Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis

 PlayStation 2
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 56 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 56
  3. Negative: 9 out of 56
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  1. [anonymous]
    Apr 9, 2008
    10
    Worth checking out, best PS2 RPG thus far this year... might be the last good game for this system.
  2. blakfayt
    Mar 29, 2011
    10
    Mana Khemia is the absolute best JRPG on the PS2. The characters are inventive and original, the story is interesting, and at times a bit of a mystery, and the leveling system is innovative. Simply put if you own a PS2 and enjoy JRPGs such as Final Fantasy, Tales of, and especially the Atelier series, you should own this game. The graphics aren't great, but if graphics are all you careMana Khemia is the absolute best JRPG on the PS2. The characters are inventive and original, the story is interesting, and at times a bit of a mystery, and the leveling system is innovative. Simply put if you own a PS2 and enjoy JRPGs such as Final Fantasy, Tales of, and especially the Atelier series, you should own this game. The graphics aren't great, but if graphics are all you care about then JRPGs probably aren't your thing, the music is great, and memorable, plus with 8 different endings the replayability is sky high. Believe me when I say this game is must have for your PS2 collection, it's so great I personally had to buy 2 copies, one got scratched up so bad I couldn't play it because I played it so much. If you have managed to skip over this game, stop, and pick it up, the used price tag isn't bad nowadays, and if you already have it, you could always buy the PSP version on the PSN for 9.99, either way, it's a great deal for a fantastic game.… Expand
  3. Valerium
    Oct 12, 2011
    10
    If you're familiar with what Gust does, then do not look any further, it is exactly what you expect from them (in a good way, of course!) A great story, with excellent fleshed out characters, a amazing soundtrack, one of the best battle systems i've seen yet. Everything that makes a RPG great.
  4. Dynel
    Nov 15, 2014
    10
    Following the line of Atelier games, this is one of the best in the entries in the games

    Amazing story, characters and battle system. Adding more fun and replay value is the different endings system adopted.

    Overall, a very good and interesting JRPG
  5. Barjoe
    Nov 12, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The most cliche & overrated Atelier game ever, people hyping it so much for what it's actually worth for to the point that it got in the same boat as Persona 4 where both of them are overrated & underrated at the same time.

    My suggestion is to play the Ar tonelico or Ar nosurge games instead if you wanted a good story & good world building (which this game has none of) from the company that made this game or play Atelier Shallie & Atelier Meruru instead if you wanted a good gameplay with challenging bosses since even the most powerful boss in this game (which is just a recolored version of some characters from the previous game) are such a disappoinment that you could easily killed them by using the equipment you can find inside the bonus dungeon without crafting (which is supposed to be what this series is mostly known for, so that makes Mana Khemia a failure of an Atelier game).

    I mean no offense to those who liked it, but overall I'll give this game a solid 0/10 and I'm glad that this game seems to be a huge flop in Japan & didn't even sell that much anywhere else so that Gust won't make something terrible like this ever again.    … Expand
  6. Otani
    May 25, 2013
    10
    Mana Khemia is a great game with memorable characters, fun gameplay and a fantastic soundtrack. It was a shock to me to see it reviewed so low by some people. It is truly a shame there are reviewers out there who won't give a game a fair chance because they can't get past the anime aesthetics.
  7. triking
    Jul 14, 2013
    10
    Surprised to see such a low rating. It's been a few years since I played, but no serious rpg player should pass this up. The anime feel to this one is apparent and may not be everyone's bag of chips, but the characters are memorable, and the story while not being anything shocking or new, was given lots of love by the developers and it shows throughout the game.

    What I really liked    Surprised to see such a low rating. It's been a few years since I played, but no serious rpg player should pass this up. The anime feel to this one is apparent and may not be everyone's bag of chips, but the characters are memorable, and the story while not being anything shocking or new, was given lots of love by the developers and it shows throughout the game.

    What I really liked about this title was how everything in it compliments each other in a way that is surprisingly well executed and cohesive, more so than I've seen in any game I've played. From how the game presents and progresses you through your school years with an eye toward (we hope!) graduation, to the the warm, interesting, and varied locations you get to explore, and also the satisfying combat system that starts with fairly standard features and by the end of the game has added plenty of mechanics to keep your choices fresh and your options open, it's all very good.

    I have many warm memories of this game and would recommend it as a star in Atlas and Nippon Ichi's many titles. Really a superb game!    … Expand
  8. presto07
    Apr 18, 2014
    10
    Best PS2 game in my humble opinion. The alchemy is very interesting and if you're really into it, just crafting stuff and farming could take well over half of your game play.

    If there was anything to complain about here, its that some people don't like idle time in their and would mostly like to hack and slash and whatnot and they might find the game boring. Also, people would    Best PS2 game in my humble opinion. The alchemy is very interesting and if you're really into it, just crafting stuff and farming could take well over half of your game play.

    If there was anything to complain about here, its that some people don't like idle time in their and would mostly like to hack and slash and whatnot and they might find the game boring. Also, people would appreciate it much more if they can appreciate the original japanese dub instead of the English translation. For the most part the english translation will ruin the fun of the story, as well as the comedy.

    Ignore the low rating, as I would be willing to guess it's mostly because they don't appreciate a JRPG with such an amazing anime feel to it. Plus they don't know how to enjoy the Japanese dub, which is such a big bonus.    … Expand
  9. quagmire_onyx
    Mar 20, 2017
    10
    Fantastic gameplay, core visuals and audio, every single element I could ever ask for in a JRPG. That said, it's more of a JRPG with three capital J's and a couple exclamation marks. I've always been quick to judge or hate on almost all anime or Japanese-based media, (manga, drama, etc.) but I absolutely adored this game, and it's my favorite RPG on the PS2.
  10. GundamBoy
    Aug 4, 2020
    4
    The story are predictable & mediocre at best, the main character are your typical JRPG protagonist with amnesia who have a dark past, most of the playable characters are unlikeable & you have to move between places to create materials and equipments since apparently they cannot be done in the same room.

    The battle system are good & it have some fun moments, but that's about it.
  11. ThankYouTheFang
    May 2, 2023
    8
    Pros:
    -The battle themes slaps
    -Combat is pretty solid
    -The characters are charming

    Cons
    -Taking classes are hard
    -Time constrains

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Best PS2 Game of 2008
13
#13 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2008
10
#10 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. GamerNode
    60
    This niche title does little to captivate its audience and its main gameplay mechanics will act as deterrents to the average gamer.
    Read full review
  2. Play Magazine
    70
    As much as I enjoyed most of what Mana Khemia had to offer, actively disliking three of the game's main characters(Vayne, Jess and Flay)made it easy to be apathetic every time a storyline cutscene kicked in. [Apr 2008, p.61]
  3. RPG Fan
    90
    Mana Khemia is an incredibly fun game with a fairly large scope, that takes a minimum of 40 hours to complete. And, with a simple New Game Plus feature, serious fans can get all of the character-specific endings without doing much work.
    Read full review
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