Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis

 PlayStation 2
Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis Image
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 55 Ratings

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  • Summary: Mana Khemia is the 5th entry in the Alchemy RPG series that began with Atleier Iris; Eternal Mania. The game is quest based, classic style RPG where players adventure on to various missions to complete the game. However, unlike the ordinary classic style RPG, alchemy is the main focus of theMana Khemia is the 5th entry in the Alchemy RPG series that began with Atleier Iris; Eternal Mania. The game is quest based, classic style RPG where players adventure on to various missions to complete the game. However, unlike the ordinary classic style RPG, alchemy is the main focus of the game. Meaning players will discover and create items, weapons and even character stats through the use of alchemy.… Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. RPG Fan
    90
    Mana Khemia is an incredibly fun game with a fairly large scope, that takes a minimum of 40 hours to complete. And, with a simple New Game Plus feature, serious fans can get all of the character-specific endings without doing much work.
  2. Hardcore Gamer
    85
    Anyway, Mana Khemia has a solid story, hilarious character dialogue, and an engaging combat system, and it lets you make giant swords using only dirt, vegetables, woodchips, and household cleaning products.
  3. G4 TV
    80
    NIS America picked a nice, light RPG to bring out in Mana Khemia, and its localizations are steadily improving.
  4. Game Informer
    70
    Mana Khemia is different in name and structure, but it still hangs on tight to the process of item synthesis that drives "Atelier Iris", making it a spiritual sequel in most respects. [May 2008, p.94]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. PSX Extreme
    67
    The control is fine, the gameplay as a whole is fine, the characters and atmosphere are acceptable and even amusing, and Gust does hit the correct note when it comes to presentation. But the Academy aspect of the game drags big time, the voice acting and graphics are sub-par, and although the Alchemy is involving, the overall depth isn’t as intricate as you might believe.
  6. Cheat Code Central
    61
    If you are a fan of past Gust RPGs like Atelier Iris and Ar tonelico, Mana Khemia may be something worth looking into. However, be forewarned that this game in no way features the same amount of freedom to roam and spend as much time as you please.
  7. 1UP
    50
    The core gameplay is sound, so it's a shame that it's burdened by a derivative plot, generic characters, and archaic visuals (reminiscent of the 32-bit era in a bad way).

See all 20 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 2 out of 10
  1. Otani
    May 25, 2013
    10
    Mana Khemia is a great game with memorable characters, fun gameplay and a fantastic soundtrack. It was a shock to me to see it reviewed so lowMana Khemia is a great game with memorable characters, fun gameplay and a fantastic soundtrack. It was a shock to me to see it reviewed so low by some people. It is truly a shame there are reviewers out there who won't give a game a fair chance because they can't get past the anime aesthetics.… Expand
  2. Valerium
    Oct 12, 2011
    10
    If you're familiar with what Gust does, then do not look any further, it is exactly what you expect from them (in a good way, of course!) AIf you're familiar with what Gust does, then do not look any further, it is exactly what you expect from them (in a good way, of course!) A great story, with excellent fleshed out characters, a amazing soundtrack, one of the best battle systems i've seen yet. Everything that makes a RPG great.… Expand
  4. blakfayt
    Mar 29, 2011
    10
    Mana Khemia is the absolute best JRPG on the PS2. The characters are inventive and original, the story is interesting, and at times a bit of aMana Khemia is the absolute best JRPG on the PS2. The characters are inventive and original, the story is interesting, and at times a bit of a mystery, and the leveling system is innovative. Simply put if you own a PS2 and enjoy JRPGs such as Final Fantasy, Tales of, and especially the Atelier series, you should own this game. The graphics aren't great, but if graphics are all you care about then JRPGs probably aren't your thing, the music is great, and memorable, plus with 8 different endings the replayability is sky high. Believe me when I say this game is must have for your PS2 collection, it's so great I personally had to buy 2 copies, one got scratched up so bad I couldn't play it because I played it so much. If you have managed to skip over this game, stop, and pick it up, the used price tag isn't bad nowadays, and if you already have it, you could always buy the PSP version on the PSN for 9.99, either way, it's a great deal for a fantastic game.… Expand
  5. triking
    Jul 14, 2013
    10
    Surprised to see such a low rating. It's been a few years since I played, but no serious rpg player should pass this up. The anime feel toSurprised to see such a low rating. It's been a few years since I played, but no serious rpg player should pass this up. The anime feel to this one is apparent and may not be everyone's bag of chips, but the characters are memorable, and the story while not being anything shocking or new, was given lots of love by the developers and it shows throughout the game.

    What I really liked about this title was how everything in it compliments each other in a way that is surprisingly well executed and cohesive, more so than I've seen in any game I've played. From how the game presents and progresses you through your school years with an eye toward (we hope!) graduation, to the the warm, interesting, and varied locations you get to explore, and also the satisfying combat system that starts with fairly standard features and by the end of the game has added plenty of mechanics to keep your choices fresh and your options open, it's all very good.

    I have many warm memories of this game and would recommend it as a star in Atlas and Nippon Ichi's many titles. Really a superb game!    … Expand
  6. quagmire_onyx
    Mar 20, 2017
    10
    Fantastic gameplay, core visuals and audio, every single element I could ever ask for in a JRPG. That said, it's more of a JRPG with threeFantastic gameplay, core visuals and audio, every single element I could ever ask for in a JRPG. That said, it's more of a JRPG with three capital J's and a couple exclamation marks. I've always been quick to judge or hate on almost all anime or Japanese-based media, (manga, drama, etc.) but I absolutely adored this game, and it's my favorite RPG on the PS2.… Expand
  7. [anonymous]
    Apr 9, 2008
    10
    Worth checking out, best PS2 RPG thus far this year... might be the last good game for this system.
  8. Barjoe
    Nov 12, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The most cliche & overrated Atelier game ever, people hyping it so much for what it's actually worth for to the point that it got in the same boat as Persona 4 where both of them are overrated & underrated at the same time.

    My suggestion is to play the Ar tonelico or Ar nosurge games instead if you wanted a good story & good world building (which this game has none of) from the company that made this game or play Atelier Shallie & Atelier Meruru instead if you wanted a good gameplay with challenging bosses since even the most powerful boss in this game (which is just a recolored version of some characters from the previous game) are such a disappoinment that you could easily killed them by using the equipment you can find inside the bonus dungeon without crafting (which is supposed to be what this series is mostly known for, so that makes Mana Khemia a failure of an Atelier game).

    I mean no offense to those who liked it, but overall I'll give this game a solid 0/10 and I'm glad that this game seems to be a huge flop in Japan & didn't even sell that much anywhere else so that Gust won't make something terrible like this ever again.    … Expand

See all 10 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Best PS2 Game of 2008
13
#13 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2008
10
#10 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2008