The gameplay construction of Atelier Resleriana: The Crimson Alchemist & the White Guardian feels a bit like a recipe, with intertwining parts that every contribute to the sum of its components.
That is becoming, we suppose, as a result of the sport is all about brewing concoctions as an alchemist to each help you in turn-based fight and – crucially – flog in your store. Extra on that shortly.
This newest effort from long-time developer Gust – the second all-new Atelier title this 12 months, and that’s ignoring the trio of Ryza remasters due out in November – inserts itself into the timeline of shuttered gacha sport Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy & the Polar Night time Liberator.
However don’t fear in case you’ve by no means touched the cell spin-off – its service ended for a purpose, in any case – as a result of twin protagonists Rias and Slade are newcomers, and also you don’t really want to know a lot concerning the backstory of returnees like Resna to comply with the plot.
The story centres in town of Hallfein, which befell a tragic catastrophe, rendering it deserted and derelict. Image it as any present UK excessive road, and also you’ll be roughly heading in the right direction.
The twist is that Atelier Resleriana has characters who actively need to change the fortunes of Hallfein, reasonably than depart it to rot.
And that’s the place you, as a fledgling alchemist, enter the equation; as wannabe VTuber Rias you’ll use your newfound abilities to concoct objects that can each help you in fight and convey wealth again to your hometown.
The loop is multilayered however pretty simple: you discover and have interaction in battles to seek out supplies which may be crafted to create objects you may then use in fight or promote in your retailer.
Mistletoe Miscellaneous, or in less complicated phrases Your Store, is an enormous function on this sport: you may inventory any objects in your stock at your retailer, after which flog them to build up earnings and degree up Hallfein.
As you promote more and more invaluable merchandise, you’ll entice extra prospects to the world, which in flip will encourage extra retailers to arrange their very own retailers. You possibly can then buy new crafting recipes and objects from stated distributors, permitting you to forge even rarer objects, which feeds the general loop.
It’s a satisfying cycle which has a visible affect in your environment; Hallfein is derelict and deserted at the beginning of the journey, however you’ll watch it rework right into a bustling metropolis as you progress.
There’s way more to the tycoon parts than our rudimentary clarification lets on, together with the flexibility to speculate into sure specialties and even ship allies out on extraction missions, but it surely’s that underlying sense of gradual development that makes the entire thing sing.
Sadly, the sport does wish to cease you from truly taking part in it at occasions, with an overabundance of irritatingly chipper dialogue interspersing each quest you full. There are occasions, notably early within the marketing campaign, the place you’ll want everybody would simply shut up so you may benefit from the sport. Mercifully, you may fast-forward and even skip some dialogue in case your endurance is working skinny.
We also needs to point out the fight system which is a extra conventional tackle the collection than the current Atelier Yumia. The extra conventional turn-based fight system has some fascinating wrinkles involving flip order, team-ups, and multi-action instructions which add a strategic layer to the motion.
Particularly, we like how the results of things you’ve synthesised may be mixed to unleash highly effective extra assaults, or how one can insert social gathering members out of your again line to vary up the formation of your entrance row and earn the upper-hand.
Whereas fight is a typical gameplay facet if you’re out exploring, it additionally components closely into the Dimensional Paths, that are randomly generated dungeons designed for grinding, the place the issue determines the rarity of the objects you uncover.
Whereas there are some antiquated parts to its design, given the complexity of among the alchemical mixtures, we truly suppose the UI is pretty effectively honed general. It could possibly nonetheless develop into a cluster of objects and statistics at occasions, however the sport typically does a very good job of creating such an absurd quantity of knowledge accessible.
It appears to be like good, too, though among the character designs might show an acquired style. Rias’ dumb ears and New Period cap ultimately grew on us, however we will’t argue with anybody who’s turned off your entire title simply by her look alone. No less than all of it runs easily and appears presentable and vibrant on a base PS5.
Conclusion
Atelier Resleriana: The Crimson Alchemist & the White Guardian succeeds by the energy of the sum of its components. Its story and dialogue are a bit obtrusive at factors, however the easy loop of fashioning objects to flog them to forge even higher ones is compelling. With strategic turn-based fight and breezy presentation, that is an general gratifying RPG time sink – even when its character designs and anime tropes might instantly flip some gamers away.
