What an amazing game.

[Barkly]

First off I just want want to apologize for the long rant i think this will turn into.

Second, i dont own this on pc but on switch.

Third, im not really into anime. I dont mind it in jrpgs but thats about it.

I had never heard of this series before but one day i happend to see there was a demo on the eshop.
I tried it out and when i heard the music in kokoros heartscape i went online and preordered a physical copy. For me good music can carry the most mediocre game and bad music can drag a good game down.
I thought the gamplay was pretty good, but it was the soundtrack that dragged me in.

After a while i found myself caring more and more about the characters and when i got to Renas heartscape I was sold.
I should mention that in the past i have kinda rolled my eyes privately when people said they cared about characters in games, for me gamplay always came first with characters far down to list.

Im about to start chapter 9 and im kinda dreading reaching the end.
Im really loving spending time in this world. Every character so far har been lovable and i have found the soundtrack to be one of the best i have ever heard.

I went into it expecting to listen to a good soundtrack while doing some grinding in some hopefully goodlooking dungeons and being exposed to some cringey fan service but i was oh so wrong, Im abit ashamed to say it but blue reflection SL is the cutest, most heartwarming piece of media I can remember experiencing.

If we are lucky enough to get another game I would like to see them either cut back on some of the yuri stuff or go more in, it kinda feels like they are using it as a hook to get people into it but are afraid to go all the way. Imo Rena and Yukis relationship is really well done in a wholesome way so they have shown that they can do it the right way.
The main character flirting on"dates" never go anywhere and i dont see the point really, there are many good friendship moments when you hang out with the characters that are just as cute so it feels kinda..... wrong? to tease the characters being gay and not going anywhere. Imo atleast, im not a member of the lgbqt community so my opinion could be wrong.

Is it possible to buy the OST digitally? And is the first game worth it? I want more! But i think im gonna miss Ao, rena and yuki.

This game came out of nowhere and blew me away . Whenever i think about it i get a lump in the back of my throat. If anyone who worked on the game ever reads this. Thank you.

[suzuka]

glad you like it. im similar in that an OST carries a lot of a game's worth for me. if you thought Second Light's OST was good (it is) then you must check out the first game's OST because it is exceptional. the full OST is on youtube if you wanna check it out. I dont know if Second Light's OST is around yet digitally.

you should definitely consider picking up the first. it focuses on hinako/lime/yuzu and you only fight with them along with a cast of other girls as support. it was just on sale and it will probably be on sale again for the winter sale, usually 50% off or more. personally, i found the first game to be a more special experience overall. but i still very much enjoyed Second Light and hope thick kicks off the franchise.

also, there is a Blue Reflection anime that goes over the story of hiori/mio/uta. early next year i think is Blue Reflection Sun, a mobile game.

[Barkly]

Ill buy the first one, its actually pretty cheap in my region at full price.
Im gonna miss Ao, Rena and Yuki but hopefully the cast will be just as lovable.
I have played a bit more since i posted this and the characters just keeps getting better,

Someone uploaded the soundtrack on youtube, but I found out you can buy it digitally on amazon, and i think im gonna buy it there.

im pretty shocked at the quality of the writing and how well they handle the romance between two of the characters, it was really sweet.

[Barkly]

Do you have any other games like this to reccommend? i havent really found anything, but i think ill get the first ryza game

[suzuka]

the Atelier series is a great franchise to get into. they tend to be more of a journey than what Blue Reflection offers. both are made by Gust/KT so you will get a familiar experience, so check out their catalog for sure

as for recommendations for games similar to Blue Reflection, there really just arent any. its close to a unique experience which is why i like it so much. the Persona series is similar structure wise, but its a magical girl jrpg with yuri so its pretty niche. that said here are some recommendations that will maybe fit the bill:

Atelier franchise - like i said, made but Gust/KT who made Blue Reflection. each game follows a different slice-of-life journey of a female alchemist where you explore, gather, craft and battle with a fun cast of characters. they tend to come in trilogies where prior alchemist make returns in the latter games. lots of games in this series. very chill, light hearted and enjoyable

Nier Automata - masterclass OST, i recommend it on this alone. very fun action jrpg with a very engaging story. this is another game i hold as special as the first Blue Reflection

The Legend of Heroes franchise - very story focused turn based jrpg with an enormous world of memorable characters that are deeply connected across the whole series. the OST is huge and great in every game. its a great series to get into if you want a very long form story. the Trails of Cold Steel quadrilogy has similar relationship building mechanics to Blue Reflection. personal favorites are Trails in the Sky 1 & 2

Final Fantasy 13 trilogy (or any FF really) - wonderful OST with an enjoyable cast. they went for an interesting real time battle system but i loved it personally. i thought it did a great job telling its story and found it very memorable

Persona series - an OST in a category of its own. i dont know how they make such incredible music that uniquely fits each game but its a great time. theyre turn based jrpgs where half the time you are exploring zones and battling enemies and the other half you're developing relationships with the cast as the story unfolds. this one is probably closest to what Blue Reflection offers

Tales of franchise - loose fit but its an action jrpg series you may want to look into. i personally found Tales of Berseria to have an especially great story

[Barkly]

thanks, i ordered ryza 1,
persona 5 looks good but i dont have a playstation anylonger.

[suzuka]

Persona 4 is on steam, highly recommended. Persona 5 should be making it's way to steam sometime since Atlas is finally showing they're willing to put more of there games on PC. Person 3 is great too. I played the PSP version that has the female protag but you'd have to emulate for that

[Eel]

P4G getting my thumb up also but a different style.
I'd recommend not judging Atelier on Ryza 1. Went this road cause supposedly Atelier for dummies (metaphorically) / breakthrough for the serious but I simply didn't warm up to the characters. Gave the Mysterious trilogy a shot and somehow the main characters grew on me a lot faster. Plus these games play smooth and look good on the Switch.
Atelier also isn't BR. In general finding it more chill and goofier.

Lacrimosa of Dana has good character / story development which somehow wins me over (neither the theme nor the art appeal to me, but I still find enjoyment in there. The music? Can't remember it)

EDIT: just for clarification if you fell in love with Second Light, the best experiences that emulate its charm and mood are Blue Reflection (the first) then probably Otherside Picnic and Kokoro Connect (these are novels not games). Other things I quoted here... good in their own right but may feel like wandering off.

[Barkly]

Originally posted by Eel:

P4G getting my thumb up also but a different style.
I'd recommend not judging Atelier on Ryza 1. Went this road cause supposedly Atelier for dummies (metaphorically) / breakthrough for the serious but I simply didn't warm up to the characters. Gave the Mysterious trilogy a shot and somehow the main characters grew on me a lot faster. Plus these games play smooth and look good on the Switch.
Atelier also isn't BR. In general finding it more chill and goofier.

Lacrimosa of Dana has good character / story development which somehow wins me over (neither the theme nor the art appeal to me, but I still find enjoyment in there. The music? Can't remember it)

EDIT: just for clarification if you fell in love with Second Light, the best experiences that emulate its charm and mood are Blue Reflection (the first) then probably Otherside Picnic and Kokoro Connect (these are novels not games). Other things I quoted here... good in their own right but may feel like wandering off.

Thank you for your reccomendations, ill check it out.