Highly Anticipated New MMORPG Is Climbing Steam Charts, But Is It Worth Playing?

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For years, *Genshin Impact* has been the most popular free-to-play anime game. But lately, many new games with stunning anime-style graphics have emerged. Fans may remember testing a beta version of the Japanese RPG *Blue Protocol* in 2023, which was originally planned for a Western release. While that didn’t happen, a new game set in the *Blue Protocol* universe is now available. *Blue Protocol: Star Resonance* launched today, October 9th, offering a new massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) experience on both PC and mobile devices.

Players who enjoyed the original *Blue Protocol* test and fans of games like *Genshin Impact* have been eagerly anticipating *Star Resonance*. I was immediately drawn in by its beautiful anime-style graphics and the fact that it’s free to play. While gacha games sometimes get a bad reputation, I’m always willing to give free games a try – as my consistent playtime in *Umamusume: Pretty Derby* shows. I was excited to see *Star Resonance* quickly gaining popularity on Steam after launch (over 86,700 players were playing at the same time when I last checked). However, I noticed the game has received mostly negative reviews on Steam, so I decided to play it myself and see if this free-to-play anime MMORPG is actually worth playing.

Blue Protocol: Star Resonance Negative Reviews Focus on Gacha Mechanics, Server Limitations, & UI

Many gamers on Steam immediately dislike a game if it includes gacha elements or feels like a mobile game port. This makes it difficult to get an accurate read on games like *Blue Protocol: Star Resonance* from Steam reviews. Looking at initial reactions from players who’d only played for a short time, I noticed some of that negativity – complaints about “gacha” features and the game feeling like a low-quality mobile game. This kind of feedback is common for games released on both mobile and PC, and wouldn’t necessarily discourage me from trying it.

Okay, so while I’m really enjoying the game, I’ve been seeing a lot of other players mention some legit concerns that the developers, Shanghai Bokura Network Technology, should probably look into. A big one is the lack of servers for different regions – it’s causing connection issues for some of us. Also, some people aren’t thrilled with the auto-battling stuff, and right now Steam achievements are broken, which is a bummer. Plus, a few of us are getting some frame rate drops, so hopefully they can fix those too.

Even though the game has received a lot of criticism, some people are still having fun playing it. Interestingly, some of the negative reviewers said they might return if problems with server speed and achievements get fixed, as they really liked the game’s art style. Others believe fans of *Genshin Impact* will enjoy it despite the initial negative feedback. That was enough to convince me – I decided to try *Blue Protocol: Star Resonance* myself and see what I thought.

An Honest Opinion on Blue Protocol: Star Resonance From a Gacha Game Enjoyer

I’ve had a chance to play *Blue Protocol: Star Resonance*, and I understand both the criticisms and the praise. It seems like fans of games like *Genshin Impact* will likely have a good time with it. I was really hooked and wanted to keep playing – and for me, that’s a great sign for any new game. I anticipate spending a lot of time with it, although the current level cap of 21 might hold me back until they add more content.

The game immediately puts you in the middle of things. While there’s a little bit of initial chatter with characters, you quickly get to experience the combat system. I wasn’t sure what people meant by complaints about auto-shooting – you absolutely have to aim and attack manually, and there are different skills you can use. The combat felt a lot like playing Throne and Liberty, another free online game. However, there are definitely some things the developers could still improve.

The animation for characters’ mouths when they talk looks a little strange and blurry. Also, there’s no English dub, so you’ll need to rely on subtitles if you don’t understand Japanese. Thankfully, not every scene has spoken dialogue, which is similar to games like *Umamusume: Pretty Derby* – you can still enjoy the game without understanding the Japanese voice acting.

Regarding the server issues, I didn’t experience any significant problems with stability. The game was a little slow to start up initially, but once it loaded, it ran smoothly. The biggest impact of not having separate servers was seeing a lot of different languages in the chat. While this could be annoying for players who enjoy the social aspects of the game and want to find groups, joining a guild and using that chat would probably fix it. Or, if you prefer to play solo like I do, you can simply ignore the general chat and focus on the game itself.

I was really impressed with the game’s art style, even though it had some occasional frame rate problems. The game world is beautiful and feels similar to other anime-inspired games like *Genshin Impact* or *Honkai: Star Rail*. What’s really different and a welcome change is the character creator. I love being able to customize my own character, which is something many similar games don’t let you do – they usually focus on getting characters through in-game purchases. In *Blue Protocol: Star Resonance*, you get to design your own hero, and there are a good number of options for a free-to-play game. While it would be great to have more skin tones and better options for creating larger body types, those issues are common in games like this. Despite those limitations, I enjoyed spending a lot of time building my character, experimenting with hairstyles and colors.

Regarding complaints about the game’s gacha system, I don’t really share those concerns. Some games heavily push gacha pulls on players, but in *Star Resonance*, while monetization is present, it’s not required, especially in the beginning. The shop mainly offers cosmetic items for your character, and some gear could help you improve in battles. However, the game doesn’t constantly pressure you to spend money on random pulls. There are mystery boxes and random items, but you can mostly buy specific items with in-game currency, rather than relying on random chances. So, while the game does have monetization, it’s not the typical ‘gacha’ system where you need to pull for new characters or weapons to progress.

Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is new, and it still has some issues. Like reviewers pointed out, I was getting achievements for things I hadn’t done, and the game could use some improvements to its frame rate. Leveling up feels a little too easy, making you reach the level cap quickly. However, since it’s free to play with reasonable monetization, it’s worth checking out if you enjoy anime-style graphics or are looking for a new MMORPG. Don’t be put off by early negative feedback. If you’re okay with how free-to-play games are monetized, Blue Protocol could be a great game for you.

Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is now available to play for free on PC through Steam, and on iOS and Android mobile devices. The game offers optional in-game purchases, including a monthly Battle Pass.

Have you played *Blue Protocol: Star Resonance* yet? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your opinion and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-10-09 23:12