Posted in: Games, KoeiTecmo, Review, Video Games | Tagged: Atelier, Atelier Lulua, Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland, GUST, koei tecmo

[Review] "Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland" is Exactly What You'd Expect

Published Wed, 18 Sep 2019 10:10:05 -0500

by Madeline Ricchiuto

Last updated Wed, 18 Sep 2019 10:11:13 -0500

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Like other games in the "Arland" Atelier series, Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland has the same focus on crafting and alchemy as the other entries in the series. It sticks to the same formula as previous games, with a few changes. You can't skip assist animations or cutscenes, and crafting no longer has a timer. However, the crafting system has gotten a bit more complex than previous entries in the series, so it isn't just a straight copy of the crafting system from Atelier Lydie & Suelle.

If you're looking for an anime crafting game with a whole lot of moe, then this is definitely a better option than "Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists", which is liable to give you a game-induced heart attack.

[Review] Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland — credit// Koei Tecmo

Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland is described by developer Gust and publisher Koei Tecmo as "The long awaited 4th installment of the popular "Arland" series that had begun with the "Atelier Rorona"! In this new story, players will revisit the nostalgic world of Arland and embark on exciting journey of alchemy together with Rorona's daughter, Lulua."

However, calling it a "long awaited" installment might be a bit of a misnomer. The game was highly anticipated by fans of the series, but that's a rather select group of players. And while Atelier Lulua is certainly a better point to jump on to the Atelier series than Nelke, it's just a story-heavy crafting game that doesn't really evolve the formula much at all. And while that's certainly great for those who enjoy the format, it fails to bring in new players or interests.

And like many games in the Atelier series, Lulua is pretty darn forgettable in and of itself. It's been very highly rated by fans of the series, but as someone who never really got into the Atelier games, it fails to draw me in at all.

So if you enjoy the series, this is definitely a game you'll want to check out if you haven't already done so. As someone who hasn't played the series, well. You might want to watch the trailer first and then decide. After all, that's pretty much exactly how the game will go with few surprises in store for players.

But if all you want out of a game is to kill a few creatures, harvest their corpses, and craft cute recipes out of it all, then you can do far worse than Atelier Lulua: the Scion of Arland.

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