Gust has been great at queer representation in games, especially with the likes of Nights of Azure and Atelier. Blue Reflection Second Light continues that thread by having a factual lesbian couple in it that addresses them as such. Sure, a lot of Gust's queer rep could be considered more so pandering, but the way they handle this relationship is absolutely one of the best representations in gaming history. As well, the game never strays too far from giving your main character some romantic action, and cute character growths between them and the rest of the cast.
Second Light isn't all just cute shappics doing cute lesbian things tho; the game is a continuation of the Blue Reflection series and helps world build on the previous game and anime that came before it. I say this not to deter folks that haven't played the previous game or seen the anime, but merely to encourage further looks into the respect property as this game can absolutely be played as a standalone title. While I'm not exactly happy with collective amnesia as a main plot point (see Glory of Heracles); the way Second Light uses emotions and certain lore reveals helps impact the story far better than a simple "I forgot I was this". Second Light does an upstanding job of helping you relate and learn about their characters through dating activities and cutscenes, and the only real shame this game has is that you simply can't experience it all in one playthrough.
Blue Reflection Second Light also uses, and expands the battle system it had previously, but also cuts out some more challenging parts. While I wouldn't call regular battles themselves particularly challenging, the boss battles in the previous game were absolutely a wonderful mix of challenge and preparation management that sadly is lacking in the sequel. Instead what we get is an odd mix of focusing on a combo system, active timeline based combat, and occasionally 1 on 1 matches. The problem here, however, is that there is too much weight on holding your combo over knocking the enemy off your timeline to attack you. While it doesn't seem like a big problem at first, the further you go into the game, the more apparent it gets that having faster characters and reactions leads to bigger combos and therefore damage. This makes faster characters, and maximum button presses to be the overall focus over something more nuanced like causing super effective damage or knockback. This means that the majority of the time you're just using the same attacks over and over again without going into further tactics; this sucks because there are new mechanics that get underutilized because of it. One on One battles are largely absent from any challenge as further in the game you are just too stacked against enemies that you either beat them before a one on one fight can happen or bosses are already on the brink of death. As well, the super attacks that you acquire later on require a hefty 15 turn combo to be acquired, and sadly combat just doesn't last that long in regular battles or boss fights. There is clearly a lot of thought going into the combat system, but the game allows you to be busted to quickly to sadly make any real use of it, and due to the lack of the hefty boss battles we had in the previous game, there simply isn't any challenge to this game.
I'd be remissed if I didn't talk about more of the games good points, and I assure you that Second Light has a lot going on visually. From the way they present overworlds, to the imagery in each dungeon, and the way they present some of the games cutscenes. It really works well with it's dreams and memory elements that really help sell how this can be a person's mind, feelings, or desires. Add on the fact that this game has literally the best version of in game camera I have seen. The fact you can add certain characters or enemies, pose them in certain ways, move the camera in any way you want, and the many filters they have for you. Honestly, you can spend hours just making a bunch of fun scenarios with the camera that I just don't see in other games especially being as easy or having as many options as Second Light has. Plus the soundtrack for both Blue Reflection games has been absolutely stellar with it's way to present emotion and calm moments mixed together to form a soundtrack that just feels like something you listen to while trying to study for that big test tomorrow. Absolutely nothing in that soundtrack is a miss, and the way this game kinda just blends into the background for Second Light really help the overall atmosphere for the game.
Unique, I think is the best way I can describe the Blue Reflection series. The way it handles it's elements, characters, and lore are all fascinating and really make me wish more would come from this series. Second Light is certainly a step back when it comes to combat, but it absolutely nails everything else it has going for it. The story is wonderful, the soundtrack is relaxing, and the visuals have only gotten better. If you haven't played Second Light yet; please do, it's apart of a wonderful series that deserves more praise.
Second Light isn't all just cute shappics doing cute lesbian things tho; the game is a continuation of the Blue Reflection series and helps world build on the previous game and anime that came before it. I say this not to deter folks that haven't played the previous game or seen the anime, but merely to encourage further looks into the respect property as this game can absolutely be played as a standalone title. While I'm not exactly happy with collective amnesia as a main plot point (see Glory of Heracles); the way Second Light uses emotions and certain lore reveals helps impact the story far better than a simple "I forgot I was this". Second Light does an upstanding job of helping you relate and learn about their characters through dating activities and cutscenes, and the only real shame this game has is that you simply can't experience it all in one playthrough.
Blue Reflection Second Light also uses, and expands the battle system it had previously, but also cuts out some more challenging parts. While I wouldn't call regular battles themselves particularly challenging, the boss battles in the previous game were absolutely a wonderful mix of challenge and preparation management that sadly is lacking in the sequel. Instead what we get is an odd mix of focusing on a combo system, active timeline based combat, and occasionally 1 on 1 matches. The problem here, however, is that there is too much weight on holding your combo over knocking the enemy off your timeline to attack you. While it doesn't seem like a big problem at first, the further you go into the game, the more apparent it gets that having faster characters and reactions leads to bigger combos and therefore damage. This makes faster characters, and maximum button presses to be the overall focus over something more nuanced like causing super effective damage or knockback. This means that the majority of the time you're just using the same attacks over and over again without going into further tactics; this sucks because there are new mechanics that get underutilized because of it. One on One battles are largely absent from any challenge as further in the game you are just too stacked against enemies that you either beat them before a one on one fight can happen or bosses are already on the brink of death. As well, the super attacks that you acquire later on require a hefty 15 turn combo to be acquired, and sadly combat just doesn't last that long in regular battles or boss fights. There is clearly a lot of thought going into the combat system, but the game allows you to be busted to quickly to sadly make any real use of it, and due to the lack of the hefty boss battles we had in the previous game, there simply isn't any challenge to this game.
I'd be remissed if I didn't talk about more of the games good points, and I assure you that Second Light has a lot going on visually. From the way they present overworlds, to the imagery in each dungeon, and the way they present some of the games cutscenes. It really works well with it's dreams and memory elements that really help sell how this can be a person's mind, feelings, or desires. Add on the fact that this game has literally the best version of in game camera I have seen. The fact you can add certain characters or enemies, pose them in certain ways, move the camera in any way you want, and the many filters they have for you. Honestly, you can spend hours just making a bunch of fun scenarios with the camera that I just don't see in other games especially being as easy or having as many options as Second Light has. Plus the soundtrack for both Blue Reflection games has been absolutely stellar with it's way to present emotion and calm moments mixed together to form a soundtrack that just feels like something you listen to while trying to study for that big test tomorrow. Absolutely nothing in that soundtrack is a miss, and the way this game kinda just blends into the background for Second Light really help the overall atmosphere for the game.
Unique, I think is the best way I can describe the Blue Reflection series. The way it handles it's elements, characters, and lore are all fascinating and really make me wish more would come from this series. Second Light is certainly a step back when it comes to combat, but it absolutely nails everything else it has going for it. The story is wonderful, the soundtrack is relaxing, and the visuals have only gotten better. If you haven't played Second Light yet; please do, it's apart of a wonderful series that deserves more praise.