Blue Reflection

Blue Reflection for PC, PS4 and PSV is a jRPG set in contemporary Japan. The game was created by Gust – an experienced studio founded in 1993. The developer is especially popular for the Atelier jRPG series, which has been developed by the team practically without any breaks for over two decades of the studio's overall work. Blue Reflection is only the fifth franchise created by Gust, after Atelier, Ar Tonelico, Ar Nosurge and Nights of Azure. The creators were inspired by games such as Persona 4, as well as anime series and comic books belonging to a genre known as magical girl.

Plot

The story is set in contemporary times and the player is taken to a big Japanese city. The teenage Hinako Shirai is the protagonist – she attends a girls' high-school known as Hoshinomiya. At the beginning of the school year, she meets her old friend from the secondary school – her name is Sane. However, the protagonist is surprised to notice that a strange aura surrounds her friend. At that very time, she is taken to a fantasy world where a monster has been waiting for her. Facing a deadly threat, the girl discovers a power in her, which allows her to transform into Reflector – a magic warrior. Along with the Yuzu and Lime twins (they have the same powers), she explores the mysterious dimension inhabited by aggressive monsters. Hinako learns, that those are actually manifestations of human subsconsciousness that represent the hidden issues and emotions of her schoolmates. The three warriors have thus divided their lives into fighting the threats from another reality and participating in daily school routine.

Mechanics

In terms of the gameplay structure, Blue Reflection for PC, PS4 and PSV resembles the Persona series. The game is divided into adventure, and exploration segments. The in-game time passes as the virtual days go on, when the protagonist attends the school and interacts with her friends, gaining their trust and resolving issues troubling them – those usually have their representations in another reality mentioned earlier. The game is played from a third-person view. At her free time, Hinako can explore the school buildings and the area around them without limitations; she can also talk to her friends then.

When the protagonist travels to the other dimension, the player will be traversing simplistic mazes with enemies to be killed, as well as different items and treasures (useful in combat) to be found, apart from things required to complete side-quests. Fighting takes place on separate arenas. The player's team consists of three warriors: Hinako, Yuzu and Lime. Each of them has a unique set of attacks and special skills. Making moves is turn-based here.

Technical aspects

Similar to other games developed by Gust, Blue Reflection for PC, PS4 and PSV is far from the highest quality possible in terms of the visuals, especially concerning the animations and impressions made by the in-game environment. However, the 3D character models filled with details deserve recognition – those were designed by Mel Kishida, who had also worked on the Atelier franchise and such anime series as Hanasaku Iroha, Sora no woto or Kami-sama no Memo-chou.

Last updated on 13 July 2017