As the last summer day fades, all is illuminated.
Blue Reflection: Second Light (titled as Blue Reflection Tie in Japan) is a JRPG from Gust Corporation. It was released in Japan for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on October 21, 2021, with a Western release for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam on November 9, 2021. It makes the third entry in the "Blue Reflection Project", starting with Blue Reflection and Blue Reflection Ray.
Ao Hoshizaki and her friends are a group of schoolgirls attempting to live a peaceful school life...a process made more complicated by the fact that they and their school have been transported to the middle of a realm known as the Heartscape that seems to be a mish-mash of several different environments. It doesn't help that none of them can remember their lives before this either. Still, with the power to transform into magical defenders known as "Reflectors", the girls attempt to make the most of their lives and figure out what's going on.
But this task is not easy. Creatures roam the land that can challenge the girls even with their powers. The sky seems to be cracking as our heroes get closer to the truth. And that's something not quite right about those two blonde girls who keep showing up, seemingly knowing more about the situation than they're telling...
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents: Kirara's father exploited her ability to hear The Divine for his own political gain. Although she doesn't appear to have any outward resentment towards him for this, her final bonding scene shows the consequences: she became suicidal over losing her ability to connect with the Divine, but fortunately manages to confront it and resolve to continue living.
- Actionized Sequel: Combat is a bit faster this time around. There's more of an emphasis on dealing combos and certain fights can allow you to go one-on-one with the enemy.
- Amazing Technicolor Battlefield: The final layer in Rena's Heartscape as well as the final layer of Yuki's Heartscape (which is also apart of Rena's) is decorated by large twinkling stars on the ground and in the sky and features a large lighthouse. Hinako's Heartscape features a giant rainbow path that leads up to the area boss.
- Apocalypse How: As there was no overseer, the World System decides to "restart the world" by sending the Ash and monsters to destroy everything in it in an effort to "fix" the problem. Those in the Oasis are the only ones who managed to escape the destruction and the World System is trying to get rid of them to finish the "restart."
- Arc Words: The very first message Ao receives on her phone that starts her off on her journey is a mysterious two-word phrase: Be Reborn. These words are brought up sporadically throughout the story, and holds significant meaning for a number of major plot points. Namely, the rewriting of the universe, the inevitable nature of the Stable Time Loop, and the necessity of Ao Hoshizaki's births and rebirths to maintain the loop. From a narrative standpoint, it also highlights Ao's growth from ordinary high school girl into something more special.
- Big Bad: The unseen World System is responsible for everything bad in the game, and probably in the entire series. Their attempt to reset the world forces Yuzu and Lime to create the Oasis to protect the remaining Reflectors.
- Bittersweet Ending: Reality is rewritten so that the World System never sent the Ash to reset the universe. However, Ao—a time traveler from this new future—is doomed to be born in this new world, be transported across space and time to Oasis, and essentially be sacrificed for eternity as part of a Stable Time Loop so that the plan to overwrite history can succeed in the first place. Moreover, Ao has saved her friends from their original horrible fates, but will never meet them again in the rewritten timeline they created together since her time loop begins before she even has the opportunity to come across them. The normal ending of the game emphasizes the bittersweet-ness: one of the Reflectors (whose identity is based on who you decide to spend time with after the final boss) is walking alone on the same street in the prologue. For the one second Ao appears to walk past the Reflector but then disappears the next. The Reflector appears distraught that she cannot see Ao anymore, but then smiles while looking at the bright blue sky with white clouds, no longer tainted by the dark Ash. The very last scene shows a metaphysical version of Ao dropping her phone unto the floor with the message "Be Reborn".
- This is mitigated by the True Ending of the game, which can only be achieved by beating the game again on New Game Plus, where Ao suddenly reappears in the flesh and the Reflector runs to go meet her.
- Boss Rush: Unlocked after completing the Hidden Island DLC quest. 5 rounds of 9 bosses and getting increasingly difficult after each round to earn Fragments.
- Color-Coded Secret Identity: The first three Reflectors, Ao, Kokoro, and Rena, wear school uniforms with skirts that conveniently match their respective Reflector colors.
- Continuity Nod: Hiori briefly met Kokoro in Blue Reflection Ray. In Second Light, Hiori is pulled into the Oasis thanks to Kokoro's memories of her.
- Mio mentions to Ao that she lost her fragment, another event that occurred in the anime.
- Dead All Along: Yuki, whom died due to the Ash before coming to the Oasis and was revived by The World to be a spy on the girls in the Oasis.
- Disc-One Final Dungeon: The girls must traverse a large clock-looking field to confront their final inner hesitations, which is followed up with another field that leads to The World itself.
- Final Boss, New Dimension: The World transports the party back to the school roof but everything looks frightening with the blue water and sky becoming a shade of crimson red.
- Foreshadowing: In the final dungeon, as each character faces their insecurities, they are removed from the group chat on Ao's phone as a sign they are ready to leave the Oasis. By the end of it, only Ao herself remains. Take a guess at what happens during the ending.
- Forest of Perpetual Autumn: Kokoro's Heartscape which sees a very pretty autumn like shade in the trees and grass. Similar style is seen in the first layer of Kirara's Heartscape.
- Freaky Fashion, Mild Mind: In contrast with the soft and frilly outfits of previous Reflectors, the Reflectors introduced in this game have a distinctly Darker and Edgier look, with various designs like leather, bones, chains, and grim reaper. However, all of them are mild-mannered and kind-hearted. That said, Ao's Reflector outfit is inspired by her Chuunibyou phase.
- Gateless Ghetto: Ao's Heartscape overlaps with Graffiti Town as you explore part of an empty city where graffiti lines the walls. Uta, Shiho, Mio, Hiori and Hinako also have layers in their Heartscapes that feature cityscapes.
- Green Hill Zone: The Final Layer of Hinako's Heartscape features a pretty field with a lot of flowers and grass. Uta's Heartscape features her memories countryside where she would visit her grandmother, and the Happiness Zone from the original game in Yuzu and Lime's Heartscape. The second layer of Rena's Heartscape has the player ascending the mountains.
- "Groundhog Day" Loop: Essentially the girls are living an endless summer in the Oasis.
- If the fragment of Ao is to be believed, then Ao is doomed to repeat being in the Oasis for all eternity to save everyone else. Subverted as said fragment eventually grows tired of the cycle and encourages Ao to find a way to break it.
- Harder Than Hard: The MUST DIE difficulty (Deathwish in North America), is included in a free update. On this difficulty, enemies are much stronger, faster, and more durable than they are on Hard difficulty, and bosses can wipe out the entrie party in a few turns.
- Healer Signs On Early: Rena, one of the game's two healers, is included in the initial party. The second healer, Shiho, joins the team in Chapter 2.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Three of the girls use blades in battle: Hinako, Shiho and Hiori. Averted with Ao, Kokoro and Rena, who use a scythe, gun and ring, respectively.
- Hub Under Attack: Happens a few times in the story as the girls continue to recover their memories, cracks form in the Oasis dome allowing monsters to get in.
- An Interior Designer Is You: You can actually add new things around the school for your personal use.
- Item Crafting: Plays a bigger role this time around. In addition to items, you can also build new facilities around the school to use.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: None of the cast can remember why they were sent to the Heartscape in the first place.
- Last Bastion: The Oasis is the last place in the universe that is safe from the Ash that has already destroyed the world.
- Leaked Experience: Party members in reserve receive just as much EXP as the active party members.
- Living Is More than Surviving: Subtly done. While getting the heck out of there is obviously the most important goal, the girls also attempt to enjoy themselves and find ways to keep happy while doing so.
- Magic Skirt: Compared to the first game, Second Light is much more careful with its camera angles to avoid any upskirt views, at least when the girls are in their default school uniforms.
- Market-Based Title: The Japanese subtitle Tie indicates how it ties the original game and Ray together by bringing back most of their respective casts to interact with the new characters while setting up connections to the later released Sun. Due to the relative obscurity of the series overseas, these connections would be lost on international audiences, so the English subtitle is instead Second Light to remind people there's a first game, though the title screen voiceover still says Tie.
- Modesty Shorts: The Hospitality Kitty outfits have shorts underneath their miniskirts.
- Motif: Each playable Reflector has a unique motif that accompanies them during Transformation Sequence.
- Ao: a feather
- Kokoro: a heart
- Rena: a four-leaf clover
- Shiho: a crescent moon
- Hinako: a star
- Hiori: a cherry blossom
- Multiple Endings: The ending changes depending on who Ao speaks with after defeating the final boss.
- New Game Plus: After clearing the game once. Fragments, half of everyone's TP, and the Database are carried over. Notably. NG+ is required to view the true ending.
- Nightmare Sequence: Ao has one where her self-doubts about being a good team leader come up, after the failure in Uta's Heartscape.
- Nostalgia Level: Late in the game, you revisit the Common and traverse through the four areas based on the four emotions they represent.
- One Stat to Rule Them All: Ether Recovery is by far the most important stat to upgrade, since it allows Reflectors to perform more actions during combat, which translates to higher combos, more healing opportunities, and it also makes it easier for Ao to perform combo guards.
- Palm Tree Panic: The first layer of Rena's Heartscape is along the beach, where she and Yuki first met.
- Player Head Quarters: The school is where you will interact with everyone, craft items, and visit every Heartscape.
- Reconstruction: The story is not afraid to go down the route many a Magical Girl Genre Deconstruction takes, and regularly gives Foreshadowing warnings that the cast (and player) will eventually have to face some dark issues head-on. However, the overall message is a positive one where no matter how bad things get, how many mental problems anyone has, or how deep into despair anyone falls, the girls refuse to ever give up on each other, and that's what allows them to repel the Despair Event Horizon. It also reconstructs the role of the Reflectors after Blue Reflection Ray revolved around an enemy faction accusing them of only treating girls' emotional problems temporarily and doing nothing for their long-term pain. The Heartscapes delve a lot deeper into their backstories and how they shaped the girls as they are at present. Some take until the end of the game and a lot of struggle to find closure, but they eventually do in the end, with the max Talent events offering more final closure if you achieve them.
- Recurring Riff: The original Blue Reflection theme comes up a lot in the soundtrack of Second Light often in short spurts through the Heartscapes and prominently in the final boss theme.
- Redemption Demotion: Two formerly antagonistic Reflectors, Mio and Uta, join the heroes for good in this game, but they lose their Reflector powers and are relegated to supporting roles instead.
- Relationship Values: The closer the bonds between Ao and the girls, the more Talent skills they can unlock, which can greatly help out in battle.
- Shifting Sand Land: The second layer in Hinako's Heartscape features a desert environment, complete with a sandy hill to slide down.
- Ship Tease: Ao can go on dates with her female friends around the school, which leads to some flirty and romantic moments, such as sleeping on the same bed or offering a Lap Pillow. If her relationship with her friends get deep enough, they can even "upgrade" into Holding Hands.
- Spoiler Opening: The anime opening shows off the entire recruitable cast of the game.
- Stealth-Based Mission: One in the main story when trying to gather ingredients while avoiding a Demon that is too powerful for the party to handle. All of the rest are tied to optional sidequests and basically, "Get from Point A to Point B without being seen."
- Trapped in Another World: The Reflectors are trapped in a Pocket Dimension, where the only thing that exists is a high school surrounded by water.
- Transformation Sequence: All six of the playable characters have short sequences when they reach Gear 3 and don their Reflector outfits. The sequences are much shorter this time around and players can choose to see them once per battle, once per expedition, or just skip them entirely.
- Wham Line: Yuki gets it in her Heartscape when she reveals She's been Dead All Along and before the girls all came to the Oasis.
