Product Info

Platform

Switch, PlayStation 4

Publisher

Sega

Developer

Sega

Series

Shining

Genre

Action, RPG

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

11.93 GB

Release Date (NA)

Jul 10, 2018

Release Date (JP)

Mar 29, 2018

Purchase From

Amazon

Best Buy

GameStop

eShop

PSN Store

Microsoft Store

Shining Resonance Refrain is a remastered version of the original, Japan-only Shining Resonance that was released in 2014 for the PlayStation 3, and it is an interesting role-playing game (RPG) that features characters and gameplay mechanics similar to those in other Japanese RPGs (JRPGs). With the remastered version, players are also getting new scenarios, as well as the downloadable content (DLC), which give those who have played the original a reason to return.

Evil Empire and Dragons

An evil empire, known as the Empire of Lombardia, is using an ancient dragon power to wage war on the Kingdom of Astoria, and after escaping the invading forces, you join with Astoria to help put a stop to it. While we have all heard a version of this straightforward story before, this latest variation, with its cast of characters and dragons, is still entertaining.

Transform This Young Male into the Shining Dragon, the Everliving!

You play as Yuma Ilvern, a young male who holds the soul of one of the most powerful of the ancient dragons, the Shining Dragon. Not long after starting, you can freely call out this power, transforming Yuma into the Shining Dragon known as the Dragonshift.

However, it comes with a price. If you attack too rapidly or overexert your magic points (MP), this will cause Yuma to go berserk. It’s a tactical way for the game to tell you that you cannot button mash attacks on enemies while in this powerful form.

While in berserk mode, you no longer have control of Yuma, and his Dragonshift form will tackle anyone in his way, friend of foe. Instead, you are automatically given control of a different party member, but if no other characters are alive on the battlefield, you will have to wait until Yuma’s rampage is finished or he dies. Fortunately, there’s a time limit for how long Yuma will be in his dragon form, and soon enough, he’ll be back to his original self and ready for battle.

While the berserk mode keeps players on their toes, the sluggish movement of the dragon when you’re in control is rather unappealing and feels as if you’re driving a steamroller or a large tank. However, you can initiate long-range attacks to avoid taking a stroll to your nearest foe.

The Shining Dragon does have an additional stage called the Awakening Form, a more powerful form than the Dragonshift. This move provides the ability to use breath attacks, just like a real dragon should, as well as a powerful final attack. Wicked.

Let the Battle Begin

The game’s battle mechanics feel similar to JRPGs like the Tales of series. Encounters aren’t random and instead occur when confronting enemies on the map, and when in battle, there’s a combat area you fight within. You’ll notice the combat area is limited in size, forming a boundary and pushing against the edge of said boundary for a few seconds will let you leave battle. However, you won’t gain any experience points, items, or gold for doing so.

Similar to Final Fantasy XV, you can only control one character in battle, giving orders such as focusing on offense, healing, etc. Fortunately, you can switch between characters so that you are not always stuck with Yuma, and you may find yourself playing favorites with some characters.

While playing with the Nintendo Switch, docked and undocked, framerate issues begin to occur when a large number of enemies are on the screen during a battle. Once the numbers decrease, the animation speed will go back to normal. However, this seems to occur quite frequently when there are a few large enemies on the field.

For those who have played RPGs such as Ys VIII or Pokémon, you can set up to four special attacks per character, giving them a unique arrangement for battle. While in the heat of combat, you will be required to press the trigger button to open the special attack menu, then choose one of the four buttons to attack. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you memorize what’s in each slot before enemies do too much damage.

When you and your party are at a certain high level, enemies with low levels will run away, which helps you from getting attacked by every monster around the corner. You can also avoid enemies by running, but you’ll soon notice that while it does its job, making those turns feels like you’re driving a large vehicle instead of moving an actual person.

Finally, those who enjoy backtracking won’t have an issue with this JRPG. Having to collect materials for your character stats, doing side quests, and leveling up has its moments, and you can easily spend countless hours doing them.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Adventuring is not just sun and blue skies every day. Like the real world, the weather in the game changes so that sometimes it rains, other times it’s foggy, and so on. This is important because certain conditions can affect enemy stats, making some foes stronger than they otherwise would be.

Being aware of the changing weather patterns adds an interesting layer to standard RPG adventuring. However, since no extra experience or money is given, this only serves to make the game more challenging. Therefore, if the weather boosts the monsters in the area too much, head back to camp or to the inn to stay another night; the conditions will change the following day.

Maestro, If You Please…

Shining Resonance Refrain is based on music. The main story focuses on the instrument-weapons you possess and how they affect the dragons’ power, and this concept carries over to the gameplay in how music can be used to improve your party during combat. Aside from Yuma, everyone in your party carries an instrument in battle, and you can perform team-based attacks called B.A.N.D. that, after an animated sequence, grant special abilities like stat buffs to your party.

The idea of having a team-based attack that revolves around music is a wonderful nod to the game’s theme and is something that isn’t often done in RPGs.

Tuning Your Instrument

In Shining Resonance Refrain, each character receives their one and only weapon. With just a single weapon, how do you upgrade? Tunings. Each Tuning comes in different styles such as strengthening physical attacks or magic, and the styles can be leveled up to increase the Tuning’s rank and, therefore, their power. Each time you want to change your Tuning, it requires money and a visit to a specific shop.

Along with Tuning, players can add Aspects to their weapon. If you are familiar with Final Fantasy VII, you’ll recognize that Aspects act like materia, adding powered-up pieces into slots on your weapon. It’s important to know that each Tuning also has different slots for your Aspects, so keep an eye on what you have as you swap things around.

Multitasker

As with most RPGs, you can take on side quests. Some range from silly requests such as finding tomatoes to serious ones like defeating powerful foes. You can accept as many as you want, so it makes sense to ask around before you go on your next adventure.

Some side quests require you to complete a task that you may have already done, such as defeating a powerful enemy in a dungeon. The game doesn’t think you’ve done the task until after you initiate the quest, though, which is inconvenient.

Another annoying feature is that when you actually finish a task, the game doesn’t prompt you. Instead, you have to view the quest list menu to see that green check mark that indicates a success. Ideally, the game should give you that clear statement like “Quest Fulfilled” or “Quest Completed” so that you will know to check your quest log.

Let’s Strengthen Our Bonds

To get the most out of your party members, you will want to strengthen their bonds, which requires adding Traits to each character. Each Trait has a unique role and can be found throughout the game in dungeons, as side quest rewards, and more. Sadly, the game doesn’t go deep enough in explaining how to use Traits and how to utilize them to form strong bonds; it merely provides the basics to get you started. While Traits seem like a good investment, they aren’t necessary to use and can be ignored for the most part.

That said, in-between battles, you’ll get chances to interact with your party members, and you can answer the questions they ask. If you want to boost your bonds with them, be sure to pay attention. If the bond is strong between two characters, they can initiate a Resonance during battle which, in addition to improving a character’s stats, can also weaken an enemy’s.

A Midnight Stroll

An additional way to strengthen bonds is by inviting one of your companions to a night event. Doing so allows for a more one-on-one discussion with your chosen companion, and learning more about the person and answering their questions affects their bond level with you. If you do enough events with a character, you will unlock the chance to go on a date with them, which has you spending more time together than in the night event chats. Completing a date will create even stronger bonds and reward you with a Trait. Plus, you may even read some comical dialogue, which is its own reward.

With Feeling

With the game’s theme based on music and instruments, Shining Resonance Refrain’s soundtrack has a diverse track list. With battle scores both whimsical and energetic, almost every fight is enjoyable. The score also includes lively Celtic music and vocal tracks that are well composed. You’ll want to put them on repeat.

When first traveling outside the Kingdom of Astoria, the wind instrumental track will absorb you into the game’s world. At first, the score sounded very similar to Ni no Kuni’s overworld theme — and that’s a compliment. Don’t be surprised if you want to avoid some battles just because of the soothing score as you travel. The soundtrack will help bring you into the game, so turn up the volume and dive in.

Conducting with a New Baton

Since Shining Resonance was originally a PlayStation 3 game, you shouldn’t expect Refrain to have graphical improvements that will push today’s video game console hardware. Instead, the graphics are given a fresh coat of paint, resulting in a more whimsical and vibrant look.

The game also includes a dual-language option, allowing players to choose between Japanese and English voices. There are a limited amount of games that have this, so when it’s offered, you know the company is listening to its fanbase. Refrain also contains all the original DLC content from the PlayStation 3 version.

Those who have gone through the main story will notice that certain characters like Excella Noa Aura and Jinas Aion were not playable nor able to join their parties. This is where the “Refrain” in Shining Resonance Refrain comes in, gameplay-wise. The new Refrain mode lets you play a “what if” story that revolves around Excella and Jinas, giving you a reason to continue playing after you finish the game’s original storyline — the recommended option since this is available from the start and does contain spoilers.

The Swan Song

While Shining Resonance Refrain’s story is yet another tale of going against an evil empire, the battle mechanics are simple and fun, with a wonderful theme of music to go with it. There isn’t much too deep to dig into compared to other JRPGs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time with this one. Play on!

Disclaimer: A digital review copy was provided by Atlus for the Nintendo Switch.