Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian Game Review – Game Review

How many studio Have you ever played games? I’m not asking for credibility or as a form of gatekeeping, but because designers Atelier Resleriana: Red Alchemist and White Guardian I hope you have some familiarity with the previous entries franchise. While the main characters Rias and Slade are unique to the game, the same cannot be said for the other characters. Characters come from Eskar and Roger, Aishasha, Sophieand many others appear as part of the “Wanderer System,” whereby protagonists from past games can wander into Halfen and its surrounding areas to interact with Rias and Slade and help them complete their missions. This is fun if you’ve played these other games and is a great way to catch up with old friends without having to replay the entire game. But if you are an ordinary consumer studio Gaming – either too young to play the earliest games or simply not owning the right console – it’s much less engaging, and it can sometimes feel like an exercise in frustration when you’re trying to put everyone aside and wondering if each new character comes from a vast library of games.

This is the biggest barrier to entry for this otherwise charming RPG. The game features two playable characters, Rias and Slade, and you can switch between them at any time, although initially you need to choose one to start the adventure. (I chose Rias.) There are slight differences depending on how you choose to start, as the game will automatically switch you to another if the plot requires it. The two are comparable Eskar and Roger and Liddy and Souland also has a front and rear combat system for two-line fighters. As usual, gameplay is split between gathering/exploring, fighting monsters, and alchemy, with an enhancement system to improve crafted items. Slade does enhancements, and Rias does alchemy, but again, the game automatically shifts POV characters to accomplish what’s required, no matter who you play as.

Unlocking the alchemy portion of the game does take a while (you have to find the workshop itself), and until then, you’ll also have to rely on the autosave feature. This is mostly fine, but like all autosaves it always feels like it’s saving you in a slightly inconvenient place. But the gameplay itself is simple and fun – alchemy, enhancements, and shop items are all color-coded, and it feels like an extra mini-game when you match side colors; you don’t have but your items will be of better quality if you do this. Crafting more items also leads to more collectibles, since you’ll need specific tools to harvest some of the goodies. Time doesn’t pass in the game when you craft, so you don’t lose anything there. Each item has a tree showing possible evolutionary paths, and if you follow it you’ll unlock new artifacts. All of this has to do with the shop run by Rias and Slade, but if you don’t want to mess with that, you can leave that to the fairies.

The combat system is simple and straightforward. It’s turn-based, and points after victory can be shared among fighters. Admittedly, this took me a while to figure out, and I ended up with a weirdly powerful character before I figured it out. If you are overleveled in combat, you can run away, except during a boss fight. The combat animations are good, although the monsters sometimes look a little too smooth in an attempt to make them look wrapped in magic.

What I’m playing is Nintendo Switching versions, I’m not sure if the visual issues I’m experiencing exist on newer consoles. There’s the aforementioned monster sheen, but more annoying is the gear on Rias’s original costume. There is a strap hanging from her dress, but it moves with her legs rather than with the rest of her clothing, which makes it look very strange. I’m generally not interested in her default outfit at all; not only does she wear much less clothing than Slade (who’s buttoned all the way up), but her shirt is pointless, with ruffles at the front of her button-down shirt. Essentially, it’s a guide straight into her cleavage. It feels particularly jarring because of how little jitter there is in the animation. Luckily, the DLC does involve new outfits (and recolors) for Slade and Rias, and although her outfit involves a bandeau top, it’s still more covering and functional than her original look. Even Slade has more “casual” clothing than any women’s clothing combined.

With a gripping plot that solves a decade-old mystery and solid voice acting (Japanese only), Resleriana Studio It’s a good introduction franchise. It relies a little too much on previous experience and is slow to start in tutorial mode, but it’s fun. I wouldn’t recommend it as your first studio game, but franchise Fans should have a great time.