Atelier Escha & Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky

It all comes down to this: If you have a Vita, you should be playing the Atelier games, and Escha and Logy is the best of the best.

While Ayesha was a good primer and Shallie was a bit of a disappointment, Atelier Escha & Logy Plus hits that sweet middle spot of giving players everything they could want and surround them with very likeable characters.

Atelier Escha & Logy is a great blend of alchemy, combat and exploration. The story isn’t very complex but the characters are sweet and charming and you will end up wanting to see all character endings. There’s tons of things to do, items to create and places to explore.

Even with those technical flaws, Atelier Escha & Logy Plus is still an RPG well worth experiencing for those who have not had the chance to check out the original. It’s debatable which of the two versions should be considered the “definitive experience”, so I would simply say that you can’t really go wrong with either.

Whether you'll think it's worthwhile gameplay, of course, will depend on how much you can tolerate it the first time through to begin with, but if you've stuck with the Atelier series so far, Atelier Escha & Logy Plus will feel like a comfortably familiar.

A decent entry in the venerable Atelier series.

For anyone who wants bang for their buck and a JRPG with unique systems, the Atelier series, with E&L+ being the best, is well worth the price tag.

Atelier Escha and Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky is a solid port of a good game.

Classic Atelier gameplay from the PlayStation 3 version with extra missions, extra bosses and more than 50 hours of pure strategic fun.

JRPG fans can play again this Atelier with all the DLCs and extras that appeared in the PS3 version. An extensive game that you can enjoy twice.

Another PS3-to-Vita port of an already noticeable JRPG adventure from GUST. New improvements and innovations are well received.

Its structured nature and digestible missions make it perfect for playing for short periods on the go, but its deep alchemy mechanics will keep players engrossed for hours when playing at home.

A significant amount of new content and a new home on the Vita makes the Plus version of one of the best Atelier games a compelling release for Atelier fans as they await the next release from Gust.

All in all, Atelier Escha & Logy has made a solid return with its “Plus” version for the PS Vita. While at times the fluffy dialogue and constant state of repetitive work can be a bore, the long-lived Atelier formula with its alchemy, expeditions, and battles keep you trucking along.

Overall, there’s plenty of value to be had in Atelier Escha and Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dark Sky. It just takes quite a bit of time to maintain your patience with the heavy dialogue, bland visuals and a generally boring story.

The combat is a bit predictable to start, but once you get yourself stuck into the more accessible alchemy system, you'll never go into two fights with the same toolset available, which is refreshing.

While I loved Escha & Logy the first time I played it, this time around I did see more blemishes than perhaps I wanted to admit. While it's fun to have a Dressing Room feature where I can make everyone look like pirates, I am still frustrated at how Gust hasn't ironed out the wrinkles in these versions. Flaws aside, I still loved replaying this game, imperfections and all.

While this one can unfortunately get bogged down in repetitive busywork, and lacks the fun sense of exploration that comes with better map design, there’s still plenty to enjoy: the stylized characters and environments look excellent on Vita, the score is impressively eclectic and the gameplay offers a highly satisfying challenge for completionists.

If you’ve played it before and liked it, you’ll enjoy Escha & Logy Plus, but you won’t find much new to be excited about. For everyone else, it’s a stock RPG that’s neither too hard nor too interesting. Have an energy drink before playing so you can stay awake.

There's no challenge to the mundane requests that you'll find yourself completing, and at times, it feels like an RPG for beginners, going through the motions and ticking off a checklist of what's expected of the genre. Thankfully, the saving grace here is the enjoyable combat, which can help blow off a bit of steam after what is all too often a hard day's work.