In the depths of a forest lies a lone cottage where a girl named Ayesha lives. Ayesha is an herbalist that creates and sells medicine to nearby villages. She is high-spirited despite losing her sister Nio in a tragic accident, or at least that’s what she was lead to believe. The ghostly vision of her sister appears in the ruins where she disappeared, but she vanishes before Ayesha can embrace her. A mysterious man appears in the ruins and offers the simple hope that Nio may still live. Without hesitation, Ayesha decides that she must venture out into the world and find her lost sister.
Prepare for a casual romp full outright silliness in place of grim and serious storytelling. Anime haters need not apply to the festival of wacky character tropes. Ayesha stumbles about the world in search of her sister while encountering spunky witches, the big brother type, and the disingenuous entrepreneur. The story is nothing to take contemplate about, as it makes light of itself constantly. It’s humorous but filled with random events that come off as filler to accompany the game play. At times the constant cut-scenes actually detracted from the experience, since they did not advance the story in any significant way.
I’ve never played an Atelier title before, but I do know that the main drawing point is the Alchemy system. The player will piece together a variety of materials to construct new items. This can range from healing, damage, enhancement items, or even new weapons and armor. Each new component will increase Ayesha’s experience in Alchemy, and as she furthers her career, she will be able to create higher-level equipment. As she gains experience she will learn new skills that will allow her to make better use of the cauldron. She’ll learn to randomize the order that she inserts resources, and synthesize certain elements in materials to increase the items potency. Crafting is by far the most entertaining element in the title, and you will be doing a lot of it.
Time is incredibly important in Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk. Ayesha only has two years to find her sister Nio, and complete all of her side-missions. Crafting items and moving around the world moves time forward, so Ayesha will have to accomplish all her goals before her time is up. Since Ayesha is the queen of running errands, she will have to spend many of her days scrounging for materials and crafting them. Just about everyone and their mother wants her to bring them something, and she usually has a limit on how long she can take get their objects.
The only way to earn materials is to purchase them or head to different locations to find minerals. Picking various resources will quickly pass the time, but it’s a necessity that must be planned for. Ayesha can gain companions who can obtain rare ingredients that she will need for Alchemy. They also play a key role in tearing down the monsters that roam the wilds. Wandering around the world is incredibly dangerous, and even the act of picking a flower could mean an encounter with a beast.
Ayesha can beat a monster over the head in the field to start a battle. Combat plays out in traditional turn-based style. The unique twist that Atelier Ayesha provides is the ability to use follow-up attacks, protect weaker companions, or attack an enemy’s flank at the press of a button. It’s a bit generic but it’s the only way to get materials and return to the alchemy, so you’ll just have to endure it. It also takes a fair amount of grinding to compete against the stronger monsters in the title. It’s definitely not for everyone, but JRPG enthusiasts should be able to endure.
Atelier Ayesha uses a bright color palette with cell-shaded character models. The inhabitants of the world look as if they stepped right out of an anime. The environments hold up well, but they are not nearly as impressive as the anime-inspired residents. That especially goes for the combat arenas, which maintains a clear backdrop but highlights the blurry textures beneath the fighters feet. The voice work is bearable, but it’s a shame that there isn’t a Japanese voice track. The music on the other hand is incredibly lively, but none of the melodies will stick in your head.
This title isn’t for everyone, but for those that don’t mind a little bit of Rune Factory style crafting this could be a title for you. If you come into this looking for a deep and engrossing story-line you will be sorely disappointed. Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk receives a C- from Geek Citadel. This wacky and humor filled romp can be entertaining, but story lacks depth and the game play is stuck in 2002.
We received this review copy from the Developer of the game.
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