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The Atelier series has captured hearts for nearly three decades with its blend of alchemy, adventure, and charming characters. But when the mobile game Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy and the Liberator of Polar Nights ended its international service, many fans wondered what would become of its unique world and beloved characters. Now, Atelier Resleriana is getting a second chance on console platforms.
We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Junzo Hosoi, General Producer of the upcoming Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian, to discuss how the team is transforming the mobile game’s foundation into a traditional Atelier experience. In our conversation, Hosoi opens up about the mobile game’s challenges, the decision to bring back dual protagonists for the first time since Atelier Escha & Logy, and how the team is balancing innovation with the series’ classic formula.
A Shared World with Separate Stories
The new console game shares the same world as the previous mobile title Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy and the Liberator of Polar Nights, but Hosoi explains that the connection isn’t as straightforward as fans might expect. “These two works share the same world-view, but the stories of the two works do not have a strong linkage,” he clarifies. “However, when designing the story, we consider them to be two parallel storylines, so we pay attention to the fact that the same character will not appear in both worlds at the same time.”
Despite the separate storylines, characters from the mobile game still play important roles. “Resna and Valeria can be said to be characters who have a huge influence on the two new protagonists of this work,” Hosoi notes.
From Mobile to Console: Lessons Learned
Hosoi was candid about why the mobile game’s international server ended its service. “The main reason is that the content of the mobile game may not be what many overseas players expected from an ‘Atelier’ game,” he explains. “Although we really wanted to continue operating the mobile game, from a business perspective, the situation was too difficult to sustain.”
This experience directly influenced the console game’s development. “We also considered that many players still liked the world-view and characters of ‘Atelier Resleriana,’ so we hope to preserve its world-view through ‘Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist and the White Guardian,'” Hosoi says. The new game positions itself as “a traditional ‘Atelier’ work that adopts turn-based combat, returning to the original intention of the series.” He emphasizes that the team wanted to “present the characters that everyone likes through a console game.”
Bringing Back Dual Protagonists
One notable design choice is the return of dual male and female protagonists, a feature not seen since Atelier Escha & Logy. Hosoi explains the reasoning: “From our perspective, there are still many players who want dual male and female protagonists. Also, since Atelier Escha & Logy the works have either featured one female protagonist or two female protagonists.” He adds that when creating a new Atelier game, “we hoped to add some fresh elements to it, which is why this title features dual male and female protagonists.”
Balancing Tradition with Innovation
The game aims to balance the series’ signature leisurely alchemy gameplay with story progression. “You could say that we aimed to create a classic Atelier game, so the starting point and foundation of the entire game is the synthesis system,” Hosoi explains. “Other factors, such as the main story and enemy difficulty, are adjusted based on the synthesis system.”
The dual-color synthesis system isn’t just a gameplay mechanic—it ties into the story itself. When asked about the significance of the colors, Hosoi responded: “Your feeling is quite sharp. The two colors, red and white, in the game’s title indeed hold very important significance in the story.” He reveals that “this dual-color synthesis system is actually an improved version of the original mobile game, especially Atelier Resleriana adapted for a single-player game.”
Core Gameplay
The game brings back classic Atelier elements like fairies and shop management, which Hosoi says “have many different functions.” He assures that the difficulty is accessible: “You could say the difficulty is moderate; as long as players play a little, the story can progress smoothly, and new players can get started and progress through the game relatively easily.”
For veteran fans, these systems offer deeper engagement: “Of course, if long-time players who have supported us for many years are interested in this system, they can certainly spend more time on it as a replayability element and to gradually improve, according to their own wishes.”
The addition of town development gameplay represents the team’s reflection on the series’ direction. Following feedback on Atelier Yumia, Hosoi notes: “We also reflected on what the core gameplay of the Atelier series truly is. Although there is no definitive conclusion yet, if we were to release the next work based on Atelier Yumia I believe we could focus more on the core gameplay.”
The protagonist’s weapon design—a staff that transforms into a whip—serves specific gameplay purposes. “When Rias is running in the field, some materials might be far away from her, and if she only had a staff, her reach would be limited,” Hosoi explains. “When it transforms into a whip, she can reach a wider range of materials, making the game less stressful and more adaptable and convenient for players when they first start.”
Familiar Faces and New Features
The game will feature returning characters from previous Atelier titles, including Rorona and Totori, with more announcements planned. When asked about additional past characters, Hosoi teased: “In fact, we are going to reveal other past characters on stage today. This is indeed part of the plan.”
The Dimensional Paths system offers replayable content with “unique bosses” and “special mechanisms” that “occur randomly.” Hosoi explains that “although Dimensional Paths has no direct relation to the main story, there will indeed be some unique bosses.” He notes that frequent play allows players to “invoke very powerful fairies” and describes the system as “a replayability element” that “can enhance the fun of everyone’s gameplay.” He also mentions that “we invoke these fairies within the Dimensional Paths, so by playing frequently, you can invoke very powerful fairies.”
Team Collaboration and Looking Forward
The collaboration with Team Ninja represents a complementary approach rather than a strict division of labor. “Actually, there isn’t a clear division of labor between the two parties; both are involved in various aspects,” Hosoi explains. “But Team Ninja’s involvement has served to strengthen Gust. The core elements of the Atelier series are still handled by Gust.”
Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian represents both a return to series roots and a fresh take on the beloved formula, promising to deliver the traditional Atelier experience while incorporating lessons learned from the mobile game’s journey.
When asked about multi-language support for overseas players still enjoying the Japanese mobile server, Hosoi remained cautious: “While we will consider it, we cannot currently confirm if multi-language support can be implemented.”
Regarding future developments, Hosoi expresses interest in continuing this approach if it resonates with players. “Whether it can be realized specifically depends on everyone’s opinions and reactions,” he says. He also hints at the possibility of more action-oriented gameplay: “This is indeed a direction we are currently contemplating. At the same time, as the Gust brand, I personally am very keen on developing new games that lean more towards action games.”
Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian represents both a return to series roots and a fresh take on the beloved formula, promising to deliver the traditional Atelier experience while incorporating lessons learned from the mobile game’s journey.
