Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is a pleasantly repetitive experience that leaves no lasting impression

by

I don’t usually play free-to-play or gacha games, but Blue Protocol caught my attention when it was announced. The trailers showed beautiful cities and landscapes, and the game – an anime-style online RPG with fast-paced combat – seemed like a guaranteed hit. It was originally going to be released in the West through Amazon, which made it seem even more promising. Unfortunately, despite all that potential, the game ultimately failed.

The game launched in Japan, but the Western release faced delays and was eventually canceled without much announcement. Shortly after, Bandai Namco completely shut down the game globally. Like many similar online games, Blue Protocol struggled to gain traction and was ultimately discontinued.

Following the initial release, Blue Protocol: Star Resonance arrived as a refreshed version with cross-play between PC and mobile, along with updated gameplay features, while retaining the original’s exciting anime-inspired style. Because I was intrigued by the first game, I was curious if Star Resonance could deliver the experience I had hoped for with a fully realized Blue Protocol. My expectations for what Blue Protocol could have been definitely influenced how I played and perceived Star Resonance.

Honestly, the first thing that grabbed me about this game was how good it looks. It’s not pushing any graphical boundaries, but it’s definitely a pretty game! The characters look great, the open areas are bright and cheerful, and there’s this nice, playful vibe to everything. The art style really pulls the world together, making it feel like one connected place instead of a bunch of random areas. Plus, the NPCs actually show emotion, and the environments are just charming enough to keep me wanting to play. The best part? It looks fantastic on both my PC and my iPhone!

The music and sound effects contribute to the game’s relaxed atmosphere. Instead of being loud or dramatic, the audio is warm and calming, featuring soft strings, peaceful flutes, and occasional beautiful melodies that enhance exploration. It’s designed to blend into the background and make the game world feel inviting and comfortable, much like a soothing warm bath.

Surprisingly, I actually preferred playing Star Resonance on my phone over my PC. I typically like playing games on a bigger screen, like with my Switch or Steam Deck connected to a TV. But this game’s relaxed style and simple gameplay felt perfect for a phone. On PC, it felt a little empty, while on my phone it was easy to pick up and play for short bursts. The game’s simplicity actually works well in a handheld format. However, this is also where Star Resonance starts to become less engaging. While it’s enjoyable, it lacks challenge and sometimes feels like you’re just watching the game happen rather than actively playing it.

While playing, I never felt any real pressure or difficulty. The combat looks exciting, with dodging, attacks, and spells, but it often feels imprecise and detached. Enemies don’t pose much of a threat, and I could usually win just by pressing one button, letting the game automatically perform the best attack combinations. I rarely felt like I was in danger or motivated to improve my skills. The game keeps you occupied, but it’s rarely truly captivating – unless you’re navigating the many menus trying to decide what to buy.

What really bothered me was how much time I spent just running around – rushing from one task to the next, and listening to characters deliver awkward, unnatural dialogue that sounded like it was translated by a computer. The conversations weren’t wrong, but they didn’t flow like real people talking. It didn’t feel like a compelling story; it just felt like pointless tasks.

I found myself rushing through endless, empty areas just to complete simple tasks and run back – over and over again. After a while, it stopped feeling like an exciting adventure and started to feel like a delivery job in an anime. Getting around the world also felt slow and boring. While you can jump and climb, the game doesn’t really encourage you to explore. There are no interesting discoveries or hidden secrets – it’s a large open world that feels empty and pointless.

The game quickly falls into a repetitive cycle: you run around, chat with characters, your attacks happen automatically, you gather items, improve your gear, and then do it all over again. While playing is enjoyable and even relaxing, it lacks real excitement. It’s easy to spend an hour playing without noticing, but you won’t feel like anything memorable happened when you stop.

Star Resonance clearly takes a lot of inspiration from the success of games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. While it’s obvious where the developers drew ideas from, simply copying those games isn’t enough. Star Resonance feels incomplete, like a faded copy – you’re constantly reminded that you’re not playing the original experience.

The game has a lot of different currencies. Before you know it, you’re managing several types of tokens, gems, and vouchers. You constantly earn things, but it’s often unclear what they’re actually used for. These currencies all connect to each other in a complex system, seemingly designed to keep you playing and connected to your payment method.

It’s tough to get truly immersed in Star Resonance because you’re constantly reminded it’s trying to get you to spend money. Beautiful moments are often overshadowed by requests for purchases or the feeling that you need to unlock content through random chances or paid upgrades. Despite these issues, I didn’t dislike the game. It’s simply a decent way to spend some time – not particularly exciting, but also not bad.

I could play this game casually, like while watching TV or doing chores. However, even though I wanted to get hooked on the updated Blue Protocol, I couldn’t find a compelling reason to keep playing, particularly as it became clearer how much the game pushes you to spend money.

Okay, so Blue Protocol: Star Resonance looks really good, I’ll give it that. It’s nice to play, sure, but honestly? It just feels…empty. There’s no real challenge, nothing surprising, and no big payoff moment. It’s just kinda…there. You can tap away at it, maybe spend a little money, but it’s the kind of game you play until something more urgent, like the laundry, demands your attention.

Read More

2025-11-08 22:27