Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. 4P.de
    Mar 28, 2014
    65
    A solid alchemist adventure that sticks to the formula. Don’t expect anything new.
  2. Everyeye.it
    Mar 14, 2014
    70
    A good combat system, solid even if not original, is mixed with a boring plot.
  3. Games Master UK
    May 4, 2014
    64
    There's a simple, if somewhat dull, pleasure here - like settling into an easy chair on a Sunday afternoon. [June 2014, p.78]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. God is a Geek
    Mar 3, 2014
    70
    An enjoyable romp through a pretty enough world, but one that may struggle to resonate with Western audiences. Fans of the series and established canon will find much to love, though, from the whimsical characters to the competent battle and crafting systems.
  6. IGN
    Mar 28, 2014
    70
    With tons of things to do, things to make, and areas to explore, Atelier Escha & Logy is a nice fusion of alchemy, adventure, and tactics.
  7. Push Square
    Mar 6, 2014
    70
    If you can work through the mind numbing first couple of hours, Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky blooms into an addictive JRPG. Much like an alchemical formula, the individual pieces of this concoction are less impressive than its whole – just don’t jump into the release expecting to make something out of nothing.
  8. Slant Magazine
    Mar 10, 2014
    70
    The game's peculiar magnetism stems from its unhurried, two-pronged approach to regularly rushed RPG checklists, and its inauguration of a male lead to balance out the considerable effeminate quirk that has been Atelier's chronic calling card.

Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best PS3 Game of 2014
42
#42 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2014
17
#17 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2014

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 99 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 72 out of 99
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 99
  3. Negative: 12 out of 99
  1. Dynel
    Apr 20, 2014
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. rewriting once again. This time, providing enough points as to why this game sucks and no one should buy it.

    Story: This is the main point of a RPG, therefore, the score is affected the most by this. Story is bland and boring. After spending more than 12 hours of gameplay, it is safe to state that the "two stories" thing, is a lie. Different commentaries. That's it. Whether you chose Escha or Logy, story is the same boring stuff. You only see what they think of certain situations, but, story unfolds the same for them. For an RPG having a boring and bland story is unforgivable, as it should be the main selling point.

    Graphics: Bland. It didn't seem to fit for me. Or the characters for that matter.

    Sound & Voices: Preferring the japanese audio helps a bit. But, some characters are simply uninteresting or bland.They try to put variety in them, but, end up bad as they seem too typical and I figured them out too fast.
    Anime like intro... If you want to know what happens in this boring game, you may wait for the anime... it may be a lot better than this game.

    Overall: It's another game of Time and Resource management. Which is excessively boring to me. If you want a two sides story in a game, Mana Khemia 2; The Fall of Alchemy is thousands of times better than this crap. As in this game, gathering, performing alchemy, fighting enemies, moving in the world map, etc, consumes days.

    For the above mentioned points, this game doesn't deserve to be played at all. Gust has lost the meaning of the Atelier games, much like squeenix has lost the meaning of FF games. Again, Story is the main focus of RPG's. Why does it seem that they have forgotten that?!    … Full Review »
  2. ryuzaki57
    Mar 11, 2014
    8
    It's been 3 years with the Atelier series, every time with the same passion. And every time, it's one of the best experiences of the year (ifIt's been 3 years with the Atelier series, every time with the same passion. And every time, it's one of the best experiences of the year (if not the best). Like Final Fantasy, Gust keeps delivering episodes very regularly, but with consistent changes. Can the party continue with Atelier Escha&Logy (AEL)?

    AEL is an indirect sequel to Atelier Ayesha, and reminds me of the Arland series in that. It shows a new face of Ayesha's world, being the Development Bureau where Marion works. I was truly happy with that because I'd always wondered what was that work she was complaining about all time. Your goal will thus be, like in Atelier Meruru, to pioneer new lands and make them inhabitable.

    The game is as fun as ever in its relationships between characters, and the new environment is perfect for that thanks to its kafkaesque organization. The new cast of characters is, in my honest opinion, the best so far. The characters are pretty extreme in their personalities, which makes the whole thing quite fun : Reyfer talks like a cool guy but is in fact a real miser, Threia is bent on her research and doesn't care about the rest, Escha is a slacker despite looking like a good girl... Linca, Marion and Wilbell are still the same, that is to say fantastic... Let's stress that this episode is the first one (in recent memory) to give the player the choice between two main characters. Escha is your classic young girl alchemist and Logy gives an additional shonen touch. The progression of the plot is therefore less schizophrenic than in Atelier Ayesha. That said, the main story is rather bland despite the serious tone, and doesn't leave the feeling of accomplishment like in Atelier Totori.

    Let's talk about the big chunk that is alchemy. Like always, you will have to mix materials to create potions, food, intermediary goods, weapons, armor, bombs, etc. AEL inherits partially Ayesha's feature of «make 1, get 3». But this is now true only for intermediary goods, and materials are scarce. This episode introduces a system by which your equipment is automatically refilled when getting back to town. So, did Atelier become overliberal? Not at all : deadlines don't give you free time to spend several days making healing items or bombs, mainly because you will be making weapons and accessories. Believe me, you'll need very well-crafted weapons towards the end of the game. To make an industrial metaphor, I'd say Atelier is making its industrial revolution from mass production to research and development. This allows a much smoother progression in your adventure and you to put more concentration on the various challenges. The alchemy is back to Arland's roots, which is an excellent thing. You can implement traits from materials again and meticulous search is needed. On the top of that, you will have to manage alchemy skills to make the best use of the materials at hand : by sharing out the natural elements attached to items (Fire, Earth, Water, Wind), you can make more, in better quality, or with certain traits that will be asked by your clients. Clearer, more precise and yet complex, it is the best system ever in the series.

    In terms of gameplay, AEL keeps the system of objectives that has marked the progression for several episodes now. Here it takes the form of a bingo of 25 squares shared between main and secondary tasks. Each line you complete gives you bonus (stats, money, objects...). In combat (see the above video), you control a total of 6 characters in two lines of 3. You can change positions whenever you like, and modify your team between fights (non-party characters aren't stuck in town anymore). The line behind is used all the time to attack and defend, and can be healed. It's FFX system, but more advanced. It is also still possible to position yourself behind the enemy on on his sides for more strategy, although it makes switching a mess. The other excellent surprise of AEL is the new 3D engine. Graphics make a giant leap, nearing Tales of Xillia. Characters are now ultra-detailed (just look at the clothing) and special effects get far more impressive. The bad thing about battle in this new installment is that difficulty in a whole is ill-managed. While 3/4 of the main story is rather easy, the boss just before the final boss is near invicible,,and the final boss is fine. I now I'm harsh, but difficulty spikes is something I hate, like abusive DLC (Wilbell was a paid character in the Japanese version).

    Atelier Escha&Logy is still a remarkable episode, with unfortunately one or two black marks on his record. Nothing that may prevent you to appreciate the refinement added to an excellent and lovable formula.    … Full Review »
  3. Crext
    Mar 13, 2014
    9
    This was/is my first Atelier game, and I started off on Logy's storyline and didn't really expect much. I must say I was shocked over how wellThis was/is my first Atelier game, and I started off on Logy's storyline and didn't really expect much. I must say I was shocked over how well this game actually seems to turn out. I remember seeing reviews of these games series down at 5/10 and 6/10, calling it niches and what not. Ok, maybe this game in particular is way better than the older ones, but as a newcomer to the series I had nothing to compare it to and tbh not much to complain about. The combat is entertaining and constantly evolving, adding new characters in a good paste and the crafting... I can not remembering enjoying crafting at such a level before... The closest I can think of is the Witcher series, but even them should take a few notes from this series as for how it should be done.

    Only reason I put it as 9 instead of 10 is that the music could be more diverse as for battle themes, and even though the graphics are good it is not Skyrim or Final Fantasy. These are just minor stuff though, so ye... The game is worth your time.    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »