Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea (Vita Edition) Reviews
Atelier Shallie Plus has its ups and downs. As a newcomer, I wasn't necessarily disappointed, but I definitely would not say I was too impressed either.
The amount of extra content and inclusion of DLC is reason enough to pick this up for sheer value alone.
Intrinsically addictive, relaxingly laid back and completely charming. The Atelier games are hard to sell to those who have never played them, but once you start, you'll be tearing through the back catalogue to experience them all. The removal of the time-based objectives does negatively impact the final product, but left in its wake is a game to put your feet up and unwind with.
Atelier Shallie Plus features a rich extra content and a more complete storyline, however it also presents various flaws, even severe ones, that were not present in its original PS3 version, leading this PS Vita port far from being perfect.
Review in Italian | Read full review
If not for the rather terrible framerates and muddy visuals, Atelier Shallie Plus could have proven a true redemption for what I consider to be the worst game in the series. Still, it is a notable improvement in terms of content, with many more events and playable characters. If you have a high tolerance for poor performing games and feel the need to see everything that transpires in the last episode of the dusk trilogy, do so with a Vita instead of your PS3.
The game is beautifully set up, assuming you’re into the zen level of work it has in store for you.
Atelier Shallie is a great entry in the series. I really enjoyed all of the characters, and the Life Task system is a fun take on quests and story progression. In those ways, I even like it more than Atelier Sophie. Unfortunately, so much of my love for this game is ruined by its choppy frame rate on PS Vita. If this were simply on PS3 or PS4, it would be a nearly flawless experience. As it stands, Atelier Shallie is the best version of the game available in terms of content, but having to suffer through a poorly optimised experience for those benefits is too steep a cost.
Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea is a pretty shoddy port, but the game itself is a charming, arresting adventure with loads of content and depth.
Overall Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea was a great re-entry into the series for me. Not only is the story a good one, the dialog from both a written and verbal standpoint is highly enjoyable. Best of all, the gameplay is a return to a much more enjoyable and relaxing experience.
Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea is a satisfactory addition to the franchise. It smooths out a lot of Shallie's PS3 weaknesses and is a genuinely fun game, though it suffers from being the weakest in the Dusk trilogy. Anyone looking for a solid and enjoyable lighthearted JRPG will find a lot to like here, and almost every improvement is for the better. Some nagging performance issues prevent it from being better than the PS3 release in every way. Shallie Plus is a good buy for fans of the franchise, though newcomers may want to start with Ayesha or Escha & Logy instead.
From personal experience, it can be said that Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea is the perfect place for series newcomers to start.
Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea brings the marvellous personalities of the duo Shallies to a handheld, allowing people to take the relaxing Japanese RPG on the go – a perfect fit for turning that frown into a smile after a hard days work.
Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea makes amends for the mistakes of the original by wrapping up the Dusk trilogy nicely. The addition of Ayesha and Logy to the mix is not only fun for combat but vital to the entire narrative. Longtime fans will find plenty to love here while newcomers will find the item synthesis engaging and the combat dynamic.
Technical issues aside, this is clearly the best version of the game that does a lot to improve the main complaints of the original release.
A technically inferior version of the original Atelier Shallie, but its narrative additions are worth seeking out for hardcore fans.
All in all, though, Atelier Shallie Plus is a fantastic package that fans of the series definitely shouldn’t miss out on. If you were sorely disappointed with the main story in the original PS3 release, Atelier Shallie Plus is a good attempt at making amends and closing things out in the Dusk trilogy.
Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea makes up for a lack of challenge by oozing charm through its beautiful characters, fun combat, and big crafting list. It successfully manages to both patch up problems from the original, while providing newcomers with an endearing entryway into the franchise.
Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea is great way to wrap up the trilogy. This is a perfect choice for someone looking to try their hand at a JRPG, but still offers enough meaty battle challenges and huge crafting possibilities for devout fans of the series. This Plus version is one of the best entries in the series to date, and while Atelier as a whole may not quite measure up to the genre's classics, this is still a very enjoyable handheld adventure that will keep you coming back for more.
Atelier Shallie Plus is a great way to end the Dusk trilogy in the Atelier franchise and suffers from the usual Atelier on Vita problems while still charming me over.
Complaints aside, Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea is a barrel of fun that any fan will love.