After venturing further into the mobile space, the Atelier Resleriana franchise returns to consoles with The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian. Is this storied franchise back to its best? Or should this series have been retired by now?
A Messy Affair
I’ll admit, I had limited knowledge of the Atelier franchise, but I knew of its pull for fans and lovers of the JRPG series. However, upon seeing the reveal for this game, I had immediate reservations. The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian is a successor to the free to play gatcha spin off, Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy And The Polar Night Liberator. Having launched in western countries, it failed quite significantly and was quickly shut down, remaining available only as a mobile title in its native country, Japan. Having been advertised as a standalone adventure not tied to the previous title, I had hope for this game, but unfortunately the story ends up being a bit of a mess in its delivery and narrative choices.
The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian is at its core a dual protagonist story of two people trying to restore balance and peace to their land. Thankfully, you don’t need any context or knowledge of previous titles in order to get to grips with the narrative. You start as Rias, a young adventurer who’s as naive as she is optimistic. Unlike previous titles and characters, Rias has no prior knowledge or interest in alchemy at the beginning of the game. Her passion is exploring and this leads her to encounter Slade, a young man who at first seems very mysterious and somewhat intimidating. He has returned to the town of Hallfein determined to honour his father’s last wishes and, before the events of the game, he has been given an arm band called the Geist Core. The two (Slade and Rias) then set out and discover a hidden alchemist’s atelier, thus setting in motion the events of the game.
The story attempts to weave themes of discovery, friendship and mystery, with varying degrees of success. The narrative arch of these two characters can be compelling at times but far too often it is bogged down with needlessly long and tedious dialogue conversations with other characters. It seriously affects the overall pacing of the game and strips a lot of tension and emotion from the story. Rias is by far the more compelling character, and, far too often, Slade’s story gets in the way of the more intriguing moments with Rias, such as her apt for alchemy and the mystery behind how she has managed to understand it so quickly. Also, developers Koei Tecmo have repurposed a lot of characters and items from the now defunct gatcha title, making it an odd mismatch of random characters, which the audience may not be familiar with. Overall, this is a generic type of story, featuring two strangers becoming friends, attempting to uncover mysteries and rid their town of evil. The multiple endings create some replay ability but they don’t really feel very different from each other. It’s been done before and done a lot better by other franchises. A truly forgettable tale.
Gatcha Gone?
In trying to keep in line with the narrative, the gameplay loop attempts to focus on combat, exploration and of course crafting. Thankfully, the developers have managed to weave a tightly knit system. Exploration and crafting go hand in hand as you travel through areas, gathering as many materials as you can possibly carry. Whilst it can feel like you are entering every area and hitting things to gather items, it’s strangely addictive and satisfying. The problem here lies in the exploration itself, as most zones are very linear and don’t allow for much player freedom but it still manages to be fun, roaming around gathering items.
The alchemy system works in what it sets out to do, but feels slightly limited in its ambition. After gathering your materials, you can return to the Atelier in order to craft and synthesise items into gear. The game utilises a colour system that allows you to easily link ingredients together in order to transform them into higher quality items. The reason I feel this system is limited is due to previous titles. Past games in the franchise had time limited moments, making crafting and combat feel tense and truly like every moment counted, but in this game, not so much. Crafting feels so streamlined to the point where it really isn’t that necessary. Hell, it feels like half the materials I collected were pointless!
For veterans of this turned-based combat, you’ll feel right at home. Your party, as in previous titles, is split into two rows, allowing players to chain attacks together on a single turn, using your turn points. The six playable characters in combat have varying styles, offering the player lots of freedom in how they wish to approach the combat. Their buffs and elemental attacks feel vastly different and it was an absolute blast finding my own curated style with the team. However, the difficulty feels far too easy and for someone who has little experience in turn-based combat, I began breezing through battles. On the flip side, boss battles can be bizarrely difficult, creating a real imbalance in combat. Thankfully the core gameplay loop is enough fun for this to become a minor issue.
Style, But At What Cost?
Visual Presentation in this game is beautiful in some of the areas and downright ugly in other areas which seem to have been left by the wayside. Cutscenes, characters, and the UI all look beautiful in the gorgeous animation style this series is known for. With the exception of Slade who looks particularly bad, the characters remain the most intricate and beautiful part of this beloved series, as they drip in detail and flare. Unfortunately, the cost of making the characters look so wonderful is at the direct detriment of the environments. The areas of Hallfein look blurry, bland and so forgettable you can really tell the developers have repurposed assets from the doomed mobile game. JRPG’s are known for their art style but this game fails miserably in environmental presentation. There are also too many performance issues that affect the game, far too often.
Thankfully, the sound design and musical score are top notch. Every battle feels momentous with the explosion of sound from each attack, defence or action taken. Characters are voiced in their native language and each cast member should be commended for pouring emotion into their performances. Finally, the musical score knocks it out of the park! The deft cosy soundtrack blends rural tones along with a classic JRPG style, making it the outstanding aspect of the game for me. It’s serene and beautiful to sit and listen to the orchestral tunes perforating my ear drums. Special mention goes to the music that plays during the ‘Starry Sky Hideout’ area. It is genuinely mesmerising!
Verdict
Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian truly is the definition of a mixed bag. An uneven story led by two vastly differing protagonists fails to deliver a memorable tale and outstays its welcome for far too long. Bad visuals affect the delivery of the narrative but thankfully a strong combat system helps keep this title afloat. The beautiful art style and gorgeous soundtrack save this game from being a true disappointment. Far too many repurposed assets from the previous mobile game make an appearance, making this game feel like an update rather than a brand new title. Hopefully this storied franchise can weather the storm!
