I fairly loved BLUE REFLECTION: Second Gentle once I reviewed the Change model again in 2021. I gave it a 7.5/10, stating that, “..the touching story and fluid fight system are compelling sufficient to drive you thru.”
However I did so with little information of the franchise’s bigger universe. Second Gentle was the sequel to a recreation I hadn’t performed, and I’d by no means labored by way of the assorted spin-offs, both. If it’s the identical with you, that may now be corrected with BLUE REFLECTION Quartet for Nintendo Change and Change 2.
4 titles comprise the compilation: 2017’s BLUE REFLECTION, 2021’s BLUE REFLECTION RAY anime collection, the BLUE REFLECTION SUN mixed-media undertaking launched for cell/PC throughout 2023-24, and the aforementioned BLUE REFLECTION: Second Gentle, which was beforehand the one entry to have a Nintendo launch. Followers at any stage can now play by way of all 4 titles in a single bundle, however ought to they?
To reply that, let’s take a look at what the collection is about. The video games on this bundle are JRPGs of various levels. The solid of younger, feminine characters stay in a world that’s dying, they usually fight this by turning into Magical Ladies and utilizing their newfound particular powers to counter the enemies. In contrast to with most JRPGs, nonetheless, the story is closely character pushed. It’s as a lot about relationships, discovery, and therapeutic as it’s about saving the world.
BLUE REFLECTION and BLUE REFLECTION: Second Gentle do the very best job of conveying these themes. Every presents turn-based fight centered round a timeline that signifies when your get together members and the enemies will assault. The longer you wait to assault, the extra highly effective the assault might be or the extra assaults you’ll be able to execute uninterrupted, relying upon which you utilize. Your assaults can even debuff or decelerate enemies. And with a number of contributors within the battles, it turns into a sort of managed chaos that’s enjoyable to push by way of. Second Gentle’s fight system and common exploration are extra refined, however that’s to be anticipated from a sequel.
Between battles, you spend time exploring the ladies’ social environments—Hoshinomiya Ladies’ Excessive Faculty in BLUE REFLECTION and a mysterious summer season faculty on an deserted island in Second Gentle. Each areas provide quite a few methods to construct relationships, drive the story, and put together for the battles forward.
Having now performed BLUE REFLECTION, I’m really sort of glad I performed them in reverse order. I had no idea of the place the narrative was heading (or from the place it got here) when taking part in Second Gentle. That made for an attention-grabbing run. And I loved the story in BLUE REFLECTION now as a result of I knew to what it was main and was all for seeing it get there.
RAY and Solar are much less concerned. RAY is principally only a one hour recap of the anime that you simply sort of simply stroll by way of. It’s attention-grabbing for story improvement, however not crucial to the collection. Those that are actually within the lore ought to as an alternative seek out the total 24-episode anime collection.
SUN does a bit higher. It modifies its cell origins for consoles, and options expanded character interactions and improved fight, the latter of which is now based mostly on the Second Gentle battle system. Its episodic launch strategy on cell does typically come throughout as disjointed right here, and the introduction of a central male character sits at odds with the opposite video games.
A pair dozen new character occasions have been added, and the unique launch’s epilogue and prologue successfully tie it in with the collection. The most effective half for followers, although, is that it’s obtainable in any respect; the unique cell/PC launch’s servers have been shut down.
All 4 video games look fairly good on each the Change and Change 2, they usually carry out nicely; nothing right here will tax both system. In addition they gained’t tax your mind. The fight, though participating, isn’t very tough, and character administration is sort of fundamental in comparison with most different JRPGs at your disposal. I’ll evaluate the expertise to a mash-up of Atelier type fight with Persona type character and story development.
That story facilities round highschool ladies coming of age on the sting of an apocalypse, however they nonetheless have loads of time to work by way of some fairly heavy points and emotions. And since they achieve this with magical lady trappings, numerous JRPG followers will seemingly ignore BLUE REFLECTION Quartet.
That’s honest, I suppose, however unlucky. Though I can’t get behind each recreation on this assortment, BLUE REFLECTION and Second Gentle are definitely worth the value of admission. And should you’ve already performed the latter, eight new characters and a few high quality of life enhancements incentivize a second playthrough. Spend a while with these younger warrior ladies and you could discover you might have extra in widespread with them than you’d’ve thought.
