After two weeks and over 50 hours of beta testing for Blue Protocol: Star Resonance, MeinMMO author Cedric Holmeier has gained a good impression of the upcoming anime MMORPG. He clarifies what players can expect and how to enjoy the title despite its Pay2Win elements.
Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is the re-release of the long-awaited Blue Protocol that many players have been anticipating. When it was announced that Amazon Games would bring the MMORPG to the West, fans of anime and MMORPGs alike were excited.
However, a release never happened and the MMORPG flopped in Japan shortly after its launch. Following this failure, the gaming giant Tencent secured the rights and created a new version of the failed MMORPG under the title Star Resonance.
Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is basically a kind of Frankenstein’s monster: rebuilt from a failed MMORPG and equipped with the elements that Tencent believes will bring success to the game:
- Characters and world in a charming anime style
- An extensive shop and a feature-rich character editor for great diversity
- Focus on theme park and PvE
- Short content so that the MMORPG is suitable for casual play
- Support for both PC and mobile (iOS and Android) so that it can be played on the go
In China, the new MMORPG is performing well so far, and now it aims to achieve success in the West. MeinMMO expert Cedric Holmeier knows how the chances look.
Here you can watch the trailer for Blue Protocol: Star Resonance:
Discouraging on Paper
If you look purely at the facts, Blue Protocol: Star Resonance initially sounds like the typical Asian MMORPG:
- Pay2Win in many facets
- Time-gating in dungeons, leveling, and story
- A shop with partly revealing and partly childish designs for clothes and accessories
- Energy system for crafting and trade
- Housing with an AFK planting mechanic that encourages players to log in repeatedly
- Mobile HUD with simultaneous focus on PC and mobile
- Auto-fight and auto-navigation, although there is no real auto-play
- Season system instead of major expansions
- Equipment that can be upgraded with half a dozen various functions before it is completely replaced every two weeks
Many of these points are also found in other Asian MMORPGs; however, hits like Throne and Liberty and Blade and Soul: NEO attract many thousands of players. They may deter especially in the West, but they do not mean that an MMORPG cannot succeed at all.
MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz recently labeled some of these points as “the 5 mistakes that Aion 2 must not make”. But these are exactly the mistakes Blue Protocol: Star Resonance makes, as the MMORPG does not seem well-adapted for the West. This also ties into the frustration about the shop that existed even before the beta launch.
Fun Despite Negative Buzzwords
Although Blue Protocol: Star Resonance may sound discouraging at first glance, it really surprised me during testing. The game pace sets clear limits through time-gating and ensures that no one can level up for 48 hours. While that sounds tough, it also allows casual players to keep up with hardcore gamers.
- Dungeons: On the first day, I was already able to farm in the Goblin Dungeon, break down unnecessary gear, and build new gear from it. Anyone who works diligently can be fully equipped on the first day.
- World bosses: They spawn in the open world for all players every half hour. With more than 20 players, you fight them, grab the loot, and sometimes even receive rare items like a boss copy as a combat companion – it’s exciting!
- Raids: You are supposed to encounter tough challenges in raids with up to 20 players. However, these were not available in beta yet.
- Progression: Dozens of systems that enhance the character and build upon each other. Crafting, grinding, dungeons, housing, everything can be used to improve your character. This invites experimentation.
The corset of the gameplay loop is tightly laced, but due to the regular improvement of your own character, there are always small success moments, such as when you reach the necessary gear score for the next dungeon.
The longer you play daily, the smaller the successes become over the course of the gameplay hours. The first minute is always the most efficient and the last minute of the day is always the least effective. Regular players have a corresponding advantage, but it usually amounts to only a day or two ahead of casual players.
Classes and Skills
Blue Protocol: Star Resonance relies on the holy trinity of the genre: tanks, healers, and DPS. However, a character can learn all 9 available classes simultaneously, which is particularly advantageous if a regular group member drops out.
Can you play two classes?
Theoretically, you can even play all classes at the same time in Blue Protocol: Star Resonance. However, due to the various gear sets, skill upgrades, and enhancement materials, this is not a good idea as a free-to-play player.
You receive just enough loot to play one class at a normal level. To play a second or even more classes, you will hardly be able to avoid spending real money – at least if you want to keep up. I would recommend rather creating one or two twinks and completing daily tasks there as well.
The skill system is refined – each class has nine skills available, including:
- 2 standard skills
- 1 ultimate skill
- 4 choice skills
- 2 battle image skills
The first 7 skills can be improved through the talent tree, skill upgrades, and skill expansions. For the battle image skills, grinding is particularly important. They can be earned from the above-mentioned world bosses and provide you with passive stats for your character.
However, the downside is that all skills can also be improved through the use of real money. Although there are daily limits, those who invest money have a clear advantage. Especially regarding the battle image skills, players with enough investment can give their character (especially at the beginning of a season) a significant advantage.
Nevertheless: The fights feel fundamentally fun, the dungeons require teamwork, and the in-game guides for the master modes give hope for great challenges.
If you’re not keen on grinding, you can also let the game run passively via auto-fight – rewards are still gained. However, there is no real auto-play in the game. Your character randomly presses all buttons from 1 to 9 and selects the nearest target via tab. This is sufficient for grinding, but it becomes very tight in dungeons.
By the way, Blue Protocol: Star Resonance does not have a PvP mode. If a player enhances their character with real money, they can only prove their newfound strength against monsters and teammates. Also, one searches in beta for a DPS, HPS, or tank meter in vain.
Who is Blue Protocol for?
Whether you can have fun with Blue Protocol: Star Resonance depends solely on your own attitude:
- Those who want to play at the top, interested in leaderboards, day-1 clears, and the best gear, will find it difficult to succeed without real money. Those who are put off by this should avoid the new MMORPG.
- Those who want to play casually can expect about two hours of content daily with dungeons, world bosses, and a lot of theme park. However, when encountering new and difficult dungeons, one might feel outmatched until they catch up a few days later.
As a free player, you can theoretically achieve everything in Star Resonance; it just takes longer. In the test, I noticed that the requirements for the harder difficulty of the dungeons were often set in a way that you needed to have completed everything every day up to that point and required some luck to gather enough character power.
If that was too low, I couldn’t enter the dungeon alone via the group finder. Then only my guild group without matchmaking helps, which has no requirements and can try it on their own at any time.
This will present a significant challenge for beginners later. With the countless systems, it is almost impossible to carve out the perfect path from the beginning and earn all items every day.
The Big BUT
Monetization remains the elephant in the room. Almost every system in the game works easier and faster with real money. Anyone who is allergic to shops, skins, or time limits should better not start with Blue Protocol: Star Resonance, at least if the developers don’t change anything after the beta.
Star Resonance is not the next WoW, FFXIV, or Guild Wars 2. It’s an Asian MMORPG for casual play, and it fulfills that role well. The developers would do well to listen to their own community and adjust the MMORPG, in terms of upgrade systems and monetization, more for the West.
Conclusion: You Can Have Fun!
Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is a contradiction in itself: on paper, it is discouraging, but in practice, it is surprisingly entertaining. It is an MMORPG that strategically sets up small success experiences and can bring joy to casual players. The gameplay loop feels fun despite its tight structure and encourages experimentation.
In the end, it solely depends on your own expectations: Whether it will be a hit or a flop depends on whether you can enjoy a free-to-play Asian MMORPG with a clear pay-to-win direction. What can happen when a development studio makes the wrong decisions can be seen right now with Tarisland: In 2024, an MMORPG in the style of WoW wanted to conquer the global market, now the developers are already announcing its end.
