Atelier Dusk Trilogy Deluxe Pack Review

The Atelier series of JRPGs has been around a long time, starting back on the original PlayStation. Its unique focus on crafting as a main mechanic made it stand out. It started to pick up in popularity last generation with a number of titles releasing on the PlayStation 3 and Vita.

The Atelier Dusk Trilogy Deluxe Pack consists of, unsurprisingly, three titles from that era. Comprising Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk DX, Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky DX and Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea DX.

Each of these games takes place in the world of Dusk, a beautifully depicted land on the edge of ruin. Slowly warn away by the inevitable march of time and mysterious events from the past that have caused the world to decay and dwindle. It’s a world of forgotten knowledge, where people struggle, blissfully unaware of the past, just trying to get by.

One interesting facet of this trilogy, in particular, is that all three games, whilst not direct sequels in a story sense, are absolutely sequels when it comes to world narrative. Atelier Ayesha tells a relatively straightforward story about trying to rescue Ayesha’s sister, Nio. Along the way, we discover the world has a mysterious past.

Escha & Logy is set a few years after the end of Ayesha and illustrates a world where the government is trying to take more direct control of what is happening, trying to figure out and hopefully reverse the dilapidated state of the world. Shallie is set even further out, roughly a decade after Ayesha and whilst the area it is set in initially seems more hopeful, there are bright blue skies, for one thing, it quickly becomes clear that the “dusk” is having an effect here too, ridding the area of water.

As well as the consistent theming, the games cast of characters follow you throughout the trilogy. Seeing folk you’ve spent hours with and getting to know show up when you aren’t expecting it is wonderful, but also helps make the world feel alive and connected. Getting closure and seeing how characters are doing after their adventures is lovely but also makes a point that even after the credits roll, they still have lives to lead.

The games take on the form of relatively traditional JRPGs, with gameplay split between exploration, combat and crafting via the magical art of alchemy. Alchemy is an accepted, if relatively rare, skill in the world of Dusk but it is this in particular that links the main protagonists across the games.

Generally, the structure across all three titles is that you get given objectives to complete that require you to make something specific, you go out into the world to gather the necessary ingredients and then craft the item to push you towards the next objective.

Each entry in the series is structured a little differently to help push the theming and urgency of each game. Ayesha and Escha & Logy have a time element in which gathering items and completing tasks passes time, in Ayesha’s case, rescuing her sister has an overarching ticking clock whereas in Escha & Logy you’re assigned tasks that must be completed within a month as you are working for the government.

This adds an element of decision making and tension as you progress through the games. Shallie, however, has less of a focus on time-management, simply giving you “Life Tasks” to complete but without a rigid structure around them.

Combat likewise evolves across the three games, it’s very much a by the numbers turn-based affair without much in the way of gimmicks. There is a positional element to combat so flanking and hitting enemies from the rear does more damage but the combat system is definitely more functional than fancy.

It’s in the characters that this series excels however, two of the titles have you choose a protagonist, so there are five characters here to get to know. And whilst you won’t see a massive difference depending on who you pick, there are some unique scenes to make another playthrough worthwhile. All of the protagonists are pretty typical naive types but they all have their charm.

It’s the supporting cast that ends up being the more memorable, however, from the stern, initially wholly unlikable Alchemist Keithgriff to the focused, out of her element but adorable swords-woman Linca. There are a lot of interesting characters that, as mentioned above, often get to shine across the whole trilogy.

Visually the game is quite striking in that it shows masterful use of an extremely earthy palette. This suits the world but it also makes the use of bright colour really stand out when it is utilised and it can look amazing. Overall the games look nice and hold up quite well.

The ports themselves are for the most part fine. I initially had issues with Escha & Logy and Shallie crashing to desktop but updating my video drivers fixed that (oddly, Ayesha didn’t suffer the same problem). There were a few typos in places you’d expect them to have been spotted but otherwise, technically they are solidly put together.

There is dual audio support so you can change to the Japanese voices if the English ones grate on you although, to be honest I quite liked most of the English performances. These versions, as the Deluxe implies, also include the DLC outfits and things which is nice.

All in all, the Atelier Dusk Trilogy is a collection of unique, thought-provoking and often heartwarming RPGs that are a little bit different. With a sad but not depressing world showing people being positive and doing their best within it often from within restrictive environments. There is a lot to love with these games and these ports are a great way to enter the franchise.