Thank you VisualArts for sending us this game to review!

Way back in 2018, VisualArts/Key released the original Summer Pockets. While a bit shorter than many of Key's other full-length visual novels (VNs), it was still a lovely story that really touched my heart. Summer Pockets REFLECTION BLUE is an expanded version of Summer Pockets, with a more fleshed-out island of Torishirojima, along with more backstory of key characters. In my opinion, this takes an already excellent story to new heights thanks to the additions in REFLECTION BLUE.

It's probably worth noting that this is currently a Steam-only release here in the West, and the game was heavily review-bombed there at first. It's my understanding that while there were some changes made that not everyone appreciated, the main issues related to the string of negative reviews revolve around the Chinese localization. For us English speakers, the issues are much more minor. The main complaint is that this version of the game is based on the Switch version in Japan rather than the original PC version. This means that some of the more risque lines of dialogue and CGs (computer graphics, or art pieces) are partly covered up or obscured compared to the originals in Summer Pockets. I suspect for most of this audience, not seeing a girl's panties clearly is hardly a cause for concern. I'm grateful that this story is a bit more accessible as a result, even if that may upset some segment of the fan base.

The story starts with Takahara Hairi sitting on a ferry boat heading to the remote island, Torishirojima, where his late grandmother Kato (mother's side) lived. He received a letter from his aunt (mother's sister) asking for assistance in organizing and cleaning up the many things she left behind. Since he has nothing else to do that summer vacation, he decided to accept her offer and make the trip. After all, school was pretty rough this past year, and he could really use the time away to refresh and recharge. As he is arriving at the port, he sees a beautiful girl with long hair who's gone before he realizes it. Thus begins the story of his incredibly memorable summer vacation.

It doesn't take long before he comes to find out that his aunt Kyoko loves organizing the storage shed mostly on her own, so Hairi ends up having a lot of free time on his hands. It's during this free time that he can choose to hang out with several other kids his age - male and female - and he makes friends quickly. From the typically shirtless Ryouchi and the modesty enforcing Miki, to the table tennis obsessed Tenzen and the several romantic interests, Hairi has plenty to do and see while on this island. It was written to feel nostalgic, and they succeeded; I certainly enjoyed reading through much of this story a second time with REFLECTION BLUE.

While most of the game is in the form of visual novel (words + pictures with Japanese voice acting), there are also a couple of mini games throughout. There is the table tennis minigame, Islapong, and there is also a Pokemon-like card game called Islamon. The random number generator makes battles somewhat difficult to predict, but I discovered that you can abuse the forward and backward buttons to redo battles, which helps a lot. The table tennis game is pure skill, but is easier with a touchscreen or mouse rather than gamepad controls, since you have to switch paddle positions quickly. Thankfully there is a new Easy mode in case that's too much.

Like many Key visual novels, there are primary character routes, and in this case multiple epilogues as well. As you play, the role of certain characters (especially your cousin, Umi) grows in importance. All of the characters are filled with charm; whether it's Ryouchi's laugh-inducing stripping (he hates wearing a shirt), Ao's random naps, Miki's Hydro Gladiator KAI water cannon, Shizuku's constant admiration for boobies, or Shiroha's calling you a local insult, the characters are all memorable and extremely well written. While the early part of the story is filled with laughs, as you go down each character arc, deeper themes and deep relationships emerge.

The original story had four main heroines, while with REFLECTION BLUE it is expanded to eight. There are the original four main arcs: Shiroha, Tsumugi, Ao, and Kamome. Kamome is a standalone arc and can be played at any time. Ao should be played fairly early, since a central mystery is explored there, and definitely before Miki's route. Tsumugi and Shizuku's routes are tied together somewhat, and I'd recommend playing Tsumugi's first. Umi has a route that has to be played early, during the first half, or she must be played after the main story is complete. Shiroha's arc is the main one that leads to the epilogues. Shiki is an entirely new character, and is mostly standalone, but her route is probably best played as one of the last.

Each of the heroines are adorable in their own way and blossom into truly memorable characters. Shiroha is the main character, and your relationship grows into a deep love that helps both of you grow as people. Tsumugi's arc is extremely touching. She's a bit of an airhead, but extremely sweet - and where the story takes it is quite touching. Shizuku's route is one of the best of the new routes, and one I enjoyed a lot. Kamome is a ton of fun, and is also an emotional story in its own right. Ao's arc is still awesome, and one that is very well written. Miki's route is new and very sweet. Umi's route is not romantic at all (as it should be), and does somewhat foreshadow later routes. Shiki's route starts off a bit odd, but eventually worked up to be quite remarkable and touching while really bringing even more history and lore to light about that remarkable island they grow to love so much.

Each route really gets you invested in these wonderful characters, and honestly every minute getting deeper into this story is one well spent. I really came to love each and every one of them. If you are a sucker for sentimentality even a little bit, or have a heart that enjoys a good love story, you will definitely enjoy Summer Pockets REFLECTION BLUE. With that said, I certainly was reminded of story elements from CLANNAD and other Key works at times. Even still, they are all different and well written enough that they all stand alone on their own merits, and fans and readers of those other works shouldn't be distracted by any similarities.

Given the love stories here and the playful nature of some of the characters, significant appropriateness issues are unfortunately inevitable. For one thing, Hairi normally goes to an all-boys school, and he often uses that as an excuse to say that he is of course curious about how those panties look, he's interested in touching when girls are too close, and so on. He sometimes controls his impulses, but not always (or you can choose not to control them in some cases). Topics like dirty magazines and movies come up, and even sexual dreams. One girl tends to take somewhat innocent statements and finds an erotic way to interpret what is said and gets flustered as a result. Interestingly, this is actually incorporated into the story in a way that is more than just for laughs.

One girl has an obsession with boobies and talks about them quite often. It starts with her own; she is quite proud of them. Several character arcs involve the player being able to see depictions of several of the heroines in various states of undress; one girl you see her changing (censored in this release), while another you walk in on her bathing. There are other situations, where you save a girl from drowning but her clothes slip mostly off (also censored in this release), and a time when you bathe together (but that is all described, not shown, and it's not as voyeuristic as it sounds). There is also a scene where you plan a stunt to flip up your girlfriend's skirt; they somehow do this in a way to make it not as bad as it sounds, but it still happens.

Most girls generally wear reasonably modest clothing, with some notable exceptions. The 'booby girl' Shizuku wears a swimsuit that has so much cleavage it's almost certainly played for laughs - but little is left to the imagination. You can see a girl in her underwear a few times, but generally with less showing than in the last release. In one character arc, it's strongly hinted that you and your girlfriend have some kind of sexual encounter; the specifics are left out but it's heavily implied. There is a scene where the girl is sleeping and mumbles something about it tickling when you kiss her there.

Your eight-year-old cousin Umi is adorable, but you find yourself in some awkward situations with her (mostly optional, but not always). You can also take a bath with her (nothing is shown). In the original, there are jokes about being a 'lolicon', with humorous hijinks to follow. I don't recall seeing that in this release.

While they are not common, curse words are used, including '*ss', 'd*mn', 'sh*t', 'p*ss', and 'h*ll'. There is a local temple on the island, and you can choose to make an offering there. You also can earn nicknames based on a few responses, and one includes the name 'Lucifer' and another is a 'host who has forgotten how to flirt'. You go through a marriage-like ceremony in a couple of routes, and one leads to moving in together and getting legally married after that.

From a technical point of view, it ran great on Windows or Steam Deck and desktop Linux. I played probably 80% of the game on desktop Linux via Steam Proton without issue, except for one odd bug near the end of the game that impacted me on both Windows and Linux. In the final epilogue chapters, I had strange problems where I couldn't get the game to progress to the next phrase. Strangely, if I browsed through the save files, it started working again. Truly odd, but at least I figured out a workaround. The game plays great with keyboard/mouse or with a controller. I did notice that sometimes the game would not exit properly, and I had to click the Stop button on Steam to get it to shut down completely before syncing Cloud saves (which thankfully works perfectly).

For as much as I loved Summer Pockets, this new REFLECTION BLUE release just improves on it in so many ways, both big and small. The new routes are lovely, but the much more fleshed out ending really makes the whole thing worth it. This, along with the gorgeous art and fantastic music leads this to be one of my favorite visual novels in recent memory. It deserves to sit among the other VisualArts/Key masterpieces. This one took me a bit over sixty hours to complete every arc, though I have not gotten every record or achievement. If you are looking for a heartwarming tale of summer love and friendship, then I definitely recommend Summer Pockets REFLECTION BLUE, as long as you understand that the writing is really meant for more mature audiences, and take the appropriateness warnings I posted above into consideration.