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[Cornbread78]

Release Dates:
PlayStation 4 JP: March 30, 2017
NA: September 26, 2017
EU: September 29, 2017
PlayStation Vita JP:
March 30, 2017
Microsoft Windows:
NA: September 26, 2017
EU: September 29, 2017

Genre: Role-playing video game
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Developer: Gust Co. Ltd.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita(JPN), Microsoft Windows


Box Art:

Steam Link

System Requirements
Minimum:
o OS: Windows® 7, Windows® 8.1, Windows® 10 (64bit required)
o Processor: Core i5 2.6GHz over
o Memory: 4 GB RAM
o Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX550Ti or better
o DirectX: Version 11
o Network: Broadband Internet connection
o Storage: 30 GB available space
o Sound Card: OnBoard

Recommended:
o OS: Windows® 7, Windows® 8.1, Windows® 10 (64bit required)
o Processor: Core i7 3.4GHz over
o Memory: 8 GB RAM
o Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX960 or better
o DirectX: Version 11
o Network: Broadband Internet connection
o Storage: 35 GB available space
o Sound Card: OnBoard


Story:
A story that interweaves 15 girls at Hoshinomiya Girls' High School. This is a simple introduction to just a part of the opening's main story.
While she attends school, Hinako was not always able to do so as a result of a foot injury. The story begins when Hinako attends school for the first time.
The season is summer—. At Hoshinomiya Girls' High School, it is almost time to begin the culture festival.
In a school full of students with unfamiliar faces, Hinako, who did not participate in the school entrance ceremony, comes across Sanae Nishida, who attended her middle school. Sanae, who is aware of everything from Hinako's foot injury to her stopping ballet, is kind towards Hinako, but Hinako feels a sense of discomfort and strange atmosphere around her. Immediately after noticing the suspicious aura surrounding Sanae, Hinako found herself suddenly standing in an unknown world.....

The game follows a day cycle, which sees Hinako attend school and spend time with classmates, and visit another world where she fights monsters in a turn-based battle system. By becoming close friends with her classmates, Hinako can use support abilities from them in battle.


Battles and Ether:
Reflectors fight using energy of emotion, called ”Ether. This indispensable Ether is an important power that holds the key to victory for Reflectors.
- When it's your turn to perform an action, you can build up your Ether by selecting the ”Ether Charge" command.
- When you perform an Ether Charge, the percentage at the bottom left of the screen will rise

The Ether you accumulate will lower when you perform actions such as healing your allies' HP and MP with ”Recovery," and using ”Guard" to reduce the enemy's attack.

Recovery and Guard:
Unlike commands like ”Attack" that you choose when it's your turn to perform action, are real-time button inputs done before the Reflectors and enemies take action. You can also build up your Ether by doing neither.
- With Recovery and Guard, Ether is consumed for as long as you continue to input a specific button. The more Ether you consume, the more effective the action will be.

Reflect:
During your battles against the Pure Breeds, by meeting certain conditions, your Guard action will change to ”Reflect."
If a Reflect is successful, the power of Ether will be used to expand a barrier around you, and reflect the attacks of the Pure Breeds.
- Reflect, just like Recovery and Guard, is a real-time input action. It's an opportunity to deal a great amount damage.


Screens:

Media:
Launch Trailer
Story Trailer
Reveal Trailer


Reviews:
Metacritic (PS4)


Trophies:
Playstation Trophies.org List

This is another quick and dirty OT since one was posted prior to launch. Please use spoiler tags appropriately for all story related questions/comments.

*Also, lets keep the discussion to the game and not delve into other issues you feel necessary to derail the entire thread with. This is the game OT, not a soap box for your moral/righteous views. There are some that agree and some that do not, but lets not derail the thread here...

Please let me know if there are any issues in the OT, or if there is something you would like to add

 

[atomsk]

still waiting for my copy to show up in the mail (while trying to finish Ys VIII)

as long as they keep localizing Gust games, I'll keep buying them (three this year!)

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Nice OT, will be interesting to get some impressions on the game's systems.

I posted this from the other thread:

What is the general gaf opinion of the game? Reviews are not looking good so far. A lot of reviews criticize the repetitive gameplay and the lack of explorable areas.

I kinda look forward to playing the game but I'm still undecided if paying full price is justifiable.

Anyone already playing the game? What are first impressions?

The majority of reviews seem to gloss over things like the battle system, balancing, the quality of the level/objective designs and so on, which I found disappointing, almost as if the game got a free pass off its soundtrack, its overall narrative and being from a fan favourite developer.

Either way, I share the same concerns as you do. I did manage to find more in-depth analysis of the game's systems from a couple of reviews, and it is as you say. The repetition bothers me if the missions and levels are dull, and that seems to be the case - like modern Atelier games progression (in quests, in character abilities) seems to be tied to dull tasks.

Given the number of reviews which haven't found this to be an issue, have we come to accept this sort of dull, reward-driven game design? Is a genuinely dull piece of level design fun just because it's become a box to tick?

Will be very happy to be proven wrong on this with respect to the game.

 

[Strings]

The majority of reviews seem to gloss over things like the battle system, balancing, the quality of the level/objective designs and so on, which I found disappointing, almost as if the game got a free pass off its soundtrack, its overall narrative and being from a fan favourite developer.

I think the task oriented design is fine in Atelier where it's fun to craft requests (at least for me), but yeah, it's an awful fit for this game. Otherwise, 100% in agreement with you re: balancing - game has an alright battle system, but the ludicrously low difficulty on hard makes it ridiculously boring. Also, some real shifty fan service shit that Gust should be better than

This, and especially the recent Night of Azure 2 (which is awful, awful, awful) are especially disappointing coming from them. Think KT needs to give them a year off or something, they had enough trouble as is just getting both games out the door.

 

[AdamT]

Are the bonus DLC items the PSN download version offers exclusive to digital? I bought the physical from Amazon, but haven't opened it yet.

*Limited time Campaign!!!
For 6 weeks after the game release, get this DLC for free!
BLUE REFLECTION: FreeSpace! Custom Theme
BLUE REFLECTION: School Swimsuit set
BLUE REFLECTION: Rorona style costume
BLUE REFLECTION: Special Theme

 

[Sephiroth87]

Are the bonus DLC items the PSN download version offers exclusive to digital? I bought the physical from Amazon, but haven't opened it yet.

No, but some retailer didn't offer the preorder bonuses (Amazon UK for example)

 

[Listonosh]

My copy arrived so I'm pumped to give this a go when I'm not playing Destiny 2.

Also, I just noticed that the season pass for this game is going for $70! And from what I can gather, it's mostly costumes and then one special event. That's gotta be the highest priced season pass I've seen for a game yet.

 

[Luminaire]

Just hit Ch 4 last night. Really liking the game so far. Story is charming, the characters are nice, the combat is fun, and the soundtrack is amazing. I do like how it touches on themes of depression as well.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

I think the task oriented design is fine in Atelier where it's fun to craft requests (at least for me), but yeah, it's an awful fit for this game. Otherwise, 100% in agreement with you re: balancing - game has an alright battle system, but the ludicrously low difficulty on hard makes it ridiculously boring. Also, some real shifty fan service shit that Gust should be better than

Yeah, it can work, particularly in the Atelier games that gave you more things to juggle or think about. For instance, both Totori and Ayesha not only put the player on a moving timeline, but gave them freedom in how they went about tackling various goals. It didn't feel like a box ticking exercise because these goals were tied in thematically with the game and (for the most part) were actually interesting things.

 

[robotzombie]

I was really bummed to hear from almost everything I've read that this game is painfully easy to the point that it is just boring

 

[muteki]

I'm really interested in this, but need to finish DQ first and I have no time. Looking forward to impressions.

 

[Luminaire]

I was really bummed to hear from almost everything I've read that this game is painfully easy to the point that it is just boring

There are difficulty settings for combat.

 

[facepalm007]

Just started my play-through yesterday so I don't really have strong opinions about the game first except for the fact that the I love the art direction/character art (just like most GUST games) and the soundtrack is ace.

On first glance, the battle system reminds of Grandia or Child of Light in terms of using time bars. But of course the real question is how they can expand on this in terms of mechanics (as well as difficulty).

 

[Blu(e)]

Will the bonus DLC available later or will they remove it like some other KT games? I suppose it also isn't a part of the season pass right? This game has some really crazy DLC prices.

 

[robotzombie]

There are difficulty settings for combat.

Yeah, I'm talking about the hardest difficulty

 

[Undead Bokun]

Is there a time limit/ day limit? If there is a time limit does it work on real time or is it based on actions(for example: Going to class progresses from morning to afternoon) I suppose missable things are a thing due to the structure of the game? Any tips one should know before starting?

 

[Estus]

Home come she has 3 legs?

 

[robotzombie]

Home come she has 3 legs?

you can't figure this out?

 

[Safeto20Scroll]

Thanks for making this OT!

Had my eyes on this game since the Japanese announcement, was pretty happy to find out it was getting localised.

But through some unfortunate circumstances the game will not be releasing in Australia.. despite getting a R18+ rating way before release!

Even Peach Beach Splash managed to grace our shores last week!

It might take awhile longer, but thankfully I'll be able to import from my UK brethren. Here's hopin' to hear good things about the game!

 

[Cornbread78]

Home come she has 3 legs?

The correct answer here is, always be aware of what's behind you back.

 

[Avallon]

Are the bonus DLC items the PSN download version offers exclusive to digital? I bought the physical from Amazon, but haven't opened it yet.

Amazon failed to provide codes to those who preordered this game. I contacted customer support last night about this and they bounced me back and forth before saying they'd have to look into it.

I got my code this morning.

Contact support.

 

[Luminaire]

Home come she has 3 legs?

The girl in the back is on one leg doing a ballet motion with her other leg extended back behind the school uniform girl.

 

[Cornbread78]

The girl in the back is on one leg doing a ballet motion with her other leg extended back behind the school uniform girl.

sshhhuusshhh.


Let him stare a little longer!

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

Got my copy two days ago.
It's such a hazy, relaxed game that fully dedicates itself to the aesthetic it goes for that it kinda shirks meatier gameplay for what it wants to do.
It's not gonna work for everybody, but I really like it.

 

[Acquiescence]

Home come she has 3 legs?

I dunno, but I guess this means she has two vaginas right?

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

I dunno, but I guess this means she has two vaginas right?

 

[OléGunner]

I only learnt about this game thanks to that weird 720p PC thread.
I'm interested thanks to that thread; the art style, story and music seem awesome.

So this is essentially Persona but with high school girls?
What do we get to do during the day at school?

The battle system seems pretty self explanatory.

 

[purseowner]

Was hoping for a Sailor Moon reference in the OT title.

EU peasant here. Should hopefully arrive tomorrow.

 

[Yohane]

Getting meh reviews.

I can't wait to hear some real opinions from you guys.

 

[Luminaire]

I only learnt about this game thanks to that weird 720p PC thread.
I'm interested thanks to that thread; the art style, story and music seem awesome.

So this is essentially Persona but with high school girls?
What do we get to do during the day at school?

The battle system seems pretty self explanatory.

You're rail-roared a bit through the first chapters, but I recall reading that you can wander about school and talk to people, take requests, and solve problems for people. I assume there's some crafting as I have a ton of materials from combat and exploration that I've yet to use.

 

[Corpsepyre]

Check all that role-playing out.

 

[OléGunner]

You're rail-roared a bit through the first chapters, but I recall reading that you can wander about school and talk to people, take requests, and solve problems for people. I assume there's some crafting as I have a ton of materials from combat and exploration that I've yet to use.

Ahh thanks a lot for the info, really kinda does sound like Persona then haha.

I should check out more footage later.

 

[kunonabi]

How caught up on DLC is the U.S. release? The season pass seems kind of crazy and i dont want to start buying anything if Tecmo is going to skip dlc for the west again.

 

[varkuriru]

Aww was expecting the title to be “I hope you will accept this” . Anywho, I got it on steam in support of the soundtrack which is pretty freaking catchy. Although a few songs have some dub step in them, overall the music is awesome.

Here is one of favorites:

https://youtu.be/4C_D26xmW04

 

[Luminaire]

Ahh thanks a lot for the info, really kinda does sound like Persona then haha.

I should check out more footage later.

Yeah, it seems a bit on the Persona Lite side. You help people and get their emotions/fragments that you can use to augment abilities. An example is I helped a story person and now her fragment can add a DEF UP on the target I use a skill on. Naturally I put this on an AOE heal move to recover HP and boost defense at the same time. Also the people you help assist you in combat with follow up attacks/abilities/etc. You can save those up and do Overdrive instead which lets you chain attacks for more damage or emergency recovery.

I have about two hours of video footage that I might cut some smaller vids out of, if anyone wants to see that stuff in action.

The three chars also start fairly all-around but can be specced in any direction with points. You unlock abilities based on the direction you're going. If you spec more towards Defense, you'll get more defense and healing abilities than you would if you went more towards attack.

 

[Cornbread78]

Was hoping for a Sailor Moon reference in the OT title.

EU peasant here. Should hopefully arrive tomorrow.

I was going to go with everyone's favorite Madoka, but this game appears to be too whimsical to get that title...


Everyone, go watch the first 6 episodes of Puella Magi Madoka Magica right now and post impressions in the anime community thread... That is an order!

Aww was expecting the title to be “I hope you will accept this” . Anywho, I got it on steam in support of the soundtrack which is pretty freaking catchy. Although a few songs have some dub step in them, overall the music is awesome.

Damn, that would have been good. I just made it real quick, so....

 

[Luminaire]

Damn, that would have been good. I just made it real quick, so....

If I knew Marm wasn't gonna make the OT, I would've done it. Maybe I'll jump on the next Atelier...

 

[TrueDefault]

This, and especially the recent Night of Azure 2 (which is awful, awful, awful) are especially disappointing coming from them. Think KT needs to give them a year off or something, they had enough trouble as is just getting both games out the door.

Wait is Nights of azure 2 that bad? I know it flopped in Japan but I thought the first game was okay.

 

[SephLuis]

The majority of reviews seem to gloss over things like the battle system, balancing, the quality of the level/objective designs and so on, which I found disappointing, almost as if the game got a free pass off its soundtrack, its overall narrative and being from a fan favourite developer.

Either way, I share the same concerns as you do. I did manage to find more in-depth analysis of the game's systems from a couple of reviews, and it is as you say. The repetition bothers me if the missions and levels are dull, and that seems to be the case - like modern Atelier games progression (in quests, in character abilities) seems to be tied to dull tasks.

Given the number of reviews which haven't found this to be an issue, have we come to accept this sort of dull, reward-driven game design? Is a genuinely dull piece of level design fun just because it's become a box to tick?

Will be very happy to be proven wrong on this with respect to the game.

I am reviewing the game, though my review will take a few more days and I will have to write it in Portuguese so here's a quick one regarding my impressions:

-Battle System is good, though I am playing on hard difficulty. I guess if you play it on easy or normal, it will become boring very fast. I like it because it has some depth to it (normal attacks only will NOT work, you have to use your skills correctly) but the animations are very, very slow.

Battles do not award experience points, only materials that you can use to power up some customizations on your skills. To actually grow your status, you need to do things such as advancing the story, doing side quests, watching optional scenes and so on.

Initially, the characters can't take many hits so delaying the enemies turns becomes a necessity. I am doing everything I can so the battles became easier, but they are easily avoidable. Boss design is amazing and one of the highlights here.

So far, I would say that the main issue is that the game has no surprises to it. It's straight forward in it's premises and you already know how the chapters 5-8 will unfold because it's almost the same as chapter 1-4. The dungeons reuse the visuals and themes a lot too, just changing their layout.

I am liking the game, but if the first impression doesn't hook you, I doubt the end will change your opinion (I am not there yet, so we will see).

This, and especially the recent Night of Azure 2 (which is awful, awful, awful) are especially disappointing coming from them. Think KT needs to give them a year off or something, they had enough trouble as is just getting both games out the door.

Really ? I liked NoA 1 and I am expecting NoA2 to be a good game

 

[Ravelle]

Loving the art style, probably get this next year or something after I finished all the September and October games.

 

[Cornbread78]

If I knew Marm wasn't gonna make the OT, I would've done it. Maybe I'll jump on the next Atelier...

If you have anything that you want to add/change/delete from the OT, let me know and I'd be more than happy to replace my rush slop in there... Answering work e-mails/calls takes priority, so sometimes things are overlooked/omitted when I'm trying to do both (OTs/work)...

 

[Linkura]

Really ? I liked NoA 1 and I am expecting NoA2 to be a good game

Did hear it's worse than the first for what it's worth.

 

[DZ_b_EZ]

Freaking finally! I've been waiting forever for an OT!

Thanks OP for stepping up.

 

[kunonabi]

Did hear it's worse than the first for what it's worth.

Thats kind of impressive actually.

 

[Linkura]

Thats kind of impressive actually.

Seems like Gust's quality keeps going down and down lately, so I'm not really surprised. I'm a huge Atelier fan and I'm extremely wary of Lydie/Soeur.

 

[chrominance]

As someone who is a big fan of the Atelier series, I haven't seen anything that's interested me since the initial reveal, when it looked like it might be Sailor Moon meets Persona. Curious to see what other people think about the whole package.

 

[Derkon]

Holding off on this one, I haven't heard the best of things about it. Seems Gust has been falling off lately?

 

[Stuart444]

I'm looking forward to it, I tend not to look at reviews or whatever for these games as I tend to feel differently usually.

So we'll see.

Regardless of Gust quality (their music is always top notch and imo, Atelier quality doesn't usually go down and if it does, it goes up soon after), I like that they try newer things like Nights of Azure rather than sticking with their flagship series like Atelier all the time. And I say that as a big Atelier fan <3

(I need to finish the most recent one though)

Anyway, Hopefully I'll find time this weekend to check out Blue Reflection and see how it goes.

 

[Cornbread78]

It's just a shame there's no Vita version in NA. I might've been inclined to give it a shot on a handheld, but....

 

[kromeo]

I thought Escha and Logy was the best Atelier game and Shallie was decent, were Sophie and Firis really that bad?