Every time I review an Atelier game, I always seem to wind up talking about their laid-back charm and how wonderfully uplifting they are. That may be partially due to a lack of creativity on my part, but it’s most just because… well, it’s consistently true. Gust has spent decades …
Blue Reflection was one of the most uplifting, joyous—dare I say wholesome—games of 2017, even if that point seemed to get lost on a lot of folks. A story about an aspiring ballet dancer who suffers a career-ending injury, and then finding new meaning in a life that she’s mostly …
Blue Reflection was, easily, one of the most mesmerising games of the last generation. Intimate, heartfelt introspection on depression and trauma, seen through the empowering lens of the magical girl genre and the utter, absolute beauty of Mel Kishida’s character designs is a recipe for something truly special. It’s also …
With Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack, you can now get every main-series Atelier game since the PS2 days on Nintendo Switch (and PS4 and PC). Having a few generations’ worth of games all in one place, readily available to dive into, is wonderful—especially when you think about how many new …
The excellent (if criminally underrated) Blue Reflection is getting a sequel, and it’s already confirmed for a western release. Blue Reflection: Second Light is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC courtesy of Koei Tecmo. Second Light, known as Blue Reflection Tie in Japan, is one of two new …
I don’t think anyone could have truly predicted the success of Atelier Ryza. It found just the right balance between classic Atelier‘s slice-of-life touch and a more streamlined approach to game design that did away with some of the series’ more arcane ideas—as I said when I reviewed it, it’s …
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy finally has a Western release date: 26 January 2021 for North America, and 29 January 2021 for Europe and Oceania. It’s coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC (via Steam). This isn’t quite the simultaneous worldwide release that …
I’ve never been able to get into Fairy Tail, despite giving both the manga and anime a few goes over the years. On paper, it seems like my kind of thing, but the characters and storylines never grabbed me, and there’s something about the art style—I still can’t quite put …
Koei Tecmo and Gust have shared the first English trailer for Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy, alongside the launch of the game’s official website. Taking place three years after the previous game, Atelier Ryza 2 opens the door to a new adventure for Reisalin Stout (aka …
Despite their low-key tone and slice-of-life settings, many games in Gust’s Atelier series can be surprisingly impenetrable. Older games, in particular, confined players to rigid time-management systems that asked players to carefully manage how they spend their time between fighting monsters, gathering materials, synthesising items, and resting. Even more recent …
