“I’m aware I’ve made a few complaints and nitpicks about Atelier Yumia above. Truth be told, I’ve struggled to put the game down. There’s so much going on, it’s difficult to cover it all. I’ve not even spoken about the energy meter that in theory limits how much exploration can be done and Synthesis you can perform. For me, it never really became a blocker. I’ve also avoided talking about the story and characters because I never like giving these details away in a review. Just know I’ve found the characters and the interpersonal relationships and stories to be charming.
Despite not feeling like I want to, or need to, engage with all its mechanics, I’ve had enough fun purely with the exploration, the characters, and the story. I’m not convinced that the other Atelier games would closely match the vibe of Yumia, but I’m definitely willing to give them a chance based on my experience here. As a newcomer to the series, I’d be happy to recommend people could start with this entry and see how they feel about it before exploring further games. For existing fans, I don’t know how this matches up to series favourites.”
