Overview
Shining Resonance Refrain is an action-RPG developed by Media.Vision and published by Sega. It's the remastered version of Shining Resonance, released in 2014 on PS3 in Japan only; Refrain came out in 2018 and brought the game to the West. It's a very classic Japanese action-RPG, in the line of the Shining series.
Story and world
You play as Yuma, a young man who carries within him the soul of the Shining Dragon, a legendary dragon the Empire wants to seize. He is rescued by Sonia, princess of the kingdom of Astoria, and joins a group of fighters who wield Armonics, weapons that also serve as musical instruments. The game offers a good dose of banter between companions, which takes up a big place in the adventure.
Gameplay
Combat happens in real time: you control one character while the other party members are handled by the AI. Yuma's special feature is his transformation into a dragon, which lets him change form mid-fight. The combat is decent, but it lacks bite. As for exploration, the environments are reused.
Verdict
Shining Resonance Refrain is a very classic Japanese action-RPG, with its banter between companions and its dragon transformation, but with combat that lacks bite and reused environments. Pleasant for fans of the genre, skippable otherwise.