6 things you need to know about Shining Resonance Refrain

[Qpax ツ]

Got this on PS3 , I am happy this is making it’s way over here Steam. So happy to see Sega taking some risks/listening to fans and bringing over more niche titles. This is one I have been hoping and waiting for. I am so glad to see it actually happening.

So this is going to be great remaster boy so stay hyped!

Anyways the latest installment in the Shining series, Shining Resonance Refrain, is coming to the west this summer on PlayStation 4! To get more details on the game, they made an interview with localisation producer James Kuroki to ask him about the game, the characters and the music.

1. For those new to it, what is the Shining series?
The Shining series is a long-running SEGA series. Some older gamers may recognize the name from Shining Force from the Genesis era. There was quite a hiatus since the last installment in the West, but we hope Shining Resonance Refrain can serve as the vanguard for future Shining titles.

2. What is Shining Resonance Refrain?
Shining Resonance Refrain, although brand new for the west, is a remaster of the PlayStation 3 game Shining Resonance, which was originally released only in Japan. This is the first time we are bringing it to the west. Along with improved graphics, Shining Resonance Refrain includes all the DLC released for the original, plus a brand-new “Refrain” mode with new content, which unlocks the Imperial Princess Excella and Dragonslayer Jinas as party members. This new mode is intended for those who want a second playthrough or who previously played the game released in Japan.

3. What will players notice when they play this game?

The game already looked great on the PlayStation 3, but in this remaster in 1080p, it’s gorgeous. Thanks to the increase in visual fidelity, the character models now look exactly like the illustrations provided by character designer Tony Taka, a renowned artist in Japan and abroad.

Each character plays differently, so you’ll take your time trying out all moves and party combinations. The game makes an outstanding effort to keep the battles seamless and the player engaged with the battle system. The battle is action-packed, with all sides moving at once.

Shining Resonance Refrain will also have both English and Japanese voiceovers available. Not only can players can choose which language they prefer to hear, but they can do it wherever and whenever they feel like. Even mid-battle!

4. How does the element of music factor into gameplay and the series’ lore?

The recent installments of the Shining series all have some sort of emphasis on music. Shining Resonance Refrain is no exception. Dragons share power with mankind, and mankind provides power to the dragons through the use of music. All of the party members use weapons that double as instruments and you can perform sessions during battle, providing various benefits such as increasing the party’s speed or making the enemy more vulnerable to certain attacks.

There are several songs in featured in the game, done by Elements Garden, a music production group that has created many hit songs for various artists, video games, and anime. And the songs are sung by the Japanese voice actresses, including Saori Hayami, Asami Seto, and Nana Mizuki.

5. Tell us about the characters in the game.

The protagonist Yuma is a timid young man, oblivious to the world and gullible, due to being locked away for possessing the Shining Dragon’s soul within him. In comparison, the people around him act as role models all in their own, different ways. As the story progress, Yuma learns from them and grows to become a reliable member of the team.

The characters are all unique and full of personality. For example, Kirika is a priestess who serves the Shining Dragon. She speaks very formally and is courteous, but she only sees Yuma as the Shining Dragon. Sonia, on the other hand, is very outgoing and straightforward. She helps prod Yuma during his times of indecisiveness but can be short-tempered at times.

There are plenty of side stories to experience, both serious and comical, plus you can date them and see sides of them you otherwise wouldn’t be able to normally.

6. What can you tell us about Excella?

Excella, along with Jinas, were non-playable characters in the original game. But in Refrain mode they are available to play and have their own story to tell. Excella was a popular character in the original Japanese version, and I’m sure players will see why when they play the game. However, I do recommend playing the Original mode first though, because Refrain adds story on top of that.

PS: Would be great if some MODS pinned this so that people who are new to series read this message before buy the game. I mean this game...

This game doesn’t need 6 things. It only needs one…

This game, it must be played. No matter what.

Cheers~

[Wicked Sick]

Thanks for this post, man.

[Qpax ツ]

Originally posted by Juliano:

Thanks for this post, man.

You are quite welcome and thanks for the read <3!

[WLion]

"Play Your Anime!"

[Geek2theRight]

How does this battle system compare to earlier games? NEO and EXA were two of my absolute favorites, but the videos on Steam make this one look more similar to "Tales of" or "Star Ocean" games. Just curious.

[chengsta]

this is so awesome. I canceled my ps4 preorder because my ps4 just got bricked with an update. Not going to get another one until sony gets its act together.

[Starsailor]

Thanks for the info!

This series caught my eyes since Shining Tears because of Tony Taka's illustrations and top tier voice actresses in almost every games but I have no chance to play.

[Simon]

Tales of Shining Dragonia

[buypolar pop]

This is stolen from the PlayStation blog word for word

[Omoikane]

Originally posted by buypolar pop:

This is stolen from the PlayStation blog word for word

So, he did say what it was and it saved me time finding info.

Kudos to the OP, thanks for droppin this here.

[dTTb]

Originally posted by Qpax ツ:

To get more details on the game, they made an interview with localisation producer James Kuroki to ask him about the game,

This doesn't say who 'they' is that did this work, so I concur that credits are in order.
Thanks for pointing that out pop, and OP for sharing the news.

[buypolar pop]

Originally posted by dTTb:

Originally posted by Qpax ツ:

To get more details on the game, they made an interview with localisation producer James Kuroki to ask him about the game,

This doesn't say who 'they' is that did this work, so I concur that credits are in order.
Thanks for pointing that out pop, and OP for sharing the news. [/quote]
Thanks, I meant no hate but that's what I was thinking.

[Adam]

hey I played one of these before and it felt like a disgaea game stat wise, like you could level up 8 trillion things and get crazy stats. does this game have that? cuz it was rad.

[MotS]

Originally posted by Qpax ツ:

The protagonist Yuma is a timid young man

Aww damn, so there's no yuri? ;~; Can you at least play as a cute girl and never look at that guy outside of (hopefully skippable) cutscenes?

[Village Idiot]

For those wondering about the story difference between the original game and Refrain, Refrain adds both Excella and Jinas into your party early on in the game. Both were NPCs in the original.

However, they didn't re-write the story to accomodate both characters, so you have Excella/Jinas in your party with their own events, and Excella/Jinas as NPCs in the main story.

So unlike say, Tales of Vesperia PS3, where they re-wrote the story in order to accomdate Flynn and Patty in the party, Excella/Jinas are just extra characters for you to use in Refrain.

[Milien]

Originally posted by Village Idiot:

For those wondering about the story difference between the original game and Refrain, Refrain adds both Excella and Jinas into your party early on in the game. Both were NPCs in the original.

However, they didn't re-write the story to accomodate both characters, so you have Excella/Jinas in your party with their own events, and Excella/Jinas as NPCs in the main story.

So unlike say, Tales of Vesperia PS3, where they re-wrote the story in order to accomdate Flynn and Patty in the party, Excella/Jinas are just extra characters for you to use in Refrain.

And here I was hoping to have special events for those unplayable in vanilla version of the game characters.
Now that I learned about this, it seems that this re-release isn't worth 45$ at all.


Edit:
Ffs, where was my brain when I was reading your post, because somehow I've misread it.
Anyway, now again, considering that they haven't rewritten the story - it means that they rushed with the new content, because... well I'm not sure why, but I suppose Sega didn't want to spent too much resorces on the re-release of the game.