TheAteliergames mostly follow the same formula: a young girl studies to become an alchemist in a light fantasy world. With the help of her friends, she adventures through the colorful setting, gathering ingredients, learning to synthesize items and potions, and learning more about the world and the overarching story.
The JRPG series protagonists differ in personalities, from the clumsy Rorona to the adventurous Ryza, but the overarching theme and play style are the same. There’s one game that took things in a different direction, though, and you might not even know that it’s part of theAterlierseries from the name alone.That game isMana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis,and I believe it still remains to this daythe most overlooked but possibly the bestgame in the entire franchise.
Mana Khemia Broke Away From The Atelier Formula
Engaging Combat And Crucial Time Management Took Center Stage
By the timeMana Khemiawas released for the PlayStation 2 in 2007(the PSP port followed later), theAtelierseries had already released eight games. The spinoff game followed the three games in theAtelier Iristrilogy, which tried to take theAtelierseries in a more serious JRPG direction.
Mana Khemiaborrowed many ideas fromIris,but itsoftened the RPG-centric focus and brought the spotlight back to the element of alchemy,similar to the games that followed. In a way,Mana Khemiaserves as a bridge between the fantasy RPG thatIristried to be and the more easygoing slice of life of the modern generation of ateliers.
Mana Khemiahadmore traditional combat dungeons and focused more on time management.The game also starred one of the only male protagonists in the series, Vayne Aurelius. Despite its differences from the mainline series, the PS2 title is unmistakably anAteliergame.
Most of the other male protagonists of theAtelierseries appeared in theAtelier Iristrilogy, which was closely related toMana Khemiain style and gameplay.
The story centered around the antisocial Vayne as he enrolls in the Al-Revis Academy tofollow in his missing father’s footsteps and become a successful alchemist.Along the way, Vayne is joined by several supporting characters, including other members of the school’s atelier workshop, an alien named Muppy, and the series' resident ghost, Pamela.
The game progressed through several school terms, requiring players to manage their time between classes (which you actually got graded on), excursions, main events, andrelationship-building segments. This made every day count andencouraged you to balance your activitiesfor the best outcome. The combat also brought a unique touch to the gameplay loop by giving each character their own mechanic and tying it all back into alchemy, keeping combat engaging and relevant all the way through.
While many of theAteliertitles have some form of time limit, they’re usually extremely forgiving.
The end result wasa game that had the spirit of a modernAteliergame with the JRPG elements of theIrisseries,and the combination worked extremely well. I love the modern “cute girls doing alchemy” vibes of the new games, but it wasMana Khemiathat first captured my heart.
What Mana Khemia Can Teach Other Long-Running Series
The Game Dared To Be Different
No matter what you think ofMana Khemia,there’s one thing that it did well, without a doubt:It allowed developer Gust to try something newwith the long-running series. By the time the game was released, the franchise was already 10 years old, and theIristitles were struggling to captivate critics and fans.
Atelier Iris1, 2, and 3all have lower scores than the rest of theAteliergames, at 74, 68, and 63 onMetacritic, respectively. Part of the reason the games were scored lower than average was that the games differed so much from a typicalAteliertitle.
Having a long-running series is both a blessing and a cursefor video game developers. On the one hand, once you create an established brand around a series name, players start to know what to expect and are more likely to buy subsequent games in the series, likeFinal Fantasy.On the other hand,the “brand” name locks the studio into a specific formula,and fans tend not to like it when a new game changes too much or removes beloved gameplay elements,likeFinal Fantasy 13.
More studios should branch out beyond their established franchises with spinoffs that are clearly still part of the series, but have their own brand name and identity, likeMana Khemiadid. Although theMetacriticrating forMana Khemiaseems to still be low at 69,the user score of 8.0 tells a different story.In comparison, all threeIrisgames scored around 7 in the user ratings on Metacritic, highlightingMana Khemiaas a more loved title than its overall critic score suggests.
Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revismade use of theAtelierfranchise, buttried something completely new and different with it.The game retained just enough of theAtelierfeel and name that it was recognizable as anAteliergame, but played around with gameplay elements. Some modern video game franchises use a similar method to try new things in long-running series, likePokémon Legendsdoes for thePokémonseries, orSilent Hill fdoes forSilent Hill.
But many other series, likeFinal FantasyandAssassin’s Creed,struggle to find the balance between changing new games to feel fresh and new but not changing too much to upset long-time fans. More games should take the cue fromMana Khemiaand try new things with its formula. And if you’re a fan of theAtelierseries,Mana Khemiais definitely a game that’s worth trying whenever you’re ready to step off the beaten path and try a title that remains many fans' favoriteAteliergame, even after nearly two decades.
