The game is divided between social simulation at the school and dungeon-crawling in "Heartscapes"—worlds manifested from the characters' inner emotions.

The for the PC version (often associated with the CODEX release) introduced several feature additions and technical fixes: Blue Reflection: Second Light - Is It Any Good? (Review)

Combat uses an "Ether" system where players use skills to increase their "Gear" level. Reaching Gear 3 allows characters to transform into powerful Reflectors .

Players can gather materials to build facilities like a juice bar or photo studio, which provide permanent character buffs and unlock social events.