came with it. Along with Dark Savior and Legend of Oasis. Needless to say, my previous experiences with the Shining series predisposed me to playing this game, as well.
The story was decent enough, but it was the classic Camelot gameplay that kept me coming back. It was very much an upgrade to the formula presented in Shining in the Darkness. The biggest bonus was the fact that there was an auto-map. Don't know what I would have done without that...
Anyway, my fondest memory (other than stomping the final boss into the ground) is levelling up killing the Hattari in the next to last area (the one with the plants you could climb, can't remember the name). My party levels went through the roof, and the challenge through the floor. That's okay, though, the final battle needed buildup of your characters, anyway. It was still long and tough.
Only complaint: slowdown / framerate.
Anyway, enough about this. I realize this isn't the game of the week, but hey, the post is still here, how could I pass it up
Sarge