Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord Review – The Unexpected Return

Fairy Fencer F and its enhanced remake, Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force were two of the best JRPGs of the PS3 and PS4 generations. With branching, multi-avenue meta-stories rivalling sister-series Hyperdimension Neptunia, it was difficult to see how and if the games could open the door for a follow-up game. In time, we’d finally get to see the outcome of the fans’ wish for an experimental return to this strange, enchanting world.

Introduction

Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord is a fantasy tactical JRPG developed by Sting and Compile Heart for PS4 and PS5, similar in style and gameplay to Hyperdevotion Noire, a Vita spin-off of the Neptunia series which was also developed by Sting. Refrain Chord released worldwide on 25th April, 2023. It is a spin-off of Fairy Fencer F and its expanded remake, Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force, set in an alternate timeline which mirrors some events from the previous games while also introducing and altering others.

Story

In ancient times, the blessed people of the world were given knowledge by the Goddess, and civilization flourished as a result. To honour the divine, the people built towers climbing high into the heavens. However, the followers of the divine deities of the world struggled to co-exist, and wars would escalate over how best to use the power granted to the people by their patron gods, and not all were as benevolent as the Goddess.

A dreadful war was fought between the Goddess and the Vile God. Because they were evenly matched, both created a vast number of special weapons imbued with their godly power, each containing the life-force of a fairy who co-existed alongside the weapons themselves. Using the new powers of these magical weapons, the deities were able to seal each other away in a pocket dimension with the help of their followers.

A long time has passed since this ancient conflict, and the weapons created by the Goddess and the Vile God have since been scattered throughout the world. These weapons, known as ‘Furies’, are highly sought after by warriors who call themselves ‘Fencers’. It is said that whoever collects a Fury will be granted a wish. When a lazy young man named Fang finds a Fury which he plans to trade away, he inadvertently becomes a Fencer himself, despite his reservations.

Though initially hesitant, Fang meets other Fencers who encourage him to journey and find the other Furies with the goal of resurrecting the Goddess who once shaped the world. On this journey, Fang will discover other forms of divinity, as he encounters a woman who can save people with her songs, and another who can brainwash people with her own songs. Along with the mysterious power of the women who call themselves Muses, Fang’s new destiny begins to unfold.

Gameplay

In this new twist on Fairy Fencer, we’ll have to fight strategic battles on a grid-based terrain with height differences. Along with character orientation and field height, we also have the option of using objects such as rocks, boxes, and grass to our advantage. Strategic positioning on the battlefield can raise evasion or lower your movement speed, among other effects.

With the introduction of the two ‘Muses’, all-new battle mechanics come into play. The ‘Fairy Aria’, the song of the Muse, is a special skill that greatly strengthens allies within range. Since only those within the song’s range will receive this effect, the Muse’s position is critical to battle. The power of the song can buff allies or combine with area of effect boosts for an even more powerful buff, however it’s important to remember that enemies in the area can also benefit too.

When the songs of ally and enemy Muses overlap, a ‘Dramatic Resonance’ activates, and the effects of their song on enemies and allies will double. The songs mix like a musical duet, and the double-vocal track will activate. Further enhancements can be made by ‘Fairizing’ your allies to transform into magical combat gear for further stat increases, and character-specific special skills will also be unlocked for use.

Graphics/Sound

Unlike the original Fairy Fencer F and enhanced remake Advent Dark Force, the English version of Refrain Chord only includes Japanese voice acting. This makes it the first game in the series to not have an English dub, and this drastically changes our experience. Idea Factory/Compile Heart games are generally praised for their outstanding English dubs, including the Fairy Fencer series, yet this isn’t the case here, leaving us with a game that feels unfinished as a result.

It honestly doesn’t feel much like a Compile Heart/Idea Factory textbook JRPG masterclass without voice actor A-listers like Christina Vee, Erica Mendez, Kira Buckland, Wendee Lee, and Christine Marie Cabanos among the cast, so much so that I quickly found myself muting the Japanese-only voice cast in order to let my imagination fill in the significant gaps in design.

Apart from usual budget concerns, another reason for the lack of an English dub is the game’s musical elements, with Muse characters singing respectable and powerful Japanese ballads in combat which, like the Vtubers featured in Neptunia Virtual Stars, make the game’s audio trickier to convert into English. The new songs are very good though and really help drown out the recycled tracks from the previous games.

Visually, the game makes the effort to retain the look of its PS3 and PS4 ancestors, recycling the graphics engine and keeping the character models mostly intact. While Japanese strategy RPGs usually switch out character models to ‘chibi’ style models to reduce their size and presence on small, cluttered battlefields, you’ll find very little character ‘squashing’ going on here, which is a refreshing change.

Conclusion

Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord can be a tough concept to get our heads around after the excellence of its predecessors. Refrain Chord retreads the old story once again, yet not with the same focus or details in places. Fang’s eventful first meeting with Eryn, for example, which served as a humorous character introduction in the first games is now downplayed significantly here, with the pair already being friends. This actually gives us a fresh take on the story, a story with very different priorities and agendas.

It feels very Neptunia in the way we see a familiar story but with a different focus. The problem is it’s difficult to really enjoy that story and get fully absorbed when we’re missing those outstanding voices which we’re accustomed to. While the absence of the English dub obviously has its reasons, this will still come as a crushing blow to both newcomers with modern expectations, or series fans who experienced firsthand the flawless dub of the old games.

What we’re left with, is a game that will quickly divide its audience by placing figurative hurdles in our way which must be overcome to see the game’s true talents. Behind the language barriers and recycled assets, we’ve actually got a pretty competent Strategy JRPG with a pleasingly simple interface. It’s tough to recommend Refrain Chord as a series entry point, yet there is fun to be had here if the genre switch suits you.