Sega has announced a release date for the Western versions of the musically-themed RPG Shining Resonance Refrain: July 10th. This news comes as a follow up to their earlier announcement that it would be coming West after all. Western releases of Refrain will make its way to PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and Steam, whereas the Japanese release only came on the PS4. Even though the Japanese release of Shining Resonance Refrain came in late March, Sega will be bringing it to our shores little more than three months later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY4_GoJGxDo
The release date announcement also comes with a new trailer showcasing some of the heroes of Shining Resonance Refrain. More importantly, we also get an early look at the English voice acting for the game. For the audio purists among us, fear not, for you will be able to switch between Japanese and English audio at will. Shining Resonance Refrain also comes with the, uh, "Refrain" mode, which brings in two new party members. The Refrain mode is intended for people who have played through the original story already, as it contains spoilers. Preordering Shining Resonance Refrain will also get you the "Draconic Launch Edition," which is a copy of the game in a steel slip case.
Shining Resonance Refrain is an action RPG similar to Tales of games. Delving into different genres is nothing new for the Shining series, which saw action RPGs come out for the PS2 in Shining Force Neo and EXA. Blending musical instruments with weapons of war, Refrain takes it a step further, with musical references seeping into almost all of its mechanics. Recent Shining games have all had an emphasis on music, but Resonance Refrain took it a step further. From the aptly titled "B.A.N.D. system" to special attacks looking like idol concerts, Refrain fuses the two in a glorious display of fantasy and music. The remaster saw decent success in Japan, where it sold over 20,000 units in its first week.
That's not the only Shining-related thing in development, either. The VR Experience VR Figure from Shining was shown off earlier this year at SegaFes. In the experience, you can interact with and view heroine Kirika Towa Alma. There's been no word from Sega if the experience will be localized as well, or if you will be able to interact with any other heroines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGHuvm9SpBE
Still, with Sega attempting to bring more titles westward, and to a variety of platforms, we'll see just how popular Refrain proves to be. Shining Resonance Refrain launches in Europe and the Americas on July 10th.
