Team Ninja’s Division 2 will split into the new Division 1 and 2, which isn’t confusing at all. Kohei Shibata, who serves as producer for Nioh, Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive, will lead Division 1. It’s unknown who’s in charge of the new Division 2 or which division will handle what projects, though it seems a given that Shibata will spearhead the new Dead or Alive. All of these changes go into effect from April 1st.

While the future of the Atelier series remains unknown – especially after the underwhelming Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and The Envisioned Land – Team Ninja is firing on all cylinders for other projects. Ninja Gaiden 4 will receive its first paid DLC, The Two Masters, in early 2026, while Nioh 3’s first DLC, Hell Rising, is out in September.

The studio is also working on Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake, which launches on March 12th. A free demo is available on March 5th, with a Silent Hill f collaboration scheduled for sometime after launch.

Set in the ruins of the Aladissian Empire, the story sees players exploring the land to discover the root cause of an alchemical disaster. As for protagonist Yumia, who lost her mother in the same incident, she serves to cleanse different regions of irregular mana flow to ensure the expedition continues. Other notable characters include Viktor and Isla, who hunt a powerful foe; Rutger, who likes working alone; and much more.

Though Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land has been reviewed positively, we found issues with the overall pacing, repetitive combat, and visuals. Check out our review here for more details. Developer Gust has released updates, including the option to turn off the results screen at the end of battles, to improve the experience.

Atelier Yumia has the biggest development scale in the series, offering a massive open world for players to explore. As Yumia, players explore the ruins of the Aladissian Empire alongside a research expedition to learn more about alchemy (and its role in the kingdom’s downfall). Check out our review for more details.

While it’s scored relatively well among critics, Atelier Yumia has a “Mixed” rating on Steam, with 65 percent of its currently 1,131 user reviews giving it the thumbs-up. Common criticisms include the simplistic combat system (likened to button mashing), the streamlined alchemy, and technical issues. Gust has several updates planned for the future to address some of these – head here for more details.

The collaboration introduces costumes, special skills and accessories based on the fighting game to Atelier Yumia. With Reina teased in Benitama’s illustration, protagonist Yumia may don the former’s outfit. Time will tell, though, so stay tuned for more details. Perhaps even another Bandai Namco franchise collab?

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Enlightened Land is out now on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Check out our review – we gave it a seven out of ten for its characters, world design, and combat (though it can get repetitive at times). A free demo is also available, with progress transferring to the game.

Like one of its many alchemical solutions, there are bits and pieces reminiscent of other titles. The item notifications and quiet atmosphere of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The menu wheel of Genshin Impact (though thankfully none of the gacha). However, the sense of adventure is distinctly Atelier, even as it dips into open-world meandering.

"The developing bonds between the party feel more interesting here than in Ryza, even if the characters can feel a little too cliched initially. "

Like a Trails title, Atelier Yumia begins in media res with protagonist Yumia Leissfeldt and her companions ascending this massive tower. After getting separated for a quick tutorial and reuniting with the group to meet with one of the many mysterious antagonists, the story goes back to the beginning to explain how it got there. Following a mana disaster in Duerer, Yumia ventures to the former country of the Aladissian Empire to investigate alchemy.

The empire thrived in the miraculous practice but also faced tragedy and seemingly collapsed overnight, leading to it becoming taboo. Though part of a research team to investigate alchemy and hopefully find some answers for the tragedy in Duerer, she also has to overcome the prejudice and wariness of her teammates due to practising alchemy. It’s not all terrible, of course, as she’s joined by siblings Viktor and Isla von Duerer, and eventually, the likes of the arrogant Rutger, the mysterious Nina and the anxious Lenja.

As intriguing as the premise is, Atelier Yumia takes a bit of time before it truly gets going. From discovering and setting up her Atelier to getting to know Viktor and Isla and then getting used to the various mechanics of alchemy and combat, it can feel like a while before the story truly gets moving. The developing bonds between the party feel more interesting here than in Ryza, even if the characters can feel a little too cliched initially.

For what it’s worth, they have some decent chemistry, and it’s fun to see Yumia get lost in her musings, even if her open-world exchanges with Flammi, a mysterious floating survey device, can get repetitive. The voice acting is consistently on point, and there are some humorous bits of writing, whether it’s Nina bragging about how she can fall asleep anywhere in five seconds, Rutger’s shifting priorities when it comes to helping out, or Flammi’s sassiness.

"Between simple synthesis to craft bandages, zipline gloves, bullets, and camping supplies, and a building tab for constructing entire bases, Atelier Yumia can occasionally feel more like a survival crafting sandbox."

Though only one region is initially available, things eventually open up, encompassing places like the Welleks’ home territory and the former capital of the empire. And make no mistake, these are absolutely massive, spanning extensive hills, mountains, and forests with various ruins to explore. There are also Manabound Areas, locations where the mana flow is disrupted and outright poisonous if you linger for too long. Clearing these areas is a major goal for Yumia to aid the research team’s progress and ties further into the new base-building mechanic.

While you don’t have complete abject freedom to go everywhere, being let loose like this can feel liberating initially. Yumia is built for traversal with her wall-jumping, and the layout of the land can feel distinctly more vertical (complete with fall damage). Her staff also doubles up as a rifle for shooting objects, including ore, from afar.

Resource gathering is more seamless than ever without the need for multiple gathering tools, but your adventuring tools have expanded significantly. Between simple synthesis to craft bandages, zipline gloves, bullets, and camping supplies, and a building tab for constructing entire bases, Atelier Yumia can occasionally feel more like a survival crafting sandbox. And that’s before getting into the actual alchemy process.

You’ll discover Treasure Troves which require keys to open, the latter acquired from ruins with puzzles; Objects, which usually involve activating a couple of different points; and strange crystals, which must be purified a la thrashing several monsters to claim rewards. Now and again, you may come across crystals that can be shot and activated for Skill Points, which can be spent to unlock passive skills like increased EXP from battles, more materials, rarer drops and so on. As distracting and rewarding as they can be initially, they don’t really evolve much as you progress.

"Speaking of which, combat is more dynamic than ever. You’ll use different attacks to stun an enemy, each character having a unique playstyle and attack type (physical or magical). "

Even several hours in, you’ll still be shooting mysterious buttons, activating node points by solving the same puzzles, and so on, which can feel monotonous. The side quests also don’t venture too much beyond the usual “kill this” or “make that,” but at least the exploration of new environments rife with new materials livens things up.

The alchemy process is also lovingly detailed and opens up significantly as you progress. Synthesizing items involves unlocking a recipe, usually by accessing Memory Vials or completing pioneering objectives. You must assign cores for each aspect – Quality, Trait Slots, and so on – while using ingredients to bolster the item’s passives and level it up. The quality of your resources, their passive effects, resonance areas, and elemental affinities also play a part in enhancing the overall item.

You can improve a recipe with different kinds of Mana Particles, thus ensuring better quality, additional stats or more slots. Rebuilding items allow for modifying existing pieces of gear to improve their stats and add Trait Slots (which you’ll discover from chests and open-world activities). Synthesizing new items and rebuilding your current arsenal can feel tedious when you’ve hit a snag and need to urgently upgrade all your equipment. Nevertheless, the entire process is pretty fun, especially as skills come into play.

Alongside weapons and armor, Yumia can also synthesize different elemental items and assign them to party members to exploit enemy weaknesses. Speaking of which, combat is more dynamic than ever. You’ll use different attacks to stun an enemy, each character having a unique playstyle and attack type (physical or magical).

"Even with some hurdles and aspects that are distinctly less endearing than the whole, it’s a meaty role-playing adventure with plenty to offer."

When they’re stunned, using an elemental item can deal extra damage but you’ll also unlock Friend Actions for double-team attacks that hit even harder (at the cost of consuming all charges for that item). You can switch between different characters during combat and even get some distance from an enemy to initiate long-range attacks, which can also be useful for avoiding certain attacks.

There is some awkwardness when facing multiple spread-out targets since party members can split off and attempt to solo their targets (which can become dangerous against tougher enemies). And while combat can feel initially repetitive since you’re gaining levels quickly and fighting relatively easier enemies, it does kick up a notch as you venture deeper into the land. Not only will you have to ensure your gear is up to snuff, but also carefully observe the enemy to dodge their attacks and reposition as necessary.

I didn’t dabble too much with the base-building and to Atelier Yumia‘s credit, it offers various presets in case you want to save time. There is an impressive array of customization though, with multiple roofs, walls, doors, and decorations for sprucing up bases. Increasing the comfort level of a base provides benefits, and it can be fun to build upon presets, even if the snapping and UI navigation leaves a bit to be desired.

Though I like the overall aesthetic and visuals of Atelier Yumia, coupled with its solid performance, it does have a few nagging issues. Some textures and shadows don’t look nearly as crisp up close, and the lighting can feel over-exposed at times when it’s not freaking out at others. And as much as the music befits the quiet atmosphere, it doesn’t really make much of a lasting impression, especially in combat.

Once again, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Enlightened Land is a big step forward for the franchise. It presents a compelling new adventure with likeable characters and high stakes while maintaining many of the cosier aspects that defined the series. Even with some hurdles and aspects that are distinctly less endearing than the whole, it’s a meaty role-playing adventure with plenty to offer.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

It starts from the Prologue and encompasses everything till the main quest, “Pioneering the Ligneus Region.” This offers several hours of content as players learn about resource gathering, the new battle mechanics, base-building, synthesizing and rebuilding items, and more. Best of all, progress from the demo carries over into the game.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land launches on March 21st. It will be available for PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Unlike previous games in the series, it features a fully open world with protagonist Yumia Liessfeldt exploring the ruins of the Aladissian Empire to learn more about alchemy.

Based on Tales of Graces f Remastered protagonist Asbel, the outfit will be available for Yumia. An in-game version has yet to be revealed, but illustrator Benitama has revealed some sleek artwork. Yumia’s weapon likely won’t change with the outfit, but the pose still works.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land launches on March 21st for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. As part of a research expedition, players venture into a land where the Aladissian Empire once reigned supreme, courtesy of alchemy. That is, until things go wrong, leading to widespread disaster.

Check out the opening movie and theme here. You can also learn about gameplay systems like Energy, Manabound Areas, Synthesis, and more.

The story focuses on Yumia as she accompanies an expedition into the lands of the former Aladissian Empire, which suffered ruin due to alchemy. While determined to discover the cause, she runs afoul of various enemies, some of which have a history with other party members.

The title offers a large world to seamlessly explore, with producer Junzo Hosoi taking inspiration from Bungie’s Halo: Combat Evolved. Players can utilize various traversal modes, including a bike, and even build settlements. Synthesizing items, from weapons and armor to consumables, is still on the menu.

Available on March 21st, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land is playable on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

We are pleased to announce that #AtelierYumia has gone gold! #AtelierYumia #KTfamily pic.twitter.com/4FNA9KlEg6

— KOEI TECMO AMERICA (@KoeiTecmoUS) March 4, 2025

Set in a new world, the story follows the titular Yumia, an alchemist seeking to unravel the truth about her mother and the disaster that befell the Aladissian Empire. She’s part of a research team which includes other companions, like the von Duerer siblings, Viktor and Isla, the roguish Rutger Arendt, and more.

Players can once again collect materials to synthesize into weapons, consumables, throwables and more, though combat has evolved to be more dynamic. The character switching of Atelier Ryza returns, but you can adopt different ranges, parry attacks, and more.

Environments are also much more open, with Yumia having a motorcycle to explore. You can also build and customize bases across the land. Head here for more gameplay of mechanics like Mana Surge, Manabound Areas, and more. You can also check out some of the villains Yumia and company will face.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land launches on March 21^st for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

As previously outlined, protagonist Yumia can scale buildings, double jump, and even ride a motorcycle. However, Energy is what allows for cutting fall damage and enabling the synthesis of simple items. It’s also key for exploring Manabound Areas where powerful foes and rewards await. Some points of interest will augment Energy in exchange for Prisms, increasing its limit, improving gathering, and reducing consumption from fall damage.

Other notable aspects of exploration include ruins with valuable treasures and materials, the return of automatic synthesis, and stunning enemies in combat to inflict more damage. Using enough items in battle lets you activate Mana Surge for extra-flashy attacks.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land launches on March 21st for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.