JRPG Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland is seeing the light of day on Tuesday 21st May according to Koei Tecmo. A sequel to the PS3 Arland trilogy - available individually or in a Deluxe Pack on Switch - sees you controlling a young woman named Elmerulia Lulua Fryxel, an apprentice alchemist.
The official announcement offers more details:
Lulua studies diligently to fulfill her dream of becoming a great alchemist just like her mother, Rorolina Frixell; but during her training Lulua discovers a mysterious Codex, awakening an ancient power within her that enables Lulua to decrypt but a single page with many more riddles for her to unravel. Players will be tasked with performing actions focused around the core Atelier series gameplay Gathering, Battle, and Synthesis to allow them to decipher more of the text, as well as learn exciting new types of alchemy.
There are a few sparse details on Koei Tecmo America's website along with the pretty pictures we've reproduced here. No word on pricing yet, though.
Are you a fan of the series? Does this trailer get you in the mood to return to that world? Share your impressions below.
Comments 19
Cool. Can't wait to see the final release.
I've never played an Atelier game. I'd really like to give the Arland trilogy a go if it wasn't so incredibly expensive for a digital exclusive. Would be nice if they put it on sale leading up to the release of this.
nice i'll check it out, even if the trilogy is a steep 80 bucks just to catch up.
@BenAV I agree, I'd love to get into the series but that price tag is frankly crazy.
I loved the arland triology. But the price really is bs. Especially since there was an appropriately priced collection for the PS3.
I also have been eyeing the series and would like a good summary of what to expect. It seems like something I would enjoy.
Elmerulia Lulua Fryxel... Now THERE'S a tongue twister if I've ever seen one! xd
24th May in Europe. http://www.ateliergames.eu/lulua/
@Arcamenel Atelier is a slower paced rpg, with a heavy focus on crafting. E. G. If you encounter a boss which is too hard, tge solution is not to level, but to craft better equipment (armir/bombs etc).
The story is usually not big. In most games you goal is "just" to fulfill the dream of your main character,like becoming a adventurer, explore the world, find your missing sister. Sometimes yiu also have to save the world, but usually it is not.
The main appeal for these games are the crafting and the characters. Usually the characters are very likable and you want to help them. The slower pace of the game is also a nice contrast to a typical RPG.
Personally, I really like these games (and I usually hate crafting), the later games have been weaker, but I still found them very enjoyable and they got rid of the time limit (the original arland games all had a time limit to fulfill your goal)
A very endearing trailer and a damn grand protagonist name. XD As I've mentioned before, I'm a loooong way from Arland games and most other flagships in the Atelier binge queue, but I'm really glad all this stuff is landing on Switch.
goes back to refreshing eShop in wait for Nelke's local pricing
@Orin41 I've only played some of the very first game so far, but AFAIK many staples apply to the others down the road (sans the assignment deadlines which I hear were ditched at some point). Basically, it's a JRPG series where item crafting plays the first fiddle. You can travel to various locations, battle your way out of dangerous encounters, gather a party of other characters - but it's not about saving the world or something like that per se. It's about taking orders, seeking and collecting ingredients, helping townspeople, solving some mysteries here and there while at it, unlocking new recipes and crafting, crafting, crafting. Needless to say, there are things to craft that will prove handy or life-saving in expeditions as well.
A good few of the latest games are available on Vita and now on Switch. There's also an upcoming spinoff this spring (Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists) where the protagonist can't do alchemy herself but recruits, sponsors and aids alchemist girls from across the franchise to build out and develop her town. If you have the means and would prefer something school-themed instead, two more spinoffs (Mana Khemia dilogy) are on PS2 and the first of them can still be bought off PS Store in its PSP incarnation. At least in the US.
PreOrdered the Japan release since it has extras with it. Haven't heard of a NISAmerica or other planned US release yet.
Will this have English voice acting? That’s one of the best parts about these games, IMHO, and not having that in the last game was a big letdown!
Pretty nice game!
@keihtg my guess is it will have Japanese voice with Japanese/English txt option.
@BenAV I'm sure u already know this, but the Atelier trilogy pack is on sale as of right now, though I don't think it's very much. something between 10%-30% off. Also congrats to this article not having a comments section full of arguing and complaining!
Sounds pretty neat as long as the main JRPG mechanics are modern.
@BKPyrexx Sadly the sale is only in America though and is only 15% off. I could buy American eShop credit to buy it from there but with the currency conversion and markup price on codes online, it probably wouldn't end up being much cheaper for me. Although apparently I still have $33.56 in my US account which I completely forgot about so that makes it slightly more tempting, haha.
@BenAV oh sorry bout that.
@BKPyrexx All good. Thanks for the heads up. It's a bit cheaper to begin with before factoring in the sale price in the US eShop so I'm definitely tempted to grab it now.
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