Skip to content

Shining Resonance Refrain

O-TWO inc. · Jul 10, 2018

PC · PS4 · Xbox One · Switch

Teen

About

Play as Yuma Ilvern and stop the Empire from exploiting the power of the ancient dragons, including the soul of the Shining Dragon within you. With the help of your friends, realize your destiny, save Astoria, and unleash the strength you’ve always had locked away. In the original game, previously released only in Japan, Imperial Princess Excella was an unplayable character, but in the new “Refrain Mode” in Shining Resonance Refrain, both she and Dragonslayer Jinas can be added as party members for a new experience – just be sure to save this for your second playthrough to avoid any spoilers! As an added bonus, all of the extra cosmetic items and side quests are included in this remaster. Dragons were long thought to be extinct, and because Yuma holds the ability to transform into the Shining Dragon, he was taken as a captive of the Empire. With the help of the Dragoneers, Sonia, princess of Astoria, 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?

Trailers & screenshots

Scores by platform

PC

Critic 6.4 (7 critics) · Gamer 7.5

7.2

PlayStation 4

Critic 6.8 (16 critics) · Gamer 8.8

7.5

Xbox One

Critic 6.9 (8 critics) · Gamer 8.6

7.5

Nintendo Switch

Critic 6.8 (18 critics) · Gamer 8.3

7.4

Critic reviews

  • ZTGD

    Ken McKown · Jul 31, 2018

    6.5
    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.
  • Way Too Many Games

    Leo Faria · Jul 22, 2018

    6.5
    Shining Resonance Refrain is far from being a bad game, but it’s also a very forgettable one. It lacks anything that makes it stand out from the rest of its JRPG peers, due to its generic visuals, story and gameplay. If you’re desperately in need of a new JRPG for your Switch, either because you have already beaten Octopath Traveler and Ys VIII or because you’re not interested in either of those, for some reason, then Shining Resonance is an excellent choice. If you’re not part of this extremely specific demographic, however, there’s little to no reason to take a look at this game for the time being.
  • Gaming Bolt

    Pramath · Jul 16, 2018

    7.0
    Is Shining Resonance Refrain going to win any awards? It’s not even the best JRPG that has come out this year on any of the systems it has appeared on, and it’s a far cry from the classic Shining games that fans love so dearly. That said, it’s still a fun, if a bit rote, JRPG adventure that fans of the genre could stand to play and enjoy.
  • Game Skinny

    Autumn Fish · Jul 15, 2018

    6.0
    If you're a fan of JRPGs and think the concept of playing as a dragon and beating up enemies with musical instruments is pretty rad, then you'll probably enjoy this game a lot. If you're interested in strong characters and potentially getting to know them on a romantic level, you may like this game too. Otherwise, I'm not really sure if I can personally recommend dropping the money on this.
  • Xbox Tavern

    Mark Sherwood · Jul 14, 2018

    7.7
    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.
  • GameSpew

    Kyle Bradford · Jul 09, 2018

    8.0
    For someone like me who lost interest in the Shining series long ago, Shining Resonance Refrain is an absolute delight. Although it doesn’t resemble anything like the strategy RPGs and dungeon crawlers I first fell in love with back in the 90s, Shining Resonance Refrain is a charmingly sweet JRPG with an engaging combat system that hides hundreds of tricks up its sleeves.

See all critic reviews

Advertisement

Related games

Rate this game

Contains spoiler

to rate this game.