BLUE REFLECTION

Key Game Points

Things You Can Do in Each Part

As the story develops throughout the game, the things you can do will increase.
Here you'll find an introduction to the key points of each of the three parts of the game: The Ordinary: School Life, The Extraordinary: The Common, and The Extraordinary: Battles with Sephira.

[1] The Ordinary: School Life

The goal during your school life is to not only advance the main story, but to also deepen your bonds with other students and take on missions in order to enhance your overall reputation.

During lessons, recess or after school, the story will progress and a variety of events will occur.

How friendly you are with the other students will be displayed by "exchange points". Once these points get high enough, special scenes will start to unfold.

After lessons finish you are free to walk around the school grounds, chat with other students or travel to the Common.

Head home after school and you'll see scenes of Hinako relaxing at home. In some cases you'll be offered choices, depending on how the scene plays out may affect how Hinako's abilities increase later on!

[Point: Take on missions after lessons!]

After lessons finish you can take on missions, which involve requests or problems from students. The story will develop futher after reaching a certain amount of "evaluation points" received from completing missions.

The contents of missions vary. Some of them will also provide you with "growth points," which you can use to enhance the abilities of Hinako and the other Reflectors.

[Point: Use growth points to level up!]

The growth points obtained from sources such as missions can be assigned to the status of each Reflector in order to Level Up. Applying the requisite number of points to a specific status will also allow new skills to be learned.

[Point: Use Bond Episodes and Date Events to deepen your bonds!]

"Bond Episodes" can occur when you talk to students after lessons. Advancing Bond Episodes will not only increase your exchange points, deepening your bond with the other students, but can also provide Fragments and growth points.

In the same manner as Bond Episodes, talking to other students after lessons can lead to a "Date Event" in which you head out to some fun activity together, also influencing your exchange points. Where you will end up is a surprise for after you've invited them to join you!

[Point: After lessons and school uniform on Rainy Days]

As the story develops, the weather in the game will change. If you head outside on a rainy day then even your school uniform will get wet!

[Point: FreeSpace!]

One of the vital communication tools used by Hinako and her friends is the "FreeSpace!" smartphone app. Menu items inside the app will increase as you progress through the game.

One such menu item, "Table Chat", let's you check messages shared between Hinako and the other students. Take a moment to enjoy the stories unfolding in cyberspace, too!

[Point: Having fun at home]

There are all sorts of things you can do at home, after getting back from school or before leaving in the morning. From relaxing in the bath to changing clothes or just contemplating life, you can see Hinako in a different light from when she's at school.

[2] The Extraordinary: The Common

Your primary goals in the Common are to search for the "Fragments" of emotions, and to complete missions.

In the Common you can obtain items or fight battles in order to clear missions. When you encounter an enemy, launching a preemptive attack will allow you to start that battle with the upper hand.

Battles in the Common must be fought using the combined strength of the three Reflectors. Select commands such as attack or support and defeat the demons!

[Point: Obtain Fragments from the Common!]

To uncover and resolve what is eating at the troubled students, you must also explore the Common and find the Fragment which will expose a clue to the underlying issue.

You can implement all sorts of effects mid battle by equipping Fragments you have obtained to your skills. What kind of Fragment will you combine with which kind of skill? Get equipping find out what best suits your battle style.

Fragments can also be upgraded by using the items you have collected. What you need for the upgrade will depend on the Fragment. However, effects of the Fragment after it has been enhanced may be completely different from what it was before...

[Point: Create items!]

Items you have picked up throughout the game can be used to make new items. These items can be crucial aids for battles in the Common. You will be able to make more items as you progress through the story.

[3] The Extraordinary: Battles with Sephira

"Putting an end to all of the Sephira, to grant a wish...

To dance again, to save the world, Hinako must band together with her friends at stand up against the terrifying Sephira."

All of the battles in the game, including those in the Common, are turn-based and involve selecting commands such as attack. The "TIMELINE" is displayed at the top of the screen, with characters being able to act once their icon reaches the center of the line.

Other critical battle elements are "MP" and emotional energy "Ether". MP is required to perform any kind of skill, be they attack or support based.

Ether can be charged by using "Ether Charge". Whilst performing Ether Charge, the character will also recover MP.

As well as commands such as "attack", the game also features "active commands", such as "guard" that reduces damage taken and "recovery" that heals the HP of all friends. The range of available active commands will increase as you progress through the game.

[Point: Make use of friends' support!]

The main difference between regular battles in the Common and fighting Sephira in the real world is that, when fighting Sephira, you can receive support from other students. Before fighting Sephira you can choose up to 4 other students per Reflector to fight alongside you.

Your friends have HP and MP. Support can be activated when they reach maximum MP. When a friend's HP falls to zero, they will temporarily retreat from the battle.

From attack through to defense, there is an enormous range of support actions. The higher the exchange points with a schoolmate, the more frequently they will perform support actions for you. Just wait and see what kind of support actions each character will perform!

During a fight with Sephira, your friends will provide information on the situation or battle advice via "live tweeting". Don't miss your chance for an Overdrive or to heal up!

[Point: Use active commands!]

You can have up to as many as four different active commands. The longer you hold the respective button down the more effective it will become, but the higher the Ether cost will be. "Supporter Protection", which heals the HP and MP of friends other than the Reflectors, is only available during battles with Sephira.

[Point: Chain actions using Overdrive!]

Apart from active commands, Ether acquired through Ether Charge can also be used to unleash "Overdrive"; a technique that allows multiple skills to be used in succession during a single turn. When your character's turn comes, select the "Overdrive" command and then select the number of times you want to use a skill.

The biggest advantage of Overdrive is that the damage caused by skills will increase with each additional one used. It's up to you whether you want to keep down the amount of Ether used and constantly use Overdrive a few skills at a time, or hold off until you have plenty of Ether stored up and then unleash everything you have in a single almighty attack!

There is an upper limit to the number of times skills can be chained during a single Overdrive. Once Overdrive has reached this limit, all three Reflectors will unleash a devastating Joint Attack finale.

*Screens shown are from a development version of the game.