It turns out Atelier games are like buses, you wait around for one for ages and then three show up at once. Well that isn’t strictly true, but against all odds we are getting two new Atelier games within six months of each other. I rather loudly exclaimed that Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land was the best game in the series back in March, so when I heard I was getting more alchemy this soon I was excited but a little bit suspicious too. Well having played Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian I can confirm it is very different to the last entry, but whether that’s a bad thing or not will depend on your taste.
Now if you follow the Atelier series closely you’ll probably recognise Atelier Resleriana as a mobile gacha game, but don’t worry about finding anything resembling that here. Its world has been completely reimagined and transformed into a full mainline Atelier game with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from this, and it definitely doesn’t feel like a lesser experience because of its origins.
You’ll play as two protagonists this time around, Rias and Slade. Rias is your typical bubbly adventurer, excited about exploring a town that once prospered before an incident caused its residents to vanish without a trace. Slade is a more serious fella, who is investigating the same location but for more personal reasons. When the two bump into each other they realise that together they’ll better be able to tackle the dangers of various caves and portals, so set off on an adventure full of alchemy and fighting.
Atelier Resleriana has the simplest combat the series has seen in some time. It’s back to being strictly turn-based, albeit with a little bit of button timing you can use to reduce damage. Using different weapons, spells and alchemised items you’ll be able to take on all the Punis standing in your way, and thanks to full healing between fights you’re always fine to go all out.
There are some flashy special moves you can use against tougher foes too. Multi actions allow you to line up multiple attacks in a row, even using characters who are currently hiding in the back row. There are also alchemy mixing effects that can be used this way, by combining multiple items to create a reaction. The most simple of these is throwing two grenades which causes an extra explosion, but there are plenty of other mixes to discover.
To get all the alchemy items you want to use in combat you’ll need to head to the Atelier and get creating. After some of the incredibly deep systems the series has had in recent years, Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian has taken things back to basics somewhat. Picking the right materials to make a good item is still important, but the main mechanic is gift colour matching. This basically just means matching colours to pass on different traits, which may not be as intense as the systems of Ryza and Yumia but is still nice and compelling.
In most of these lovely alchemy games you craft items to fulfil requests and get stronger, but in Atelier Resleriana it’s also in aid of lovely capitalism. You’ve got a shop you can sell your items in, and in doing so you’ll help grow the former abandoned town to its former glory. The town growing will help you grow your alchemy repertoire too, so making that extra paper is more than just a side hustle.
As much as I enjoy the combat and crafting elements of this JRPG series, the highlight for me in recent entries has been the exploration. The sprawling worlds full of secrets and materials have been a joy to scour from treetop to pond bottom, and this entry scales that back a whole lot. Instead there are randomised dungeons called Dimensional Paths. You can come back to these at various difficulties to collect rarer materials, and although they’re enjoyable if you go in expecting something more open you’ll be disappointed.
Atelier Resleriana truly does feel like a full mainline Atelier game, which is mad to say six months after the last one. That’s not to say it’s on the same level as Yumia though, and a lot of that is down to the simpler systems. Combat is good but compared to other modern games in the series is less exciting. Alchemy is certainly easier to get your head around, but again its depth isn’t quite as impressive. All these things add up, and while Resleriana would likely make a great first Atelier game returning fans will probably feel mildly let down.
Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian is an accessible entry point into the Atelier series, and is a charming game in its own right. While it might not reach the heights that Yumia did earlier this year, some will appreciate this less intensive RPG experience a whole lot.
