Blue Reflection

Obviously the shooter or sports crowd won't play this; it's aimed for a certain niche. For those people, no aspect of Blue Reflection is at all bad, but I just get the feeling that rather than focus on fleshing out a few things, they tried to incorporate too many that all ended up quite shallow. Nothing here will anger or upset you, but nothing will amaze or move you either. It's a steady, repetitive line to the end without any sort of escalation, but not everything need to be full of crazy turns and ups and downs.

Blue Reflection has a lot of interesting ideas, from its plot to the core gameplay, so it's unfortunate that these ideas are left to fester in a pool of mediocrity and drowned in an adventure that feels boring and stale before it's even really begun. The opening scenes show a lot of promise, but none of it is built upon as the game develops. Blue Reflection feels like a tutorial for JRPG beginners - one that even the most inexperienced player would get bored with.

Complemented by a strong sense of style in its gorgeous presentation, this is one of the stronger titles in Gust's library.

There's a bud of good ideas present in Blue Reflection. Unfortunately, it spectacularly fails to blossom.

As a brand new IP, Blue Reflection does its job well and may serve as a good foundation for a sequel, with an enjoyable (albeit not all that original) story, good character development, a unique leveling system, and a stylish presentation. Sadly, most of the game's features resemble too much those found in the latest Persona games and, as such, the game doesn't feel very unique, while the low difficulty level prevents the RPG mechanics from reaching their full potential.

The overall experience of Blue Reflection is enjoyable even if it does rely heavily on yuri tropes. The high school setting, particularly what the player does in their free time and tries to befriend the other students feels like the developers took some pages from the Persona 4 book and mixed it into the Nights of Azure Atelier.

Blue Reflection is a gloomy yet cozy high school life simulator with a touch of escapism. While its underused RPG mechanics had the potential to be great, they ultimately fall flat due to how simplistic the game truly is. Although not everyone will be able to relate to its story, the narrative is what makes the title worth experiencing and is the primary reason one should consider playing. However, if taking on the role of a high schooler and encountering school drama isn't up your alley, then this one will not be for you.

Blue Reflection, unfortunately, is more style than substance. While the aesthetic and music are some top-tier stuff, the story and overall game design are just not up to par.

Blue Reflection - a good replacement for the next Atelier with cute heroines, deeper characters and not a bad storyline. If it were not for pauses in the gameplay, problems with graphics, repetitive tasks and battles, this game would have deserved a completely different score.

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.