TheAtelierseries has been around for about 28 years and released almost as many games. The newest entry,Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, is game number 26. The longevity of the series is based on evolving with current gaming trends enough to stay relevant to modern audiences, but also remaining true to its core elements to make it feel unique among other RPGs. Hallmarks ofAtelierinclude an emphasis on combat and exploration, but the most distinct feature is the synthesis system using an Atelier. The newest upcoming entry introduces a new protagonist, Yumia, who will bring her own unique touches to the world ofAtelier.
New Details Revealed for Combat, Synthesis in Atelier Yumia
Koei Tecmo has released a new trailer for Atelier Yumia showing new footage for both combat and synthesis!
Forbidden Alchemy
In the world ofAtelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, alchemy is considered evil and forbidden. Protagonist Yumia Leissfeldt and her companions seek the truth behind the fall of the Aladissian Empire, which once upon a time was a prosperous land, thriving due to alchemy. The memories of the once great empire are lost to history, which Yumia seeks to uncover. This journey will take her across a ruined continent as she attempts to forge her own path while uncovering the mysteries of the cataclysm that destroyed Aladiss. It appears this will be a journey of great enlightenment for Yumia, both about the history of Aladiss and of her own personal growth.
It wouldn’t be anAteliergame without the Atelier, and in this new entry, alchemy is done by using mana. The basic idea is the same as what was in previous entries, but a few changes have been implemented. Every synthesizable item can include up to five Alchemy Cores, which influence the overall quality of the item. These can include the item quality, traits and up to three effects. When creating an item, Yumia can freely switch from one Alchemy Core to another and add different ingredients to achieve different effects. It can seem like a complicated system at first, but learning how it works and understanding how the different effects relate to others, it is possible to create extremely powerful items. During the synthesis process, mana can be released around the core and collected, which is an essential part of increasing the level of a given recipe. There’s also a Simple Synthesis system, where basic exploration items can be crafted with just the ingredients and a little bit of energy.
World Building
One of the new features is that Yumia will be able to build her own Atelier, either from scratch or choosing a pre-designed model from a catalog. Players will also be able to build their own furnishings and decorate their Atelier in a manner that suits their personality and individual taste. Construction of living areas is actually a big feature inAtelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land,which will likely be explored in much greater detail in future coverage.
Yumia is free to explore Aladiss. There are many secrets to uncover and many materials to harvest, and a generous fast travel system allows for ease of travel between discovered locations. Yumia possesses an Energy Core, which enables her to store Mana Energy, which is needed for various actions. She can recharge her Mana at Energy Generators. Yumia has a lot of tools at her disposal to get around Aladiss. In addition to the fast travel system, ziplines are common geographic features that Yumia can use to quickly get to new areas. Her staff can also fire projectiles to reach out of the way items or switches. One of the more surprising and fun features is that she has a motorcycle she can summon to zip across the Aladiss. Biker Yumia wasn’t on my Atelier bingo card prior to the preview event, but it was a pleasant surprise.
Better Pacing
The battle system inAtelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Landtakes place in real time, allowing for fast-paced excitement. There’s still a tactical element, as characters will be able to choose to attack up close and personal, or through ranged combat, whichever seems more appropriate. Players can freely move their active character around enemies or between the two attack zones. Parrying and dodging will also occur in real time, and perfect parries and dodges will trigger the Precision Counter attack. This devastating attack will inflict severe damage on whoever is on the receiving end. Players can also activate a powerful cooperative attack called Friend Action whenever an enemy is stunned.
The battle system inAtelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Landtakes place in real time, allowing for fast-paced excitement.
A few hours with a game likeAtelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Landisn’t enough time to form a solid opinion, but enough to get a feel for what one can expect from it. One thing that stood out is during the introductory sequence, the game basically throws the player right into the action. Instead of sitting through two to three hours of cutscene tutorials, the player starts off playing quickly with tutorials interspersed with the action, which gives the impression the pacing will be a lot quicker than many other RPGs. The battles are equally fast.
Producer Junzo Hosoi Discusses What Makes Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land Special
Hardcore Gamer sits down with Gust President and Producer Junzo Hosoi to discuss Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land
Fighting takes place in real time, but switching between characters and skill sets can be done quickly, combining the party management and skill strategy of turn-based combat with faster-paced real-time action combat. Most of the demo was spent exploring Aladiss and getting acquainted with the Atelier. The world of Aladiss looks large, but the various travel options make getting around easy and convenient. The motorcycle was a particularly fun novelty. The synthesis does have a lot of considerations for crafting items, but it doesn’t look like it will be complicated after a few recipes are created.
The short time we were able to spend withAtelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Landshowed a lot of potential. It maintains the charm was found in previousAteliergames and the game design caters to modern audiences with its faster pacing, while maintaining the more cerebral RPG elements. It’s currently scheduled for a March 21 release on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, which will mark the first time anAteliergame will be released on Xbox consoles.
