For even the most knowledgeable and seasoned JRPG enthusiasts, the Atelier series can seem quite daunting, given its standing as a complex and enigmatic franchise with a reputation that often appears hard to penetrate.
It might be because the initial games in the series functioned more like alchemical simulators, resembling complex simulations instead of traditional, narrative-focused Japanese Role-Playing Games (JRPGs) that are easy to understand and play.
Lately, there’s been a noticeable shift in the direction of the series. It has responded to the increasing demand from gamers for open-world gameplay, which has led to the tremendous success of Ryza, the latest Atelier series trilogy.
In his own words, Junzo Hosoi from Gust acknowledged that Ryza represented the best version of itself at its time. Consequently, they view Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & The Envisioned Land as the original intended form of the game that Ryza was supposed to be.
In simple terms, it’s an extraordinary open-world experience filled with endless content, vibrant personalities, and gameplay that hooks you tightly. Recently, I visited Paris, a city known for nurturing creativity, where I immersed myself in the game and started to make a dent in all that content.
A Fresh Start
If you’re feeling a bit hesitant about diving into this series, let me assure you that Yumia offers an excellent chance for beginners like yourself to join in.
The game instantly immerses you in a lively realm seamlessly, presenting Yumia, our traditional powerful female protagonist who’s synonymous with this series. The narrative and setting proceed organically from thereon.
As a captivated player, I must say that the narrative I’ve delved into so far has been masterfully crafted with a rhythm that keeps me engaged. It’s enticing from the get-go, drawing me in deep, and setting off that irresistible urge – the ‘Just one more mission’ feeling that has me lost in its world for countless hours.
In the world you’ve found yourself, these individuals you meet are wary of you because of your association with Alchemy, an art that’s frowned upon and forbidden here. However, there’s a unique exception granted to you, allowing you to employ Alchemy in the fulfillment of various tasks or quests.
As a dedicated gamer diving into this captivating world, I’ve come to realize that each character embodies familiar JRPG archetypes. The narrative unfolds like a classic underdog tale where it feels as if I, the protagonist, am destined to save the world from impending doom.
However, this presentation exudes elegance and finesse, making you emotionally connect with the characters and shifting the atmosphere towards a somber and mature tone compared to the lighter, carefree narratives of earlier games in the series that focused on character growth.
Based on the portion I experienced of the narrative, I can share that it exhibited a good rhythm and managed to capture my interest right away, causing me to find myself saying ‘Just one more mission’ repeatedly, which kept me engaged for extended periods of time.
In the main storyline of this game, one common feedback is that it lacks the ability to play with dialogue in your own language. This means you can only listen to the Japanese dialogues with subtitles, as there’s no other option available.
While you’re generally satisfied with the experience, you may find yourself missing out on conversations between characters and minor details when exploring the game world. Although it’s not a major issue, there are moments where you might feel that some aspects of the game could be more immersive.
A Shock To The System
One compelling advantage of Yumia for novice gamers is its revamped fundamental gameplay systems and mechanisms. This redesign aimed to simplify the overall experience while also enhancing features that were previously underdeveloped.
The most significant improvement in this game, setting it leagues above Ryza, is the overhaul of the movement system. Previous games in the series, despite their openness, were often hampered by rigid and awkward movement mechanics and an abundance of invisible walls that hindered natural exploration. This new version makes much better use of the format.
It’s not true for Yumia that it shares these characteristics with other games. Instead, Yumia offers players the ability to ascend quickly, perform double jumps to conquer mountains, utilize ziplines to traverse vast distances, and eventually, you’ll acquire a cool motorcycle within the game itself.
These enhancements and adjustments significantly enhance the pleasure of discovering and interacting with this stunning universe. Given that the game is divided into four vast custom-made regions – Ligneus, Sivash, Auruma, and Lacuna – it was essential to make these improvements. Without them, the experience might have felt laborious instead of enjoyable.
Alchemy At Its Core
In addition to the improved movement systems, there’s also been a significant advancement in the Alchemical process, a key feature of the series that dates back to 1997.
Without hesitation, let me confess that earlier games might have been somewhat confusing and complex in terms of combining resources. This can be troublesome since this process lies at the very center of the gameplay.
Yet, Studio Yumia skillfully balances complexity with accessibility in their work, and they achieve this in two distinct methods. Firstly, the player is introduced more effectively to the game in this instance. Secondly, the game streamlines several systems, enabling players to concentrate on individual aspects one at a time.
The game removes the influence of crystals from the fundamental alchemical process, enabling you to explore each stage of alchemical transformation individually without any external factors interfering.
This alteration lets you handle parts individually, making them manageable like bites, which usually results in an improved overall outcome once your work is complete.
As a fervent admirer, let me affirm that the emphasis on clarity and streamlining doesn’t diminish the remarkable enhancements in the Alchemy process. On the contrary, it opens up an entirely new experience for us players, allowing us to design and personalize our very own Atelier shop for the first time. This customization can be as intricate or straightforward as we prefer.
Building here feels much like constructing within a survival-crafting game such as Valheim. You’re able to position structures effortlessly, with each piece fitting neatly together, providing an enjoyable and intuitive building experience.
On the other hand, if you seek a functional store with minimal customization, there are pre-built options available for your convenience. This way, you can continue progressing in the game smoothly, without the process of gathering materials becoming excessively laborious.
The commitment to personalization and spontaneous gaming experience is what makes Yumia an exciting place to discover, and although we could construct just a single home base during our playtime, it’s certain that we’ll delve deeper into crafting more.
Risk and Reward
Veteran followers of the Atelier series might recognize that it often sets time constraints, pushing players to meet deadlines in their quest to become a star alchemist. Not surprisingly, this mechanic has not always been met with positive reactions among fans.
It appears that Yumia has struck a balance where players must go back to their base for refueling and resupplying.
Players will find themselves in various locations worldwide where there is an overflow of mana. Just being near these places will gradually deplete a player’s energy until it completely runs out.
This essentially sets a deadline for the player, requiring them to enter, locate the obstruction causing the mana bottleneck, and unblock it to enable unrestricted mana flow for safe and unhindered exploration. However, as one might guess, you’ll frequently need to take multiple trips back to achieve this goal.
This implies that you should make your way to the workshop, fill up on fuel, replenish supplies, and then return to the action. In reality, it’s quite an enjoyable cycle.
One potential rephrasing could be: “The aspect I find less appealing is the integration of fall damage that can significantly deplete your energy. In my opinion, the overall experience of exploration would be significantly improved if this challenging mechanic were removed. However, it’s a minor complaint in comparison to the overall enjoyment provided by an otherwise entertaining and smooth gameplay loop.
Mindful Button Mashing
Discussing a renowned JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Game) series without touching upon its combat system is practically impossible, as it often plays a significant role in the overall experience.
In simpler terms, Atelier represents a game that combines essential elements from both turn-based and real-time battles, creating an interesting blend. And Yumia continues this theme.
In the open world, players can initiate conflicts by assaulting roaming creatures. Once engaged, the combat unfolds on a rotund battlefield.
In simpler terms, players are free to move around the perimeter of their targeted enemy, choosing to attack from either a close or distant position.
Characters can choose to dodge skillfully at opportune moments, stand firm to protect themselves, or switch between teammates when needed to prevent idleness during cool-down phases. However, a single mistimed dodge or ineffective strike could lead to defeat.
This fighting system could be affectionately referred to as “mindful rapid tapping,” since frequently, you’ll find yourself instinctively tapping any available move that isn’t currently on cool down, instead of strategically planning your next action like in a turn-based game.
In this fast-paced situation, there’s not much room for strategic planning because each encounter seems more about reacting than planning, resulting in an exhilarating and dynamic flow of action that feels incredibly rewarding.
Additionally, consistently visiting your Atelier store for updates and creating new pieces will ensure you have a solution at hand when you find yourself in a difficult situation.
From my observation, it seems like the game’s battle system doesn’t undergo significant changes or improvements as you progress. If you find the initial battle system unappealing, I suspect that it won’t become more enjoyable for you over time.
Speaking as a passionate gamer who’s watched the Atelier series climb steadily over the past few years, I strongly believe that Yumia could be the title to finally smash through that barrier and thrust this series into the spotlight of popular culture.
Despite initial expectations, I discovered it to be quite an engaging adventure, as skirmishes usually conclude swiftly. Consequently, though it might not rank as your top choice, it takes a clear back seat to the thrill of exploration and crafting.
A Little Help From Our Friends
In his own words, creative director Junzo Hosoi explained that the game isn’t based on a single source of inspiration, but rather it’s a blend of various influences. This becomes evident in the game when you encounter blue smiley enemies resembling Dragon Quest characters and crafting systems reminiscent of Valheim.
However, from my personal experience, it’s very hard to overlook the Genshin Impact similarities.
This game shares a strong resemblance, right down to intricate details such as the art style, map layout, and the sense of quest progression, with a game that is nearly indistinguishable from Hoyoverse’s primary title.
But, despite this, I need to be very clear. I don’t see that as a bad thing at all.
Essentially, Genshin Impact is similar to Nintendo’s Breath of the Wild in many ways, but with an added online feature. Therefore, Yumia has a resemblance to Genshin Impact, offering a compact Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG) experience.
You can experience a detailed and contextual storyline reminiscent of a JRPG, advance through levels in a structured manner, enjoy a streamlined interface similar to Persona, and customize your team according to your preferences.
Additionally, just as before, there are engaging open-world mini-games and brain-teasing puzzles interspersed throughout your journey, similar to the laser puzzles reminiscent of the Trespasser in Ratchet and Clank, which provide a break from traveling directly from point A to B.
Stepping into this game now is similar to diving straight into Genshin Impact, where numerous worlds await your discovery. However, unlike it, the narrative here is more focused and not time-restricted, there are no gacha mechanics in play, and the game offers a richer system depth instead.
Synthesizing A Smash-Hit
Over the past few years, I’ve watched as the Atelier series has gradually grown in popularity. In my opinion, it’s the upcoming game, Yumia, that seems most likely to shatter the barriers and bring the series into mainstream culture.
So far, everything seems like a logical progression of what made Ryza exceptional, with any elements unnecessary for the series being left out or simplified.
This fresh gaming experience appears quite promising from its initial playthroughs, and given that it’s releasing around the same time as Xenoblade Chronicles X, I acknowledge that my assertion might seem audacious.
2025 might just be the year when Atelier steals the spotlight in the JRPG realm, and as a diehard fan, I can’t help but wonder if Nintendo is keeping a close eye on this potential sleeper sensation.
Read More
- Top 5 Swords in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
- Best Avowed Mage Build
- Reverse: 1999 – Don’t Miss These Rare Character Banners and Future Upcoming Updates!
- How to Use Keys in A Game About Digging A Hole
- Brent Oil Forecast
- EUR AUD PREDICTION
- OKB PREDICTION. OKB cryptocurrency
- 8 Best Souls-Like Games With Co-op
- LUNC PREDICTION. LUNC cryptocurrency
- USD DKK PREDICTION
2025-02-21 03:13