Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
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  1. RPG Fan
    Jun 11, 2019
    70
    Lulua is an exceptionally safe Atelier title that feels less like a return to form and more like an achromatic stroll down the rugged cobblestone of memory lane.
  2. Twinfinite
    May 22, 2019
    70
    Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland has plenty going for it. It’s got an interesting story that longtime fans will love, and its gameplay will keep JRPG fans satisfied well into the late hours of its run. Like so many other titles from the genre though, it’s held back by long-held conventions that work against it, and keep it from being something better than just another entry in the Atelier series.
  3. SpazioGames
    May 22, 2019
    70
    Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland doesn't even try to change the Atelier formula, only adding some new elements to the gameplay that benefit the overall experience but still fail to bring something really new to the table.
  5. Vandal
    May 21, 2019
    74
    Whether you are a fan or new to the series, Lulua has something for you. It doesn’t have many new feature, but overall it’s a very enjoyable JRPG.
  6. Jeuxvideo.com
    May 5, 2019
    60
    Quotation forthcoming.
  7. IGN Japan
    Apr 29, 2019
    73
    The Scion of Arland’s story and gameplay feel like a culmination of the series, and a tutorial system makes it a lot easier to jump in for newcomers. The soft-touch visuals match the atmosphere of the series, but the battle system brings in new ideas without much success. While some events could have been better explained for those not familiar with previous iterations, in the end this entry creates some of the most exciting moments in the series.

Awards & Rankings

77
#77 Best PS4 Game of 2019
78
#78 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2019

User Reviews

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User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 37 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 37
  3. Negative: 10 out of 37
  1. Starlightzz85
    May 27, 2019
    10
    This could be one of the best games in the series to date. I will start out by addressing possible cons, first with time limit concerns, whichThis could be one of the best games in the series to date. I will start out by addressing possible cons, first with time limit concerns, which is more personal preference than an actual con. Players that prefer the time limit that most Atelier games use to have, including the first 3 games of the Arland quadrilogy, will be disappointed as there are no time limits in Lulua. For those of us that dislike the time limit, rejoice! You can relax and enjoy the game at your leisure. The only other possible issue that could be a con for some, is that there are no English voice-overs. All the text and dialogue is English though. This can be awkward hearing familiar characters from earlier games in the quadrilogy suddenly talking with a different voice. It's awkward, but I personally am not lowering the score over it, mainly because the developers lack funds as it is. They needed to cut somewhere due to budget. I was actually surprised they had the funding to add English voice-overs all the way up until Lydie & Suelle. The series is very niche. It doesn't sell a boatload of copies. Maybe as the series gains more popularity, they'll be able to add English voice-overs again. This is why it saddens me when some people say they won't buy the latest Atelier games because the voices are in Japanese, as it only hurts the series success outside of Japan even more. If I had to choose between not having these localized at all, or localized without English voice-overs, I would choose localized without English voice-overs any day.

    Now aside from possible cons, everything else about the game is flawless. The alchemy system returns to a more traditional form, ditching the grid-based system the Mysterious trilogy had. The battle system has new features, such as the fact that there is a formation grid with front row and back row hexagon spaces connected in a zig-zag pattern. Characters in the back row will not fight directly, but will use their support skills when the trigger condition for the skill is met. They tend to support the front row characters in hexagons adjacent to their own. In example, if a support skill is an attack that is triggered when a physical attack skill is used, and let's say you have a character in both of the adjacent front row hexagons, this means any time you use a physical attack skill with any of those 2 front row characters it will trigger the support skill of the connecting back row support character causing them to use their support attack. This is just 1 example. Every character has support skills used to support front row characters. This is one of the best new differences with this Atelier. You can set up some nice combos and chains with this system.

    There are also quality of life changes which I'm not going to go into. The music is great. Visually, the game is stunning. The art style is beautiful as always and the characters are highly detailed, though environmental textures are terrible in comparison the same as any Atelier game. It's like PS4 characters inhabiting a PS3 world with some grass and flowers looking PS2. Luckily the nicer looking stuff drowns out the worst looking textures, making them less noticeable. There are other things I haven't touched upon in this review, such as other battle additions, discovering new recipes, locations, and more by solving alchemy riddles, etc. All in all, it's hard to understand why this Atelier seems so much better than past titles. I think it is simply the fact that it takes the best features of past Atelier games, combined with the new additions and pieces it all together in a way that works and is very refined. This makes it a great game not only for vets of the series, but also as an entry point for newcomers.    … Full Review »
  2. TalionSwift
    May 23, 2019
    7
    This game so far is quite wonderful, the art, music, alchemy systems and combat give quite the experience. Unfortunately however i am quiteThis game so far is quite wonderful, the art, music, alchemy systems and combat give quite the experience. Unfortunately however i am quite disappointed at the lack of an English track for the voices. as someone who always plays the English tack in every version of this generally great series of games i am quite sad especially when older characters in it make an appearance with essentially a different voice than when first experienced. I don't know it kind of kills the vibe a tad for me. In any case the JP voices are not bad and i will most likely finish the game i have to dock a point or two off, and in the future i will only purchase an entry that has the English track as sad as it makes me.… Full Review »
  3. Polycount2084
    Jun 28, 2019
    10
    Prettiest game in the series to date, lot's of fan service and loyalty to the fans of the Arland saga.
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