Atelier Escha and Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky Review (PS Vita)
Atelier Escha and Logy Plus finally hits Vita and as I really enjoyed it my first time round on PS3, I’m excited to replay one of the best games in the series with its snug home on Vita.
The Atelier Vita ports have been very good, far better than the Musou ports, and they’re some of the finest JRPG’s on the system. Tearing myself away from the gorgeous intro cinematic, which is the same as the PS3 version, I get going and I’m relieved to see that this port is of the same high quality as the others and damn is it a perfect fit for Vita. If anything, I actually find myself thrilled to be playing these games again, as I’ve really grown fond of the Atelier games and think they’ve gotten better with each installment. I’m obviously going to go into detail but if you’re already considering buying this then yes, buy it. If you need some convincing, carry on reading.
First thing I did was play around with the new outfits included in the game and made my Escha look all pretty before sending her out to play with potions and slay fiends alongside Logy (who you can also choose to play as, although their stories mostly intertwine heavily with little differences), a few returning characters and new playable characters such as Nio, Ayesha’s sister from Atelier Ayesha. Much of the new content includes all DLC content included, brand new events, missions and bosses and, as mentioned, new playable characters to bolster the already grand roster even further. None of it will make you like the game if you disliked it on PS3 but for fans, it’s a chance to have a great game on the go along with fresh content that helps to justify buying it or playing through it once more – the events mostly revolve around the titular characters and their relationship, which is nice.
The story is the same as it was in our PS3 review, bar the new segments I’ve touched on, and the gameplay is too but in case you want a brief overview then the game follows alchemists Escha and Logy as they synthesise items for the public as part of their job, and research ruins and fight monsters for materials and, of course, come into something much larger than just their work. It’s a traditionally turn-based JRPG with addictive gameplay which is unique in the way that it uses alchemy to enhance attacks and it’s also how you create many of your weapons and healing, defensive and offensive items. Synthesising is simple but due to the games calendar system, you’ll want to ensure you know what you’re doing so that you don’t waste days and do what I did on my first PS3 playthrough – get locked out of endings due to being two days out!
The visuals translate beautifully to Vita with the graphics being more or less on par with its home console counterpart, and the art style is still as breathtaking as I remember it. There are minimal sacrifices made in the port and definitely nothing that should turn you off, although there can sometimes be a slight framerate dip when wandering around, but nothing that brought me out of the experience. I also gave it a go on PlayStation TV which its thankfully compatible with, and it performed very well on there too – it’s certainly nice to see new releases still being made compatible with PS TV, and Koei Tecmo certainly are a big advocate for Vita and Vita related things.
The English and Japanese voiceovers are both on show here and you can’t go wrong with either, although I stick with the English Dub as the Atelier games have always been well casted. There’s plenty of dialogue (it isn’t a JRPG if there isn’t hours worth of dialogue!) and whilst the story is fairly lighthearted, it’s relaxing and enjoyable to play and the dialogue definitely helps with a lot of the tone. The music is outstanding and the Atelier OST’s are arguably some of the best in gaming and if the intro doesn’t make you want to hear more, then the rest of the OST should do the job.
Atelier Escha and Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky is a perfect fit on Vita and still as enjoyable as it was the first time round and whilst the new content might not be in abundance, it makes for a nice addition and the new events between Escha and Logy is a delight for fans. It makes for a great start to a year that’s set to be packed with JRPG’s, and I’m already looking forward to both Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea on Vita and Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book when it inevitably (well, hopefully) makes its way West.
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