The original Shining Resonance came out in 2014 on the PS3 and is still a Japan exclusive. I've just received the Japanese PS4 version of its port/remake/remaster/whatever, Shining Resonance Refrain; it'll come out in Europe and America later this year on Switch, PC, PS4, and X Box On. Japan got only the PS4 version, at least for now.
Shining Resonance Refrain adds a second campaign that wasn't i n the PS3 version, and as the game alerts you before beginning it, it's better to complete the original storyline before starting it.Refrain also makes all costumes that were paid DLC on the PS3 available right from the start.
Other than that, Refrain is a straight port of the PS3 version, only rendering at a higher resolution and the framerate seemingly locked at 30fps (maybe due to the Switch?). Audio is 5.1 but the voices, coming from the center channel, sound muffled and not as clear as other sound effects or music.
Graphics are exactly the same as the PS3, which is very disappointing: it's easy to notice that chapter title cards, textboxes, and a lot of textures have jaggies pointing out to either a simple upscaling, either done outside the game or left to the PS4 to handle on the run. If you've played Valkyria Chronicles Remaster it's the same situation, only a tad better here.
As for the game...well, I've recently (and not so recently) went through action titles by Falcom (Tokyo Xanadu eX+ and Ys VIII) and started Nier Automata last Friday, and Shining Resonance comes out pretty bad in the comparison.
The game plays as any other JRPG, only that battles begin when you touch the enemies roaming the map, are in real time, and play as an action game. There are two attacks you can string is simple combos, a stamina meter, and special skills; combat feels decent enough but again, compared to some recent played titles, it feels stiff and uninteresting.
I can't really comment on the title yet (just played a little more than an hour) but Shining Resonance feels a bit like a rushed job, at least on the technical side.
Shining Resonance Refrain adds a second campaign that wasn't i n the PS3 version, and as the game alerts you before beginning it, it's better to complete the original storyline before starting it.Refrain also makes all costumes that were paid DLC on the PS3 available right from the start.
Other than that, Refrain is a straight port of the PS3 version, only rendering at a higher resolution and the framerate seemingly locked at 30fps (maybe due to the Switch?). Audio is 5.1 but the voices, coming from the center channel, sound muffled and not as clear as other sound effects or music.
Graphics are exactly the same as the PS3, which is very disappointing: it's easy to notice that chapter title cards, textboxes, and a lot of textures have jaggies pointing out to either a simple upscaling, either done outside the game or left to the PS4 to handle on the run. If you've played Valkyria Chronicles Remaster it's the same situation, only a tad better here.
As for the game...well, I've recently (and not so recently) went through action titles by Falcom (Tokyo Xanadu eX+ and Ys VIII) and started Nier Automata last Friday, and Shining Resonance comes out pretty bad in the comparison.
The game plays as any other JRPG, only that battles begin when you touch the enemies roaming the map, are in real time, and play as an action game. There are two attacks you can string is simple combos, a stamina meter, and special skills; combat feels decent enough but again, compared to some recent played titles, it feels stiff and uninteresting.
I can't really comment on the title yet (just played a little more than an hour) but Shining Resonance feels a bit like a rushed job, at least on the technical side.
Comment