As much as I call myself a lover of more niched RPG franchises like The Legend of Heroes and its many, many releases, I certainly can’t say the same for Atelier. It has been an unknown slice of the genre and has eluded me for decades, that is until I got a chance to check out the last big release, Atelier Ryza 3 a couple of years ago. And frankly, I was glad that I did, even though that came with the caveat of having to jump in at the third entry of an established story.
With *breathes in* Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land *phew* the opportunity came for a fresh start, and in that, it did indeed serve that purpose. Even though it feels quite familiar after making lots of headway in the previous game, both in terms of gameplay and overall feel, I can safely say that Yumia is strong enough to hold its own when it comes to being an RPG worth playing even for established fans.
Yumia is the latest in a line of alchemists to serve the purpose of investigating the land around here, which was razed by a catastrophic event. As part of a team of colorful individuals each with their own purposes and designs, you’ll be free to explore your surroundings and do what you do best: come up with concoctions and help folks with their day-to-day issues as you slowly creep up on important clues that help move the story along.
To say that Atelier Yumia is a breezy affair is a bit of an understatement. If this is your first time hearing about the series, a very brief recap is that these games do their best to charm you with its cute and fluffy characters all the while having you partake in a number of activities you’re probably used to doing in other genres, mainly those who pull away from the action and have you craft and farm.
Here, sure, you get to hit monsters with the pointy end of your staff and even shoot them with the other one, but the comings and goings of combat are so straightforward that it doesn’t really feel fair to criticize the game for them considering how much of an effort it makes at providing an otherwise deep item creation system and involved side quest lines.
Yumia is just packed with people you have to meet and help get their lives going, and for as much as you might think that this aspect of the game is second to the overall story and the trappings that would categorize it as a standard role-playing game, it interestingly dodges that notion in a way that makes it surprisingly fresh.
Sure, if you come into this looking to get your butt kicked by its punishing difficulty, be warned that you will be barking up the wrong tree. There are plenty of alternatives out there if your aim is locked at having a challenging and demanding time, and much like other Atelier games, Atelier Yumia doesn’t shy at just being what it is.
Visually, it’s a sugar rush. Colorful to a fault, there isn’t a spot in the game that isn’t just brimming with hot tones and life. There’s not a whole lot going on polygon count-wise, but that doesn’t mean that there can’t be lots of personality to be had here. Characters are painfully anime, though, and proportions are exaggerated especially for the females, some to a ridiculous degree that can be a bit embarrassing. Thankfully, Yumia herself is styled to be cute and not overbearingly so, so at least there’s that.
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land might seem extremely simple to those looking in from the outside, but like its predecessors, it’s an acquired taste that sticks with you long after you are done playing. That’s the secret of Atelier, really, offering safe, comfortable gaming that its fans eat up and ask for seconds. This entry in particular is just that and a bit more, given that it’s a fresh point for those wanting to get acquainted to get into the series, and for that it succeeds at providing an excellent summation of what it’s all about.
