Koei Tecmo provides a strong release in their 26th installment to the Atelier series with Atelier Yumia, now available on all platforms
In the PS5 ranking, "Monster Hunter Wilds" continued to be No. 1 from the previous month. In second place was "Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist and the Phantasmagoria of Remembrance," which pursues lost history in a world where alchemy is forbidden. In third place was "Assassin's Creed Shadows," an open-world action game set in Japan during the Warring States period.
"I’m aware I’ve made a few complaints and nitpicks about Atelier Yumia above. Truth be told, I’ve struggled to put the game down. There’s so much going on, it’s difficult to cover it all. I’ve not even spoken about the energy meter that in theory limits how much exploration can be done and Synthesis you can perform. For me, it never really became a blocker. I’ve also avoided talking about the story and characters because I never like giving these details away in a review. Just know I’ve found the characters and the interpersonal relationships and stories to be charming.
Despite not feeling like I want to, or need to, engage with all its mechanics, I’ve had enough fun purely with the exploration, the characters, and the story. I’m not convinced that the other Atelier games would closely match the vibe of Yumia, but I’m definitely willing to give them a chance based on my experience here. As a newcomer to the series, I’d be happy to recommend people could start with this entry and see how they feel about it before exploring further games. For existing fans, I don’t know how this matches up to series favourites."
Atelier Yumia boldly reinvents the series with thrilling action combat and a vast open world, but stumbles under the weight of its own ambition. While the deeper narrative and flashy battles impress, uneven pacing, performance issues, and oversimplified mechanics keep it from reaching its full potential.
