I consider myself an JRPG fan. Whether it’s Final Fantasy, the Persona series, or niche ones like Octopath Traveler. These games have been a highlight of my gaming career. And we know what to expect from these games. Extensive world-building, deep character development, and the power of friendship overcoming evil. One series, though, I have always heard whispers of, but never played – until recently. That series would be the Atelier game series, which saw its birth in the far-off year of 1997. From Koei Tecmo and Gust, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, will be coming to all platforms on March 21st, 2025. The launch will be including Xbox – a first for this series (for more about the initial game announcement here).

Before we dive in on my first impressions, I want to level-set real quick. I have only been able to sink about 10 hours into the game thus far. If you play JRPG's, you know that this is merely a dent into the total length of the game. But so far – I like what I see!

The Story (So Far)

As the name implies, we follow the story of Yumia Liessfeldt. The Aladdis Research Team has recruited Yumia, a young alchemist. This team seeks to uncover the mysteries of the land and free the "manabound" areas of the world. A world in which there was once a whole civilization that focused around alchemy and its benefits to humankind.

Oh, and here is a fun caveat – they forbid alchemy in this world in the current age. To ensure that Yumia is able to retain control of her powers, she is partnered with two team members: Isla von Duerer and her brother, Viktor. Isla and Viktor have their own storied past of a mana accident that occurred in their home. Yumia and her mother were also present in Duerer for this incident. The story heavily implies that Yumia's mother (also an alchemist) perished in this catastrophe.

On their journeys, they have freed several of the mana-bound areas of Aladdis and explored much of the local environs. The three have also gained more understanding of one another and how alchemy can be a tool for their work.

The Gameplay (So Far)

As I noted, this is my first Atelier game. My understanding is that Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is also a hard shift from the historical styles of gameplay in this series. So unfortunately, I have nothing to compare this to in terms of other Atelier games.

We find ourselves in the open-world of Aladdis – so think of your recent Final Fantasy games and even Genshin Impact – what you see in the world, you can travel to. Across the world, you will find a wide (and I cannot emphasize that enough) array of ingredients that will be used for...alchemy of course! The process of synthesizing these ingredients into useful items is...dense, but the game provides clear walkthroughs on what you need to do (thank goodness).

Now, to synthesize your materials, you need to do so at your Atelier, or your base. And as with most games in recent memory, there is a mechanic that allows you to customize your base with furniture, decorations, resources, and even full-fledged buildings. I have not explored too much of this yet, as I wanted to get through the main story (which there is a lot of so far). We'll talk more about it in our full review of the game at a later date.

Combat in this game follows a real-time battle system. You can attack from both the inner and outer ranges of combat, as well as dodge and counter enemy attacks. There are also mechanics that allow you to switch from Yumia to other party members (for right now, only Viktor and Isla), as well as Team Attacks when enemy weaknesses are broken. It's a fun, if not a little chaotic, system of combat that might take some adjustments. However, I am enjoying it thus far!

The Good (So Far)

The music of Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, as with any JRPG, is just *chef's kiss*. The game even has an opening sequence at the title screen that is very reminiscent of your standard anime opener. Coupled with the music there are very beautiful sequences of artwork in some cutscenes (I didn't manage to snag any screen captures thus far).

As I noted above, I took some time to get used to the combat, but I enjoy it so far and it makes for some dynamic moments in the game. Across the open world, you will also find chests that you may need to solve puzzles to open. They're not too difficult, but added a sense of exploration to the game that I enjoyed.

The Bad (So Far)

I don't have too many complaints as of yet, given that we're only 10 hours into the game. One of the biggest ones that I have noticed is jumping in the world. You can execute a series of triple jumps to scale walls and get to higher ground. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

Another slight concern that I have noticed is the use of Campsites (areas of respite in the open world). I discovered one of these areas, but when I attempted to "camp" there (which allows for more dialogue with characters, as well as cooking food for buffs in the world), it didn't seem to work. Maybe it was something I was doing wrong, because I managed to make it work in other locations – just not this specific one.

Lastly, Side Quests – they spawn a LOT and seem to be very much fetch quests or "go here and kill this monster/animal" and yield Skill Points as rewards. Skills Points are used to level skills around combat and exploration, as well as alchemy. However, the quests themselves don't seem to add too much to the "world-building" of the game itself and merely as sources of quick and easy experience.

First Impressions

So far, I have been loving Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land and look forward to each time I boot up my PS5 to see where the story is going. GIven that we're only 10 hours in, though, I know that I have many hours of gameplay and story to come. I know it's early, but I am prepared to say that this might be a new addition to the "backlog of series that I need to play" and have it bumped up to the top of the list.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land will be available for purchase on March 21st, 2025 on all platforms for $69.99.

Gamer Social Club was provided a review code for the purpose of this review. This first impression was played on Playstation 5.