Exciting news for fans of the Atelier series as today Koei Tecmo America revealed additional details on the core synthesis gameplay system in the upcoming Atelier Lulua. With the full title of Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland, the game will be coming to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in May. It follows the story of Lulua Frixell as she uncovers the mysteries of an ancient codex and the land of Arland itself. The game is set to feature a sense of discovery as Lulua travels to beautiful lands, some new and some completely unexplored. During these travels, players can find various raw materials, which they can use in the synthesis system to help Lulua in her quest to learn the ultimate truth about the mysterious kingdom of Arland.
In Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland players will decrypt the codex to unlock a variety of new and exciting recipes which will, in turn, help them throughout their adventure. This sounds very similar to the core gameplay in the past entries in the Atelier series, which is no real surprise. What is new in this latest entry is that it combines the Arland trilogy’s quality and trait systems; this allows for items to take on entirely new characteristics, along with the Mysterious trilogy’s elements and boost items, giving items powerful abilities that would not be previously possible. To be honest, I pulled that information straight from the press release and have very little idea what it actually means, but it sounds exciting.
In addition to these new gameplay details, Koei Tecmo America also revealed a Limited Edition version of Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland, which will be available exclusively through the NISA Online Store. This Limited Edition features what could be must-have content for Atelier series fans. It will, of course, include a physical version of the game, plus a hardcover art book, the ‘Sound Archives’ official soundtrack, some neat looking keychains of characters Lulua & Rorona, and a deluxe cloth poster. And it all comes packaged together in a collector’s box featuring artwork of the protagonist, the young alchemist Lulua.
The publisher has said they will be revealing more details on Atelier Lulua as we get closer to the game’s May release, and we will bring you that information as it is made available.