Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian Review – Lighthearted

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I haven’t enjoyed a video game that was both relaxing and engaging in a long time. *Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist and the White Guardian* strikes that perfect balance – it’s substantial enough to be interesting, but doesn’t overwhelm you with complicated gameplay.

Although it might not become one of the most popular games of the year, that’s perfectly okay. Koei Tecmo’s newest installment in the series features a large and enjoyable cast of characters, and its fresh, likable protagonists have compelling stories despite dealing with serious issues.

Throughout the game, you’ll primarily control one of two characters: Rias, the alchemist, or Slade, the guardian. You select which character you’ll play as when the story begins.

The game primarily lets you play as either Rias, an alchemist, or Slade, a guardian, and you choose one at the start. This choice mostly affects the first chapter, as the two quickly team up. Together, they’re determined to restore their ruined hometown, Hallfein, to its former state after a disaster made it unlivable and cost them loved ones.

Rias’s grandfather owns Miscellaneous Mistletoe, a shop that used to be the lively center of Hallfein. Meanwhile, Slade comes back to Hallfein hoping to learn about his father, a hero who died protecting the town. His father left Slade some strange objects that allow him to open a workshop in the old ruins, and that’s where he first encounters Rias.

The Atelier quickly becomes a key location in the story. Rias discovers she has a natural talent for alchemy and takes the lead in restoring Hallfein. Meanwhile, Slade uses the Atelier to create pathways to other dimensions. There, he finds stands holding objects that produce strange, ancient writing within a book passed down from his father.

A key part of the game involves learning about the characters’ backgrounds as you meet them through the main story. You’ll gradually encounter individuals like El, an archaeologist who assists Slade in translating an important text, Camilla, the leader of Hallfein and Rias’s sibling, Rudolph, a stern but honorable official in Hallfein, and Raze, an experienced adventurer who teams up with Slade and Rias to explore Hallfein and the areas around it.

A cool combat system is nice, but it doesn’t make up for how incredibly easy the battles are. I never really worried about my characters getting hurt.

What makes Atelier so fun is that its characters generally stay positive and don’t get bogged down in negativity. The game features quests where you discover new locations and battle monsters, with a combat system that offers some fresh ideas within the classic JRPG style. As you play, Rias and Slade are joined by Raze and other allies, each bringing unique abilities and exciting attacks to turn-based battles.

Despite having a lot of promise, the combat system feels repetitive because your characters don’t have enough different moves. While the attacks look fantastic – like they’re ripped straight from an anime – and some are impressively over-the-top, there isn’t much strategic depth. The shallow skill trees for each character further contribute to this lack of complexity. It prioritizes flashy visuals over meaningful gameplay.

Having a visually exciting combat system is fine, but it doesn’t make up for how incredibly easy the battles are. I never really felt like my characters were in danger, and even the big boss fights were surprisingly simple. Their attacks were predictable and easy to block, which actually helped me build up power to use special skills.

What really sets Atelier apart is what you gain from battles and exploration. By collecting rare materials from bosses, enemies, and the world around her, Rias can create more powerful alchemy. She uses this to craft new items for her team, and also helpful tools for the people of Hallfein.

So, a big part of what I’m doing in the game is bringing this shop, Miscellaneous Mistletoe, back to life and making Hallfein a cool place again. It’s actually a major story point! I earn money from the shop and reinvest it into the town, trying to restore it to how it used to be. One of the best parts of doing that is finding and recruiting these super cute fairies. I get them through dimensional paths that open up thanks to these things called Slade’s Geist Cores at the Atelier – it’s a really fun system!

Honestly, the open world in this game is amazing. Everywhere you go feels alive, with new enemies popping up and the chance to find something totally unexpected around every corner. It keeps things really fresh and exciting!

The fairies cheerfully assist at Rias’s shop and throughout the town of Hallfein, quickly becoming essential to keeping things running smoothly while you’re away adventuring or creating new items for your store.

I especially enjoyed creating new materials through the game’s alchemy system, and I spent a lot of time doing it. Combining ingredients thoughtfully to maximize their properties creates much stronger items than just mixing things randomly. You’ll likely find yourself constantly searching the world for new recipes and the materials needed to craft them.

The game’s open world feels truly alive, with new enemies and secrets around every corner. The colorful, cartoon-like graphics are nice to look at, but don’t really stand out as particularly innovative. I found the unchanging facial expressions during story scenes a bit distracting, though the characters’ developing relationships might help you overlook that.

The game’s sound design is decent, and it ran flawlessly on a standard PlayStation 5 – we didn’t notice any visual glitches or slowdowns, even during intense battles. Overall, Atelier is a well-made game that’s both visually appealing and engaging, with a story that keeps you hooked.

“If you’re a fan of JRPGs and anime, this one’s going to keep you entertained for many hours.”

Honestly, I really enjoyed this game, but I think it had the potential to be *so* much more. While I appreciated the lighthearted story, the combat felt a little… tacked on. That’s not to say it was bad! They actually added some really cool things, like perfectly timed parries, stealing abilities from enemies, and the Unite mechanic which was super helpful. Plus, being able to chain actions between characters in one turn was awesome. But it felt like it could have been a truly strategic back-and-forth, a real fight for control, instead of just a series of quick button presses to make things *look* cool.

If you enjoy Japanese role-playing games and anime, you’ll likely find this game very engaging. However, if you prefer difficult, strategic battles, it might be best to wait for a discount before buying.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

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2025-09-27 19:43