Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk

1. Vadrael

   Apr 7, 2018

   10

   One of my Favorite Atelier games.
   Compared to the previous games, this one is more serious story-wise.
   Like always its a greatOne of my Favorite Atelier games.
   Compared to the previous games, this one is more serious story-wise.
   Like always its a great Alchemy-system and the Characters are all great.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
2. Barjoe

   Jan 1, 2021

   10

   The game that started the best Saga in the series & also an Atelier game that arguably has the best writing.
   
   The music in this game are alsoThe game that started the best Saga in the series & also an Atelier game that arguably has the best writing.
   
   The music in this game are also really great with my favorite being Ibarra and MARIA, it put all the PS2 games which is the other games in the series that I played to shame in this regards.
   
   Overall it's a solid game that every Atelier fans have to experience at least once.… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
4. zeone222

   Mar 15, 2013

   9

   Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk has a good voice of both japanese and american casts.The story of main game is humor and fun after iAtelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk has a good voice of both japanese and american casts.The story of main game is humor and fun after i have finished mass effect 3, this is a good change.Graphic is good and have beautiful vista,overal if you like jprg and former game in series, You should buy Atelier Ayesha… Expand

   • 1 of 3 users found this helpful
5. ryuzaki57

   Mar 5, 2013

   9

   Graphically, Atelier Ayesha seems right in the continuity of the Arland series, which means atrocious backgrounds but further refinedGraphically, Atelier Ayesha seems right in the continuity of the Arland series, which means atrocious backgrounds but further refined character modeling/animation. The result achieved thunderstruck me it's almost Tales of Xillia quality level. Gust has made the choice to remove all artworks during dialogs, which is somewhat sad because it means less gazing at the top-notch character design. Nevertheless, the main characters looked fine enough and I stopped worrying about it pretty quickly. Unlike the previous episodes, the framerate do suffer horribly when there are too much NPCs on the screen.
   
   In terms of gameplay, AA brings a lot of changes to the series. The battles, already a fantastic experience before, are being made even more tactical by allowing you to walk around enemies and attack from behind. The chain skills you can use also vary depending on your position (for example a character can't cover your teammate if (s)he's on the opposite side, but can tell her to concentrate or to recover). As usual, meticulous panning is needed every time you sortie, as the unforgiving hostiles will certainly get out if you don't bring enough healing/offensive items.
   
   Alchemy has been simplified a lot. Quantities have been equally normed most of the time, you use 1 to make 3, which seems far too simple. I personally fancy the Kafkaesque recipes of the previous Atelier games, which demanded a nearly lunatic mind organization. Furthermore, traits are now automatically chosen. I can no longer add to your creation some super-skill on a rare material you've found in a dark and dangerous cave. Let's say the item you're about to make can have HP+10%, STR+5, SPD+5 or Stats+2, it will actually have one, several or all these traits depending on the quality you achieve. But if own a material with let's say All Stats+5, you can never implement this trait anywhere. Probably disappointing for purists, this new system saves you some efforts and allows you to focus on other parts of the game.
   
   There are MANY more ingredients than before. I've come across dozens something like hundreds of them! In this department, let's stress that objects now are sorted by groups of quantities, that is to say that objects of same nature quality take only one square in your basket. This is a dramatic improvement over previous baskets, because you can carry more and longer. You can no longer choose at gathering points, but a can choose to gather more or less at each point, which enables you to save time. Your allies also pick additional ingredients time to time as a bonus. This new gathering system alleviates the constraints you had in past games and allows maximum efficiency. Again, this allows a smoother progression in the game.
   
   As always in Atelier games, the story is limited in time. Each day must be used wisely to achieve as much as possible in the years that compose the game. You'll quickly have to choose between several objectives, generally very far from each other, in order to advance in the story, complete side quests, hunt fiends, gather or deliver, not to menion the mini-events that take place during set period of time. You consequently have to define priorities and make mid/long term plans to win the race against time. Talking of the story, so far I find it less compelling than the others. Ayesha is looking for her missing sister, a bit like Totori was in search for her mother, but it's far less emotionally-packed. It's kind of a mild trade-off between the Totori's moving story and Meruru's eccentricity. In fact, it only makes sense at the very end, when Keithgrif comes to your party. At this moment, the problematic around the essence of alchemy and its legitimacy is very interesting and add some gravity to the final fights.
   
   The exceptional so Japanese sense of humor is still there character events are wonderful as always. Music is at it finest, with many beautiful tracks and no less than a dozen of battle themes. Difficulty setting is rather weird unfortunately most of the story bosses are no problem for Atelier fans, but post-game bosses crush my maxed characters within 3 turns. On the other hand, I did appreciate the possibility to choose my ending once time is up. You can therefore see every ending you've flagged during the game by reloading your save, which is only normal after all. I does hurt the replay value, but you'll still have to play it twice to see everything. With a sixty-hour long game, it makes tremendous value.
   
   Even if this newest Atelier probably won't surpass its glorious predecessors, it remains a thoughtfully well-fought game, innovating smartly at the same time. By simplifying alchemy and rationalizing item management, it also makes it easier for newcomers to throw themselves in the series.… Expand

   • 15 of 28 users found this helpful
6. erhanz

   Jun 30, 2014

   8

   Just finished this great game. This is my favourite Atelier series for now. It starts with the story of Ayesha, who lives away from the city.Just finished this great game. This is my favourite Atelier series for now. It starts with the story of Ayesha, who lives away from the city. One day her sister, Nio, disappeared suddenly when gathering herbs inside a ruin. A several years later, Ayesha go to the ruin and then found Nio within the glowing flowers. After that Ayesha met an alchemist called Keith who tells her that Alchemy is the only way to save her sister. So the journey of Ayesha starts.
   
   Plus point:
   - A CLEAR main mission. Saving your sister, Nio, while searching for the trails that lead to her. Well you got exactly 3 years worth of traveling. While you can finished your main mission in 2 years. Which will give you lots of time to finish the subquest. This game is mostly about traveling and exploring, not just synthetizing items like previous games. Sure it still has lots of comedy in it, but they also got the serious parts.
   - Leveling up is useful now! Not like the previous games, leveling up in this game do counts in fighting enemies. While equipment can be bought in the shop. I just love this system haha.
   - People said that the game is short, but i think it's just enough. Playing this kind of game too long is boring.
   
   Minus point:
   - Uhm..Japanese voice isn't available in this game. So you have to listen to all of that crappy dubbing.
   - Lack of characteristic for the characters! The characters are mostly women, and they are not as flashy as the characters from previous games. Also, they only have 2 playable males in this game, which sucks.
   
   After all, i give this game 8/10. If you never played Atelier series before, i recommend you to start with this one, as it doesn't have any connections to the previous games. Cheers!… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
7. Blaze1190

   Mar 11, 2013

   7

   As a lifelong RPG fan and one who is completely new to the Atelier series, I thought it'd be helpful to write from the perspective of thoseAs a lifelong RPG fan and one who is completely new to the Atelier series, I thought it'd be helpful to write from the perspective of those who are yet to delve into the world of an alchemy rpg. Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk is much more light hearted than your traditional "save the world from the brink of destruction" role playing game. As a traditional fight, grind, level-up then rinse and repeat player, I was originally turned off by the term "Alchemy" RPG. Though to my surprise I'm enjoying the process of synthesizing various items as much if not more than the battling itself. The story follows Ayesha, a young apothecary who is trying to find her sister Nio that mysteriously vanished years ago. Ayesha tirelessly searches the world around her looking for clues to her whereabouts, meeting friends, enemies, and a slew of interesting characters along the way. The first thing that captured my attention was the graphical appearance. Atelier Ayesha doesn't push the PS3's limits by any means going for life-like images and cgi cut scenes. It instead takes the animated route. The vivid colors and well crafted art is on full-display proving that a game doesn't have to be as life-like as possible to appease the eye. One major drawback is that the camera cannot be rotated while in the field. It's a shame to have attractive backdrops and not be able to freely admire them. This also hurts gameplay, as you're sometimes forced to run "down" the screen and toward the camera. This renders you completely unaware of anything in your path and may lead you to battles you may otherwise may want to avoid. Most of the music is well composed and fits the setting quite nicely. Another plus is you can use themes from past games in the Atelier series. Find your self growing bored of the battle theme after 300 fights? Swap it out for something fresh. The battles are relatively generic, but work and are enjoyable. You've got your basic turn based system and commands (attack, spell, item etc.). Commands differ between each character depending on their skill set. An aspect that stands out is the ability to chain attack commands together with other party members should you have enough ability points. Strategic use of this system can easily turn the tide of a losing affair and adds a nice touch of flair. The difficulty is relatively easy should you keep your party well maintained. You won't find yourself having to tirelessly grind to get through an area that is overly difficult. Where the game shines is in it's alchemy element. You'll be exploring the world collecting plants, flowers, rocks, meat, and everything in-between to craft items for your use. The composition of the item will change depending on the materials used. You'll spend countless hours mixing different materials trying to find the best combinations. There's a certain feeling of satisfaction when you finally create something you've been desperately wanting for the longest time. It's a relatively short adventure that should take you no more than 30 hours if you progress straight through the story start to finish. That being said there are numerous side-quests and "missions" to be done that will keep you busy for a while. One major aspect is that this game has a timer which hinges purely on the actions you take. This may be a big turn-off to some new players. The game ends after a certain amount of time has passed and you'll earn endings based on your performance. On the brighter side, this adds to the replay value as you'll find yourself playing through two, three, or more times trying to achieve all the endings and perfect your alchemy skills. This may not be a must have ground breaking game, but it's an overall enjoyable experience for those who want to switch it up from the traditional RPG. A recommended pickup if you find yourself searching for something new to tryout.… Expand

   • 4 of 7 users found this helpful
8. Castian

   Apr 29, 2013

   2

   As an Atelier games is "decent" enoug to be played, the artwork is amazing and the change of peace is ineresting, but any Atelier fan WILLAs an Atelier games is "decent" enoug to be played, the artwork is amazing and the change of peace is ineresting, but any Atelier fan WILL miss the stuff left out.
   But my negative score is due the obligatory Engrish audio crap.
   Theres only one thing worse than play a nerf'd game on your favoite series, is playing it, Engrish only audio.… Expand

   • 6 of 10 users found this helpful

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