PlayStation 5 Critic Reviews

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is another excellent release from one of the most consistent RPG series today. The narrative is the highlight, but the combat and synthesis systems bring their own brilliance to a journey that will please both old fans and new alchemists alike.

After years of small-time games, the franchise finally reached more people than its dedicated niche following. Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land capitalizes on successes from the Ryza trilogy and blazes its own trail with changes of its own.

Atelier Yumia is a strong entry in the beloved JRPG franchise. Despite a few growing pains, it adopts the cozy and niche franchise into something more digestible for a wider audience thanks to a well-executed open-world format, modern takes on iconic features, and an engaging, untraditional story.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land is a bold new direction for the series, with particularly great combat.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is a fresh step forward with just as much charm and joy as the rest of the series. It's an incredible starting point for newcomers and an exciting change of pace for long-time fans.

With a successful transition to a fully realized open world, Atelier Yumia is a strong start to a new series while serving as a fantastic follow-up to the Atelier Ryza games. The world is large and rewarding with something around every corner, and the cast is unique and lovable while having a whole lot of heart. Battles are active and intense, ensuring the player is always engaged. While the synthesis system may initially seem unintuitive, the payoff for learning the system’s intricacies far outweighs the few hours of confusion. A stellar soundtrack and gorgeous visuals complete the package, ensuring Atelier Yumia punches far above its weight while competing with contemporaries whose budgets are multiple times its size.

Atelier games are always about figuring out that people can learn to use their skills to help those around them – and Yumia keeps that idea close to its heart, offering an affecting, series-high experience even as it turns the series’ gameplay on its head.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land presents an expansive and rewarding journey and I'm excited to see what the future has in store for the capable and lovely Yumia. This proves yet again that Atelier is up there with the best that RPGs have to offer.

Atelier Yumia is one of the most ambitious and complete installments of this long-lived franchise. Its renewed combat system, the freedom of exploration and the incorporation of new mechanics such as the construction of bases give a fresh air to the saga.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land takes the beloved RPG series in a bold new direction, blending emotional storytelling with expansive open-world exploration. While its narrative depth and revamped synthesis system shine, underwhelming villains and uneven gameplay balance hold it back from greatness.