Blue Reflection Sun, the latest installment in the “heroic” RPG series developed by Gust, has recently been launched for mobile and PC in Japan. With acclaimed illustrator Mel Kishida and famous composer Hayato Asano aboard, Blue Reflection Sun offers a unique and immersive experience that is sure to captivate the series’ fans. From its vibrant anime-inspired visuals to its heart-gripping storytelling, Blue Reflection Sun is a new entry that is worth exploring.
As you may already know, the world of Blue Reflection is full of rich lore and fascinating characters, making it a perfect candidate for further adaptation in other forms of media. The series has already garnered a dedicated fanbase and is sure to continue to draw in new fans as it expands beyond the video gaming scene. Now with Blue Reflection Sun, you can now immerse into its beautiful fantasy world on your mobile devices.
▍The World is About to End but Hope Will Not
Set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a mysterious rain that causes the deadly ash syndrome disease, Blue Reflection Sun depicts a world that is threatened by deformed creatures born from the ashes known as Testa.
As the protagonist, the player assumes the role of the leader of the weakest unit, tasked with fighting against the Testa and protecting humanity alongside the girls who gained special powers after getting eroded by the ashes.
The game’s story later delves into the meaning of life and darker concepts, contrasting a world that is falling apart even though most of its inhabitants are still unaware of it. As you progress deeper into the game, you’ll discover an intricate narrative that keeps you engaged with an aim to uncover the truth of this hazard.
Blue Reflection Sun offers an immersive and unique world, where the heroines strive to balance their daily school lives with the responsibility of protecting mankind’s peace. The well-constructed scenarios and narrative are proof of the dedication and passion that went into its conception, evident in every element on the screen.
The game’s plot does have its flaws with clear inspiration from here and there. But it is carefully crafted to maintain the essence of the series, keeping players intrigued by its “monochrome” world, an element that seems to be its best value. The result is a story that is truly captivating and will get anyone hooked from the beginning.
▍A Vibrant World by the Hands of Talented Artists
Through individual scenarios, players gain a deeper insight into the girls’ personalities and inner thoughts, adding a more girlish touch to the game’s otherwise serious main story. Mel Kishida’s iconic character design style brings the heroines of Blue Reflection Sun to life with a captivating charm that extends beyond their stunning illustrations and 3D models.
As the lead character designer for anime series with stunning styles such as Hanasaku Iroha and Heaven’s Memo Pad, as well as games from the Atelier series and the same Blue Reflection series, Kishida’s character designs always come with delicate touches and vivid personalities, making his characters stand out in their respective worlds.
Complementing the stunning visuals is the game’s soundtrack, composed by the talented Hayato Asano. His music perfectly captures the essence of the game, with each track perfectly matched to the tone and pace of the story. The soundtrack is a beautiful blend of calming melodies, thrilling battle themes, and emotional pieces that will leave players immersed in the world of Blue Reflection Sun.
▍A Full-Fledged RPG Keeping Alive the Essence of the Series
In Blue Reflection Sun, players will face increasing difficulty as they progress through the story, as in most games. Using a turn-based fighting system and commanding a party of up to four characters, players will engage in battles against enemies with the game’s predefined commands, including the usual attack command, powerful skills unique to each character, and a feature that allows other players’ characters to assist you during combat.
With its simple and intuitive layout, the controls of Blue Reflection Sun are easy to understand for both new and old players of the genre. During battles, your characters will accumulate Ether points, which can then be spent to activate main and sub-skills and provide advantages to allies or quickly finish off enemies. This feature adds an extra layer of strategy to the gameplay and allows players to feel a sense of accomplishment by utilizing their skills effectively.
It is crucial to keep attribute skills in mind while organizing teams to overcome the strong challenges ahead, as attacking an opponent’s weakness and reducing their break gauge will leave them vulnerable to strong attacks. Blue Reflection Sun also constantly reminds us of its advantage system, in which players can gain an edge in battles and increase their chances of victory.
In addition to its storyline, Blue Reflection Sun also offers a range of diverse game modes, each with unique challenges and rewards. Ranked Battles provide you the chance to face off against other players’ teams, while the Tower presents an even greater challenge for seasoned players, with valuable rewards that help character progression and other useful items to advance on the game. With more events and contents coming in the future, these game modes promise to keep players engaged for hours.
▍An Interesting Yet Familiar Character Building System
Blue Reflection Sun provides players with a variety of options to boost their character’s strength and develop them further, which is essential to overcome difficult challenges. In-game situations may arise where your party members lack the required strength to progress, but there are several ways to enhance and train them to improve their overall performance.
To strengthen your party members, you can increase their level and rarity, which unlocks new skills and abilities. The most important feature is the Kokoro Gram, which works like a skill tree, and can be unlocked using hearts and keys obtained from quests, events, and others sources. This allows you to unlock your characters’ full potential.
In addition to the heroines’ unique skills, Blue Reflection Sun offers various functions that add potential to each character’s battle capabilities. The flag cards not only unlock interesting and unique scenarios but also increase the attack power of the character equipped with them.
These cards also grant new sub-skills of different elements to characters, making them important while assembling teams that can face a greater variety of enemies. Another important system is the use of weapons, which can be crafted with the materials obtained during the missions, to further increase the girls’ battle stats.
All of these additional systems provide players with a deeper level of customization and strategy in battles, allowing them to fully optimize their team’s abilities and overcome tougher challenges.
As you continue to strengthen and develop your characters, you not only unlock new skills and abilities but also gain access to unique character scenarios. A system that enriches the game’s plot and allows you to learn a little more about the girls. So take some time to invest in your favorite characters, and you’ll reap the rewards both in and out of battle.
▍Aesthetically Pleasing Gacha Pulls
The gacha section of the game is similar to other games of its style and offers decent rates for characters and flag cards that don’t seem to be overly unfair. The game also rewards players with a decent amount of gems through missions, events, and rewards, allowing them to enjoy the game as a casual free-to-play.
The gacha is well-designed aesthetically, and the animation that plays when pulling adds a plus to the satisfaction. Moreover, the pre-registration rewards and initial-stage gems provide a good starting point for players, and rerolling at the beginning of the game can improve the chances of getting desired characters.
▍Blue Reflection Sun is a Well-Crafted Game With Room for Improvement
Blue Reflection Sun offers an enjoyable and unique experience for fans of JRPGs, with its charming characters, immersive world, and engaging gameplay. The character development and scenarios add depth and personality to each of the heroines, making them feel like more than just shallow stereotypes. The battle system, while not the most innovative, is still satisfying and allows for strategic gameplay.
The beautiful artwork by Mel Kishida and the vibrant world add an extra layer of charm and beauty to the game. The music, composed by Hayato Asano, is also a standout, with its atmospheric and emotive tracks that perfectly capture the mood of each scene.
Although the game is well-crafted, it is not without flaws. The limited cast of heroines may disappoint some players, and the repetitive nature of the quests can become boring at some point, so it is highly recommended to alternate between all the modes the game features.
More importantly, the inclusion of a male main character in Blue Reflection, a franchise that has only had female characters in the past, may cause concerns among some older fans of the series, especially since it was originally presented as a girls-love (yuri) game. A gender choice option at the beginning of the game would easily solve this, but it seems impossible at this time of writing.
Overall, Blue Reflection Sun is a solid and unique JRPG, with its endearing characters, beautiful artwork, and engaging gameplay. While not perfect, it is still worth checking out for fans of the genre and those looking for a heartfelt and charming experience.
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Blue Reflection Sun Review – A Journey to the World of Contrasts - QooApp Review
Blue Reflection Sun is a captivating JRPG that takes players on an engaging journey through a beautifully crafted world. The game's visually stunning designs are complemented by an accurate soundtrack and enjoyable gameplay, making for a unique and worthwhile experience that players are sure to enjoy.
Operating System: iOS, Android, PC
Application Category: Game
4.5