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The Shining Force Series. The first of the series was originally released in 1991 on the Sega Mega Drive and since then has drifted into several different genres and games. Originally released in 2014 on the PlayStation 3, Shining Resonance Chorus is a remaster of the original game that comes with all the DLC, Bells and Whistles of the original game. It's been ten years since a Shining series game was released outside of Japan. Does the series still hold the magic that was present in previous titles?
Shining Resonance Chorus
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Media Vision
Platform: PlayStation 4 (overdriven), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch,
Release Date: July 10 2018
Players: 1 Player
Price: $ 49.99
Agree, even before starting this review, I have to make one thing clear: Shining Resonance Chorus contains all the DLC of the original game. This includes all DLC costumes originally published. Some of these costumes are risky. My personal favorites were the maid costumes for each of the female characters.
I would not be surprised if some of the purest shops are doing a big stink about it in the weeks to come once they've stopped walking simulators and trying something new. Personally, I love maid outfits, so throughout my playthrough, everyone wore their maid outfit. Is there anything better than maids slaughtering giant dragons?
Speaking of giant dragons and other critters that threaten the kingdom, Shining Resonance Chorus gives players several tools to achieve this. SRR plays very similar to other RPG action, namely, Tales series of the Ys to some extent. There are three main forms of attack: normal attacks, break attacks and force attacks
Almost every action that a player takes in combat, without displacement and using force attacks, will consume a certain amount of AP or points of action. The game never really tells you how much AP each action takes, but there is a small meter around the controlled character that will decrease when you attack, skip, block, or use break attacks.
Using AP, the AP gauge recharges fast enough and will continue to recharge when you use magic attacks or (force) techniques. The tutorial on games even tells you that a good strategy is to attack until the AP is exhausted and to mix the attacks into force until it's over. recharges
Generally, the fight revolves around the mixture, and the attacks of force. With regard to break attacks: these are usually special character attacks and the game will give you a brief tutorial each time a new character joins the list, detailing their break attack and usually this to what will their attacks look like. has a break attack that allows him to sneak a short distance and shoot down smaller enemies. One of his force attacks deals more damage to fallen enemies. It will eventually have access to regen buffs and buff buff abilities. Each character will have a similar type of organization between his normal attacks, force and break.
Force abilities, either martial techniques or magic attacks, of course, consume a given amount of MP when they are used. Attack normally will recover a little MP with each attack. So, even if you use all your MP in a fight, returning to normal attacks will help you find that reserve to help you attack.
This is especially important for any character who uses buff abilities or healing power. because it means that these characters are not useless once their reserve has been exhausted. Rest assured, there are items you can use to replenish MP if you need it.
Based on the musical themes presented in the game, there is still another technical fight that players can use to help bring down the evil inhabitants of the world: the BAND technique . After playing a little, the game will unlock this clever little feature. Each player character, either directly from the bat or through the scenario, will use a weapon called "Armonic".
They are a weapon apart, a musical instrument apart. Agnum, one of the main characters, uses a weapon that is part of the electric guitar, ax part. Another character uses a spear that is also an oboe. However, during combat, once this mechanism is unlocked, a gauge appears on the left side of the screen.
There are 3 levels on this gauge and once at least Level 1 is filled, by pressing R1 on the controller, the player will be able to choose a song from a list that develops during the progress of the game. History and completing different quests. Each song will have a different effect depending on who is chosen as the lead for the B.A.N.D session.
Some songs will increase the critical strike chance. others will decrease the damage suffered, and so on. The BAND mechanic also has one last aspect that is incredibly important: shoot down the Brilliant Dragon when it enters berserk mode
The Brilliant Dragon, beyond its driving force behind the narrative of game, also happens to be Yuma, the main character. At the beginning of the game, Yuma will unlock the ability to transform at will into Brilliant Dragon, greatly increasing his fighting abilities.
The disadvantage of this powerful ability is the fact that the transformation constantly consumes MP and if the player tries to attack while he is weak on MP, the Shiny Dragon can enter a berserk state, attacking his friend and his enemy.
However, if BAND is used while the Brilliant Dragon is in the berserk state, it will be removed from the Berserker mode. Moreover, while B.A.N.D is active, the Brilliant Dragon will not enter the berserk status. The combination of these two aspects of the game offers a lot in terms of additional strategy for the players to use.
Beyond all this in terms of combat, Shining Resonance Chorus has more to offer in terms of building your characters and increasing the links that different characters share together. In terms of character construction, remember that each character uses an Armonic.
Each of these weapons is also a musical instrument, remember? After a certain point in the game, players will be able to "tune" these weapons, allowing players to focus on certain aspects of the character in question. Take Yuma for example, one of his chords allows faster attacks.
An agreement from Sonia will add additional strikes to her attacks. Each chord also has a bonus to either attack power, magic power or BAND, so the chord you choose will not only affect how your character acts in combat , but also the statistics that the player chooses for that specific character.
Shining Resonance Chorus also features a linking mechanism, which is displayed through different titles of each character, as well as through a mini-game of minor encounters. Depending on the different title the player places on the character, they will interact differently in combat with the other characters.
The maid costume, for example, unlocks a title for each of the girls and if that title is placed on more than one character. character, they will use "jealously" and heal attacks, which also have negative side effects when they are used. You can also increase the connection between the characters by inviting them to midnight chats, which can lead to appointments between Yuma and the chosen character.
Unfortunately, SRR suffers a bit from being an RPG of the semi – modern era. While the game looks fantastic, it has some disadvantages. As seems to be the trend, the Kingdom of Astoria, specifically the city of Marga, will be the main hub that the player moves to and from the course of the game.
I am generally not a big fan of this design decision in games. I much prefer a larger world that the player travels without the need of a "base camp" to return constantly. This is mainly due to the fact that, as in the case of SRR, you are constantly retracing your steps through more and more familiar locations near the main hub.
Finally, you will just ignore them completely and ignore them. the enemies that are there, even if the enemies evolve at the same level as your characters. This is mostly because even after the first few levels they will not pose a lot of problems to your team.
There is a fast travel mechanic back in at Marga, but you will come and go a lot. It's a sadly popular design choice and this allows SRR to be really great.
Musically, as one could expect, SRR shines. As usual, I will simply say that basic sounds flow and mix so that the player finally forgets that they are still there. This is not a bad thing by any means. When the soundtrack of a game flows naturally and sounds good, should not be discordant or anything that the player notices at every moment of the game.
there, music plays a very important role in the history and gameplay of SRR. There are several tracks that play throughout the game that occupy a central place when you use BAND (totally intentional play on words) that are simply incredibly catchy and fun to listen to.
In addition, several characters have a musical inclination and you will be treated to their songs if you invite them on enough private chats, dates, and do quests for them. Kirika has a very beautiful song that plays a very important role in the main story.
However, there were a few times where the loop on the music was a little off and there were moments of silence before the music came back. It was another minor disappointment that brought down the music a little. SRR in terms of general presentation.
Finally, the story. You are presented with a bit of a generic story to be perfectly honest. It focuses on a lonely kingdom beset by a seemingly evil empire, an ancient power that has the potential to change the course of a war, a young man scared by his own power, and a princess who will do n & # 39; whatever for his people.
Honestly, I had a little Breath of Fire atmosphere when I started playing. It was mainly because of the slight similarities between Ryu and Yuma, who could both turn into dragons early in history. However, there are things that will keep the player hooked to his system of choice through a somewhat generic story.
The characters are interesting and the dialogue is largely organic and never really forced, nor do the jerky tones of other JRPGs seem to suffer at times. I really enjoyed the different scenes where the different characters interacted with each other, especially many scenes with Agnum in them, even though his dialogue was sometimes irrelevant.
At one point, he says that after what Sonia did for Yuma, she deserves a punch at the very least. It seemed a little out of place in what is supposed to be a kingdom based on a medieval setting, which makes me doubt whether it was a translator who amused himself a bit.
There is a secondary mode available right off the bat changes the normal story a bit, and that is the chorus mode. I will not go into detail here because it changes a lot and should really be played once the player has finished the main story at least once.
This adds a lot to playing time and also offers a different view of the different characters. Beyond the difference in the story, some characters are available from the start and are not normally available in the main game. It is definitely worth spending your time checking this additional mode once you have finished the main story.
Overall, Shining Resonance Chorus is an awesome game for those looking for a fun experience that JRPG itches. There are some problems here and there, between some outdated design decisions showing the relative age of SRR, music problems, and the fact that the game sometimes stutters, even on a PlayStation 4 Pro.
The game is very fun To play, the music is enchanting and the fight never really becomes a chore with all the different options available to the player. Yes, SRR has some problems, but they are mostly pretty minor. The game does not take too much chances with the story, so it may fall flat for some, but there are enough side missions, dungeons and character development options to keep fans of the game. kind for a while. can not go down in the annals of the game story as one of the best RPGs ever, but is by far one of the most solid RPGs that we have seen in recent years . If you are a fan of the genre and you want something serious with a good cast of characters and interesting knowledge, you will do a disservice by jumping on Shining Resonance Chorus.
Shining Resonance Chorus has been reviewed on PlayStation 4 Pro using a review copy obtained by Niche Gamer.
The Good:
- A Strong JRPG Based on the Action
- An Interesting World with a Well-Designed Tradition Will Draw the Players Into
- An OST That Goes mixes well with the game and becomes a major aspect of the game and story together
- Interesting characters that the player can attach to
- Battle.
The Bad:
- Slowdown and Music Loop Problems That Should Not Really Be Present on Current Generation Systems
- A somewhat generic story that might be disappointing for some players
- Basic enemies turn into a cake with bosses much harder than the area they fight
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