Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land Review

From Preview to Playthrough: Atelier Yumia’s Expanded Expertise

In our recent preview of Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, we left very impressed with the dimensions and scope of the sport.

Now, with our fingers on the complete sport, we’ve been capable of expertise the peaks and troughs for a for much longer interval. While the complete sport can’t fairly match as much as the opening hours from the preview, Atelier Yumia continues to be an excellent JRPG that marks the primary entry for the long-running sequence on Xbox.

In a world the place alchemy and alchemists have been outlawed, you naturally play as one. As Yumia, the daughter of an atelier who taught her all she is aware of, you might have been drafted in to an expedition staff to uncover the numerous secrets and techniques throughout the Aladissian Empire.

All the pieces the sunshine touches…

An open-world worthy of your time

This open-world of Aladiss is just begging to be explored. After a brief introduction that’s really from method additional on within the sport, the map opens as much as you in 4 distinct areas. A lot of those areas are coated with a thick fog and are referred to as Manabound Areas, and clearing this fog is among the main targets for exploration.

Yumia has a relentless provide of Mana Power for almost each exercise she performs, but it surely depletes in these Manabound Areas. It’s simple to get sidetracked when aiming for the supply of the Mana – like all good open-world ought to really feel – however sticking to the primary path for essentially the most half to have the ability to clear it meant that I hardly ever felt my Mana was going to expire utterly. Ought to this occur although, a debuff can be utilized to fight.

The principle narrative follows a easy quested construction, with loads of facet quests to undertake too. Whether or not these are randomly generated or not is unknown as they devolve into primarily fetch quests. And in a sport the place you’re extremely inspired to gather as a lot as potential, many of those might be turned in virtually immediately because of the sheer quantity of assets that you must be amassing. They’re price it although, granting loads of talent factors to improve within the talent tree.

The exploration side will certainly attraction to those who performed Breath of the Wild or Genshin Impact. Open-worlds is probably not fully new to the Atelier sequence, however this is among the extra gratifying worlds we’ve explored in a protracted whereas.

Exploration and fight are two of the primary pillars of Atelier Yumia, together with synthesising and new for the sequence, constructing.

A extra approachable fight system

Fight has developed from the turn-based mechanics of earlier Atelier video games right into a extra action-oriented system, however one which doesn’t disregard turn-based altogether.

Whenever you get right into a combat, you possibly can select to combat in shut quarters, or at ranged with magical talents. Sometimes, it will depend upon what your enemy is weakest to, as doing sufficient assaults correlating to their weak point can stun them. At this level, an enemy’s elemental weak point might be utilised, profiting from an merchandise that Yumia has created and geared up.

Atelier Yumia The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land review 2 — Yumia. The face of an outlaw

As you degree up, you unlock extra makes use of to your assaults, in addition to new ones, that means you’ll spend much less time ready for cooldowns to complete. Fights might be fairly intense with so much happening on-screen at anyone time, however on Regular issue I hardly ever bumped into any points, even in the course of the boss battles.

These themselves are maybe one thing that long-term Atelier followers is not going to be used to; a correct antagonist. They aren’t fairly as frequent with their appearances as different JRPG antagonists, however they do assist push the story alongside extra than simply merely via exploration.

Enemies might be seen on the world map, so initiating a combat is definitely finished. Nonetheless, what sort of combat you get into isn’t telegraphed, and this may be irritating. An everyday encounter is the place you simply combat the enemy you might have run into. These can both be Rumble Encounters or Cut up Encounters. Rumble Encounters enhance the variety of enemies to defeat directly, pooling their life collectively and stun defences. These are positive and are at the least defined to you in a tutorial.

Cut up Encounters alternatively separate your staff of three into people preventing towards one monster every. Except for a notification within the high of the display screen, these aren’t ever correctly defined to you, neither is why they happen. There is no such thing as a story reasoning for why your social gathering splits up for these battles both, and contemplating they take a substantial period of time greater than a typical battle, this simply doesn’t sit proper.

Your social gathering expands over time, and every member brings with them their very own baggage, very similar to any JRPG social gathering. Yumia begins with siblings Isla and Viktor, who’s causes for becoming a member of the expedition are laid out fairly early. Isla is much extra welcoming to Yumia’s alchemical talents than her brother, however it’s gratifying to see their relationship evolve over time, even when it’s a well-worn path at this level.

Rutger and Nina be a part of a while after, and aren’t simply right here to make up numbers. They will each deal with a combat but additionally carry distinct sufficient personalities that makes the journey collectively extra private. Lastly, there may be Lenja, a non-human, but additionally a part of the expedition staff and once more, distinctive sufficient to maintain issues attention-grabbing.

Tremendous-Sized Synthesise

The third pillar of Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Reminiscences & the Envisioned Land is the primary pillar for your entire sequence; that of synthesising and making issues. At first, listening to that Yumia was an alchemist, I used to be anticipating lotions and potions of every kind, however her abilities are rather more than simply concocting defensive and offensive brews. Weapons, armour, crafting objects, plot particular objects and at one level an important element for what was primarily a motorcycle, Yumia can lend her hand to something.

Easy synthesis can be utilized to maintain your bag topped up with therapeutic objects, lures for fishing and different easy objects, and is new for the sequence as nicely. The core synthesis although continues to be right here for those who need to get into the crux of the Atelier video games.

Atelier Yumia The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land review 3 — Isla and Viktor will be a part of your social gathering early

To clarify what is required right here for normal synthesis would take too lengthy. Principally, it entails cores, mana extraction, high quality parts and resonance areas; creating one merchandise can take some time in case you intend to maximise its potential. The fact although is that it is rather simple to comply with upon getting finished it a few instances. Which is simply as nicely, as a result of it’s one thing you can be doing typically sufficient. You will get by solely doing it for core plot gadgets, however you can be lacking out on maximising battle proficiencies on the very least.

It’s attention-grabbing to see how particular person parts can have an effect on your cores when synthesising, and in case you needed to get into the trivia of it, you most undoubtedly can. For many who simply need to crack on, you possibly can auto-add elements and stipulate whether or not you need top quality, naked minimal or one thing in between.

Between this, the easy synthesis and the up to date fight, the Atelier sequence is clearly setting its stall out to be extra interesting to a wider viewers. And as a member of that wider viewers, it’s all fairly optimistic stuff.

A New Pillar For The Collection

This approachability is even obvious within the new constructing mechanics. As you clear up Manabound Areas, you’ll uncover little areas the place you possibly can construct upon to assist the expedition staff cross the map extra simply. Your beginning buildable objects can be very primary, however there are a ton of extra objects to craft with recipes discovered all around the world.

And you will get fairly inventive with it, albeit in a reasonably restricted area for every location. But when that isn’t your factor, you possibly can randomly generate buildings based mostly on sure standards that picks from the pool you might have unlocked. Sadly, this random technology doesn’t do any inside design so no matter you generate seems like an unsightly outer husk till you then spend the time adorning it. Once more, you don’t should although, however this can be detrimental to your Pioneering Effort.

That’s in capitals as a result of it’s one other mechanic, and one I’ll admit to spending a bit too lengthy on, simply to see the numbers tick up if nothing extra. However there are additionally some beneficial rewards available additionally. Every area has sure standards that as you full it, unlocks new blueprints or crafting objects. As soon as once more, you get out of it what you place in and doesn’t essentially have to be finished so that you can simply progress the story.

Atelier Yumia The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land review 4 — A stellar addition

A Stellar Xbox Debut for the Atelier Collection

As a primary foray onto Xbox consoles, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Reminiscences & The Envisioned Land does a stellar job. It seems gorgeous, and the sturdy mixture of exploration, alchemy and fight all complement one another extraordinarily nicely. At instances it does really feel the story beats are a bit too spaced out, and the world map is daunting to take a look at, however no two play classes are the identical.

That is an open-world that may shortly seize your consideration, after which current you with quite a few distractions; earlier than it two hours have handed. It isn’t a lot the story or the crafting parts that can hold you taking part in Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Reminiscences & the Envisioned Land, however merely uncovering each nook of this fantastically realised world.