Shining Resonance Refrain

This game is apart of the reboot version of the Shining Force universe, now just called the "shining" series, which began with Shining Tears. Shining Force NEO is the equivalent to the first game, that one was developed by Neverland, best known for Rune Factory and all of the Lufia games outside of the GBA one, but also the Record of Lodoss War SRPG that was the only localized game from that franchise before Team Ladybug's recent metroidvania.
The art designer for the reboot games after Shining Wind or so is Tomy Taka, best known for being one of the lead character designers of Azur Lane, a game responsible for an endless sea of H-Doujins with his character designs. The pre-reboot devs were Climax and Camelot, the former split into Matrix Software but also kept making entirely not notable games, Matrix made Alundra, Nostalgia (DS), FF4 DS and After Years, Avalon Code, Omega Labyrinth (most recent game is on Steam, very NSFW), some of the DQ Mystery Dungeon games, DQ5 PS2, etc. Camelot, ended up joining forces with Nintendo to make the Mario Sports games and also Golden Sun, and the Golden Sun games are spiritually VERY similar to the dungeon crawler pre-reboot games except as traditional RPGs.
The pre-reboot games also bounced between genre and tone, from Shining In The Darkness, a CLASSIC dungeon crawler, to the three Shining Force games, to Shining The Holy Ark, to Shining Wisdom, and Landstalker which counts depending on who you ask. They're all good, but my favorite of the pre-reboot games is Shining The Holy Ark, which is not only genuinely original as a dungeon crawler for the time, but also has a completely nuts plot involving the protagonists being abducted by aliens and being instructed to fight devil aliens, no I am not joking, this happens during the intro sequence. What makes it unique is the fairy system, which is a strange precursor to Golden Sun's Djinn. It also has the prestiege-like promotion system derivative of Wizardry and Langrisser (which both did it before Fire Emblem).
This game is made by the same team as the second and third of the PSP games, and it was actually a pretty big hit in Japan, it just came out 4 years later in North America. The first game was Shining Hearts, which wasn't available in North America, but the 2D fighting game spinoff by the same devs IS, it's called Blade Arcus from Shining, it's on Steam except there's an updated PS4/Switch version with the Resonance characters that isn't on Steam. That dev team also went on to make Blade Strangers, if anyone remembers that game as anything other than the cursed Nicalis fighting game.
The second and third also weren't available in North America, Shining Blade and Shining Ark, the latter of which has nothing to do with the pre-reboot Shining The Holy Ark. But they were both made by Media.Vision, a company mostly known as a subcontractor for Sony Japan who made the ENTIRE Wild ARMs series, yes, every single game. Also Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, Valkyria Chronicles 3, 4, and Revolution, as well as the upcoming The Hundred Line game, and the Chaos Rings games, and the DS Wizard of Oz RPG who's unique character designs make the rounds every now and then. Also Summon Night 6, a game I badly want on PC but likely never will be on PC for reasons.
So, enough history, how is, THIS GAME, specifically. It plays very similarly to a late PS3 early PS4 Tales Of game, but fully third person. Which makes sense considering this was originally a VERY late PS3 release in 2014. Combat is fast and satisfying, and while the translation isn't the BEST, it gets the job done. The character designs are stellar, and I get Tomy Taka's fanatical fanbase a little more now. This game had a comical amount of DLC on PS3, but it's all free with the remaster, which is what the "Refrain" version of the game is. The music is also pretty good, it's made by Elements Garden who are actually a pretty well known production group. You may have heard their name before because they're a large collective.
There's honestly not much to say about the game itself other than that it's REALLY good if you like Tales Of style RPGs, and it would've easily competed with Tales of Zestiria had it not been localized late. I wouldn't say it's the BEST game similar to Tales Of, that pretty blatantly goes to the Star Ocean games, which are funnily enough made by Tri-Ace, who splintered from Namco after making Tales of Phantasia (also, one of Tri-Aces' offspring made Eternal Sonata), and then a different team made Destiny/Eternia/Symphonia/Zestiria/Berseria/Arise/Abyss and so on.
I know, all that history just to say it plays like a Tales Of game. Kinda anti-climactic, but I really don't know what else to say other than that it is really good. I love how the protagonist has a Yugi/Yami Yugi dynamic with the Shining Dragon, and the supporting characters are all charming, and this game has a heavy focus on social link adjacent excursions. Each character, similar to in a Tales or Star Ocean game, actually plays pretty differently from each other, so it's worth switching leader characters. I haven't finished it, but my backlog is eternal and neverending, but I loved what I played and keep wanting to come back, even if I end up just playing another Roguelite.

This game has become unironically, a guilty pleasure, sure, nothing makes sense. sure, the combat at points feels choppy, however. the game seems to own up to it and keeps me coming back to it. Why? because I keep feeling compelled to wonder how it could get weirder and funnier.

Nice JRPG
My first game played from Shining series, you don't need to play other Shining games to play this one because this game has its own world, so you don't need to worry about that. I love the characters (Designs are awesome, made by Tony Taka like other Shining games), the OST is marvelous, gameplay feels great (Feels nice to use high level skills), and the story is overall good (Not very complex, also is explained as a visual novel). If you like niche JRPGs I recommend it!!
11/10

By no means a great game, but far from bad either. I really enjoyed my time with it. Plus the soundtrack is great.

7/10
Good brainless RPG, specially if you get it on sale with some/all the DLC.
Pros:
Enjoyable, near mindless if you set your characters up even remotely well
Story doesn't pull you into hour+ long cutscenes or text
Decent character customization, though a bit uninforming on details of what certain things do/affect
Cons:
Maybe too easy for trash mobs and some bosses
Some boss fights are pretty hard unless you do repeat dragon forms (limited strategy to beat them) And you can't change your lineup before the fight, only after you lose to it, so I often get put into a cutscene that leads to a boss fight with 2-3 of my 4 lineup being characters I was leveling and not good for a boss fight
Odd maximum item counts for different items some only allowed 9, some 19, some 99
If you are looking for a Jrpg you can sit down for just 30 minutes or 3-4 hours and just do battles or the next part of the story then Shining Resonance may be for you.

Would I recommend is kind of a hard question...

Story: 2/5 - a really weak story with a basic premise. Save the world nonsense with characters having anime trope paper thin objectives with flimsy motivation and ultimately you aren't here for the ride but more just trying to figure out if it's bad enough to abandon or good enough to slog forward. I finished it, so it was good enough to slog forward, but I can't say I have feeling of accomplishment having endured it.

Gameplay: 3/5 - probably where the game is mediocre enough to keep you engaged. Some design flaws are baffling like no lock-mechanism that can see you or your enemies killed by daisy chain stuns lasting over a minute, which ties into the next aspect. It being a multi-character Action-RPG type, swapping between characters is cumbersome by having to pause, manually swapping who is in the leader role, and unpause. Really breaks any feeling of flow or excitement. And then throw in a combo counter that breaks during unskippable character animations or lasts 15 minutes when you have no idea how, and worst doesn't even track if you get a resonance due a small animation taking up where the hit-counter is, so I guess because you triggered a special your combo be damned. If the game weren't so easy the smashing of 1-2 buttons would have gotten tedious.

Music: 3/5 - pleasant, nothing stood out and it being themed after music, I honestly expected more, but I guess if I can't seriously complain it did it's job.

Systems: 1/5 - this game has some ancient ass system concepts that I don't want to hold against it being a game from another era, but lord. Resources like monster appendix being only available to you from the only inn in the goddamn game is ridiculous. That doesn't pale in comparison to the bond system have barely any explanation just "you can setup it however you want!" and resources wasted on giving each trait something unique but nothing to tell you what they do or why have them or whatever. Any online resource boiled down to basically "It don't really matter" which is comical when it's one of the most grindy resources. Then you got your "weapons" which only change aspect not appearance, and even the materia-like system of junctioning traits and some skills is boring, uninspiring, barely any synergy/harmony if you start trying to mix and match.

Dungeons are by far boring, more mobile type instance 3-floor monster rush than anything worth exploring. They putting in dungeons effectively made teh whole game 6-7 zones with 5-dungeon zones and thus too much samey samey boring that this game is what finally made me understand "I can't play games without two screens."

Conclusion: Eh, yeah I guess I'd recommend it, but there are far better games to play that my recommendation is hollow. If you play it, may you have a more lasting appeal, because I'm so glad to be done with it and eager to start something new.

Shining Resonance Refrain, developed and published by SEGA, is a vibrant JRPG that revives and enhances the cult classic Shining Resonance with refined mechanics, expanded content, and a polished presentation. Set in a high fantasy world where dragons, knights, and magic intermingle, the game follows the journey of Yuma Ilvern, a young man who harbors the powerful Dragon Shining Resonance within him. The narrative explores themes of friendship, destiny, and self-acceptance, wrapped in a traditional JRPG structure that blends story-driven exploration with real-time combat and character development. For fans of classic Japanese role-playing games, Shining Resonance Refrain offers a nostalgic yet refreshed experience, balancing old-school charm with modern sensibilities.
The story is one of the game’s strongest pillars, presenting a heartfelt tale filled with rich character interactions and emotional arcs. Yuma’s struggle to control the dragon power inside him while forging bonds with a diverse cast of allies provides a compelling foundation. Each party member has a distinct personality, backstory, and motivations, and the game does a commendable job giving them screen time and development through dialogue and side quests. The addition of the "Refrain Mode" allows players to access content and characters that were missing or limited in the original release, expanding the narrative depth and offering new perspectives. The writing is heartfelt, though it leans heavily on JRPG tropes, and while it may feel predictable at times, the emotional beats hit with genuine warmth.
Gameplay in Shining Resonance Refrain combines real-time combat with tactical elements, giving players control over one character while managing the rest of the party via AI commands and pre-set tactics. The battle system emphasizes timing, positioning, and chaining attacks to maximize damage, making fights dynamic and engaging. The “Resonance” mechanic, where characters synchronize and boost each other’s abilities, adds an extra strategic layer, encouraging players to consider party composition and skill synergies carefully. Combat flows smoothly and offers a satisfying challenge, particularly in boss encounters that test your understanding of enemy patterns and party coordination. The game also features an extensive skill tree and upgrade system, allowing for deep customization of characters and playstyles.
Exploration and world-building are integral components, with players traversing diverse environments such as lush forests, ancient ruins, and bustling towns. While the maps are not vast by modern open-world standards, they are thoughtfully designed, rich in detail, and peppered with collectibles, hidden secrets, and side quests that reward thorough exploration. Towns serve as hubs for interacting with NPCs, managing equipment, and deepening character relationships. The integration of a “Dragon Gauge” and special abilities tied to Yuma’s dragon powers enhances traversal and combat, adding unique flair to the gameplay.
Visually, Shining Resonance Refrain shines with its vibrant anime-inspired art style, colorful environments, and detailed character models. The expressive animations and well-crafted cutscenes contribute significantly to storytelling and emotional engagement. The soundtrack complements the game perfectly, featuring sweeping orchestral pieces and memorable melodies that evoke both excitement and introspection. Voice acting is solid, with performances that bring characters to life, though it occasionally veers into melodrama typical of JRPGs.
One of the major improvements over the original Shining Resonance is the quality-of-life enhancements introduced in Refrain. These include rebalanced difficulty settings, streamlined menus, and better AI behavior, which collectively create a smoother and more enjoyable experience. Additionally, the new content and additional playable characters enrich the overall package, making it feel like a definitive edition. However, some pacing issues linger, particularly in the mid-game, where extended dialogue sequences and repetitive fetch quests can slow momentum and test player patience.
In conclusion, Shining Resonance Refrain is a well-crafted JRPG that successfully revitalizes its predecessor with expanded content, refined gameplay, and a charming presentation. It may not break new ground in the genre, but it delivers a heartfelt story, engaging combat, and a visually appealing world that fans of anime-style RPGs will appreciate. Its blend of traditional JRPG elements with modern improvements makes it accessible to newcomers while providing enough depth to satisfy veterans. For those seeking a vibrant fantasy adventure with a focus on character-driven narrative and tactical combat, Shining Resonance Refrain offers a rewarding and memorable journey.
Rating: 7/10