Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky is the second game in the Dusk trilogy and is a direct sequel to Atelier Ayesha. It was originally released for the PS3 but like other games in the series, it was ported to the Vita as a "Plus" version with all DLC included, bonus dungeons, and superbosses. The game has the same graphics as Atelier Ayesha. Since it is set in the same world, it has the same darker color tone to it. Despite the dying world, the game itself remains lighthearted. Unlike the Arland trilogy and even Atelier Ayesha, this game is a lot more relaxing. The time limits are even laxer than Ayesha and you'll get plenty of time to try things out without worrying about missing anything. There are plenty of quality of life improvements to improve the flow of gameplay. A major one is the inclusion of icons to indicate when an event is available. No longer do you need to cycle through each screen of the town in order to see if it triggers an event with a character. Another neat improvement is the consumables that you equip and use during battles will automatically be replenished once you return from dungeons at no cost.
The structure of the game is split into nine assignments. Each assignment gives you 120 days to complete and you can usually finish it within half that time if not less. It then gives you one year at the end to beat the final boss, craft and redo any objectives that you may have missed. A neat aspect is the grid-like structure that shows off 25 objectives for each assignment. To pass the assignment, there is just one main objective. Then there are eight minor objectives and 16 optional ones that provides some bonuses that are not essential to progress the game. Even if you fail the main assignment, you'll still be able to progress. The game follows two alchemists, Escha and Logy. This is a first for the series but at the start of the game, you get to pick one of them to play through their perspective. The vast majority of the game remains the same no matter who you pick but there are some exclusive story events for each protagonist. This is a superficial choice and a way to artificially extend the game by forcing you to play through it twice to see everything.
Escha grew up in the town of Colseit while Logy had traveled in from a large city. Both of them joined the government to help out the R&D section. That's pretty much it for the story. The scope of the story is even smaller scaled than past games and takes on more of a slice-of-life aspect. They meet various characters, some that are playable, and some that are not. The story is a tad bit too simple with no overall objective which makes it less focused than previous games. Escha and Logy basically travel and explore the surrounding areas. The world is dying and you can see this from the harsher environments devoid of plant life. Tying into the title is how certain areas are accessible only via the airship which you will upgrade as part of the story. The story only feels substantial in the last year with some great music and animated scenes. The music, while not to the same level as Atelier Ayesha, is still really good and perfectly captures the melancholy tone that the game was going for.
There are some specific sub-stories involving each of the side characters. Unfortunately, most of those characters are forgettable, even more so than Atelier Ayesha, which already had a problem with bland characters. The combat is familiar but the UI has been revamped. It is a turn-based system with support attacks from others in your party that have varying layers to it, giving additional strategic elements. Characters can protect others and there are heaps of items to use with different effects that keep it interesting. Only the pair of alchemists can use the items that you have alchemized. However, everyone has access to their own unique skills that uses MP. Performing an action charges a bar and once it is full, you can use those support abilities from other characters. Your party is comprised of three main members, and then allowing three more in the back. This allows you to swap out characters between the frontline and back with no penalty. The characters in
the back can even participate in chaining support attacks, which can lead to some ridiculous damage.
Enemies roam the environment and encountering them will cause the game to transition to a separate screen for battle. The game ramps up the difficulty by having enemies to multiple attacks per turn or have area effects that weaken the whole party while leaving the enemy immune. Each area/dungeon is separated into individual screens. Traveling between major areas uses up time, as does harvesting and battling. However, traveling between areas within the same dungeon doesn't use up a day and you can use this to your advantage. This is because harvesting and battle will charge up a separate % bar and once full, you can activate a special effect. This can range from obtaining rare items to summoning tougher monsters. Item crafting is a major component of the game and the synthesis system feels better than Atelier Ayesha. The aspects and features of the system feels better explained and are easier to experiment to discover what the end result would be without committing. Item crafting remains a really fun aspect of the game and there's plenty of interesting nuances that you can discover.
There is also an improvement over Atelier Ayesha in terms of the pacing of difficulty. As you are restricted to 120 day blocks, you feel like you're constantly progressing the story, even if you have too much free time afterwards. The bosses are better spaced and require you to have upgraded you equipment, giving you incentive to do just that. There is a bit of a difficulty spike in the final few bosses but nothing that cannot be overcome if you put in a little bit of time. Overall, Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky is another great entry into the Atelier series. While some may be annoyed with the simplification of the time limit system, it makes for a more relaxing experience. The item crafting is addictive and being given the freedom to experiment without fear of missing an event is welcome. The two protagonists is a good concept but there is not enough to differentiate their perspectives to warrant two playthroughs.
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