Blue Reflection: Second Light Official Soundtrack

What the report says

The first Blue Reflection game contains a consistently brilliant OST, full of chilled electronics and a breezy vibe. It’s definitely up there as one of my favourite video game soundtracks despite the game being a very patchy experience. The sequel, Blue Reflection:Second Light (or Blue Reflection: TIE in Japan), shook up some of the formula from the first game, capitalising on some of the features that brought success to the more recent Atelier games (especially Ryza), whilst still retaining that lovely summertime feel that is quintessentially Blue Reflection. The soundtrack brings back composer Hayato Asano and features new collaborator Toshihiko Watanabe, but how does it stack up to the first game?

Things start off very strong with the track “Glitter”—an interesting combination of breathy vocals and a modern take on city pop and jazz. Definitely a change in sound over the first game’s OST, eschewing electronics for soft acoustics and actual drums, but still very fitting for the atmosphere the series is creating. This is followed up by “TIE,” a new version of one of the most iconic and pretty tracks from the original game’s soundtrack, “Blue Reflection,” building upon it and layering more instruments to create a really pleasant, gentle experience. As track three hits, it becomes apparent that Second Light will be revisiting many of the compositions from its predecessor, but remixing and reimagining them, with “Piercing Blue” being a new version of “I (Sun).” I don’t necessarily have an issue with this, as that feeling of nostalgia is a big part of what makes these games have such a unique emotional quality to them—I just don’t want to hear it overused.

Second Light deserves its own identity too. What this series’ music generally does well is fuse gentle electronics with strings and piano to create music that sounds fresh and contemporary. Blue Reflection: Second Light certainly follows that tradition, though some of the first examples of that here are actually heavier than I was expecting. Tracks like “W-P Neurons,” which introduces big beats that merge nicely with the strings. Then, “My REAL” and “Our REAL” are pounding and feature much more tension in the sound than I’d expect from a Blue Reflection track, which is great to hear.

Key details

That newly found tension carries over into “There’s Nothing We Can’t Do, Right,” which has a great build, including glitchy repeating synths over a propulsive beat that sound urgent and yet somehow restrained too. “Daydream” is sleek, shiny and modern and “A Hopeful Astraea” is really beautiful, featuring swelling strings in a lower register that sound so deep and rich over the sparkly electronics—definitely an intriguing listen. These tracks highlight some of the best examples of how the electronic and acoustic combine so well in the OST, a quality I’m glad wasn’t lost between the two games.

The first game’s OST gave glimpses into a more experimental approach on a small handful of tracks, a tantalising moment when the composers tried something different or unexpected in the context of the full body of work. In Blue Reflection: Second Light, that experimental nature is much more present across a higher number of pieces, and it’s one my favourite things about this OST. “Transparent Shelter” is unsettling with its combination of electronic noise and a strange wobbly synth that sounds straight out of Final Fantasy VII, as Uematsu’s “Listen to the Cries of the Planet” instantly came to mind.

“Non-Linear Reliance” features samples from radio chatter and sounds that mimic busy city life to create an experience almost like the music is fading in and out of reality—bizarre but very effective. The rather sinister “Aquarium Brains” uses sounds played in reverse, and an almost industrial bass to give it bite. On the lighter side there’re tracks like “Milk Coffee on a Rainy Afternoon,” which was such a pleasant surprise with its trip-hop beat and a slight nod to ‘90s RnB. Tracks like these really stand out as something different, whilst the standard breezy electronic pop pieces are great it’s nice to have a wider range of genres and sounds explored in Second Light.

More from the announcement

Having these breaks and changes in the track list is very important here, primarily because of my main complaint with the OST for Blue Reflection: Second Light—an abundance of overly long tracks. I think a big part of why the first game’s soundtrack worked so well was that many of the tracks were kept below 3 minutes, giving you short, shimmery bursts that quickly got to the point.