While the closure of Blue Protocol's Japanese servers in January 2025 and the cancellation of its global release devastated fans, a new yet similar game has risen from its ashes. That game is Blue Protocol: Star Resonance, an anime fantasy MMORPG that's actually launching in more territories than just Japan. I got the chance to jump in ahead of the global launch, and this game might have unlocked something in me that I didn't know existed.
I've played my fair share of anime-style live service games like Genshin Impact, but I've never dipped my toe into the all-consuming waters of MMORPGs. I've watched others play Final Fantasy XIV and WoW, but it's always felt too late to dive in. However, since Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is a completely new adventure, assuming no previous knowledge from the cancelled predecessor, it's the perfect opportunity for me to jump in. Plus, it's coming to mobile as well as PC, making it even better suited to my busy lifestyle.
One of the most important parts of any online game is character creation, so you can stand out from the crowd and, especially in MMORPGs, recreate your original characters down to the smallest detail to aid in immersion and roleplaying. While Blue Protocol's character editor doesn't let me get as chubby as I would like to be (this is a wider issue with anime games), it's pretty damn robust. I based my character on my Vtuber persona, and aside from the lack of cat ears, I managed to create a pretty good likeness. In the early game, you unlock plenty of extra cosmetics and hairstyles, and it's really easy to go back and edit your appearance at any time, which tells me that the dev team knows just how important drip is to the multiplayer experience.
As for your character's abilities, there are eight main classes to choose from, each having two sub-classes. It's clearly signposted from the very beginning the difficulty of each class, as well as their role in a wider team set-up, making the decision a lot simpler. I'm currently playing as a Concerto-style Beat Performer, as I love anything music-related, and it's a support role with a mid to long-range combat style. Due to my early access to the servers, I didn't have many real people to play with, but the sustained healing and shield buffs that I can offer my NPC teammates have helped keep us all alive so far. Class-switching is just as easy as character customization, so if you ever want to give a different role a go, the only downside is that you'll need to build up your skill tree again.
I love playing as a Beat Performer, and generally, combat feels smooth and robust, but I have some concerns about the size of the Blue Protocol's UI, both in combat and in the overworld. Despite the game releasing on PC and mobile, I only have access to the PC build for testing. Some of the buttons and text sizes are very small in comparison to the rest of the game's assets, and I'm worried that, when scaled down for smaller screens, these elements will become inaccessible to some players. I'll come back and update this section once I have a chance to test it on mobile, but it's something to be aware of.
I've played through the first chapter of the story, and while some elements of it are a tad generic - I've arrived in a strange fantasy land with amnesia and been roped into helping out the local adventuring team - the main NPC characters Airona and Tina are endearing, mainly thanks to their animations and fantastically-delivered Japanese voice acting. Airona even reminds me of Aqua from one of my favorite anime series, Konosuba. The first city, Asterleeds, feels alive and lived-in, making great use of levels to create a real-feeling neighborhood, rather than a flat hub world.
Overall, there's a lot to get excited about with Blue Protocol: Star Resonance, and I can see myself dedicating a decent chunk of my free time to exploring the world, forming guilds, and taking down bosses. I need to earn enough currency to make my character even cuter, so of course I have to put in the work!
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