“Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land” is my first foray into the long-running Atelier series, and as a complete newcomer, I had no preexisting expectations, just a curiosity about what this beloved franchise had to offer. What I found was a game with a compelling core buried under a heap of technical shortcomings and frustrating design choices. There’s something worthwhile here, but at a premium seventy-dollar price point, it’s hard to ignore the glaring issues that hold it back from being a truly great RPG.
The game follows Yumia Liessfeldt, a young alchemist seeking answers about the fall of the Aladissian Empire and the nature of alchemy itself. Once a force that propelled civilization forward, alchemy has since become a forbidden art, shrouded in fear and superstition. Yumia’s journey takes her through a vast, unexplored continent filled with ruins, mysteries, and a cast of companions who each have their own stake in uncovering the past. There’s a heavier narrative focus than what I understand to be typical for Atelier games, with stakes-driven storytelling taking precedence over slice-of-life moments. While longtime fans might lament the shift, I actually appreciated this aspect, it helped keep me invested in Yumia’s quest. From a gameplay perspective, “Atelier Yumia” is a mixture of exploration, combat, and alchemy-based crafting. The open world is initially engaging, full of resources to collect, enemies to battle, and dungeons to explore. I won’t say it’s the most intricately designed open-world experience, but running around and discovering new things kept me entertained. That said, I have to wonder if this is one of those games that front-loads its open world with engaging content, only to lose steam as the hours go by. I can’t say for certain just yet, but it’s something I’m wary of as I progress further.
Alchemy is a fundamental part of the experience, and even though I hear it’s been streamlined compared to past Atelier titles, it retains that satisfying feeling of combining materials to create something far more powerful than expected. There’s real joy in experimenting with synthesis and finding ways to craft overpowered items that trivialize enemies well beyond your level. It’s a system that rewards creativity, though I imagine some longtime fans might find it a bit too simplified. Combat is where things start to feel a little messy. It’s a blend of action RPG mechanics with an ATB (Active Time Battle) twist, but it never fully commits to either. You’ll be dodging and attacking in real-time, but you also have to monitor ability cooldowns and strategically deploy synthesized items that function as powerful skills rather than disposable consumables. It’s not terrible, some characters feel genuinely fun to play, but it lacks the refinement needed to make combat consistently engaging. Dodging feels overpowered yet imprecise, and movement is awkwardly restricted, making it difficult to find a rhythm. The game wants you to react to enemy attacks, but with the way movement is handled, it often feels like you’re fighting against the controls as much as the enemies themselves.
There is also base building, it’s another mechanic I don’t personally love to see in games and it’s an area where questionable design choices drag down what should be a fun feature for those who are into this sort of thing. The ability to create and decorate your own bases is great in theory, but the execution is hampered by bizarre limitations. Instead of allowing for a free-camera mode that would make placing objects a breeze, you’re stuck controlling Yumia, making it unnecessarily difficult to position items exactly how you want. The snapping grid system fights against you, object rotation is inconsistent, and overall, the system feels unnecessarily clunky. One final gameplay gripe: the triple jump. This mechanic is an absolute pain. It requires touching a wall before activating, but what the game considers “touching” a wall is inconsistent at best. There are plenty of moments where I was clearly scraping against a surface, yet the game refused to grant me the extra jumps. In more vertical areas, this quickly became one of the most aggravating aspects of traversal.
Despite all these issues, I wouldn’t call “Atelier Yumia” a bad game, just an incredibly flawed one that isn’t worth its current price in my opinion. There’s an enjoyable RPG experience underneath the technical problems, and I imagine patches could fix at least some of its issues. I’m curious if Koei Tecmo and Gust will continue to add any significant improvements. For now, I can’t recommend it, at least not at full price. Keep in mind that’s just the opinion of someone with no real prior knowledge or emotional investment in this franchise. “Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land” is very vibrant, a fairly engaging story, and its synthesis system remains a highlight. There are just a lot of frustrating design choices that prevent it from truly shining. If you’re a longtime fan, you may find something to love here. If you’re a newcomer like me, this might not be the best entry point.
7/10
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Related: Reviews by Nick Navarro
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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