Highlights

  • Persona 5's popularity can be attributed to its combination of anime aesthetics, an amazing soundtrack, and social simulator mechanics that fulfill fans' slice-of-life anime fantasies.
  • Shining Resonance Refrain, a lesser-known JRPG franchise, offers a similar experience to Persona with its anime aesthetics, dating simulator elements, and excellent music.
  • Both Persona and Shining Resonance Refrain incorporate music into their gameplay mechanics, and their social simulator mechanics allow players to build relationships and unlock abilities for characters, making them appealing to fans of the genre.

Persona 5 launched Atlus's long-running franchise into the mainstream after enjoying over a decade of success as a niche JRPG series. Persona's ascent to a household name in the gaming world makes a lot of sense. The 2010s saw anime enter the mainstream public consciousness and Japanese media grow in influence worldwide. Persona 5 features a genre-defining turn-based combat system and robust social simulator mechanics. By combining anime aesthetics, an incredible soundtrack, and social simulator mechanics that let fans live out their slice-of-life anime fantasies, Persona 5 struck gold. While fans have been able to return to older entries with recent re-releases, some fans have been left wanting even more similar experiences.

One of the most looked-over JRPG franchises is Sega's Shining franchise. The Shining Force spinoffs helped bring tactical JRPGs into the West, but by and large, the series has grown more obscure. One of the most recent new entries, Shining Resonance Refrain, is an enhanced port of Shining Resonance from the PS3. Like Persona, Shining Resonance Refrain combines anime aesthetics, dating simulator elements, and excellent music to craft a unique experience for its players. While the game is more limited in its ambitions and scope, this entry in the Shining series could be perfect for Persona fans looking for something to fill their time till the next game in the series releases.

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Music Is Built Into the Bones of Persona and Shining Resonance Refrain

Part of Persona's meteoric rise to success has been the popularity of its music. While the soundtrack isn't integrated into the game's world, the music of the series' recent entries is crafted for each scene and setting and is tied to the game's events thematically. One thing that sets Persona apart from other games is that in addition to a traditional instrumental score, it features the use of popular music styles. P4 pulled on J-pop stylings, and Acid Jazz pervades every part of P5. Music from Persona is performed live at concerts and enjoys success on streaming platforms separate from the game. Music is also a big part of Shining Resonance Refrain's identity.

Shining Resonance Refrain's Mechanics are Named After Musical Terms

Music's impact on Persona games is subtle, but Shining Resonance Refrain has music baked into its bones. The game has a BAND mechanic and each of the characters' weapons also acts as an instrument. Players are intended to "conduct" their party and can "tune" their weapons stats. Playing rune songs can buff the party in different ways for combat. Music is foundational to the game's systems. Similar to Persona, the game includes vocally driven tracks that contain pop-inspired elements. For fans of Persona's aesthetic cohesion, the implementation of music in Shining Resonance Refrain could scratch a similar itch. The game's unique blend of pop elements and fantasy music also makes the soundtrack stand out by itself.

Persona and Shining Resonance Refrain Are Both About Relationships

Excella confessing her love to Yuma in Shining Resonance Refrain

Like Persona, Shining Resonance Refrain has a social simulator mechanic that impacts the game's combat and other gameplay systems. In modern Persona games, players can build relationships with party members and other associates. Progressing each relationship lets the protagonist grow closer to and learn more about the character, all while leveling up their Social Link. As the Social Link levels up, more abilities unlock for the character, and romantic relationships can be pursued. Social Links are replaced by the bond system in Shining Resonance Refrain. All characters share relationships and can be moved around on the Bond Diagram to produce different buffs.

Not unlike Persona, relationships in Shining Resonance are built up by spending time with each character completing social activities together, and these relationships can progress into romantic ones as well. While the mainline Shining games are action RPGs more similar to Tales of Arise and the other games in its franchise than that of Persona, Shining Resonance Refrain has some elements that are strikingly similar to that of P5 and other games in the series. For players looking for something to do before Persona 5 Tactica releases later this month, Shining Resonance Refrain could be just the thing to tide them over.