Can anyone recommend some good entry points for the Atelier games that's available on Steam?
Can anyone recommend some good entry points for the Atelier games that's available on Steam?
I saw a few of them are on sale, and I thought one might make for a nice light-hearted adventure as I recover from the emotional trauma of Clair Obscur. I've never played an Atelier game, but I do remember rather enjoying Mana Khemia back on PS2, which I think is a spinoff?
I understand the overarching series is composed of 6 or more sub-series that are only tangentially connected. And I think I saw Ryza, Sophie and Ayesha are all the first of their respective sub-series, and all have positive reviews. Any particular places you'd recommend jumping on?
There is a big difference between Ryza and the other two. Up until Ryza came out, the games used a traditional turn based battle system. With Ryza, they introduced action elements into the gameplay.
Personally, I'd recommend the later. Atelier, to me, is mostly about the crafting. I want to abuse the crafting system, which is somewhat different in each sub-series, to create gear so strong I basically don't have to think about combat. With the new system, once you achieve that, battles are a lot faster. But it's fun too, not just faster.
Other than that, you can take whichever you feel like. I haven't played an Atelier I didn't enjoy. They all have enjoyable characters. Keep in mind, the early games have time limits. I don't quite remember if Sophie or Ayesha have them, but Ryza doesn't.
Oh and I've heard the newest one is quite weak. But you didn't mention it anyway. Apparently they gutted the crafting...
Oh hey, I forgot I posted this. I ended up getting Sophie since then on my own research. The tetris alchemy looked more interesting Ryza's... I dunno, sphere grid thing? But I will probably pick up Ryza or Ayesha after this, unless I like Sophie enough to continue into her direct sequel immediately.