''Shining Resonance Refrain'' is an

action role-playing video game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre. Definition The games emphasize real-time combat where the player h ...

developed by O-Two Inc. and published by

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

. Originally developed by

Media.Vision is a Japanese video game developer best known for the ''Wild Arms'' and ''Chaos Rings'' series of role-playing video games. They were one of the first companies developing games for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation and enjoyed a close re ...

, it is an entry in Sega's '' Shining'' series of video games, and an expanded and remastered version of the Japan-only ''Shining Resonance'' released for the

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in 2014. While the original release was not translated into English, ''Refrain'' was released worldwide in July 2018 for

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, and

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platforms. Various staff members returned from previous ''Shining'' titles, including voice actors

Nana Mizuki is a Japanese voice actress, singer and narrator from Niihama, Ehime. She is represented by the agency StarCrew. Mizuki was trained as an enka singer, releasing one single under her birth name, Nana Kondō, in 1993 and made her debut as a voice ...

and

Sōichirō Hoshi is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with Arts Vision. Some of his major anime roles include Son Goku in ''Saiyuki'', Kira Yamato in ''Gundam Seed'', ''Gundam Seed Destiny'', Kazuki Fuuchouin in ''GetBackers'', Masaru Daimon in ''Di ...

, character designer

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, and music composers from the group

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. Upon its worldwide launch, ''Shining Resonance Refrain'' received mixed reviews from critics, who generally found the game likeable and praised its combat system, but criticized some aspects of its presentation and lack of originality.

Gameplay

The game plays as a traditional

Japanese role-playing game While the early history and distinctive traits of role-playing video games (RPGs) in East Asia come Video games in Japan, from Japan, many have also been Video games in South Korea, developed in South Korea and Video games in China, in China. ...

with action-based battles, similar to the '' Tales'' series of video games. Interactions by the player made between the main character and other playable characters affect player's "relationship level"; talking while resting or camping initiates special story scenes, which in turn can lead to dating scenes the following day.

Plot

The game follows Yuma Ilvern, who holds the Spirit of the Shining Dragon, an ancient Dragon who died in an ancient war. At the start of the game, Yuma is held captive in Gaelritz Prison with an attempted rescue mission by Sonia Blanche and Kirika Towe Alma on the way. After a confrontation with Excella Noa Aura and her three spears, Yuma summons the Blade of the Shining Dragon, the Vanderhorn. They then manage to escape on the back of the Shining Dragon after Yuma transformed into him and return to Marga, the capital of Astoria. When he wakes up back as Yuma, he joins Astoria in their war against the Empire alongside the Dragoneers and the Princess of Astoria in an attempt to achieve peace for their people.

Development and release

The game was announced in May 2014 as ''Shining Resonance'', as the newest title in

's '' Shining'' series. The game was developed by

, and featured illustrations by longtime series character artist

. The game received a Japan-only release later in the year on the

. In November 2017, a remaster, ''Shining Resonance Refrain'', was announced for

. The remaster was at 90% complete at the time of the announcement, and while an English language release was not announced, Sega did note that they were considering a worldwide audience for the series, a departure from most of the recent entries in the series, which had stayed in Japan. In February 2018, Sega announced that the game would receive an English-language localization, and that it would also be released for the

, and

platforms. The game was released in July 2018. The remastered version contains multiple new additions to the core of the original ''Shining Resonance''. The game contains a "Refrain Mode" which tells a new "what-if" side story separate from the main story. It does not need to be unlocked - it is available prior to even starting the main game, though the developers state that while the side story does not affect the main story, it makes more sense if the main game is played first. Two additional party members, Excella and Jinas, are added as well; they were present in the prior game, but not playable. Over 150 pieces of

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(DLC) from the PS3 game are included in the remaster as well.

Reception

''Shining Resonance Refrain'' received mixed reception, according to

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. The PlayStation 3 version of the game was the fifth best-selling game in its release week in Japan, selling approximately 67,000 copies.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Media.Vision 2018 video games Fantasy video games Japanese role-playing video games Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 4 games Sega video games Shining (series) Single-player video games Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Video games scored by Junpei Fujita Windows games Xbox One games Media.Vision games