Shining Resonance Refrain

Shining Resonance Refrain can enthrall the player with its rollercoaster story, despite some very clichéd characters. It has great combat and many good ideas, even if the whole game is a bit classic.

Shining Resonance Refrain is a decent action RPG. While the story doesn’t really tread any new ground, the characters are likeable enough to want to see it through. The combat gameplay is fun if you enjoy a fast-paced battle, and the musical elements add a neat feature on top of the usual mechanics. And it’s all playable on a portable device. While it’s harder to recommend this over more recent games of this genre, If you can’t get enough of action RPG’s then Shining Resonance has something to offer.

Apart from the dated combat, Shining Resonance seemed to have the right elements to be a success but just missed a certain chemistry to really hook me in. Fans of previous titles in the series and seasoned RPG players may find the enjoyment that alluded me. I wouldn’t tell you to avoid this game, but there’s a whole lot I would recommend before it.

Shining Resonance Refrain is the kind of game that can put on a solid performance, but it’s also abundantly clear that it doesn’t quite have the pipes to hit the high notes; it’s a good game, but not a great one.

A lesser JRPG revival for Sega, though hardcore players will find depths worth exploring here. [Issue#333, p.75]

Shining Resonance Refrain isn’t a terrible game, it’s just riddled with incredibly poor decisions which almost overshadow a great combat system.

A good story hampered by clunky controls at times, a lack of variety in monsters to battle, and borderline useless sidequests. If you enjoy grinding and maxing everything out in your JRPGs, then this title will get you by. While the story is good, it’s nothing mind-blowing, and the repetitive gameplay, lack of variety, and frustrating lack of travel options might turn some gamers off.

Shining Resonance Refrain brings an RPG from the previous generation into the Nintendo Switch catalogue and while the game is full of content and features well-crafted characters and a simple battle system, it also fails to fulfil all expectations due to its cliché-ridden plot and less motivating exploration. RPG fans will still draw a valuable experience from this but Shining Resonance Refrain doesn't really stand out from other similar games already available.

Well, why did Sega decides to port Shining Resonance to our European consoles instead of Valkyria Chronicles or Phantasy Star Online 2, no one will ever know. However, what we do know is that Shining Resonance is your average J-RPG with your average team of anime-looking main protagonists fighting with the power of songs and friendship. An enjoyable but quite forgettable experience.

If I can summarize the entirety of Shining Resonance Refrain into one word, it would be generic. It looks and sounds great and features a charming cast of characters but the gameplay is ultimately much too "been there, done that".