Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord

+11

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 25 reviews

story5 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and engaging turn-based tactical RPG experience with a unique music mechanic that enhances gameplay.
Fans of the original Fairy Fencer F will appreciate the return of beloved characters and the entertaining visual-novel-style cutscenes.
The game provides a substantial amount of content, with many side quests and a playtime that can exceed 50 hours.

The story is poorly executed, leaving newcomers confused and failing to provide substantial character development for returning fans.
Gameplay suffers from repetitive battles with copy-pasted enemies and a lack of challenge, making it feel tedious.
The localization and translation quality is subpar, detracting from the overall experience and immersion in the game.

story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
60%
15%
The story has received mixed reviews, with many players feeling it is disjointed and confusing, particularly for newcomers who lack proper introductions to characters and their relationships. While some appreciate the attempt to expand the lore and revisit familiar characters, others criticize the rushed pacing and lack of depth in character development, leading to a narrative that feels both incomplete and unengaging. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a step back from previous installments, with a reliance on players' prior knowledge of the series.
- “The story, despite having the same premise, is used to expand the lore and key elements of the world, with special emphasis on blood skelter, something that receives the treatment it deserves after being shrugged off in the first one despite being the biggest fear and danger a blood maiden must confront.”
- “It is hard to talk about the plot of this game without spoilers (you probably know why if you played the first game), but as far as it goes, I think it does a good job of telling a new story within the same world and characters we know.”
- “The story is neither a full reboot, nor a sequel, but chooses to start at something like 20% of the original game story progression, leaving newcomers confused about who the characters are, their relations, etc., since we don’t even get introductions.”
- “The story makes the characters a blank slate again and develops them and their personalities in different directions compared to the first installment.”
- “The story this time feels a bit out of place and assumes the player knows each character from the returning cast.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
28%
27%
The game's music is a standout feature, with unique mechanics involving "muses" that enhance gameplay through auras tied to different songs, creating a dynamic and enjoyable experience. Players appreciate the high-quality music, including impressive remixes and excellent Japanese voice acting, which contribute to the overall enjoyment of the tactical turn-based battles. While the muses provide valuable buffs, their limited combat capabilities have drawn some criticism.
- “This game introduces a new type of character called 'muses' that instead of fighting, they help their team with a song that emits an aura that improves the stats of the units inside.”
- “It is a fun mechanic and I really like how each aura is a different song and how when both teams have a muse singing, both songs get mixed; it's a really nice detail.”
- “The music mechanics make it stand out and a joy to listen to.”
- “Adding only the songs of the muses' abilities (they did really, really dirty Ishikawa Yui here).”
- “As party members, all they do is just sit there with a buffing aura around them when their songs are active.”
- “And when the songs aren't up, they're practically worthless (can't attack, very mediocre single-target buffs, no healing moves).”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The gameplay has shifted from a turn-based RPG to a strategy RPG, which has disappointed fans of the original genre. While the tactical positioning of characters adds a fun element, many feel the overall mechanics are overly simplistic and lack depth, with the unique world-shaping feature replaced by a tedious mini-game. However, the incorporation of music mechanics is praised for adding a distinctive and enjoyable auditory experience.
- “About that change of gameplay, as mentioned this time the game is a tactics RPG where the position of your characters is key.”
- “It is a fun mechanic and I really like how each aura is a different song and how when both teams have a muse singing, both songs get mixed; it's a really nice detail.”
- “The music mechanics make it stand out and a joy to listen to.”
- “It changes the genre of the game from turn-based RPG to strategy RPG, so fans of that kind of gameplay are left behind.”
- “Gameplay itself is as basic as it gets; it is an SRPG but with the 'S' watered down to the bare minimum requirement to still add it in the genre.”
- “- World shaping, the most unique mechanic in the original game, has been replaced by the most pathetically boring mini-game I've ever seen.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, as progression relies heavily on limited quests and repetitive inn interactions, with a significant amount of time required to advance. The new world shaping mechanics are seen as a regression from the original game, necessitating special energy for battles and leading to frustration over the slow pace of progress.
- “There’s only one quest per quest rank, the rest are done via inn interactions with characters. The new world shaping is a step back from the original, resulting in a tedious grind that gives you items. It requires special energy to play (2 units per battle), and at the time of writing this on chapter 18, after completing every subquest available, I’m only about 50% through. The game expects me to engage in a lot of free battles to progress.”
- “The grinding in this game feels excessive and unbalanced. It often feels like I'm just repeating the same tasks over and over without any real sense of progress or reward.”
- “I find the grinding mechanics to be frustratingly monotonous. It seems like the game is designed to stretch out playtime rather than provide meaningful content.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Refrain Chord offers high replayability for fans of the series, as it features a wide roster of playable characters, including both heroes and villains, allowing players to explore different story outcomes without the constraints of character deaths.
- “Refrain Chord is definitely a nice fan service game for people who enjoy the series, as most of the characters (both good and evil) are playable because they aren't fated to die this time around.”
graphics
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The graphics have been noted for being visually distracting during battles, which can detract from the overall experience, while the progression in the game often feels slow.
- “Some visually distracting battle graphics; progression often drags.”
- “The graphics feel outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
- “Character models are poorly designed, making it hard to connect with the story.”