Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian Review - An Atelier Adventure For Everyone

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Ever since Ryza opened the doors to me to dive into the world of the Atelier series, I’ve always been drawn to these colorful worlds full of magic, unforgettable characters, and in-depth synthesis systems. Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian offers all that. It is the classic Atelier experience we all love, but with a few modern additions that bring it up to par with one of the most recent releases: Atelier Yumia. Furthermore, while I’m a huge fan of Ryza and Yumia as protagonists, Rias is closing in as one of the best protagonists we’ve seen in the franchise.

The Alchemist and The Guardian

Many of you may see the name “Atelier Resleriana” and will think this is a sequel to the mobile game; it isn’t. While Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian takes place in the same universe and timeline, this entry features new protagonists and an original story.

You take the role of Rias, the lovable and dorky lead who has a knack for alchemy, and Slade, a fighter with a mysterious artifact that opens paths to new dimensions. Both of these characters return to their hometown, Hallfein, to uncover the mystery behind this town’s calamity and also learn a few things about their past, such as why Rias has a talent for alchemy and why Slade has this gadget.

The narrative of Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian is quite interesting and full of intrigue, but it suffers from one notable drawback: pacing. While I don’t mind long tutorials that guide me through every system in the game, the pacing of the plot tends to be quite distracting. At times, I was frustrated that the narrative was locked behind an activity or unskippable tutorials. It may be in line with other Atelier titles, but it is something that needs fixing to not deter players from enjoying this mysterious and gripping plot.

Fortunately, there’s such a strong cast of characters that I was able to overlook this minor inconvenience. In truth, every cast member shines, especially the two new ones. In terms of design, Koei Tecmo nailed it once again, as Rias is one of the greatest leads of the series in recent memory. She may not surpass some of my favorites, but she’s definitely in my top 3. Her attitude is another part that deserves praise, as she has this dorky outer shell, but there’s more to her than meets the eye. Slade was equally enjoyable, if not more, as he’s the voice of reason and a key player in the mystery of Hallfein.

Of course, there are many other returning characters from the Atelier series that join you as playable party members, and you might’ve seen them already, such as Raze or Willbell. There are a few others, of course, but I don’t want to spoil them, as they are some fan-favorites that are better for players to discover.

Overall, Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian offers a terrific tale surrounded by mystery and nods to Atelier fans. Its pacing might be off, especially in the first chapters, but once it gets going, it will hook you, as there are many plot twists for you to experience.

Turn-Based Greatness

I fell in love with Yumia‘s approach to combat and found it quite refreshing as it brought an ATB-like system, but turn-based fights will always be some of the best, and Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian brings one of the most interactive and customizable battle mechanics in the series.

As I mentioned above, everything is turn-based. There’s a timeline on your screen that you can observe to see which party member or enemy goes first. In that same timeline, you’ll also see a few buffs and debuffs you can steal to affect the flow of the encounter. And in terms of combat moves, you have some of the staples, such as your regular attacks and skills or spells you unlock after investing in each character’s skill tree.

However, the combat system goes much deeper than that, because there are many intricate elements that make turn-based fights feel significantly more strategic. For instance, there are Multi-action moves that let one of your front-row members and one of your back-row members attack simultaneously. You can fill up this bar by attacking, and once you do, perform devastating moves to hit more than one enemy in a turn. You can cast skills or spells in Multu-action moves or even throw some items to create a devastating item mix, such as throwing two bombs at the same time that cause a larger explosion and a burn effect.

On top of that, there are “Unite” moves that happen once another bar fills up. Once you have it ready, another character will perform a special attack after another party member moves. You can even upgrade these moves via everyone’s skill tree and unlock more powerful attacks with different effects.

Also, you won’t stand still, only waiting to get hit by an enemy. There’s a parry mechanic that lets you hold a button to block an attack, significantly reducing its damage or harmful effects. And of course, you have your plethora of usable items you can equip to damage foes or heal team members, and the equipment menu that includes accessories with passive buffs to make your encounters easier.

Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian marries turn-based combat systems with a few action-oriented mechanics to make a terrific duo of features that enhance every encounter in the game. Plus, it is great that most enemies have weaknesses and resistances, as it encourages you to mix and match your party members and even swap those in the front row for those in the back.

Just One More Synthesis

The Synthesis system has always been one of the biggest highlights in an Atelier game, and the one in this entry stands among the best, most intricate, and addictive.

This system is easy to understand on the surface, as it provides players with an intuitive UI that lets them combine ingredients to their heart’s content. For casuals, this is ideal, as you’ll be matching ingredients’ colors to improve an item’s effects. However, there is so much more than just combining colors to craft something.

When synthesizing, you’ll often get the option to morph a recipe, which allows you to add a different ingredient to transform your Ingot into something entirely new, thus unlocking that recipe for future use. Additionally, if you don’t have ingredients that follow the color chain, you can use Catalysts that allow you to replace one of the reagents to obtain the correct combination for your craftable item. Beyond that, there are also ways to improve your previously crafted items, allowing you to increase that weapon, consumable, or ingredient’s rank, assuming you have the materials and Cole, the game’s currency.

Gathering will be familiar for many, as you’ll be smashing rocks and logs with Rias’ trusty staff that becomes a whip, but then unlock specific gathering tools that let you obtain new materials from different sources. In truth, I always love the easy-to-gather, intricate-to-craft approach, as it lets me spend more time experimenting inside my Atelier with the hopes of creating the ultimate weapon or a unique crafting ingredient.

There’s No Place Like Hallfein

Hallfein, the game’s main town, and the region of Lantarna also deserve a mention due to how crucial they are for the story and gameplay loop. The former will be your hub, but most importantly, it has your shop that you can manage to earn some money and restore the dilapidated town.

The management process is also intuitive for casuals who just want to spam buttons and see the money flow, but just like Synthesis, it goes deeper than that, as different item combinations will give you more bonuses to restore a specific area in the town. The one thing I didn’t like about the management part is how it gatekeeps some of the story behind it. It was never a long grind, but I wasn’t a big fan of leveling it up just to get a new narrative thread.

Yet, credit where it’s due, as the system allows you to unlock new store furniture, and even Fairy helpers that will increase your income and impact in the town. And if managing the store isn’t your cup of tea, you can invest in the town directly by heading to the town’s office, which also gives you some passive bonuses to certain mechanics in the game.

The reason why improving the town is so important is that by doing so, you’ll unlock new vendors that have several alchemy recipes. Furthermore, some familiar series from the franchise may appear to offer quests and a few interactions. I was surprised to see many of the cast members from previous Atelier titles, and I’m sure fans of the series will be just as pleased.

Outside of town, the region works in a semi-open world format, with medium areas and some locked passages that you can traverse once you have the right tool or skill. All of these areas are full of gathering nodes and monsters, and while the design of them was great, it took me a while to get used to the smaller lands compared to the vast open world of Atelier Yumia. Still, it is always good to have more condensed zones that lack some of the clutter we see in open-world titles.

Welcome To Your New Atelier

Despite my minor complaints, Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian is an excellent addition to the series, and one that longtime fans will appreciate even more due to the fan service pertaining to cameo appearances and more. Furthermore, it features one of the most in-depth Synthesis mechanics in recent entries, which is precisely what Yumia was lacking at the time.

With yet another strong pair of lead characters and a memorable story, Koei Tecmo has delivered a top-notch Atelier experience that’s suitable for everyone to enjoy. Whether you miss the days of Atelier Sophie or want the modern look and gameplay feel of Yumia, Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian will welcome new and veteran alchemists alike.

Review copy provided by the Publisher.

Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian (PS5 Reviewed)

8.5 Great

Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian is one of the most approachable Atelier experiences for new fans, while also bringing back what made the series so iconic.