ATELIER YUMIA review – the real price of memories

Although I still have enthusiasm to play shooters, horror films or even Soulsovky, I am increasingly looking for the opposite side of the spectrum, that is, the games are completely relaxing, low and full of good characters and situations. In this regard, the Japanese studio GUST is a reliable star, whose games do not deny a modest budget, but they have a heart to give. Their most successful brand is an atelier whose 26th part is a new heroine and access to the series, among other things, with a more noticeable emphasis on history.

• Platform: PS5 (overview version), PS4, X1, XS, PC, Switch
• Date of issue: 21. 3. 2025
• Manufacturer: Koei Tecmo/Gust (Japan)
• Genre: Jrpg
• Czech Republic Localization: No
• Multi -user: No
• Download Data: 40 GB
• Game time: 30+ hours
• Price: 1799 czk

Scarecrow of nuclear energy

The team of researchers will land on the continent of the former Aladissai empire in order to explore the causes of the empire of the empire several hundred years ago. By the same, experiments with alchemy, which recently caused destructive explosions and extermination of the whole city in the native country of the research group, is behind destruction. In order to reveal the nature and causes of this dangerous energy, researchers must rely on the help of a young alchemist named Yumi, although its practice, a prohibited vessel, causes all other distrusts. Yumi herself hopes that the revelation of the causes of the disaster will help her understand why her mother died, as well as an alchemist. The parallels with nuclear anti -Enegia are very obvious.

Source: Martin Zavheel / Zing.cz

Source: Martin Zavheel / Zing.cz

Source: Martin Zavheel / Zing.cz

Source: Martin Zavheel / Zing.cz

Source: Martin Zavheel / Zing.cz

Source: Martin Zavheel / Zing.cz

Source: Martin Zavheel / Zing.cz

Efforts at a greater accent on central history are still quite new for the Atelier series, because historically these games were more focused on the “piece of life” of the heroine’s everyday vagabonds and their friends, and not on any large central drama. Indeed, historically, this series is rather the farmer Life Sim Harvest Moon or Rune Factory. In this game, however, central history is not only much more pronounced, but also thematically stronger, although it turns out that the topic of the value of memories is much stronger than the ability of alchemy to create and destroy. In any case, the story is surprisingly strong in the series, and its point of view will leave you the right combination of satisfaction and grief.

This leaves the correct combination of satisfaction and grief.

Of course, a good story is mostly good characters, and in this regard the game is time. Each of the six members of your retinue is a significantly different person, an explosive combination that makes it a sweet bastard. An additional pronounced is a shy cat Lenge, for which the animators of dialogs developed large ears, but mostly inhaled the amazing charisma of the Japanese Duber. Yumi herself is also easily growing to your heart, this is the correct “indecisive” heroine who stumbles or doubts her demand for pilgrimage many times, but ultimately always finds the strength to take another step. Although the game, as a rule, suffers from some inconvenience and low budget, the sequence of characters is excellent, and the humor of the situation often reminds them of the fiery Emble Engage or Xenoblade 3.

Wandering, building and magic

After relatively small, but still dead steps, the creators of the series improve and modernize their gameplay and a general picture. This will open a relatively big world in front of you, which you can wander at will and open hidden chests, small puzzles or unique monsters. Of course, the collection of raw materials plays a large role in these wanderings, because you will make all objects and equipment using alchemy in your studio. If you do not want to return to it, you can build a house with the necessary equipment also in certain places directly in the landscape. You can spend many tens of hours outside the main story, collecting, creating both building, and it is nice that each of the four large regions of the game world means new ingredients, recipes and enemies.

When it comes to the combat system, unfortunately, we “modernly” mix a stretching system with real action. You can be surprised by the first few hours, as it works intense, but you can establish difficulty, and over time you will get used to stronger enemy attacks or, as a rule, change the position and character on the battlefield as necessary. From the point of view of game mechanics, no one is surprised that the most complex system in the game is the alchemy itself or the production of advanced objects, including armor and weapons. On the one hand, this process can be almost completely automated, on the other hand, you will unlock the whole game from dozens of other lessons about the advanced nuances of its mechanics. Nevertheless, forged fans of the series are again unhappy, only some complain that it is too easy, while others are too complicated. So the truth will be somewhere in the middle.

You can build a house with the necessary equipment.

The low budget of the game is manifested, for example, in a technical (not aesthetically) weaker schedule or in a slightly distracting user interface, strikingly resembling mobile games (but the dynamic animation of the characters in the menu is wonderful). English duplication is completely absent, so you only need to be connected with subtitles. On the other hand, Japanese duplication is excellent. The music sometimes looks like a dozen, but there are several songs here and there are a few more good melodies. The PS5 game works without problems, in fact, the quality mode is not very different from the power mode (both frames Target 60, the difference in scale). Adjustable complexity will not help you in the last place where additional bosses mean that you just need to go to the ingredients and experience if you neglected it during the game. As for all these aspects, it is impossible to compare the studio with the tip of the genre, but it is still possible to use your characters and history is much better than somewhat more expensive and external names.

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