With just a few days to go before its Japanese launch, Sega has put out what’s probably the last major press release for Shining Resonance, covering more of the previously revealed character Marion, as well as some new mechanics. Many aspects appear to constitute spoilers from the look of things, not just the contents of the character profile, so look away now if you’re sensitive to those. For everyone else remaining, read on with our translation below.
Character Profile
Marion Lu Shila (voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro)
Class: Cannoneer
Weapon: Dragon Eye Cannon Barmonium
Main Magic Type: Healing and Support Magic
Marion is a twin who, along with her older brother Et, was raised by the mad scientist Joachim at Geilritz Prison to be a living experimental weapon. In spite of the circumstances, she and her brother were on good terms. Yuuma also knows the pair from his time being held captive for experiments. When he encounters one of them later on, it’s initially believed to be Et, but afterwards, “Et’s” personality is seen to sometimes switch out to that of Marion’s, wreaking havoc upon “his” psyche and slowly revealing the extent of Joachim’s horrendous deeds. Though he has his own share of issues to deal with, Yuuma, keen on learning the truth about the twins, sets out to find them himself. Intriguingly, while Marion’s right eye is what she’s always normally had, her golden left one is that of a dragon’s.
After some additional time passes, Marion can join Yuuma’s crew as a Dragoner wielding the Dragon Eye Cannon Barmonium, although how that ends up happening will have to remain a mystery here. In this capacity, she’s a dependable ally, her time working under Joachim proving to come in quite handy, as she can carry her huge weapon and swing it to and fro in battle with extreme ease. When used in battle, she shoots out a wide variety of different sorts of magic shells, granting her a distinct feel and playstyle compared to the rest of the cast.
Marion’s presence takes some getting used to for some of the other characters, however. When Kirika, for instance, drops by Yuuma’s room one day, she finds the two talking in extremely close proximity and subsequently feels irked at the sight. Marion, though, still not all that aware of her feminine traits and preferring to refer to herself in a tomboyish manner, reassures Kirika that she simply came to tell Yuuma her thanks before heading out, leaving Kirika with mixed feelings deep down.
New Features
Kouryuu’s Awakened Form
After a sequence of events, Yuuma’s dragon form, Kouryuu, is able to transition from his Progressive Form, where he’s only partly unlocked his potential powers, to his true Awakened Form. As one would expect, this change significantly shakes things up and greatly increases Kouryuu’s combat prowess on the battlefield. In this Awakened Form, Kouryuu’s bonds with the Armonic-wielding Dragoners become especially strong as well, resulting in Resonances being easier to pull off, reducing MP and casting times, and improving Tuning Effects, among other things, making the transition a truly beneficial one for everybody. In contrast to his Progressive Form, where Kouryuu attacks primarily with his claws, in his Awakened Form, his breath is his main form of offense.
BAND Performance, Kouryuu’s Awakened Form, and D Unions
When Kouryuu is in his Awakened Form, the potency of BAND Performance also gets ratcheted up a notch. Indeed, while BAND Performance is in effect, he’s invincible and all of his attacks are able to Break enemies, which can prove to be especially advantageous in battle. Additionally, when the BPM Gauge bottoms out, he’s performs a D Union with the character assigned to the Center position. This is a powerful cooperative attack that takes place before BAND Performance officially ends.
Shining Resonance is due out in Japan on December 11 for PlayStation 3. For what will likely be our last batch of new screenshots and artwork, check out the gallery here.
