Unboxing [JP]: Shining Resonance - Standard Edition (PS3)

The last of the trio of games I picked up is SEGA's long running RPG series from the Shining franchise.

Shining Resonance (シャイニング レゾナンス) is the latest JRPG in the Shining franchise from SEGA and is co-developed by Media Vision (known for the Wild Arms series). This 2014 title is an action role-playing game and will require some knowledge of Japanese for its story and UI system. The gameplay itself is import friendly in the same vein as the Tales franchise.

SEGA and Shining is a weird case, since the franchise did see a successful release in the west with Shining Force and Shining in the Darkness many years ago. But ever since Shining Wind back in 2007, ever major instalment has been released solely in Japan. That includes Hearts, Blade, Arc and even Resonance. The anime adaptations for Shining Tears x Wind and Hearts did get released in English thanks to both Discotek Media and Sentai Filmworks.

Format: PlayStation 3

Version: Japan

Exclusive: Yes

Local Players: 1

Online Players: 0

Resolution: 480p/720p

HDD Space: 4950MB

Trophies: Yes

As mentioned the game is a mix between import friendly and requiring knowledge. The gameplay (i.e walking around and fighting monsters) can be figured out with some time but the story itself and the UI menus will need knowledge. The good news is that there are guides online that can help with the items, weapons and monsters. The game isn't as popular as the others in the series so I wouldn't be surprised if the storyline hasn't been fan-translated at all. It's single-player only also which is to be expected for an RPG.

This is actually the second time I bought the game. The first time was through eBay but I ended up with the Korean version instead, so I was able to sell it (for a big loss) and re-order it through Solaris Japan instead. The Japanese version was still around for a reasonable price hence why I was given some cash compared to how much I paid for it.