Blue Reflection

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 57 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 57
  3. Negative: 11 out of 57
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  1. NexusTsunami
    Oct 3, 2017
    9
    __1. Story:
    Blue Reflection erzählt mal eine etwas andere Geschichte. Hinako Shirai (unsere Protagonistin) ist nach einem schweren Unfall nicht mehr in der Lage ihrer Leidenschaft nachzugehen: dem Ballet. Als sie sich entschließt gebrochen und ohne Lebenssinn wieder die Schule zu besuchen, nehmen die Dinge ihren Lauf. Es erwartet einen eine emotionale und berührende Geschichte von    __1. Story:
    Blue Reflection erzählt mal eine etwas andere Geschichte. Hinako Shirai (unsere Protagonistin) ist nach einem schweren Unfall nicht mehr in der Lage ihrer Leidenschaft nachzugehen: dem Ballet. Als sie sich entschließt gebrochen und ohne Lebenssinn wieder die Schule zu besuchen, nehmen die Dinge ihren Lauf. Es erwartet einen eine emotionale und berührende Geschichte von Freundschaft und der Selbstreflektion welche gerade zum Ende hin ganz großes Kino ist.

    __2. Gameplay - Spielmechaniken:
    Hier verpasst das Spiel meiner Meinung nach den "Meisterwerk" Titel. Das Spiel ist vorab, sehr textlastig. Circa 70% des Spiels sind Dialoge im gut verständlichen Englisch... dies ist natürlich kein Kritikpunkt. Allerdings die Art und Weise wie diese aufgebaut sind - nähmlich repetiv! Im ersten Viertel des Spiels ist es durchaus kurzweilig und mal was anderes. Man erlebt den Schulalltag Japans aus der Sicht Hinako's... man lernt, nimmt am Schwimmuntericht teil, plant das Kulturfestival und redet mit seinen Schulkammeradinen (Mädchenschule ;-)). Vorallem letzteres ist das Zweischneidige Schwert... dieses Spiel besitzt ein erfrischendes und inovatives Charaktersystem - man levelt nicht durch Kämpfe, sondern durch Bonding (Aufbauen von Beziehungen)!! Und so neuartig mir dieses System vorkam, so repetiv wird es in den letzten 75% des Spiels! Damit meine ich nicht die Cutscenes mit den Kammeradinen, die erste Sahne umgesetzt sind, sondern dass eigentliche Prinzip dahinter. Beispiel: Eine neue Kammeradin "schließt" sich an. Diese hat wie jede andere im Cast eine Skala die durch "Unternehmungen" (Kinobesuch etc.) oder durch das Beantworten von Fragen (die besagten Cutscenes) steigt. Und gerade diese Unternehmungen wurden bei mir mehr zur Fleißaufgabe als zum Genuss. Man besucht immer die gleichen Locations (vll 9 unterschiedliche), man geht immer das gleiche Prozedere durch... auch wenn die Dialoge natürlich von Person zu Person unterschiedlich ausfallen, so waren diese für mich sehr Langatmig gestaltet. Man nehme dies nun mal 12 und man findet sich in der Repetivkanone wieder.

    Das Charaktersystem ist wie gesagt innovativ. Man bekommt im Laufe des Spiels Fragmente die unterschiedliche Effekte aufweisen und sich grob in drei Kategorien unterteilen (Angriff, Verteidigung/Support und Sonstige). Jeder Skill den man im Spiel erlernt hat eine unterschiedliche Anzahl an Slots. Man kann diese Fragmente nun in den gewünschten Skillslot einfügen und überträgt somit den Effekt auf die Fähigkeit... Damit ergeben sich eine schier endlose Variationsmöglichkeit und das tüfteln macht Laune.

    __3. Gameplay - Kampfsystem:
    Das Kampfsystem ist absolut genial! Der Kampf läuft Rundenbasiert ab, wobei man an einer Leiste am oberen Bildschirmrand (ähnlich einen ATB System aus FF) die Züge ermitteln kann. Auch die Skills sind schön bis teilweise bombastisch anzusehen... von Single bis Multitarget... von Heilung, Buff bis Debuff... von Delay bis Damagebasiert ist alles dabei was in ein gutes JRPG gehört. Und eines hat mich am Kampfsystem wirklich gefesselt... Sobald es zu den Kämpfen mit den Sephira (den Bossen) kam, blieb mir teilweise der Atem weg. Diese Kämpfe gegen teilweise Hochhaus hohe Monster, sind für mich neben der Charakterdarstellung und der Story das Highlight des Spiels gewesen.

    __4. Charaktere:
    Eine große Stärke des Spiels sind seine Charaktere... und obwohl es eigentlich nur drei Protagonisten gibt (welche direkt an den Kämpfen teilnehmen) so besteht der Cast der Nebencharaktere aus 12 Schülerinnen welche bei Bosskämpfen indirekt zum Einsatz kommen. Nun verkommen diese 12 aber nicht zu seelenlosen NPC's mit denen man nur aus Spielgründen Kontakt aufnimmt (Leveling) sondern hinter ihnen verbergen sich richtig gut geschriebene Charaktere. Ganz großes Lob an die Regie... ALLE Charaktere sind sympatisch, tiefgründig und liebenswert..

    __5. Sound:
    Eigentlich bin ich kein Fan von Elektro... aber dieses Spiel schafft es tatsächlich damit kleine Meisterwerke zu erschaffen. Natürlich ist nicht alles darauf getrimmt aber diese Lieder sind durchaus nett anzuhören. Vorherrschend ist klar das Klavier und die Violine. Auch die BGE sind passend und wirken der Immersion zu gute... vom Geschreie aus Richtung Sportplatz bis zum Schulhofgeflüstere.

    __6. Grafik
    Auf visueller Ebene kann das Spiel absolut überzeugen. Es gibt wenige JRPG's die bisher den Sprung auf Next Gen geschafft haben (wobei mir das persönlich gar nicht so wichtig ist - aber dennoch nice to have :-)). Blue Reflection gehört definitv dazu! Von den Charaktermodellen bis zur Umgebungsgrafik ist alles in einem Hochaufgelösten und wunderschönen Animelook dargestellt!

    __7. Fazit:
    Wäre da nicht das Zweischneidige Schwert von Innovation so vorherrschend. Ich MUSS die Bonding Skala nach oben treiben sonst levele ich nicht... Wenn man davon absieht, ist dieses Spiel für mich ein kleines Highlight.    … Expand
  2. sololeocr
    Oct 24, 2017
    8
    The game is good, I like the characters all the girls are very cute, the game have a lot of fanservice but very regular nothing like others games to shows more things. The title is a normal RPG with some elements of farm for crafting materials for enchancing items, for level up is different to others games, for this game we gain points for complete misions not for kills tons of enemiesThe game is good, I like the characters all the girls are very cute, the game have a lot of fanservice but very regular nothing like others games to shows more things. The title is a normal RPG with some elements of farm for crafting materials for enchancing items, for level up is different to others games, for this game we gain points for complete misions not for kills tons of enemies and with that points we can modify the stats of ours characters for me is a good point, the battles don't have a very complicated mechanics or strategy the most important is check the vitality and spend wisely the MP points for special attacks.

    There are some events there're influenced by our acts on the school and for some activities on home like studying , relax, talk by phone, or take a bath. There are too some minor activities like play a game very similar to Tamaguichi, the main character can chat with some friends into the game by cellphone, or change the background and choose the background music.    … Expand
  3. Vadrael
    Apr 7, 2018
    8
    Amazing graphics and a good JRPG to calm you down but the Story could have been better and i hoped for more Mahou Shoujo in this game.
  4. whatagoodguy
    Jul 25, 2020
    10
    Gorgeous game. It's like a mix between Sailor Moon, a dungeon crawler and a 90's anime. I specially like the stylized art. The story is interesting, the leveling up system is practical and rewarding. Recommended if you're into anime girls and emotional stories.
  5. vahn
    Oct 2, 2017
    7
    I'm a Gust fan - together with Atlus and IF - so I was legitimately hyped for this game: alongside Atelier, most of their games tend to be rough around the edges but enough quality to make it shine. This means that while their games are good, it will only interest a very small amount of players.

    And this game is no different than the rest of them I'm afraid Let's start with the    I'm a Gust fan - together with Atlus and IF - so I was legitimately hyped for this game: alongside Atelier, most of their games tend to be rough around the edges but enough quality to make it shine. This means that while their games are good, it will only interest a very small amount of players.

    And this game is no different than the rest of them I'm afraid

    Let's start with the basics: this game is a turn based rpg set in a high school for girls and the protagonists can turn into magical girls who can with magic in a world named Common, where every feeling is unbound and materialized. By using fragments from other girls they get stronger and the school is your general hub where you can quest and interact with said girls.

    The setting is very similar to Persona 5 (and Akiba's Beat too) but unlike that game, Blue Reflection also focuses on the simple things of a girl's life: the main protagonist, Hinako, is struggling to live a normal life after the loss of her ability to dance, due to an injured knee that doesn't let her dance anymore. The game has some dark parts too but the game is also about slice of life storytelling, and that's not always a bad thing...if you're into girl talk. Granted I'm a guy but I've lived with only a mother and sister for many years, so their chat doesn't really bother me.

    On the other hand, I can see most people bored to death about hearing girls talking about making friends, boyfriends, and other stuff. Not that the dialogues are badly written: it's just not for everyone.

    Another big thing is the combat: it's turn-based which means only a few will like it. Granted the combat is actually very good due to its similarities to another classic: Grandia. Basically, by using knockbacks you can delay the enemy attack and you can potentially never get hit once this way - even though you recover hp and mp at the end of every battle.

    The dungeons in the Common are extremely small and that's a big shame considering they're incredibly well done in style: the graphics in this game are very clean and "realistic", but not "too realistic" and the dungeons are instead brimming with color. It feels I'm watching a 3d anime so to speak

    And one last thing that I usually don't bring up in my reviews: the music is AMAZING. If you're into trance or dance music, this game will be a treat: the combat track ("OVERDOSE") it's so good, so cheerful and so full of energy, I never got tired of listening to it while fighting. Or another example of greatness is the track called (and I'm not kidding) "DNF FW15C -II-". It starts odd but once I listen to it, I feel I'm listening to one of my old dance music tracks. I simply love it and it's why I love Gust's soundtracks: so full of energy.

    Well that's all I can say about the pros...let's go to the cons now:

    For starters combat grants no exp
    Yep you read it right, combat grants no exp. It's nothing new of course since Mana Khemia also did the same and some of the crappy final fantasy games I guess. Anyway, with the lack of exp from combat, which is VERY good, it makes the only fun thing of the game redundant. It's not AS bad as, say, Paper Mario Sticker Star since you still get items from enemies, but this makes combat completely and utterly pointless in most case scenarios.

    In other to level up you basically finish dungeons OR do "missions" at school which aren't bad honestly and requires to do specific things, it's definitely not a bad system but I'd like it to be AN OPTION and not the only way. It's also sad because leveling up is kind of interesting since you upgrade 4 stats and depending on the level of each you gain different skills. It's similar to Dragon Quest 8 in that regard...except it actually shows you what you're learning!

    You will only control 3 characters and that's it: the other girls you might get are only supports, which occasionally get into the fight by pressing a button. They grant different effects and they can be useful...but besides them, you'll be stuck with the 3 main girls, which is a little of a shame but they clearly went for quality over quantity.

    Not sure what else I can say honestly because it's a very interesting game, it has pros but also cons, but the cons can become more or less depending on your mood. It's definitely an acquired taste: I personally love it and I can't wait to play more but even a game like Neptunia, filled with girls and other things, it's much better because it's more straightforward and simpler in terms of gaming control.

    So do I recommend it? Honestly no, at least not when there are much better games around, BUT if you're into these niche kind of games I'd highly recommend to at least look at some videos. The game has a lot of flaws, but also a lot of pros!    … Expand
  6. Prrgangsta
    Sep 26, 2017
    6
    After playing this for several hours I have to say that I am kind of disappointed in this game. Blue Reflection is a game that tries hard to be a little bit like Persona but falls flat on its face.

    The world of Common is a beautiful and bright setting for this game and the soundtrack is pretty good too. Sadly these things are the only things I liked about the game. The area you will be    After playing this for several hours I have to say that I am kind of disappointed in this game. Blue Reflection is a game that tries hard to be a little bit like Persona but falls flat on its face.

    The world of Common is a beautiful and bright setting for this game and the soundtrack is pretty good too. Sadly these things are the only things I liked about the game. The area you will be spending the most time is the school area where you can talk to other classmates to strengthen your character.

    Battles in the Common do not yield you any EXP so talking to the other classmates and getting their emotion fragments give you growth points which is used to level up your character. This is an interesting way to strengthen a character but I would much rather battles do that. The battles are not all that difficult and are easy to get through and after each one your health and energy is replenished to full making it even easier between battles. The Common is easy to traverse since it is usually a small area.

    The game's characters feel real in the sense they are regular school girls going through everyday issues while your character is coming to terms that she has joined a magical girl group.

    The game is a good pick up for those into the magical girl genre but it feels like a jrpg that wants to hold my hand through the entire game with how easy it is.    … Expand
  7. TerrenceG
    Sep 28, 2017
    6
    Hard to recommend this game. Pretty visuals and beautiful soundtrack but grossly repetitive gameplay. Be prepared to spend chunks of time staring at your heroine in various states of undress. Despite it's flaws it has a certain charm to it. 5.5 stars.
  8. umichuu
    Dec 20, 2017
    10
    Probably the most gorgeous game I've experienced to date. The design factor is stunning.
    The story is rather "slice-of-life". If that isn't your cup of tea, you may find this game boring. Otherwise, it is a beautiful, enthralling experience.
  9. SplitMind
    Jul 2, 2018
    7
    Whilst not a fantastic game, the RPG elements and battle system are actually pretty good.

    The combat system is turn-based but you can use knockback attacks to delay your enemies' turns, which a lot of the battle can boil down to, making it a tad protracted and repetitive. Where the game grated on me most was when outside of the Common (where battles take place). The tasks you are    Whilst not a fantastic game, the RPG elements and battle system are actually pretty good.

    The combat system is turn-based but you can use knockback attacks to delay your enemies' turns, which a lot of the battle can boil down to, making it a tad protracted and repetitive.

    Where the game grated on me most was when outside of the Common (where battles take place). The tasks you are assigned to do in the high school are very mundane and interactions with characters are slow and repetitive. I found the dialogue quite immature, but then again it is set in a high school.

    I'm not usually a stickler for graphics, but I couldn't help but notice some severe framerate drops in this game, making it quite smooth and fluid one moment, but jerky and stuttering the next. These are anime-style graphics to begin with, so it's not like they're a challenge on the PS4's processor system.

    Overall, the game is more fan service than anything. Five minutes into it and the protagonist gets shoved into a river, making her underwear visible through her school uniform. That pretty much sums it up.    … Expand
  10. chronofantasy
    Jun 16, 2018
    10
    I'm on chapter 9 and can get onto chapter 10 any time now, but I'm focusing on maxing out all the bonds for the girls to get trophies. The game is quite stunning in its visuals which had quite the appeal for me when I first saw trailers for this game and made me want to pick it up. The music is really amazing too. There's a whole depth to this game as it gets behind the emotions of all theI'm on chapter 9 and can get onto chapter 10 any time now, but I'm focusing on maxing out all the bonds for the girls to get trophies. The game is quite stunning in its visuals which had quite the appeal for me when I first saw trailers for this game and made me want to pick it up. The music is really amazing too. There's a whole depth to this game as it gets behind the emotions of all the characters and deals with real life emotions in our daily lives. It's certainly a slice of life all girls high school settings, with cute high school girls, dressed or undressed in appealing manners for those with that fetish.

    But even for a teen target audience and perhaps some females, they can relate a lot with these characters. There's magical girls, something like aliens from an alternate dimension or almost coming from the subconscious realm called the common. There the girls fights, gain items to strengthen their fragments and craft items. The battle system, despite slow a bit is rather interesting and fun. You can speed up the wait time or do things later on inbetween the turns for you or the monsters.

    It is full of a lot of cutscenes but this is usually what JRPG fans tend to love. If moe' anime style high school JRPGs with a bonding system and magical girls is your thing, then definitely get this game.

    I probably wouldn't give it a 10/10 in all honesty, maybe a 9/10 or 8.5/10, but I feel I have to balance out that 0 score since reading the review looks a rather unfair assessment even if it is their opinion. From what I got out of it there was a tiny bit of enjoyment they got even to give it 1/10, so this score is making up for that. I also still have yet to beat it, so I'm certain it can only get better than worse by the time I get to the ending, because so far I think it's a fine piece of art.    … Expand
  11. MysteriousUser
    Oct 12, 2018
    10
    Ein rundum gelungenes Spiel mit schöner Grafik, einer etwas anderen Story und gutem Game play, welches mich schon von Anfang an begeisterte. Die Story hätte etwas besser sein können (z. B. ein bisschen detaillierter und umfangreicher) , dennoch würde ich mich sehr über eine Fortsetzung freuen.
  12. Kai82
    Nov 10, 2021
    8
    I would describe this RPG as a mixture of Persona with magical girls and Grandia. It might not be one of the best RPGs of all times but won me over in the end. Be warned the game is no AAA production but the developer Gust has put a lot of efforts in the game. I will go into details later in the review. It is the story of the teenager Hinako Shirai. She was a great ballerina but had anI would describe this RPG as a mixture of Persona with magical girls and Grandia. It might not be one of the best RPGs of all times but won me over in the end. Be warned the game is no AAA production but the developer Gust has put a lot of efforts in the game. I will go into details later in the review. It is the story of the teenager Hinako Shirai. She was a great ballerina but had an accident approx a year before the events of the game that injured her leg. She recovered enough to live a normal life but cant do ballet anymore as her leg cant sustain the strain. As she goes to the Hoshinomiya Girls High School as any other day she meets the sisters Yuzuki and Lime who told her that she is more than it seems and has the power of a Reflector. This means saving the world from a menace normal people do not know exists or can see and balancing the emotions of the people. I end it here with the set up. The story is enjoyable. It may start a bit slower but you get more interesting characters, their interactions, developments, and at the end it gets intense and emotional (The good way). I like the cast. Be it the main characters Hinako, Yuzuki and Lime who work great together or the side characters like Yuri, Mao, Kei, Ako, Rin, Sanae, Sarasa, Rika, Kaori, Chihiro, Fumio and Shihori. All are enjoyably and have their own personality, problems, development and story arc. Might be a bit to cliche at some times but they work well and I was invested in them. I must mention that they do use fan service in some scenes but it is not that explicit and not a reason I liked the game. I am not sure if this is a trope with magical girl related media and with that on a to do list. The gameplay is divided in RPG and daily life parts like the Persona games but on a smaller level. You can chose on a limited level who to spend time with, which quest to solve, what answers to give and some other things like how to end your day. It is a bit slice of life in an all girls school while protecting the world. You meet new characters, solve issues and problems while the main plot advances. The game focus on emotions, bonds strengthen your characters and strong emotions create fragments you can use for benefits. The battles follow a Grandia like battle system. You have a bar that shows all characters (left your party and right the enemies). When someone reaches the middle it is their turn. This has some depth as some attacks push back, some abilities let you advance or hasten your progress and there are paralyzing abilities. Also heavier attacks let you start further behind on the bar for your next turn as regular attacks would do. The level up is different from other RPGs. Enemies don't give experience. You level up by forming bonds and solving special quests. There you get an ability point that can be spend on the attack, defense, support or tech branch. Each one has different level up bonuses and abilities. Don't be worried as each branch levels up all stats but in different amounts. For example attack gets more attack power than defense but less MP than support or tech. It is always displayed for comparison. At intervals you get new abilities (Also displayed and mostly each 5 levels of a branch) and some are unlocked automatically. Be warned that it is a game where you won be able to learn everything. There are of cause mini games like a Tamagotchi style add on, chats and a crafting system. Also you unlock new things as you progress through the story some by sidequests by the way. Overall I enjoyed the battle system and gameplay but it will not end on my top 10 RPG games of all times list. Now to the presentation. The graphic except the art style is not that good. Especially the dungeons look like a former generation game. Because it is not AA developer I will not rant or blame then. The soundtrack is really nice and I enjoyed a lot of tracks. I have some negatives too. The gameplay can be a bit repetitive, the dungeons are really small and the loading times are for PS4 standards a bit to long. To clarify: I noticed them to be longer in comparison to many games but must never wait for minutes. My main complain would be the battle against normal enemies. Those took often longer than needed. It took me until chapter 6 until I had abilities that can wipe out weaker standard enemies in one strike. Again to clarify: Don't confuse this with too difficult. I mean that it took too long without being challenged or facing defeat. In total I will say these will not decrease my experience that much. Overall it was a nice game and enjoyable. I will definitely buy the sequel. Might not be the best RPG of all time but worth my time.… Expand
  13. OrionHamake
    Oct 13, 2017
    0
    This game is just bad. Firstly, it has a lot more cutscene than gameplay, but that's not such a big problem for me as I've always given a lot of priority to the plot. The problem is that the story is very boring, the first hour is just girls talking about stupid problems like getting a boyfriend, like other boring things and you needing to solve them. The story comes down to stupid thingsThis game is just bad. Firstly, it has a lot more cutscene than gameplay, but that's not such a big problem for me as I've always given a lot of priority to the plot. The problem is that the story is very boring, the first hour is just girls talking about stupid problems like getting a boyfriend, like other boring things and you needing to solve them. The story comes down to stupid things like this without any real drama or plot twist.

    The game's fighting is horrible. I do not know why, but the combat turn system in this game is annoying as hell, although I was ok with other turn-based games like Atelier Sophie.

    The graphics are pretty ugly, it looks like a smartphone game. The animations look like they were made in a hurry and without any care. The characters' hair constantly floating in the air and they move so robotically .

    I do not recommend this game even in promotion sale. 0/10    … Expand
  14. tomvs123
    Feb 4, 2019
    4
    Gust was previously the game studio I went to when I wanted great character writing (Atelier series) or insanely wild ideas (Ar series) in my JRPGs.

    Unfortunately, that's not the case anymore. This game, along with Gust's other recent releases, such as Atelier Lydie and Nights of Azure, has convinced me that they're no longer great writers and that they can only rehash old ideas poorly.    Gust was previously the game studio I went to when I wanted great character writing (Atelier series) or insanely wild ideas (Ar series) in my JRPGs.

    Unfortunately, that's not the case anymore. This game, along with Gust's other recent releases, such as Atelier Lydie and Nights of Azure, has convinced me that they're no longer great writers and that they can only rehash old ideas poorly.

    Though at least Blue Reflection has some positives and isn't total garbage. Let's get to the good part first.

    It a game about high school girls dealing with self-identity and emotions in their school society. For the most part, everyone is concerned about their image and what other girls think of them, based on their actions, looks, skills, hobbies, etc. This part of the game is done well enough, but there's not much variety in the different things that each girl experiences.

    You deal with these emotions by basically going into a girl's mind, magical girl style, and beating up monsters or picking up items until the target girl no longer has any emotional issues. The big chore in this game is that there's a large number of side-quest girls that you must complete to get through the main story.

    These side quests revolve around a girl standing in place and going crazy, giving you a line or two about her situation, such as "I'm ashamed of my body and people think I'm fat," going into her subconscious and defeating an enemy, then exiting and the girl giving you another line, such as "I was silly and shouldn't put so much thought into what other people think of me."

    Due to the number of these side quests that you're forced to complete, I eventually got tired of reading their few lines of dialogue. This could have been so much better..

    The main quest situations are basically the same, but are better written, longer, and involve the protagonist directly. And while they're not very interesting in most cases, this is the best part of the game in my opinion.

    Technically, the game isn't good and is the worst that I've experienced from Gust. Issues include typos, non-centered text, words wrapping to the next line mid-word, and battle animations pausing randomly. The actual environment isn't much better: The school is small and uninteresting with no teachers or non-student NPCs. The world inside of girls' emotions is low quality and small. There's basically no exploration there since each time you enter, you're put into a small random map, with each map only containing items, monsters, and a crafting station.

    Crafting isn't worth mentioning, other than saying it's the most basic crafting system you could possibly put in a game. Yeah, this came from the Atelier people (the most extensive crafting system I've ever seen in a game).

    The battle mechanics aren't good. Going through the game on Normal mode, my party never died. There's not much of a challenge or strategy besides deciphering the large number of skills that have almost identical descriptions to determine which ones are worthwhile. After you figure this out, you'll likely only use 2 attack skills (out of 25 or so) for each of your characters for the entire game. But at least it's flashy with lots of lights and colors to keep the kids entertained.

    The main plot isn't very good. Early in the game, you might assume that it has something profound say about the protagonist's situation (an injured leg that prevents her from doing ballet), but you'd be disappointed. It's all about defeating demons with power of friendship. The protagonists's situation is never addressed. You just beat the big bad guy who is trying to destroy the world/humanity for typical JRPG reasons.

    The game will work best for people who are going through similar self-identity situations in school, or who want to re-experience something like that. Well, I suppose the other audience are those who like high school girls in short skirts - Oh, did I mention their tops go see-through when they get wet? Yeah, that's the best that Gust could come up with this time around..    … Expand
  15. Mr_Eleganto
    Jun 18, 2020
    7
    BR feels a bit empty, but like a sort of "slice of life" game - it's nice, warm and soulful experience. I'll forever remember the music from this game indeed. Much love, Gust sound team and Hayato Asano♥️
  16. Tarks_Gauntlet
    Oct 26, 2017
    6
    Blue reflection has some problems...
    But that's not to say it doesn't have some great moments as well.
    Our band of magical girls unite to prevent the invasion of a powerful evil around their school. As you jump between the real world and an imaginary world known as the common (The emotional mindspace of your classmates) you will strengthen your bonds with your classmates and build a    Blue reflection has some problems...
    But that's not to say it doesn't have some great moments as well.

    Our band of magical girls unite to prevent the invasion of a powerful evil around their school. As you jump between the real world and an imaginary world known as the common (The emotional mindspace of your classmates) you will strengthen your bonds with your classmates and build a small army of defenders for when this evil arrives.

    But "When this evil arrives" is exactly the games biggest problem. This magical girl RPG has a slice of life narrative format. You'll be doing mostly mindless busy work for hours un-end until the evil decides to show up. Most of this busy work is non-optional sidequests with no depth, and this amounts for about 70% of the game.

    Its a damn good thing the battle system in the game is so good, blending a mix of real time and turned based elements, but the places you do battle in are very limited, and they will over-stay their welcome before the end.

    Bosses are amazing, but like the common there's only about 5 designs for them in the entire game.

    To top this all off the game ends with one of the weakest plot twists I've ever seen, the optimizations is piss poor, and the translation... dear god the translation.

    At least the visuals and sound track are pretty epic.

    To see an excessively long version of this review check me out on youtube, at /c/tarksgauntlet    … Expand
  17. pichuscute
    Mar 15, 2021
    10
    Conclusion from my larger, full review:

    Blue Reflection is the most heart I've seen from a video game. It's gorgeous in every way a video game can be and deeply personally impacted me. The combat was engaging and fun, the characters were a joy to meet and grow with, the world was awe-inspiring to explore, and the OST melted my heart while I listened. If it at all looks interesting to    Conclusion from my larger, full review:

    Blue Reflection is the most heart I've seen from a video game. It's gorgeous in every way a video game can be and deeply personally impacted me. The combat was engaging and fun, the characters were a joy to meet and grow with, the world was awe-inspiring to explore, and the OST melted my heart while I listened. If it at all looks interesting to you (if you're a fan of slice-of-life anime, Sailor Moon, emotional experiences in games, turn-based JRPGS, etc.), I strongly recommend giving it a try. This game doesn't deserve to fall on deaf ears for no reason other than because no one was willing to listen.

    I can safely say after playing it to 100% completion that its solidified itself as not only a great JRPG and not only as a deeply emotional experience, but also as a close contender for my favorite video game and a modern masterpiece.    … Expand
  18. system11
    Apr 26, 2021
    9
    A game with issues around pacing and repetition, but the story is fantastic and very moving. Graphics are vivid and solid 60fps on a PS5, music deserves a special mention. I felt emotionally exhausted at the end, it really does hit you further in.
  19. Steyraus
    Oct 31, 2021
    9
    I never thought I would like a game like this, but the music enticing visuals and beautiful art really drew me in..Unlike similar jrpg , social sims Blue Reflections is paced really well..There isn't 2 hrs of reading or cut scenes to 15 mind of game play, interactions are meaningful and brief. There also clear and present tactics in the combat, so you will do more than press attack in aI never thought I would like a game like this, but the music enticing visuals and beautiful art really drew me in..Unlike similar jrpg , social sims Blue Reflections is paced really well..There isn't 2 hrs of reading or cut scenes to 15 mind of game play, interactions are meaningful and brief. There also clear and present tactics in the combat, so you will do more than press attack in a menu 1000 times to win.… Expand
  20. Broyax
    Apr 7, 2023
    3
    C’est une sorte de « Persona » dans une école de filles… avec aussi un soupçon de Neon Genesis dedans… mais juste un chouia… et beaucoup de magical girls ! Bien sûr, c’est bien plus simpliste et maladroit qu’un Persona récent… et à peine plus beau d’ailleurs. Quoique -le plus important évidemment- les poulettes soient fort bien rendues et bien faites.

    Le jeu reste néanmoins faiblard    C’est une sorte de « Persona » dans une école de filles… avec aussi un soupçon de Neon Genesis dedans… mais juste un chouia… et beaucoup de magical girls ! Bien sûr, c’est bien plus simpliste et maladroit qu’un Persona récent… et à peine plus beau d’ailleurs. Quoique -le plus important évidemment- les poulettes soient fort bien rendues et bien faites.

    Le jeu reste néanmoins faiblard techniquement parlant avec ses seulement 30 im/s, ses ralentissements (pas trop nombreux heureusement), ses temps de chargement (pas trop longs mais fréquents) et son aliasing un peu trop marqué. Mais l’interface est globalement bien pensée, des niveaux de difficulté rendent le jeu tout à fait accessible (et facile… en facile) et la musique est moins insupportable que dans les jeux japoniais de cet acabit (et on peut la baisser ou la couper, de toute façon).

    L’histoire est -globalement- complètement con… et le jeu oblige à faire des missons annexes pour progresser dans l’intrigue principale (ou l’espèce d’intrigue niaiseuse), des missions vite faites mal faites qui consistent à buter tel ou tel monstre etc, etc… Heureusement que c’est vite fait parce que franchement… c’est un brin pénible.

    On peut sauvegarder -presque- quand on veut, donc, profitez-en parce que le jeu ne fait pas de sauvegarde automatique… en dehors de points-clés de l’histoire à la godille. D’ailleurs, je me demande pourquoi j’ai fini ce jeu pour otaculs, volontiers nais et limité, répétitif et simplet…

    Ah oui, c’est surtout grâce ou à cause du DLC de bikinis que nous vous recommandons tout à fait… du moins en solde à au moins -50% bien sûr parce que le prix qu’ils vendent ça, ces bandes de pervers chez Gust, putain ! Oui et donc… avec la ribambelle de poulettes en bikini, eh bien, le jeu se laisse jouer. Il est même parfois assez drôle lors de quelques répliques. Il est vrai que ça bavarde beaucoup… en voix japonaises bien aigües… et sous-titrées en anglais !

    C’est de l’anglais très scolaire, très limité, aussi limité que tout le reste en définitive… donc, pas de souci particulier, sauf si vous êtes une quiche en anglais. Dans ce cas, jouez en japonais. Alors, ça passe le temps et ça reste mignon et naïf (pour ne pas dire… niiiiiais) mais tenez-vous le pour dit : c’est ultra con-con.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 35
  3. Negative: 2 out of 35
  1. PLAY! Zine
    Dec 28, 2017
    60
    Blue Reflection is but a mere reflection of what Gust is capable of. But, though flaws are many, there are some cool things you can enjoy here, especially if you are a hardcore JRPG fan. If not, and you are not into browsing through cute anime girls while listening to badass OST, skip this game like a YouTube ad - as soon as possible.
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  2. SpazioGames
    Nov 17, 2017
    60
    Blue Reflection is certainly not a title for every gamer: the fans of this genre might find something worth their time, while the hardcore gamers should probably look somewhere else.
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  3. Cubed3
    Nov 14, 2017
    70
    A number of issues with Blue Reflection quickly present themselves, such as some screen-tearing witnessed in the visual stakes and a questionable focus on the level of fan service wedged into the adventure, yet underneath these opinion-splitting matters there is an extremely enjoyable, memorable, and rather uncommon Japanese RPG adventure that will certainly leave an impression for the duration of the journey, as well as for a while after playing it.
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