IIt’s been a while since I played video games that didn’t really stretch my boundaries, but as a result it was still fun to play. Atelier Resleriana: Red Alchemist and White Guardian It does exactly that, using enough flesh in its bones, largely withholding its overly complex mechanisms and systems.
That may prevent you from joining the ranks of the biggest hits of the year, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The latest addition to the long list of titles in Koei Temco’s franchise takes advantage of its vast cast of characters, but its fascinating new protagonist is adorable despite some serious motivations that burn each story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x7nm978lhq
“You choose them at the beginning of the story either in the alchemist Rias or the Guardian Raid.”
You play as the Alchemist Rias or Guardian Raid for the most part and choose them at the beginning of the story. After the two main characters make their hometown Halfein, uninhabitable due to a mysterious calamity and causing family losses near them at bargains, they quickly join forces in their quest to restore their hometown Halfein to its original glory, and appear to be relevant only to the opening chapter you play.
For Rias, it is her grandfather and the owner of the mistletoe, the once heart and soul of Halfein. Meanwhile, Slade returns to Halfein, defending the town from monsters to learn more about his late father, leaving behind some mystical artifacts that open his studio at the ancient ruins where he first meets Rias.
This atelier quickly becomes the center of the story, with Rias discovering her potential alchemical skills and leading them to the forefront of Hallfein’s repair efforts. Slade uses it to pave the way of dimensions to other worlds. There, he finds a pedestal that produces mystical texts in ancient languages on books inherited from his father.
Discovering more about each of the past while meeting new people in the game’s main story is a major part of the core gameplay loop. The characters will be introduced to you at a steady pace, including Elle, sisters of Halfein and Rias, Rudolf, and Rays, who help to decipher the aforementioned text, and Rays, who will join with Halfein and Rays, along with Halfein and Rays, who are the crude but noble administrators of Halfein and Rays.
“The flashy combat system is not a bad thing in itself, but the fight is so ridiculous that it rarely felt that any member of the party was in danger at any time.”
Each of these characters doesn’t live very often in trouble, making Atelier a very enjoyable title. Missions include exploring new areas and taking on monsters in combat systems that bring twists that have inspired JRPG formulas. Rias and Slade are eventually joined by Raze and a few others, each with a flashy move in which they take on enemies and enemies in a turn-based combat format.
Sadly, the possibilities this combat system carries are largely wasted thanks to a very limited set of movements for party members. Despite the amazing attack animations that are straight from your favorite anime and the very unique attacks in which multiple party members are torn apart by enemies in reckless abandonment, it quickly became repetitive. It is built for views rather than depth, and each character’s limited skill tree is useless.
The flashy combat system is not a bad thing in itself, but the fight is so ridiculous that I rarely felt that my party members were in danger at any time. Even the main bosses fell very easily, receiving predictable attacks that I could easily accept, creating even more attack points to use for character skills in combat.
But that’s what you get from those bosses and enemies, and will make your Atelier stand out from your peers in this genre. By collecting rare materials from bosses, enemies and even explores, RIA can expand its alchemy repertoire. She uses her studio to actively help the citizens of Halfein with new items that the party can use in the field.
True to her mission, bringing the other mistletoes back to Halfein’s faded spotlight is a big part of the game’s story. Rias can then use the store’s revenue to invest in town, achieving his goal of returning it to its former glory. The highlight of that exercise was adorable, fairies recruiting from the dimension paths accessed through the Atelier, thanks to Slade’s Geistcore.
“When it comes to an open world, each area is full of life, bringing new types of enemies and potentially new discoveries at every turn.”
The fairies are happy to help around Rias’s shops and around the town of Hallfein. Soon, it will become an integral part of continuing to thrive Hallfein for exploring and cooking your store and placing it on the store shelves.
Making new materials via alchemy is easily my favorite experience, and its activities account for a significant portion of my time in the game. Combining the material with the right properties gives you a much stronger item that can only be thrown together without careful analysis. So, in an open world, expect to spend a lot of time searching for recipes and new craft materials.
Speaking of open worlds, each area is full of life, bringing new types of enemies and potentially new discoveries at every turn. The cel shade visuals are very colorful and visually pleasing, but never develop your imagination, providing services and maintaining consistency through experience. The static character’s faces during the cutscene were a bit of a painful point for me, but thanks to the relationships they build as the story progresses, you might be able to see past it.
The game’s audio design can pass through as well, but the bass PS5’s performance was excellent, and even in the flashiest combat movements, there were no pop-in or drop frames. Overall, Atelier is a solid experience that looks and feels while its story is interesting enough to keep you invested from time to time.
“If you’re a JRPG and anime fan, this will keep you entertained for hours.”
But I might have that and what I say should have been more and more. While it has gained the need to keep things light and refreshing in terms of storytelling, the game’s combat feels like the developers have included it as an afterthought. Thanks to innovative additions like the perfect parry, the ability to steal effects from your enemies by defeating enemies before the enemy’s turn, a very useful united mechanic, and the ability to chain multiple actions between party members in one turn, you know that isn’t the case. Instead of a series of simple button presses that exist only to add style and talent to the overall experience, it could have been a tug of war for momentum in the fight.
If you’re a JRPG and anime fan, this will keep you entertained for hours. However, if you’re looking for a challenging turn-based battle, you can wait for a sale to grab this on a rainy day.
This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.
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