The Vita continues to define itself as a JRPG haven, and the addition of Atelier Escha & Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky (which I’ll take the liberty of referring to as Plus from here on) helps bolster this. I actually never played the original Dusk Sky on PS3, but I did play Dusk Sea. Dusk Sky is the second in the Dusk series and I think the fifteenth game overall in the substantial Atelier franchise that puts alchemy and crafting at the forefront of what is otherwise a pretty textbook and fairly vanilla JRPG experience.
So Plus includes all of the DLC from the PS3 version, additional costumes, a now-playable character (Nio Altugle), and new playable episodes for the main characters that include very difficult boss fights. The event galleries and things like that are also new to Plus if I’m not mistaken. I came into Plus not having played an Atelier game in at least a couple of years. To that end, I’ve always found the series fairly tempting and good for what it is, but the repetition tended to get the best of me at some point. Additionally, it’s the type of game that, when the going got tough, I would struggle to find the interest to stay invested.
Part of what can make Atelier game’s so challenging — and simultaneously captivating for those that love this challenge — is the time limit in which you have to complete numerous tasks. Plus is a lot looser on the time limits, which is welcomed, but on the whole it maintains the tedium that I associate with the series. Before getting ahead of myself though, I’ll set the table by saying that Plus stars Logix Ficsario (Logy) and Escha Mailer (Escha), but features several others including Awin Sidelet, Reyfer Luckberry, Hazelgrimm, Ernella, and about a half dozen more. You can actually take six characters into battle at once, with three actively engaged and three in reserve. The game begins with a character selection in which you choose to be either Escha or Logy. Regardless of who you choose, the premise is that you’ve recently moved to Colseit, a town near the dusklands and you’re an employee of the local government, specifically in the research and development department. And boy do they have some jobs for you.
Every four months of in-game time is devoted to a major task, with about two dozen optional sub-tasks available during that time. Traveling to other areas, doing trade, discovering recipes and basically all things alchemy, in addition to dialog and battle are all on the menu as you work your way (notice how I did not say grind, although at times the game does pile on some grind-like tasks) to the goal. Mini-tutorials appear regularly throughout the game, a staple of Gust JRPGs, and I liked that they weren’t all front-loaded early on. However, Plus seems to assume that you might be coming from previous Atelier experiences and some gameplay mechanics are not explained in depth, which might throw up some roadblocks in your way of having fun. There is a reference encyclopedia you can refer to anytime from the pause screen that’s not bad, but well, it can just add to the tedium if that makes sense.
As I write this, I know I’m still far from completing this latest Atelier adventure, but I have a much better shot of finishing it on my Vita than I would on a console. The portability of the Vita lends itself well to not only this game, but the whole genre, and I think that’s a big reason why JRPGs have found a home on the Vita. In regard to Plus, for me, fun can be had in short spurts. But I’ll also say, with no disrespect intended, that Plus has lulled me to sleep with it’s soft music and familiar and largely tedious character archetypes and missions. Through the haze though, I know I’m playing a quality game, easily one of the best in the series, but it’s a fairly niche game for a fairly niche audience. And for those folks, Plus is a pretty great choice while you’re waiting for the next Atelier adventure. To the summary…
