Games Happy

The Atelier sequence has at all times been one among Gust’s principal franchises. As I’ve talked about in my Atelier Yumia overview, I used to be first launched to Gust with Atelier Totori. One of many issues that has at all times stood out to me is Mel Kishida’s art work. His illustrations are identified for his or her lovely women wearing frilly outfits, and Totori was the primary sport within the Arland Saga that piqued my curiosity, principally due to how Gust was capable of translate Mel’s attractive art work in-game.

Because the Arland saga got here to an finish, Koei Tecmo launched a lineup of titles centered round its “Lovely Women Competition” challenge, with Gust’s remaining contribution ultimately turning into Blue Reflection. It featured a contemporary highschool setting with magical lady components and, most of all, Mel Kishida’s art work. Finally, the sequence expanded to incorporate a sequel, an anime spinoff, and even a cell sport. Quick ahead to at this time, and Koei Tecmo has launched all of the Blue Reflection initiatives collectively as one package deal titled Blue Reflection Quartet. On this overview, I will cowl every of the titles included briefly for newcomers and likewise highlighting what was added on this new bundle.

Blue Reflection

In Blue Reflection, you play as Hinako Shirai, a ballet prodigy whose profession is minimize brief after struggling a critical knee harm. Unable to do ballet, she is reluctant to attend college. On the primary day of college, Hinako encounters a classmate who acknowledges her from her days as a ballerina. After brushing her off, the encounter creates a robust detrimental emotion that leads Hinako into the Widespread. This can be a harmful alternate world the place individuals’s feelings can manifest into monsters from its distorted actuality. There, she receives the Reflector Ring, permitting her to rework right into a Reflector and battle monsters inside. Because the story progresses, Hinako meets the mysterious twins Yuzu and Lime, who clarify the supply of her powers and reveal that defeating all of the Sephira will grant her a single want. Listening to this story, Hinako is set to make her want come true. 

Launched almost a decade in the past, the unique Blue Reflection follows a construction the place every chapter focuses on a unique classmate whose emotional struggles create a brand new Widespread. Hinako helps every lady overcome her private points by venturing into their Widespread and defeating the monsters born from their detrimental feelings. The gameplay is normally damaged down into each day actions with Hinako, and the fight side is explored when Hinako ventures into somebody’s Widespread. 

Fight makes use of a standard turn-based battle system with a timeline displayed on the high of the display to point flip order. When Hinako is exterior of a Widespread, Hinako performs actions in her on a regular basis life that reward Fragments, which can be utilized to attune stats. Each time a personality ranges up, they earn factors that may be allotted throughout 4 totally different classes. Reaching sure thresholds unlocks new Ether Abilities, supplying you with extra choices in fight.

General, the gameplay is pretty bare-bones. Whereas there are extremely highly effective Ether Abilities and builds that may trivialize the sport, most gamers will possible end the sport with out ever discovering them. Exploration is fairly naked, as every Widespread zone is commonly recycled and could be a map of going by way of a small round subject. I do suppose that the story is likely one of the stronger features of the sport, as video games launched throughout that interval typically with charactes which are overly constructive, and Hinako’s cynicism was a breath of recent air, as she learns to be higher.  The one subject is especially that there wasn’t a lot to Hinako’s backstory, which ultimately was addressed within the sequel. 

As with all of the video games within the Quartet rerelease, there are a number of quality-of-life enhancements, together with a fast-forward possibility and normal optimizations. There may be even an added glossary everytime you see characters speaking about a number of the sport’s terminology. Nonetheless, there are some scenes that at the moment are censored from its unique launch, which might appear minor and should have deterred gamers from getting this model. I do not suppose the unique sport is dangerous by any normal, however it simply feels a bit undercooked with a number of room for enchancment.

Blue Reflection Ray

The subsequent title within the assortment is Blue Reflection Ray, which the sport recommends taking part in after the unique Blue Reflection, since it’s set following the occasions of the primary sport. Blue Reflection Ray was initially launched as an anime round 5 years in the past. Fairly than together with the anime itself, Gust has reworked it right into a playable sport.

As somebody who has by no means watched the anime, I used to be interested by what this sport would really play like. Clearly, they weren’t going to incorporate a whole anime sequence within the package deal, so I anticipated some sort of adaptation. Blue Reflection Ray in Quartet was one of many worst gaming experiences I’ve ever had.

This model of Ray begins close to the top of the unique anime. You are taking management of what I assume are the present’s two principal protagonists (Hiori and Ruka) as they confront the principle antagonist, lose the battle, and get up with amnesia. From there, the pair explores the aforementioned Widespread in quest of reminiscence fragments to recuperate their Reflector powers.

You are primarily dropped into the ultimate act of a narrative with nearly no rationalization. There isn’t a fight by any means. As an alternative, you merely management Hiori as she explores the Widespread looking for reminiscence fragments. Every fragment unlocks a nonetheless picture from the anime accompanied by a brief piece of narration from one of many protagonists. With out having watched the sequence, these moments gave me zero context and made me really feel nothing.

The protagonists continually ask one another questions like, “Do you keep in mind when this occurred with this individual?” however as somebody unfamiliar with the anime, I had no thought who these individuals have been or why I ought to care about something. Whereas the sport does embrace paperwork that present extra context, counting on non-obligatory textual content logs to clarify main plot factors jogs my memory of Closing Fantasy XIII’s Datalog. It is one of many worst methods to inform a narrative.

Blue Reflection Solar

The third sport within the assortment is Blue Reflection Solar, which was initially a Japan-exclusive cell title. For Quartet, Gust has reworked Solar right into a single-player expertise, stripping away all of its gacha mechanics. Story-wise, it takes place in the course of the occasions of the unique Blue Reflection and begins instantly in the course of the ending of the primary sport, the place Hinako succeeds in defeating the Sephirot however unknowingly triggers the world’s downfall.

The catastrophe creates the Ashen World, the place mysterious ashes start falling from the sky. These uncovered to it both rework into monsters often known as the Testa or develop supernatural talents whereas retaining their sanity. These survivors are often known as the Eroded. You play as a anonymous protagonist who instructions a squad of Eroded and Reflectors as they fight the rising Testa risk.

The gameplay is split into two principal sections. Between missions, you spend time on the college interacting along with your teammates, and you’ll get a narrative scene that be taught extra about every squad member. I think about many of those scenes have been initially occasion sequences from the cell sport. The opposite part consists of battles.

Blue Reflection Solar is an odd expertise as a result of it doesn’t resemble the unique cell sport and is extra like a Blue Reflection: Second Mild mod. Gust has reused Second Mild’s engine, battle system, and far of its general construction for Quartet’s Solar, creating one thing that seems like a Frankenstein hybrid of each video games.

I strongly detest gacha monetization mechanics with a ardour, however I nonetheless needed to see what Blue Reflection Solar initially performed like. From the footage I’ve watched of the cell model, it had its personal elemental weak spot system, a unique battle system, and even a separate soundtrack. In Quartet, nevertheless, a lot of the music has been changed with recycled tracks from Second Mild, and the gameplay intently mirrors that as nicely.

I do not suppose this model of Solar is a nasty expertise, however Gust has stripped it of its identification with how it’s introduced in Quartet. It seems like a reskinned model of Second Mild as an alternative of what I’ve seen of Solar. 

Blue Reflection: Second Mild

That is the ultimate sport within the assortment. Blue Reflection: Second Mild takes place final within the sequence timeline. A number of the characters launched on this sport additionally appeared in Blue Reflection Solar, however I do not suppose taking part in that title beforehand will make you’re feeling in another way about them.

In Second Mild, you play as Ao Hoshizaki, a lady who finds herself transported to a parallel world alongside three different women. In contrast to the others, Ao retains her recollections and is set to discover a means again house. However earlier than she will be able to try this, everybody should navigate by way of probably the most harmful a part of the parallel world, which is the Heartscape. 

I nonetheless suppose Blue Reflection: Second Mild is the most effective sport within the sequence. I already reviewed it and thought fairly extremely of it, and my opinion has not modified with Quartet. It stays probably the most refined entry within the sequence. This new model provides a number of the quality-of-life enhancements I coated earlier. If you have not performed it but, Second Mild is a sequel that builds on the unique in each means throughout its story, battle system, and characters. The one side that is not completed nicely is the obligatory stealth segments.

With all 4 titles included, Blue Reflection Quartet presents an incredible quantity of content material for its asking worth. Having all of the accessible entries in a single assortment makes it a wonderful start line for newcomers within the sequence. Quartet is not good although. The ports themselves are comparatively modest upgrades. Quartet’s Blue Reflection Ray is terrible and Blue Reflection Solar does not really feel like a trustworthy illustration of the unique sport. Regardless of that, I believe the principle Blue Reflection video games are value making an attempt, making this a worthwhile launch.

Should you’ve by no means performed these video games earlier than, Quartet is a simple suggestion for 2 of the 4 titles included and its finances asking worth. Should you already personal these video games, there is not something right here to justify a brand new buy barring an improved PC port for the unique sport. Having all the franchise in a single assortment sounds nice on paper, however two of the 4 titles weren’t dealt with nicely.

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