{"id":7074846,"date":"2026-10-03T21:52:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T21:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7074846"},"modified":"2026-10-03T21:52:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T21:52:16","slug":"blue-reflection-quartet-review-a-flawed-magical-rpg-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7074846","title":{"rendered":"Blue Reflection Quartet Review \u2013 A Flawed Magical RPG Collection"},"content":{"rendered":"


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As someone who only had the chance to try out Blue Reflection Second Light<\/strong> a few years back on the PlayStation 4, I\u2019m probably not the best person to tackle this review but here we are so just bear with me for a while. Blue Reflection Quartet, is not like your typical sequel. In fact it\u2019s a complete collection similar to what you\u2019d expect when buying an Atelier Trilogy pack. So if you\u2019re not familiar with the series and want a complete experience, this is the infinity gauntlet that will solve that problem in a snap\u2026 or does it? More on that later.<\/p>\n

But what is Blue Reflection Quartet<\/strong><\/a>? As I just mentioned, it\u2019s a complete collection of turn-based RPGs from Gust and Koei Tecmo based on magical girls featuring a modern high school setting and some world-ending disasters here and there. But when you\u2019re not out there saving the world then you might want to try taking your best girl out on date.<\/p>\n

Now, if you\u2019re looking for a more serious answer, Quartet is basically a set of four games that includes the main game (Blue Reflection<\/strong>) while the second (Blue Reflection Ray<\/strong>), is not really much of a game but is more of a really short story based on the anime spin-off. The third one (Blue Reflection Sun<\/strong>) is instead a mobile gacha game that was remade into a single-player RPG while the fourth (Blue Reflection Second Light<\/strong>) is the latest game that uses the more modern battle systems found in newer Atelier titles.<\/p>\n

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Four Games With Hours of Content<\/h2>\n

Blue Reflection<\/strong> is the first game in the collection and the game\u2019s recommended starting point as well. Here we start off with Hinako Shirai, a ballet prodigy whose life has crumbled after suffering from a serious knee injury during a prestigious international ballet competition which rendered her unable to dance again. This eventually led her into becoming a magical girl called a \u201creflector\u201d especially since she was told by the twin sisters, Lime and Yuzu that a wish of hers can be granted after she defeats all the Sephira.<\/p>\n

Unconventional enemies whose presence causes large-scale anomalies. And with this newfound motivation, her along with her fellow reflectors lead a double life saving the world while taking remedial classes or gossiping about their high school crushes from time to time.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, you have Blue Reflection Ray<\/strong> which takes place after the first game and features a brand new lead. Sadly though, this isn\u2019t really what I would consider a game nor is it something you\u2019d probably want to start playing without having to actually watch the anime spin-off as well. Reason being, this is an hour-long wall of text where you just explore a supernatural dimension and where you\u2019d find glowing fragments that when interacted will give you more wall of text to read through based on the events that happened on the anime.<\/p>\n

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So as someone who loves to explore the unknown and play a game completely blind, I was left completely speechless as to why I was being barraged by tons of dialogue and getting introduced to a bunch of characters I don\u2019t even remember only to find out that by the time I reach the end, it was already over instead of actually being the start of the actual game. Needless to say, I was completely jebaited.<\/p>\n

For the third and fourth game, you\u2019re again starting off with new main protagonists. This time though, you actually are playing a game. And if there\u2019s one thing that needs to be said, the third game that was originally a gacha game is now a completely offline single-player experience that sadly failed to make any worthwhile moments. And for a game that roughly takes 5 to 10 hours to complete, its no wonder. Here you also get introduced to the only male lead.<\/p>\n

A silent protagonist who has to take on the role of commanding the weakest squad of magical girls. Meanwhile the fourth game and easily the best one is Second Light<\/strong> where you get introduced to girls who has lost their memories and are stranded in an alternate dimension. What\u2019s great here is that you have a lot more involvement considering the previous two games did such a poor job. You get to explore a more fleshed out world, forage for ingredients to make food, craft items for your home base while trying to find a way back home.<\/p>\n

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The Newer Combat System Is a Nice Touch<\/h2>\n

When it comes to its gameplay elements, I\u2019m just going to make this brief. As a turn-based RPG game, you can expect pretty much all the things tied to the genre. Attack, use abilities, items etc. Pretty much all the basic stuffs you\u2019d ever need. However considering that the first game came out in 2017 while the latest game released 4 years later, there are also quite a few changes here and there. One notable change is they embraced the faster and snappy gameplay loop of an active-time battle system you\u2019d see from stuffs like Atelier Ryza.<\/p>\n

Blue Reflection Sun<\/strong> which was originally a gacha game that used a more traditional turn-based combat has also been overhauled and now uses the same combat elements as Second Light but in a more barebones kind of way because unlike the first and fourth game, there really isn\u2019t a lot to see here.<\/p>\n

Characters level up but there isn\u2019t anything to customize. You don\u2019t have the option to allocate points and learn specific abilities as you go nor do you equip fragments that changes the stats or behavior of a certain ability or character. So as much as I hate to say it, Blue Reflection Sun aside from being a very short experience, feels more like an add-on or a DLC if you will.<\/p>\n

But outside of battles, you can also explore the school grounds or interact with certain characters to get to know them better. Meanwhile something unique for Second Light<\/strong> is that not only does it have much better exploration, it also lets you create facilities within the school which adds an extra layer of customization both visually and stat-wise while also providing you with more options for hangout spots whenever you\u2019re on a date with your fellow reflectors.<\/p>\n

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Despite Its Age, It\u2019s Still a Charming Game<\/h2>\n

Hmmm? Where do I even start? Visually, a nine-year old game is going to look like a nine-year old game. It\u2019s a bit rough around the edges but Mel Kishida\u2019s artwork makes the characters itself leave a long-lasting mark\u2026 it just had that unique yet recognizable style. The added detail into making the character\u2019s hair and clothes look wet when it rains is also a pleasant surprise. Sadly, what kind of sours the dough here is when you\u2019re inside the special dimension called the \u201cCommon\u201d where all the baddies hangout.<\/p>\n

Here, movement feels rather floaty while the area feels generic and lacks anything to make it stand out. As for the next three games, the visuals are a lot better. However, while Second Light has some nicely-sized and detailed areas where you can gather materials or fight enemies, Sun is taking another L by not even having any of that. Whenever you go out for a mission, you\u2019re only getting a few cutscenes followed by a boss battle before returning back to your home base.<\/p>\n

And even though I\u2019ve done nothing but sing praises for Blue Reflection Second Light<\/strong>, it isn\u2019t without its flaws either. This is just a bit of a minor gripe but something you\u2019d have to face depending on which platform you\u2019ll play this on. Using the mouse and keyboard controls for Blue Reflection is spotless, there\u2019s nothing to really nitpick about it. But when it comes to the last two games, sadly its changes also made it more annoying to get stuffs done.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re in battle trying to choose abilities or scrolling through the main menu, you\u2019d have to hover your cursor over your choices first rather than just allowing you to click anywhere in the screen when you want to confirm an action. This added input just leads me to use a controller instead just to skip that extra step.<\/p>\n

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Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Blue Reflection Quartet is just one of those games that\u2019s a bit hard to recommend. Yes, they have great stories that mixes both the mundane everyday experiences of high school girls alongside the great struggles that comes from being reflectors. It also has a mostly pleasant combat experience with a bit of exploration, crafting and leisure time.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s just sad that two out of the four included games kind of feels like an afterthought. Something that was added just for the sake of being called \u201ccomplete\u201d and since the asking price for Quartet is roughly the same as buying the first game and Second Light separately, if you\u2019ve already own at least one of them, the extra cost is hard to justify. But if you\u2019re new to the series, it\u2019s a no-brainer.<\/p>\n