In the first year and a couple months of the new generation, we have seen countless ports, mostly previous-gen games to the new consoles. Ports can happen to and from any console, and Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dust is a neat example of a port from Playstation 3 to the PS Vita, done so right one does not notice it is a port in the first place.
Michibiku's Jenni Lada writes, "JRPGs become more predictable as they age. The mechanics are still sound, the stories still good, and the general concept still appreciated in a world where open-world everything is becoming the norm. Think of it as perpetual familiarity. We now what’s going to happen. Gust’s Atelier chronicles can fall within the bounds of predictable, but the series’ focus on individuals sets it apart."
In a modern gaming ecosystem where so many games revel in violence, death and destruction from Western publishers, it’s nice once in a while to turn to Japan as a source for games centered around creating, not destroying. We have games like Recettear on Steam, Story of Seasons on the 3DS, and the Atelier series from Koei Tecmo, with Atelier Ayesha Plus.
Can someone be so kind as to tell me if this series is any good?. I have noticed that there is a lot of these games in the series and this is one of the few JRPG series I'm not familiar with. They look gorgeous.
Aside from being transitioned to a portable console and given a few nifty and aesthetic features such as the Album Missions and additional costumes, there isn't too much which separates Atelier Ayesha Plus from its original PlayStation 3 edition. Therefore, unless you desperately want to play the game in Japanese, there may not be enough here to justify paying $59.95 AUD to play it a second time around.