Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk

 PlayStation Vita
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 54 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 54
  3. Negative: 6 out of 54

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  1. waveathon
    Oct 13, 2019
    8
    I played this game after playing the 2nd of the trilogy of the The Alchemist of Dusk of series. The reason I played this is I'm quite curious on the story of the protagonist of the first one after giving some hints and backstory in the cut scenes on the Escha and Logy game.

    Compared to the second one it wasn't that bad. What I hate about it is the loading times on just moving from    I played this game after playing the 2nd of the trilogy of the The Alchemist of Dusk of series. The reason I played this is I'm quite curious on the story of the protagonist of the first one after giving some hints and backstory in the cut scenes on the Escha and Logy game.

    Compared to the second one it wasn't that bad. What I hate about it is the loading times on just moving from places to another place. It was quite annoying if you pick incorrectly on the place or location you where going to go.

    The lack of male characters is a downer for me also. I'm okay with the cute waifu and all I mean almost all of them have an allure or unique personality that makes them stand out. However Only Wilbell, Regina. Ernie and Nanaca are the only people that I didn't skip on any of their cutscenes.

    But music on the other hand was always good nothing to complain about that.

    All in all this is a good atelier game. I recommend it to fans of the atelier series.    … Expand
  2. Ogie
    Feb 23, 2017
    9
    Atelier Ayesha is very good JRPG game. The game has really strong and a bit dark main story, which will absolutely devour you and you will want to continue until you finish. There is also one of the best music ever I have heard in games, I really like many songs from this! Graphics are pretty sweet and we can see there one step forward. Gust is leaving visual novel dialogue style and comesAtelier Ayesha is very good JRPG game. The game has really strong and a bit dark main story, which will absolutely devour you and you will want to continue until you finish. There is also one of the best music ever I have heard in games, I really like many songs from this! Graphics are pretty sweet and we can see there one step forward. Gust is leaving visual novel dialogue style and comes to 3D dialogues. This feels really good and it is nice improvement. The game itself offers something for everyone! A must for every RPG fan.

    GRAPHIC - 9
    GAMEPLAY - 8
    LASTING APPEAL - 9
    EXECUTION - 8

    OVERALL - 8,75    … Expand
  3. AviDomun
    Mar 20, 2015
    10
    I love all the atelier series games from gust and the best one i am waiting for is Atelier Escha a logy plus.Atelier Shallie has been on Ps3, so i better wait this too.
    Although,Atelier Ayesha plus is a good and splendid one for the Psvita...And i like it must better.Thanks you so much for Vita announcement and for more game on the vita makes it a nice handheld gaming.
    I also like    I love all the atelier series games from gust and the best one i am waiting for is Atelier Escha a logy plus.Atelier Shallie has been on Ps3, so i better wait this too.
    Although,Atelier Ayesha plus is a good and splendid one for the Psvita...And i like it must better.Thanks you so much for Vita announcement and for more game on the vita makes it a nice handheld gaming.

    I also like Persona 4 Golden, it is just like the same function as ateliergame. P4D gonna release soon.    … Expand
  4. Tarren
    Mar 17, 2015
    8
    Beautiful visuals, a mellow time limit and a deep crafting system, Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk is a marvelous experience that is only slightly bogged down by a finicky frame rate.

    Atelier Ayesha Plus is a very laidback game. The crux of the game revolves around Ayesha's quest to save her sister Nio, which must be done before three years have passed. Moving around the    Beautiful visuals, a mellow time limit and a deep crafting system, Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk is a marvelous experience that is only slightly bogged down by a finicky frame rate.

    Atelier Ayesha Plus is a very laidback game. The crux of the game revolves around Ayesha's quest to save her sister Nio, which must be done before three years have passed. Moving around the overworld, gathering ingredients and crafting take time and you'll always have a countdown looming over you. While the in game time limit might initially make its players feel rushed they'll soon realize that they have ample time to complete everything the game has to offer. Even the story progression is relaxed, allowing the player to complete different parts of the main thread in different order. I feel that the time limit doesn't rush the player as much as it reminds them to not lose focus .

    The art of Atelier Ayesha Plus is fantastic. All of the colors of the game are muted but still paint a beautiful world. Ruins are dark, yet dazzling . Forests and fields are lush and seem much bigger than just the small parts that the characters trek though. However, there is a price for all its beauty; the game has a finicky frame rate and long loading times. As other reviews have mentioned, the frame rate can drop significantly in areas with a lot of movement, such as towns, or during transitions, like going into combat. Long load times are common and have caused me more than once to double check to ensure my Vita had not run out of power. Other small gripes I have about the game include the very small text and the default background music volume being too loud to hear dialogue (which can be turned down in the options menu).

    Most of your time in Atelier Ayesha Plus will be spent gathering ingredients and crafting them into new items. Almost all of the stock of the shops are ingredients and other raw materials, so you'll be crafting your own healing items, offensive items and most of your equipment. This isn't a problem because crafting is so engrossing. Craftable items list general categories for their ingredients, such as oil, animal part or paper, rather than specific items. This allows multiple combinations of ingredients to make the same item. Furthermore each ingredient has different traits which can add new effects and properties to the resulting item. This means that every batch of crafted items has the potential to be unique. I've sunk hours trying simply to find out what new properties I can find for my potions and poisons, even going so far as to use high quality ingredients to craft inferior items just to see if I can unlock something new.

    The combat of Atelier Ayesha Plus is simple as it is not meant to overshadow the exploration or crafting portions of the game. Like Personas 3 and 4, enemies show up on the map and having Ayesha hit them with her staff will allow her to attack first in the coming battle. Fights play out similar to other JRPGs, with characters either attacking or using special abilities on their respective turn however it also incorporates the Active Command System; each character has a Support Gage that fills up whenever they perform an action and can be spent in order to execute an action on another character's -or an enemy's- turn if you enter the correct prompt during that character's attacking animation.

    Also worth noting is the importance of items in combat. Only alchemists are allowed to use items and while the potions, bombs and poisons would seem meager in any other game, in the Atelier series they surpass even the most powerful magic. A single item can turn an unwinnable fight into an easy victory and a well stocked party can venture both further and for much longer than those with few items. While the Active Command System and emphasis on items are unique, they're not especially groundbreaking. But, again, the combat takes a backseat to the other elements of this game, meaning you don't have to min/max every character, grind for experience or craft the absolute best weapons in order to get by.

    As my first venture into the Atelier series, I really enjoyed Atelier Ayesha Plus. I always found something that I wanted to complete, not for the reward, but just to see what new property I can add to an item. Or to discover what new ingredients there were. Or to find what happens next in the story. The game is full of stuff you WANT to do, not simply "can do" or are "forced to do." And even with the overhanging time limit, the game gives you enough time to do it all. With its annoying frame rate as the only problem that really bothered me, I have to strongly recommend Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk.    … Expand
  5. NepNepy
    Feb 17, 2015
    10
    You should play this as vita are lacking of good non indie games, especially if you like JRPG or anime style game whatsoever. Great combat system, great alchemy, good story, good graphic but with some framedrop. But overall its enjoyable
  6. MakotoBlue
    Jan 25, 2015
    9
    Atelier Ayesha Plus is a fun light-hearted adventure, while still keeping a sad melancholic feel in the ambiance. It has an interesting story and characters, a great soundtrack and a combat system that is simple but can be challenging to master. There's even an added Hard mode for those seeking a more difficult game.
    Although, this has the worst framerate of the Atelier Vita games.    Atelier Ayesha Plus is a fun light-hearted adventure, while still keeping a sad melancholic feel in the ambiance. It has an interesting story and characters, a great soundtrack and a combat system that is simple but can be challenging to master. There's even an added Hard mode for those seeking a more difficult game.
    Although, this has the worst framerate of the Atelier Vita games. Noticeable frame drops in certain areas occur. The game features dual audio if you prefer Japanese voice acting over the English cast. Both voice options sound great which is rare, it's usually one or the other that ends up being good. Highly recommend for JRPG fans as this is the perfect game to jump in to the Atelier series if you haven't, it's the start of the Dusk trilogy.    … Expand
  7. pnedwek
    Jan 22, 2015
    8
    "Additionally, almost all content from the original PlayStation 3 version can be carried over" is actually not accurate. the company itself from what I've seen on blogs as well as looking in the game has no way of importing what you have had in the PS3 verion to that in the Vita version. There apparently is one outfit you can get, but I don't see a way to integrate one save versus the"Additionally, almost all content from the original PlayStation 3 version can be carried over" is actually not accurate. the company itself from what I've seen on blogs as well as looking in the game has no way of importing what you have had in the PS3 verion to that in the Vita version. There apparently is one outfit you can get, but I don't see a way to integrate one save versus the other. The game itself is fun - but the false advertising hurts the rating.… Expand
  8. deadlysilentbob
    Jan 14, 2015
    9
    epic game trully. the time limit is surely more lenient compared to the arland trio. combat is sleek and the graphics are top notch. sound track is AMAZING.

    negatives include the fact it still can take a half day to gather one point and recycling of voice actors (willbels voice actor is the same as ceci's from atelier totori)

    overall greatly recomended as the best atelier game in years.
  9. NepNepy
    Feb 17, 2015
    10
    You should play this as vita are lacking of good non indie games, especially if you like JRPG or anime style game whatsoever. Great combat system, great alchemy, good story, good graphic but with some framedrop. But overall its enjoyable

Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Best PS Vita Game of 2015
16
#16 Most Discussed PS Vita Game of 2015
21
#21 Most Shared PS Vita Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Mar 24, 2015
    75
    Not the best in the series, but packed full of new exclusive extras that make a return visit well worth it. [March 2015, p80]
  2. The Vita Lounge
    Mar 9, 2015
    92
    With a world bursting with charm and an intriguing storyline to keep you hooked, Atelier Ayesha Plus is a fantastic JRPG that will keep you coming back until you reach your conclusion, be it good or bad.
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  3. Push Square
    Mar 1, 2015
    70
    Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk offers the perfect start for fledgling apothecaries. However, while its features are vastly improved over titles in the previous trilogy, its combat system is outshined by successor Escha & Logy. Thankfully, for those playing exclusively on the Vita, this issue can be cast aside, and you'll find an in-depth storyline with oodles of character development here.
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