Bandai’s MMO, Blue Protocol, has officially launched in Japan. While there will be a Western release in the future, I can’t wait that long. So I turned on my VPN, made a Japanese account, and have been playing essentially since launch. If you’d like to play in the Japanese servers, I made a quick guide to get you started. Make sure you are using a good VPN or your account will get banned. I use Mozilla VPN to play Blue Protocol. This isn’t an endorsement. It is the VPN I use for everything, and it works great for me.
Before you get started, it might be helpful to install the MORT: English Translation tool if you don’t know how to read Japanese. It comes in handy for some of the less intuitive quests but isn’t essential for your enjoyment of the game. MORT is a third-party app that translates Japanese text to English almost instantly. It is easy to set up and simple to use. Keep in mind that running MORT does put a strain on your computer. While I did not experience any performance issues, it did make my computer run hot. It’s a great tool you can download it on the official site if needed.
The first challenge of any MMO is the character creation. I am not big on character creation and can’t speak on how in-depth it gets. The character designs are heavily anime-inspired, which was fine, and there were enough choices to create a character I was happy with. I was excited to see that Blue Protocol offers darker skin tones in their character creation. It may not seem like a huge deal, but younger me would have loved going on adventures as a brown guy.
Once I made my character and decided on a class, I loaded into one of the most beautiful MMO worlds I have ever played in. I am blown away by how good this game looks. The spells look cool without being too busy, the attack animations are cool, and I love the monster design. Even the early-level boars look good in this game. The attention to detail in this game is astounding. There is a day and night cycle that will allow you to sit through some beautiful sunsets. I loved watching the blow through the grass as I ran through the large open fields. Based on the early levels, Blue Protocol brings a beautiful and immersive world that you should check out at least once. I can go on, but you need to see for yourself.
The early level is similar to any other MMO. I won’t spend too much time talking about the early levels. The early-level quests do a great job of teaching players the fundamental mechanics at a solid pace. There is a healthy population of players to help you if you get stuck. Most of the early-level quests are intuitive and don’t need translating. I did get stuck trying to get to adventure rank 2 to progress through the story, but this video does a great job explaining what to do if you get stuck:
Combat is where this game wins me over. I played the Spellcaster and loved it. There are five playable classes in Blue Protocol: Aegis Fighter, Twin Striker, Blast Archer, Spellcaster, and Heavy Smasher. Don’t stress about your choice too hard because you can change between classes freely later in the game. Choose whatever appeals to you most. I have only played Spellcaster and can’t speak on gameplay for the rest of the classes.
I love the magic mechanics of Blue Protocol. Spellcasters get a basic attack, a recharge action, 4 regular spell slots, and an ultimate. You have to stand still to cast a spell, but the kiting in this game feels so good. I never found myself standing still for too long, even when I was fighting low-level boars. What sets this game apart is how the mana regen mechanic. Mana either replenishes automatically after battles, with a spell you get early on, or with the recharge action. Combat becomes this fun game of managing your resources, kiting, and casting which I am all about now. Coming from the NGS magic system, combat took a bit of getting used to, but it is slowly becoming my favorite. I know for sure now that I will be a Spellcaster main.
I haven’t gotten too deep into the game, but I am enjoying the journey so far. The game looks great, runs perfectly, and it is a lot of fun. I don’t know how grindy it will be towards the end game. The early levels at least don’t haven’t felt grindy, although there are a bit too many fetch quests for my liking.
I have been searching for an MMO to replace the void Phantasy Star Online has left, and I think Blue Protocol might be the one. I have been enjoying it so much that I even stopped following the story because I want to enjoy it properly when it comes to the West. I do watch the cut scenes because the voice acting is fantastic. I will be playing Blue Protocol on the Japanese servers until the official Western release, or until I get banned for being American. Whichever comes first.