Shining Resonance Refrain Standard Edition - Nintendo Switch

First of all the product itself. The launch edition has a really cool metal slipcase probably the only one of it's kind. We have had metal steelbooks sure but not a metal slipcase. Really cool. There is also a free japanese voice pack in the E-Shop you can download. Story - Pretty generic honestly, like PS2 Era JRPG storytelling. Have an evil kingdom who is doing evil stuff against the good kingdom... Insert main character here.... He goes on an adventure to save the kingdom from evil kingdom and bam there is your story. The lore is pretty intresting but the story itself just holds it back. It never gets into that level of final fantasy or tales games story telling. Gameplay - Plays out like a tales game, you can turn into a dragon! Which is awsome. There is like a FF7 materia system going on there for your wepons. No fast travel unfourtuntly, but not that bad as the maps themselfs are easy to run across. There is a random dungeon you can do for grinding. There are side quests but all those are is the basic "Kill this" or "Collect this" and thats it, nothing more meaningful than that. I guess the best part of the game is that you can date all the girls and you won't get punished for it. For those who are confused by original mode and refrain mode... Basically original mode is just the original story while in refrian mode you get 2 playable characters that are like villian characters.... Thats about it. So I just went with refrian mode to date the evil chick. Sound - Pretty good since one of the focuses of the game is about music, since all your party members items are actually instruments. So at least for sound is 5 out of 5 Graphics - It's like in between PS2-PS3 era anime style graphics. Not that bad seeing as it was a PS3 port from japan only. Conclusion - It's worth getting if only go play once, it's only like 49.99 anyways not even full priced. For a PS3 port it's pretty decent, at least until we get octopath traveler soon and that tales remaster for the switch.

Its a fun game and its got your fan service(Bonus) However, I cant help but feel the developers skimped on optimizing it for tv since its a switch game. You do get a interesting story about dragons and a fun combat mechanic. Bosses are ridiculously brutal(I spent two hours and still haven't beaten the first main boss). The game definitely feels laggy especially in bigger fights, the fps completely tanks, in portable mode, not so much. its a shame because I enjoy playing on my tv more than handheld. still a great game though------ 3.5 stars for me.

Very solid game. To those that haven't played RPG's it is good for beginners while offering a decent story. Being a little linear will help ease those new to these types of games but will leave you satisfied from the experience.

I picked up this game on sale, hoping that I would like it. Come to find out, I love it. If you like games with magic, knights, and dragons then this game is for you. The only thing that I didn’t care for is the battle mechanics. I had assumed that it was turned based but it is actually an active battle system where you can run around the fight zone.

Very good game. So far I've spent 2 1/2 hrs playing Shining Resonance. Let me tell you, I'm enjoying every last bit of this game. I haven't enjoyed a JRPG game like this since Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I'm loving the anime graphics!! The gameplay is decent but not boring. 8/10

This isn't the type of game that will blow people away with its graphics, story, or gameplay. No. It's more of a standard run of the mill JRPG with cheesy dialogue, music that isn't on par with the huge production beautiful goodness of other larger games, combat that doesn't feel different then what we've seen in the genre for years, visuals that get the job done but aren't going to impress, and a story that moves the game forward but won't make you remember the game for years to come. If you're new to the genre or already don't have favorable views of the genre, this won't be the game to get. However, it's still an enjoyable experience that any JRPG fan can deprive some pleasure from.

Shining Resonance Refrain is the kind of game that can put on a solid performance, but it’s also abundantly clear that it doesn’t quite have the pipes to hit the high notes; it’s a good game, but not a great one. A fascinating setting, live action combat system, and eye-catching cel-shade visuals are all balanced by a slightly dampening feeling of mediocrity that never seems to go away. Fans of RPGs will find plenty to love here, it’s a well-rounded, content-rich game that understands its audience well, but it’s also a very safe RPG. We’d ultimately give Shining Resonance Refrain a recommendation, especially if you’re a newcomer looking for a good RPG to show you what the genre is all about, but veterans may be a bit disappointed with the final product.

I only played shining force 1 and 2, but this is a nice twist on the old games with the action combat. It's definitely fun, but if you you're dead set on the old strategy type battle, this won't be for you.