Rate top gamesIt won't appeal to many recent fans (since a lot of them are pretty allergic towards the concept of time limits and the concept of replaying the game to understand how things work), but longtime fans will realize how much effort is put into the very first Atelier Dusk game. There are two small issues I had with this game, not because I think of it as my problem but could likely be encountered by others:
1.) It's not very friendly for first-time players (on a blind playthrough) due to the list of tasks in the Notes being confusing on what to prioritize. Yes, you have the star symbols that signifies progression, but you'll never know which one is meant for the main story and which one is meant for the character stories. I didn't have a huge problem with this, since the game is designed to make the player "choose their own priorities within that list" and to do another run of the game with a different approach. Others would find it annoying, but to me? It sets the right feeling of being in the protagonist's shoes, so it's fine.
2.) The Synthesis system's complexity opens up when you're at a higher Alchemy Level. This isn't an issue for me either, since ingredients in this game have static traits, effects, and properties so if I needed to experiment then I'll just reload from one of my 99 save slots.
Lots of effort went into this game's music, JP voice acting, and art production. You got Hidari as the Dusk games' character and 2DCG illustrator, a large number of different singers participating for numerous numbers of vocal insert songs, a game soundtrack that perfectly matches the feel of the Dusk world while keeping the Atelier identity intact, and lots of high profile JP voice actors (Marina Inoue is Ayesha, Jouji Nakata as Keithgriff, etc.)
Writing-wise, this game is great. It's not dramatic, and it's not overly comical. You see characters who just live their lives while learning more about them without getting attached. You learn more about the world they live in, but it ensures that it's about how they live in its current state despite the problems that are brought up.
It's pretty hard to recommend this game to those who can't stomach time limits due to its nature, but it's something I would 100% recommend to those who are willing to invest time to understand this game's appeal. It's one of the greatest Atelier games in every aspect, it's just that the audience these days won't have the patience to give it a fair chance.
1.) It's not very friendly for first-time players (on a blind playthrough) due to the list of tasks in the Notes being confusing on what to prioritize. Yes, you have the star symbols that signifies progression, but you'll never know which one is meant for the main story and which one is meant for the character stories. I didn't have a huge problem with this, since the game is designed to make the player "choose their own priorities within that list" and to do another run of the game with a different approach. Others would find it annoying, but to me? It sets the right feeling of being in the protagonist's shoes, so it's fine.
2.) The Synthesis system's complexity opens up when you're at a higher Alchemy Level. This isn't an issue for me either, since ingredients in this game have static traits, effects, and properties so if I needed to experiment then I'll just reload from one of my 99 save slots.
Lots of effort went into this game's music, JP voice acting, and art production. You got Hidari as the Dusk games' character and 2DCG illustrator, a large number of different singers participating for numerous numbers of vocal insert songs, a game soundtrack that perfectly matches the feel of the Dusk world while keeping the Atelier identity intact, and lots of high profile JP voice actors (Marina Inoue is Ayesha, Jouji Nakata as Keithgriff, etc.)
Writing-wise, this game is great. It's not dramatic, and it's not overly comical. You see characters who just live their lives while learning more about them without getting attached. You learn more about the world they live in, but it ensures that it's about how they live in its current state despite the problems that are brought up.
It's pretty hard to recommend this game to those who can't stomach time limits due to its nature, but it's something I would 100% recommend to those who are willing to invest time to understand this game's appeal. It's one of the greatest Atelier games in every aspect, it's just that the audience these days won't have the patience to give it a fair chance.
«Liked before it became a hit»
«Beaten more than once»