Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists And The Mysterious Paintings
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Developer: Gust
Platforms: PS4, Switch, PC
Genre: Role Playing
Release Date: March 27, 2018
Continuing the very long running role playing series developed by Gust, Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists And The Mysterious Paintings is the third and final entry in what Gust calls the Mysterious storyline. Overall the nineteenth major entry in the series and celebrating the 20th anniversary, the games are set to be released in English worldwide on March 2018, March 27 in North America and March 30 in Europe to be specific.
Development
The title was originally announced by Koei Tecmo and Gust through a very low key press release in June 2017. The silhouettes of what would become the duel heroines Lydie and Suelle are shown off at this point, though they were still going by romanizations of their Japanese names, Lydie and Soeur at this time.
It was said that the games were being made differently from their direct predecessors in the Mysterious Saga, but it was not said exactly how. Further details would be shared two months later, outlining some minor plot setup, the fact that the girls would be journeying through paintings, character details for the dual protagonists and some brief details on how they altered the battle systems. It was said at the time that the concept of the game was “the coexistence of the ordinary and extraordinary”.
Many key staff are returning to this 20th anniversary game to make it truly special. Keisuke Kikuchi returns as Development Producer, following from a break during Atelier Firis, to wrap up the trilogy. Junzo Hosoi is the General Producer. An illustrator who goes by NOCO designed the protagonist for Atelier Sophie, and another called Yuugen did the design for Atelier Firis, the first and second games in the trilogy. Both returned to design the protagonists for Atelier Lydie & Suelle.
Story
Taking place four years after the events of Atelier Firis, we join the twins, Lydie Malen and Suelle Malen. The two live with their father in a small atelier in Melveille, the capital of Adalett. Their father unfortunately, isn’t a very good alchemist, so they toil in relative obscurity, despite the hard work of the father and his daughters.
One day while the two girls are working on their craft, they hear a voice coming from the basement, which they have been told to never go near. Upon investigating anyway, the two discover a mystical painting which brings them to a completely different world. In the painting, the pair discover rare materials that could allow them to improve their alchemy and grow their atelier into the best in the country. From there, the pair is thrown into an ever evolving journey to continue exploring new paintings and chasing their dream of becoming the top atelier in the country.
Gameplay
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists And The Mysterious Paintings is a turn based RPG with heavy emphasis on crafting. Players travel with both sisters together, as opposed to controlling one or the other, and anyone else in their party through the overworlds and the worlds of the paintings. As they explore, they can gather ingredients and battle enemies, which in turn drop a variety of things, such as money and further ingredients.
The ultimate goal of the game is to journey through paintings, solving the inhabitants problems and finding rare materials, which the twins can then take back home and use to improve their alchemy skills. By developing their skills, the twins can take on higher level evaluations and improve the reputation of their atelier, which in turn allows them to explore new paintings.
A new addition to the battle system is “Battle Mix”, which is a skill that lets the player use their alchemy skills mid battle to synthesize new items automatically based on what you have on hand at the time. The synthesis system maintains a lot of the basics from Atelier Firis, where players select their ingredients, which show up on a grid to be arranged. The player’s skill at arranging them according to the rules of alchemy can determine the quality and effectiveness of the item that is created. Item recipes, in addition to being found in the overworld, can be discovered by practicing your skills through the act of alchemy and your level, which also allows you to craft more complicated things.
Battles will play out differently from Atelier Firis. The battle party will consist of up to six characters, with three player controller characters in front and three backup party members who act independently in the back. The attacks and enemy placement should still work on a grid, which determines how attacks might connect. Players with careful aim might be able to hit multiple enemies at once.
Characters
Lydie Malen is the quiet and reserved sister. She usually can be found with her head in the clouds or in a alchemy book studying. She lives with her sister Suelle and father Roger. Her calm demeanour balances her sister and allows her to be the considered one of the pair. Because of her tendency towards study, she’s not quite as tough as her sister and is best suited towards support.
Suelle Malen is the slightly younger twin of Lydie. The two of them are alchemist apprentices under their father at their tiny atelier at the heart of Merveille, working hard to someday make it the largest in the kingdom. Her strong nature has made her a natural firebrand and good in a fight with her dual guns.
Their father, Roger Malen is a rather inexperienced alchemist, and somewhat lazy as well. He cares for his children, but rather frequently leaves his daughters to clean up his mess. Onette Malen was his wife, before a sickness took her from their world three years prior to the story. Her daughters inherited her unbreakable spirit and tranquil demeanour.
Firis Mistlud, the protagonist from the second game, will also appear and play a key role in the twins’ adventure. The now four years older Firis has put her tiny mining town far behind her, and is still indulging in her wanderlust. Sophie Neuenmuller from the first Mysterious series entry returns in this game yet again. The once inexperienced girl has now become a fully fledged alchemist with years of experience and many miles of traveling. While she can still be somewhat absent minded, her skills are clear and she offers her advice to the Malen twins through the game.
Matthias Ferrie Adalet is an earnest young man, however he’s a fun companion who treats himself as the twins’ guard. Finally, a mysterious young man known as Alt is himself an alchemist, apparently with high skill. He will join up with the twins at some point in the game.
Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.
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