The Atelier series is anything but a standard JRPG. Beginning in 1997, the franchise as a whole is what can only be described as a "cozy slice-of-life" series where players are put into the shoes of an alchemist. While similar themes and ideas carry forward throughout the entire series, every entry is also unique, with multiple "sub-series" existing as well. It is within these sub-series that things truly become interesting, as they each contain their own set of characters within their own worlds and a central plot that carries through all of the titles. This means newcomers can easily jump in without playing everything that came before, while also being able to experience an overarching story if they wish to continue. However, due to the nature of these different sets of games, there is no denying that not all of them will appeal to all players, and even existing fans of Atelier as a whole will surely develop their own favorites.
The Dusk Trilogy is one such sub-series within Atelier, which originally began in 2012—2013 in the West—with a little title called Atelier Ayesha. Unlike the Arland Trilogy before it, Dusk brought players to a dying world where very little is known about the past and alchemy itself is a rare skill. While the title still contained a structure similar to the three titles that preceded it, Ayesha put a larger focus on the overall plot while also incorporating more standard RPG elements. Although the game remained a fantasy slice-of-life at its core, the general setting and story progression helped the game appeal more to traditional RPG fans without losing its identity as an Atelier title. In a way, it was a perfect gateway into the series, but not everyone was willing to take the plunge.
Jumping ahead nearly seven years later, Atelier Ayesha returned as Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk DX in 2020. This new version of the game included the additional content found in the 2015 PlayStation Vita port, along with the previously released DLC and multiple quality-of-life updates. While it is still the same game at its core, these additions make the DX release the definitive version of Atelier Ayesha and also brought the title to modern hardware. Thanks to this release, many new fans are now able to experience the game for the first time, which brings us to the true question: is Atelier Ayesha truly worth it?
The Story:
The story of Atelier Ayesha follows a young woman named, well, Ayesha. Working as an apothecary, Ayesha has made quite the name for herself, though she isn’t quite aware of this fact. Instead, she keeps to herself in her small workshop and simply fills orders as they come in. Using a cauldron, she is able to create just about any type of medicine, without realizing her skill is actually what is known as alchemy. It is a peaceful life, but not everything is quite as it seems.
Although Ayesha makes the most of each day, there is one thing that is always on her mind—the loss of her sister, Nio. Prior to the game’s opening, Nio was exploring some nearby ruins when she suddenly went missing. Though Nio is presumed dead, Ayesha has never given up on her sister and still visits the ruins regularly. While not expecting to find anything, it is during one of these routine visits that Ayesha is greeted by a ghostly vision of her sister and is given some comforting news—Nio is, in fact, still alive.
This fact is further reinforced by the mysterious Keithgriff, who approaches Ayesha after witnessing the strange event himself. He informs her that Nio exists in a special state and suspects she only has about three years before she is lost forever. This lights a fire in Ayesha’s heart, prompting her to put her work as an apothecary on hold to set out and find a way to save her sister.
Without any true destination in mind, she leaves her home behind, and for the first time in her life, finally gets to see the world with her own two eyes. While saving Nio is her ultimate goal, Ayesha ultimately goes down a path of self-discovery and faces the mystery of her world head-on—a world that is actually on the verge of dying.
Ayesha’s Daily Life:
Although Atelier Ayesha is initially framed as a grand adventure, the reality is that this is a life simulator with Ayesha herself as the focal point. Just as Keithgriff states at the beginning, Ayesha only has three years to save her sister, which serves as the game’s overall time limit. The game features an overworld map with nodes marking each area, and traveling between these locations takes up time on the calendar. Once within an area—be it a field, dungeon, or town—time stops progressing, but specific actions, such as fighting enemies or gathering items, will shave hours off the day. This means players must carefully consider their actions and make the most of each day. Wasting too much time can result in the game’s bad ending, requiring players to start over from the beginning to try again.
It seems like a stressful situation that requires players to smartly plan out their days, but in reality, it is anything but. While there is no denying the time limit exists, its true purpose is to push Ayesha’s life forward, which is where the game’s slice-of-life elements swing into full gear.
After completing the introductory areas, Ayesha begins meeting new characters on her journey, each with a story that plays out alongside the main adventure. By bringing these characters into your party to grow closer to them, and by simply interacting with them around town or out in the world, Ayesha can unlock their various story events. Dozens of these scenes are scattered throughout the game, and they are also dependent on the specific day and year. As time progresses for Ayesha, more events unlock, and seeing a character's story through to the end will ultimately unlock their specific ending as well. While these are not technically part of the main narrative—since saving Nio is the ultimate goal—they are where Atelier Ayesha truly shines, and they represent the primary reason to play most entries in the series.
The characters featured in the game are wonderful and help the world feel alive. Ayesha herself is a bit naive and might not resonate with everyone, but the colorful cast she meets during her adventure is unforgettable. Each character is unique, dealing with their own personal issues over the course of the three years. Because this is only the beginning of a trilogy, not all of these plot points are resolved by the end, but by the time this particular chapter comes to a close, it leaves players feeling as if they have just made lifelong friends. Seeing everything in a single playthrough might not be possible, but thankfully, Atelier Ayesha includes a New Game Plus mode that makes things easier on subsequent runs—a feature many players will likely utilize. That is part of the game’s charm, however, as it allows everyone to explore Ayesha’s life in their own way and try something new on future replays. Still, the slice-of-life elements are only one part of the overall experience, with crafting and combat making up the rest.
Becoming an Alchemist:
Because Ayesha is initially unaware that she is gifted with the ability to use alchemy, she must learn to embrace this power alongside the player. The alchemy system is not simple by any means, and there are many factors that must be considered if one wishes to truly succeed.
The absolute basics of alchemy come down to having the necessary materials and the recipe for the item you want to create. Recipes can sometimes be purchased as books, but others are discovered in field areas or unlocked by leveling up Ayesha’s alchemy skill—something that happens naturally as you continue to craft items.
To acquire the necessary materials, players can gather them from glowing points in the field, obtain them as drops from defeated enemies, or purchase them from shops. While different shops offer their own unique inventory, players can also register previously gathered or crafted items at specific stores. The shopkeepers will then restock extra copies of them over time, which is especially useful when players come across a rare item with great traits or when they have synthesized a component needed for other recipes. Of course, it is important to recognize which items are truly worth registering, as not all materials are created equal.
As previously mentioned, traits are the ultimate deciding factors when it comes to an item's utility, and this is where the crafting system gets complex. When crafting an item and selecting ingredients, bars will fill for each elemental type assigned to the materials. Reaching different checkpoints on these element bars unlocks distinct abilities for the finished product. Additional traits from the ingredients can also carry over, allowing players to select which ones transfer to the final item. The number of traits that can be transferred is determined by Ayesha’s alchemy level and the quality of the materials, though active crafting skills can also be used to alter the results. Using these skills consumes CP, which limits their use, but utilizing skills smartly and selecting materials in the correct order can result in truly outstanding gear. In some cases, it is actually beneficial to deplete all of Ayesha’s CP to prevent unwanted traits from being applied, ensuring only the desired properties make the cut. This mechanical quirk is something the game does not explain very well, but with practice, players can get the hang of it—a necessity for anyone wanting to conquer the post-game content.
While all of this might sound overwhelming, it mostly comes down to gathering items, crafting whatever you can as soon as possible, and tracking which materials possess the best traits. Once you understand how these properties pass on, high-tier traits can be used to create "ultimate" items, which can then transfer their statistics onto armor and weapon upgrade components. Because the game does not feature direct equipment crafting, players must instead buy new gear or find pieces as random drops from enemies, using their custom upgrade items to boost parameters. This is where registering items at shops becomes invaluable, as these ultimate upgrade items can be duplicated infinitely once the first one is created.
In addition to equipment upgrades, consumable crafted items like healing salves and bombs are vital for survival. A general rule of thumb in the Atelier series is "if you’re struggling, simply make a bigger bomb," and Atelier Ayesha is no exception. Consumables have limited uses, but these can also be registered at shops to keep your stock full. Even with the biggest bombs and strongest healing items, combat can become quite a challenge, requiring players to make use of every tool at their disposal—especially when the difficulty spikes arrive.
The Combat System:
As for the combat system, the game features a turn-based format with three active party members. Ayesha herself can only use basic attacks or activate the various items she has crafted, whereas the rest of the characters gain access to specialized offensive skills. In battle, these skills—or Ayesha’s items—can target the multiple enemies on the field, with some actions hitting more than one foe at a time. This relies heavily on enemy positioning, meaning players must also carefully consider their own party’s placement. Characters standing close together in battle can be caught in the same enemy area-of-effect attacks, but they can also benefit more easily from multi-target healing items. This makes placing characters side-by-side a bit of a double-edged sword, as it can either work to the party’s benefit or lead to their downfall.
While the combat system isn’t overly complex at first glance, there is quite a bit of strategy involved regarding item management and character-specific skills. Support-oriented party members offer shields and healing abilities that are instrumental to survival, while other offensive skills persist over multiple turns, providing the exact sustained damage needed to take down a challenging boss. Party members can also utilize a support meter, which fills during standard actions, to unleash follow-up attacks or step in to intercept incoming damage for a teammate. Eventually, if a character deals enough damage throughout a battle, they can trigger an ultimate attack that deals massive damage. Ideally, these moves are unleashed once the enemy has been properly debuffed, though players won't always have the luxury of waiting for the perfect setup.
Although Atelier Ayesha isn’t too difficult initially, there is a specific roadblock that puts the player's alchemy skills to the test. Ideally, this encounter arrives near the end of the first year, though it can happen later depending on your own actions as a player. As standard enemies continue to scale alongside Ayesha's level, this specific boss acts as a hard gear-check, requiring players to fully understand the game’s crafting mechanics to survive. To overcome it, players must synthesize equipment upgrade items with high-tier traits, apply them to their gear, and bring the right party composition into the fray. Crafting stronger bombs and specialized support items is key to surviving this sudden difficulty spike, but items alone are not enough. This is where the game stops pulling its punches, and the challenges only escalate from there. Unfortunately, a massive portion of the game’s narrative progression is gated behind clearing these specific encounters, meaning that wasting too many months preparing for them comes at the direct cost of the time limit, potentially preventing players from seeing the true ending.
Quests, Goals, and Memory Points:
At this point, Atelier Ayesha might already seem like a lot, but there is still quite a bit more.
While the game’s main progression comes from triggering events by traveling to key points on the map, there is actually a long list of goals that Ayesha must complete to fully advance throughout the game. These goals are assigned to her as the days go by and as she meets new characters—including a handful of generic NPCs. Some of these side quests simply reward Ayesha with extra money to spend or useful items, but others unlock completely new areas on the map. Once within these new zones, Ayesha is also typically tasked with gathering every item and defeating every enemy at least once, which then usually unlocks yet another area on the map. These objectives are vital considering some main story locations require Ayesha to traverse these paths to reach them, but it is the quests marked with a star that are truly mandatory.
Of course, with how many goals and quests are packed into the game, it is nearly impossible to complete everything—at least on a first playthrough—so players do need to consider which ones are actually worth doing. Even without rigorous planning, the sheer amount of quests available means players are always making progress, so one shouldn't worry about it too much. Focus on the star quests, clear each area at least once, and meet up with key characters once their stories become available. This is the best way to make your way through Atelier Ayesha.
Along with all of this, there is one last mechanic in play: the Memory System. By completing goals and talking to people, Ayesha will gain Memory Points, which she can then use to write in her diary. Writing in her diary unlocks unique perks, which offer a mixture of essential passive skills and helpful stat boosts to give her an edge in combat. Ideally, players will be able to gain enough points to unlock everything, but missing out on a few isn’t the end of the world.
Should you play it?
Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk DX is the beginning of one of the most interesting sub-series within all of Atelier. It builds off the previously released Arland series but also serves as a perfect starting point for newcomers. Rather than featuring a happy, upbeat world like the previous titles, the Dusk series puts a larger focus on its dying world and the overall mystery of what caused it to fall into this state. While Ayesha’s journey begins as a more personal one, where she sets out to save her sister, it ultimately leads her to discover alchemy and gain a deeper understanding of the world itself. Of course, this is only the beginning, as there are two follow-up titles, but the game itself still does a great job covering Ayesha’s story arc and easing players into this new setting.
The game’s strongest aspects are none other than the slice-of-life storytelling and the crafting mechanics themselves. Stepping into Ayesha’s shoes and getting to live within this mysterious world is an absolute joy, and the characters she meets along the way are extremely memorable. Thankfully, many of them will appear again in future entries, but even without the rest of the series, their stories are simply wonderful. While not all of them are earth-shattering, the game does a great job getting you attached to each of them personally; each time their icon appears on the map signifying a story event, one can’t help but go out of their way to see it. As for the crafting itself, gathering resources and making newer, cooler things is addicting. Although the mechanics can be difficult to fully grasp the first time around, once you get the hang of things, the game becomes a breeze. Still, this requires players to be willing to put effort into learning and follow through with all the busywork required to gather what is needed. This is where the game’s one true "issue" comes into play.
The difficulty jump in Atelier Ayesha is one of the most frustrating elements in the game, and it can occur very early on depending on how one plays. Ideally, players should actually rush the main story as quickly as possible and temporarily ignore the slice-of-life moments to save time. The three-year time limit is generous, but attempting to see all of the events and do every side quest right away means you will hit a wall before most of the late-game content unlocks. However, those who complete the core story milestones roughly by the end of year one will unlock ways to save time while traveling, and many of the game’s subsequent story scenes are actually locked behind completing a specific main quest. Again, this isn’t made clear by the game itself, and the difficulty jump can completely block progress. To advance, players need to master the alchemy system, craft ultimate equipment, and take down the challenging bosses that stand in their way. There are also other key requirements that need to be met beforehand for the true ending, which takes additional work.
Chances are most players will fail on their first attempt, but thankfully, all crafted equipment carries over into New Game Plus. This means players will be able to steamroll all of the challenging fights the next time around, but it doesn’t sting any less when you are thirty hours in and realize you need to go back to the beginning. Atelier titles are designed with multiple replays in mind, but Ayesha in particular is a game that really expects players to come back for more, and there is not much getting around this—unless you follow a guide, that is.
Related: Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland DX Review
Overall, Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk DX is a wonderful slice-of-life adventure and a great introduction to a unique world on the verge of coming to an end. With a great cast of characters and an extremely developed crafting system, it is a game players can easily sink countless hours into. While the battle system isn’t anything to write home about, this cozy game is well worth it for fans of the genre and newcomers alike.
VERDICT: Recommended
Reviewed on PlayStation 4
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