BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light

Featuring some gorgeous anime-inspired art, BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light is an action-packed RPG with great gameplay and charming storytelling. Additionally, some nice life simulation elements will certainly pique the interest of those players who’re looking for a game about cute girls living in an idyllic school surrounded by water.

Like every great JRPG title, BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light takes an ordinary setting and makes it extraordinary. Daily school life becomes an odyssey of epic proportions as you explore the mysterious world that this game has to offer.

Anime Wonderland

Much like the Persona series, Second Light continues the trend of its prequel, taking daily school life and turning it into a supernatural adventure. Following many of the trends of shonen anime, Ao Hoshizaki is a girl that lives together with three schoolgirls in a secluded high school surrounded by crystal-clear water.

On the last day of summer, a new path opens amidst the waves. The girls discover a way that leads to a place that seems somehow familiar, yet their amnesiac minds won’t let them remember the world as it was before the sea took over.

In this new world, monsters of unimaginable power roam free. Thankfully, the girls earn a mystical power that lets them fight the creatures, allowing them to push forward in a quest to regain their lost memories.

While the plot might sound a bit too much like most slice-of-life JRPGs, BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light presents its plot in a way that’s easy to digest and a marvel to experience.

Charming Designs

One thing that immediately catches the eye in Second Light is its gorgeous character designs. Most of the illustrations have been made by Mel Kishida, who also worked on other classic RPGs like the Atelier Rorona and Atelier Meruru series. In fact, the RPG battle system present in this game seems quite similar to the Atelier series, including its turn-based battling and even the core UI elements.

Even though the RPG combat is one of the main gameplay elements of the game, socializing and building an effective high school are also very integral components of the whole BLUE REFLECTION formula.

In between fights, keeping your school tidy and up to date becomes a necessity. Every girl has their own likes and dislikes, and to make them stronger and happier you’ll need to build facilities that cater to their needs. For example, you can get the girls to perform better in battle if you build a pool to let them relax after combat.

The bonds between the girls will also help them overcome any encounter, as they share secrets between them and open up about their pasts. As you manage to make the girls closer between them, you’ll discover more elements to Second Light’s mysterious plot, including finding some clues about what happened to the world, and why’s there a school in the middle of the sea.

All in all, BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light is a delightfully entertainment game that RPG fans should definitely try – even if some of the story sections can be a bit tedious due to its dated presentation.

Pros

• Amazing character designs
• Mysterious and fascinating story
• Entertaining combat and socializing mechanics

Cons

• Dated dialogue screens
• The story can be a bit too slow
• Stilted animations