Shining Resonance Refrain will get the first Western release for the first time in a decade as the Sega roleplaying series comes to the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC. It’s due out in Summer 2018, and pre-orders will receive the game in a collectible metal slipcase, with artwork of the characters Excella, Sonia and Kirika.
The Shining series was developed by Sega originally in 1991 with Shining in the Darkness and has cross various RPG categories with dungeon crawlers, turn-based strategy RPGs and more traditional JRPGS. Shining Resonance Refrain is the 37th title in the series, and goes with the more traditional format, following Yuma Irvan, who contains the soul of an ancient dragon named ‘Shining Dragon Irvan’.
Shining Resonance was originally developed by Media.Vision as a Japanese-only release for the PlayStation 3 back in 2014. You play as Yuma and companions as they fight to save the Kingdom of Astoria from the Empire. Yuma is a fairly timid character to begin with, and having been a target for the Empire due to his link to a dragon, and Sonia, the princess of Astoria, launches a rescue mission with the help of the Dragoneers to save him.
So far, so JRPG. The game features real-time action combat, with each party member having unique abilities and strengths. And as you go through various battles and events, you’ll understand your team, and they’ll also get to know each other and build bonds which can lead to ‘resonance’ between them, giving them a new level of support.
And when it comes to battles, Dragoneers have a rather different way of fighting. They wield Armonics, which are ancient weapon-instruments. After building up Battle Performance Mana (BPM), your party will use the B.A.N.D system to perform a session and use mystical and powerful Rune Songs. Not only will the effect depend on your choice of music and which character you place at the centre, but some characters will also perform in special costumes.
For Shining Resonance Refrain, the original game as now been remastered with dual English and Japanese voice audio. The original mode includes the game and all of the DLC. Meanwhile the new ‘Refrain Mode’ unlocks Imperial Princess Excella and Dragonslayer Jinas as party members for a new way to experience Shining Resonance.
Shining Resonance Refrain will be released in Summer 2018 for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC. It’s available to pre-order with the collectible metal slipcase for €49.99. In the meantime, there’s a fairly sizeable back catalogue of Western releases you can pick up on every platform from the Megadrive through to the modern-day, including the likes of the GBA, Game Gear and more.
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