Shining Resonance Refrain

 Xbox One
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 20
  3. Negative: 2 out of 20
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  1. Xbox_Alive
    Jul 16, 2018
    8
    Every now and again I love nothing more than getting to grips with a decent JRPG because if you sink a number of hours into game’s of this ilk you do end up having a rewarding experience unlike any other. The Shining franchise has quite a lot of dedicated fans, but I will admit now that I don’t know much about the series and Shining Resonance Refrain is the first game I’ve ever played inEvery now and again I love nothing more than getting to grips with a decent JRPG because if you sink a number of hours into game’s of this ilk you do end up having a rewarding experience unlike any other. The Shining franchise has quite a lot of dedicated fans, but I will admit now that I don’t know much about the series and Shining Resonance Refrain is the first game I’ve ever played in the series. This is unfortunate because after sinking quite a few hours into Shining Resonance Refrain I wish I would’ve played the other game’s in the series because as far as JRPGs go it’s decent to say the least. Something that’s very important for me when it comes to a JRPG is a decent story, and I’m pleased to say that the story in the game is more than decent. It kept me invested from start to finish and a big part of that is due to the characters in the game which are very interesting meaning you do get quite attached to them. Another important part of this specific genre for me is its combat, and once again I’m pleased to say that they got this spot on as well. The combat is packed full of variety and defeating the various enemies you face never gets dull and always remains satisfying throughout your time with the game. Whilst the combat has a decent amount of variety unfortunately the same can’t be said for some of the game’s missions. The main missions don’t tend to have this problem but the side missions do lack in variety which ultimately means they do get repetetive quite quickly. Thankfully though I was able to look past this small gripe because what the game lacks in variety when it comes to the side missions it more than makes up with when it comes to exploration. The world in which the game takes place in is a decent size and traversing around the map was always very fun and enjoyable because there’s always something for you to find. Be careful when exploring though because you will bump into some pretty hard enemies along the way and at times the difficulty curve will cause you a few problems so expect to grind a lot to get past these difficult moments. Don’t let this stop you from exploring though because exploring shows you the game’s very good presentation. Visually the game has that classic JRPG style that works extremely well and the accompanying sound design also ticks a lot of boxes for me as well, which is great. At the end of the say if you’re a fan of the JRPG genre then you owe yourself to get this game because it offers everything you would expect from very good JRPG and whilst Shining Resonance Refrain may not be the best game I’ve ever played in this particular genre it still does more than enough to get a recommendation from me.… Expand
  2. Xplocion
    Jun 22, 2020
    9
    The good:
    A JRPG with all the cliches of the genre (evil empires, lolis, dragons, dark knights, elves, bikini armor, ridiculous weapons, theories of the chosen one, star with amnesia, useless protagonist and unpronounceable rare names that you end up forgetting).
    The version "Refrain" is included, which shows the point of view of the antagonists giving dimension and some justification    The good:
    A JRPG with all the cliches of the genre (evil empires, lolis, dragons, dark knights, elves, bikini armor, ridiculous weapons, theories of the chosen one, star with amnesia, useless protagonist and unpronounceable rare names that you end up forgetting).
    The version "Refrain" is included, which shows the point of view of the antagonists giving dimension and some justification and motives to both antagonists and protagonists. 4K Enhancement Patch X makes textures look better and improves draw distance. Climate system that differentiates against enemy X or Y.

    The bad:
    A somewhat unknown Japanese girl. If you don't like JRPGs, farming, long talks and genre cliches every two steps, skip the game.

    Lo Meh !:
    There is the physical version but apart from that it is scarce it is the metal box version. You were complaining about FFVIII's Gunblade ... you haven't seen anything, this game features crazy things like "the flute spear" or "the sword / shield-violin", "The ax-guitar" and other nonsense . This game was not accused of plagiarism of Breath of the Wild despite the fact that said game takes many elements, textures and color palette since it is a game originally from 2014, which was remastered for Xbox One.    … Expand
  3. Bruninho1997
    Jan 6, 2022
    8
    Um ótimo JRPG, com semelhanças a saga Tales of em sua jogabilidade.
    Apesar do ótimo enredo, o desenrolar da história é bem fraco e desinteressante.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. ZTGD
    Jul 31, 2018
    65
    Shining Resonance Refrain is a good, albeit predictable JRPG. There are a few neat mechanics stored within its walls, but for the most part it simply exists. While PS4 (and even Switch owners) are used to these types of games though, Xbox One owners simply are not. So this is a solid entry for that console. It is also cool that Sega is bringing a game that was lost in time to the US back from the dead. I enjoyed my time with this game, warts and all, and I think anyone who is a fan of the genre will too.
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  2. Xbox Tavern
    Jul 14, 2018
    77
    Shining Resonance Refrain is most certainly overshadowed by the more intriguing, deeper and better developed JRPGs of this gen. However, that’s not to say that it isn’t worthy of your time and attention. Despite its unoriginal characters, its poor soundtrack and its slightly repetitive gameplay loop, the game has a strong and interesting enough backbone to make for an enjoyable and diverse adventure.
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  3. Jeuxvideo.com
    Jul 11, 2018
    70
    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.
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