RefRain: Prism Memories
- May 12, 2016
- RebRank
Get on Steam"RefRain: Prism Memories" is a rhythm game where players tap notes in time with music. The game features a visual novel element, telling the story of a world where humans and virtual beings called RefRains coexist. With a variety of songs and characters, players can customize their gameplay experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- RefRain features unique mechanics that emphasize aggressive play and bullet cancellation, making it a refreshing take on the shmup genre.
- The game boasts beautiful visuals, a captivating soundtrack, and well-designed bullet patterns that enhance the overall experience.
- With multiple difficulty options and three distinct ships, RefRain offers a good balance of accessibility for newcomers and depth for experienced players.
- Some players have reported issues with enemy visibility and bullet clarity, particularly during intense boss fights, which can lead to frustrating moments.
- The final bosses are often criticized for being overly tanky and difficult to defeat, leading to prolonged encounters that can feel tedious.
- The game's story and character writing have been described as lacking depth, with some players finding the dialogue and narrative elements to be underwhelming.
- music40 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its outstanding quality and ability to enhance the overall experience. The soundtrack features a mix of calming and frenetic tracks that sync well with gameplay, creating a captivating atmosphere. Overall, the music is described as beautiful, engaging, and integral to the game's appeal, making it a standout feature among its many strengths.
“Great soundtrack, fun bullet patterns, and multiple difficulties.”
“The music is brilliant and the presentation top notch.”
“The hypnotic, colorful visuals are simple but beautiful, and the pulsing trance soundtrack is top-notch.”
“Even now, I can't remember when the game transitioned from calming music to more frenetic techno stuff.”
“For this reason, I recommend turning the sound volume far below the music volume - in the 30-40% range - in the game's rather awkward configuration menu only accessible from an out-of-game configuration launcher.”
“The simplicity of the game mechanic kept me entertained for a long time, and the trancy music has never gotten old with it.”
- gameplay37 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this shmup is praised for its unique mechanics, including a bullet cancel system and a special meter that encourages aggressive play and strategic use of attacks. Players appreciate the balance between offense and defense, as well as the beautiful visuals and engaging soundtrack that enhance the overall experience. While the mechanics may require some time to master, they ultimately reward thoughtful play and offer significant replayability through different characters and difficulty options.
“A very well designed shmup with interesting mechanics - a bullet cancel and a 'special meter' similar to fighting games, that fills when killing enemies and can be used to perform 4 different levels of special attack.”
“Refrain does a great job of distinguishing itself in a genre of very similar titles by mechanically focusing on offense-heavy gameplay and scoring rather than pure dodging.”
“The gameplay is very exciting and interesting.”
“The entire mechanics of the game prioritize well-planned ability usage in order to not even have to deal with fields of bullets.”
“Fun game, it is more about playing smart than having the most sick skill due to the mechanics the game has.”
“However, on my most recent playthrough, some of the mechanics started to fall into place.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews; while some players find them simple and dull, others appreciate the harmonious integration of visuals with gameplay and music. The aesthetic is described as colorful and fitting for the cybernetic theme, with crisp visuals that enhance the overall experience. However, there are mentions of performance issues, particularly frame rate drops during transitions, which can detract from the visual experience.
“The hypnotic, colorful visuals are simple but beautiful, and the pulsing trance soundtrack is top-notch.”
“The game supports a cybernetic aesthetic and plot (not overstated, but in that arena without question) which translates to the in-game visuals excellently.”
“Visuals are crisp and clear, and the soundtrack is truly amazing.”
“The graphics are a bit dull, but do their job and bullet visibility is okay.”
“There's emails for each of the three playable characters and some text on the stage screen, but the color and graphics barely convey this.”
“The graphics themselves are largely simple shapes for enemy designs.”
- story15 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The story in the game is delivered through a series of emails and logs that players unlock as they progress, creating an engaging narrative that ties into an overarching plot connected to previous titles. While the storytelling is described as mildly engaging and somewhat simplistic, it effectively complements the game's cyber theme. Players are encouraged to explore the narrative further, although prior knowledge of the earlier game, Samidare, is not essential to understand the current storyline.
“Refrain puts a lot of emphasis on the overarching story and theme of being set inside a computer.”
“Most of all, I want to feel the need to take a deep breath to steel my nerves every time I descend into what will likely be a suicide mission.”
“There's a story that's told through emails that slowly unfolds after you defeat each boss.”
“You get bits of story via unlocked mail messages as you play.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players note that while the gameplay requires time to master for optimal performance, the graphics and game engine have seen significant improvements since the previous title, Samidare. However, the game is primarily optimized for a 3:4 aspect ratio, which can result in some blurriness.
“It is a little blurry too, since it is only optimized for 3:4 size.”
“Gameplay took a while for me to figure out a more optimized way to play.”
“The graphics and game engine performance have improved a lot since Samidare.”
“It's a little blurry too, since it is only optimized for a 3:4 size.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through its three distinct playable characters, each with unique styles, alongside engaging art direction and music. Players are encouraged to improve their skills to unlock additional content, enhancing the replay value beyond mere scoring.
“Lots of replayability with the three playable characters and their different styles, fantastic art direction and music, and satisfying gameplay.”
“Since the unlocks depend on how well you play, there is good replayability here, not just for scoring.”
