Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian Review – Crafty as Ever

Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian Review

Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian is a turn-based JRPG with an extensive crafting system, shop mechanics, and town development options. It’s one part laid-back slice of life and one part fantasy character drama. The art direction is a bit scattered and the pacing is slow, but the characters are lively and the world is beautiful.

You can take most of the game at your own pace. If you want a chill adventure in a cute but somewhat somber fantasy world, you could do a lot worse than this Atelier title.

In a world where alchemy has become a lost art, a mysterious boy meets a girl who can see mana. Slade has a strange connection to a set of mystical ruins. Rias has the ability to perceive the mana necessary to use alchemy. When the pair stumble across a still-working alchemist’s atelier, they forge a partnership that will change both of their lives.

Both Rias and Slade are determined to find out the truth about the disaster that hit their hometown 12 years ago. And if they can revitalize the place with alchemy, all the better.

Don’t Fear the Crossover

Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian starts with a choice of two protagonists: Rias and Slade. The other becomes playable over time. Who you pick impacts the content of certain story events.

Either way, the pair have an engaging dynamic. Lively Rias bounces nicely off the more reserved Slade, and his more overt angst contrasts with her subdued grief. And they both interact nicely with the plethora of cameo characters.

Technically, this game is a crossover with multiple previous titles, including a mobile game set in the same world. However, in practice, you don’t need to know the returning characters. Rias and Slade are meeting them for the first time and their past adventures are mostly just hinted at. So don’t be afraid to start here if this is your first Atelier game.

The mechanics are fairly simple. Rias and Slade run around the map, harvesting materials for the game’s in-depth item crafting system. You can craft everything from equipment to healing potions to quest items. Whatever you don’t use yourself, you can sell in Rias’ shop for cash and gradual upgrades to the town.

This game’s take on the Synthesis system involves less math and more color-coding. In some ways, it feels like a little mini-game. I like this tweak to the Atelier formula. It should be easy for newcomers and veterans alike to get into.

Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian Goes Back to Basics

Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian goes back to franchise basics. That means turn-based combat, way less of a focus on climbing cliffs, and–as I said earlier–an incredibly complex crafting system. Combat is turn-based. However, timing your blocks correctly can give you a bonus to defense.

Once you unlock multiple actions, there is no reason to stop using them. Unless you’re using Unite Attacks, which are even better. Powerful item crashes trigger when you use the right combination of items together during Multi-Action.

To perform Synthesis, you must find recipes through exploration or buying them in town. Once you have a recipe, you gather the right ingredients and add extras to give the items additional effects.

From the atelier, you can access Dimensional Pathways leading into small dungeons which are never the same twice. This game is heavier on the dungeon-diving than some other Atelier titles. Interestingly, this kept me relatively focused on the main plot instead of diving down the Synthesis rabbit hole like usual. It’s still quite slow-paced for a JRPG, though.

After gathering or making items, you use them in battle, turn them in for quests, or sell them in Rias’ shop. Arranging the shelf to get the best deals is a fun little puzzle of its own. And it’s a great way to get an actual income. Your merchandise options will be limited at first, but once you start unlocking recipes, things will open up. Doing well in the shop and advancing the story unlocks new options for the town.

No More BOTW Cliff-Climbing

Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian has some extremely anime art design, for better and for worse. Slade’s design looks like something out of a video game fantasy setting like Genshin Impact. Rias, however, looks like she’s walking around in strappy streetwear. And a lot of characters have inexplicable animal ears.

The environment design is really nice. Some Dimensional Pathways are downright beautiful, and the outfits that don’t look completely out of place are lovely. This title features only Japanese voice acting, but it does feature text accessibility options. All the character models are cute, but could be more expressive. The monster design is adorable, however.

The game does feature some exploration mechanics, but they’re a lot less frequent and harder to use than, say, Atelier Yumia’s. No Breath of the Wild-style scrambling up cliffs here. And the game has a ton of loading screens, which can get irritating very fast. Especially when you wander into the wrong building and have to turn around immediately.

All in all, Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian is a slow-paced but cute JRPG with an expansive crafting system. If you like Atelier games, you’ll have fun with it. If you’ve never tried an Atelier game, it’s not a bad place to start. Just don’t expect something revolutionary from a slice of life game about grief, town development, and alchemy.

***Steam code provided by the publisher***