Ludography
79/100
Players11 ratings
62/100
Critics5 reviews
More scores
Metacritic4 critic reviews
68/100
Metacritic usersuser score
70/100
GameFAQsJust Right
3.54/5
Player reviews
72% positive929 reviews
Steam Deck
Verified
Runs on
Windows
Price
US$29.99

Where to get it

Shining Resonance cover

2014 · Remaster · Adventure · Role-playing

Shining Resonance

Remaster

A remastered version of the game Shining Resonance released in 2014 on the PlayStation 3. It includes, all the DLCs, a 'refrain mode', a higher resolution that runs at 60fps, rebalanced gameplay, new costumes and a new theme song.

Released
11 December 2014
Platforms
Nintendo SwitchPlayStation 3PlayStation 4WindowsXbox One
Genres
AdventureRole-playing
Developers
—
Publishers
—
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Third person
Themes
ActionFantasy
Country
Japan
Age ratings
CERO CCLASS_IND 14GRAC 12+USK 12ACB MPEGI 12ESRB T
Languages
Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, Japanese, Korean
Time to beat
30hmain story37hwith extras64hcompletionist

About

Shining Resonance Refrain is an action role-playing video game developed by O-Two Inc. and published by Sega. Originally developed by Media.Vision, 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 PlayStation 3 in 2014. While the original release was not translated into English, Refrain was released worldwide in July 2018 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One platforms.

Various staff members returned from previous Shining titles, including character designer Tony Taka and music composers from the group Elements Garden. 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.

›Story

Yuma Ilvern has the soul of the Shining Dragon within himself. Dragons were long thought to be extinct, and because Yuma holds the ability to transform into one of the most powerful of their kind to ever live, he was taken as a captive of the Lombardian Empire. He is rescued by the princess of Astoria, Sonia, with the help of the Dragoneers, royal knights capable of using weapons imbued with the power of dragons. She pleads with Yuma to aid them in their fight to save their land from the Empire’s dominion. Typically timid, will Yuma find the courage to realize the strength he has within him?

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game plays as a traditional Japanese role-playing game 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.

Story

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

The game was announced in May 2014 as Shining Resonance, as the newest title in Sega's Shining series. Vision, and featured illustrations by longtime series character artist Tony Taka. The game received a Japan-only release later in the year on the PlayStation 3. In November 2017, a remaster, Shining Resonance Refrain, was announced for PlayStation 4.

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 Nintendo Switch, Windows, and Xbox One platforms. The game was released in July 2018.

Reception

Shining Resonance Refrain received mixed reception, according to review aggregator platform Metacritic. The PlayStation 3 version of the game was the fifth best-selling game in its release week in Japan, selling approximately 67,000 copies.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
PlayStation 429 March 2018Asia · Japan 29 March 2018 · Europe 10 July 2018 · North America 10 July 2018
Windows9 July 2018Worldwide
Nintendo Switch10 July 2018Europe · North America 10 July 2018
Xbox One10 July 2018Europe · North America 10 July 2018

Editions and related releases

Part of
Shining Resonance

Games like this

Collections2 collections

Platform libraries

Publishers

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.