Alchemy is a rather tricky process. It’s conjuring something out of effectively nothing, taking the odd ingredient here, and a bit of inspiration there, and blending these into a classy final product.
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All the complex JRPG systems you could ever want, without the need for AAA budgets.
This is a process a little like game development, and someone who knows this all too well is Gust’s creative lead, Junzo Hosoi.
Tasked with making the Atelier series a household name among a sea of JRPG goliaths, we sat down with him to discuss Atelier Yumia. A fresh start in terms of setting and narrative for the series, but a direct continuation of the good work produced in theRyza trilogy.
With high hopes that Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land will be the biggest release in the series to date, we discussed the series' inspirations, what makes Yumia an ideal jumping-in point for new fans, and how Yumia improves on past iterations.
A Sitdown With Junzo Hosoi
Q: To kick things off, I think it’s best to address the elephant in the room that Atelier, as a series, has a bit of a reputation as a complex and unapproachable game. Do you consider Atelier Yumia to be a good point for potential fans with these concerns to jump into the series?
“We view this new game as, not as, not just a newgame within the Atelier series, but rather a new JRPG format that will hopefully be accepted by the world.
The game is still similar in places to past games in the Atelier Series, but critically, there are a number of vastly different systems that enhance what was present before.
There is a wealth of new systems, a new protagonist, and a new story. So newcomers shouldn’t worry about being unfamiliarwith what has come before.”
Q: On the subject of new systems and changes to the usual format, based on the trailer, and what was available in the hands-on preview, the question on everyone’s lips about Yumia is the apparent similarities between this title and games like Genshin Impact and Xenoblade Chronicles. Were these games a major inspiration when creating this new chapter in the Atelier series?
Being honest, within the development team, there aren’t a lot of people that aren’t aware and haven’t played Genshin Impact. And during the development of Ryza 3, that title would have definitely been the core inspiration.
But when it comes to Yumia, there are multiple JRPGs that have been part of our thought process. Games such as Persona and the Tales series spring to mind. Not to mention survival crafting games like Valheim.
So, we would say that there hasn’t been a primary inspiration or focus on any one game out there today. Genshin Impact is primarily an online game, but we aim to create a story-driven, consumer-packaged JRPG."
Q: Naturally, the alchemy mechanics are a big part of why Atelier stands out from the crowd. What does Yumia do to improve upon the already deep and complex systems in previous titles?
“In past games, the trait, effect, and quality systems must all be considered when creating new items, but in this game, the effect and trait are completely different from one another.
This was because a lot of players found it difficult to engage with in past games. We decided to separate those areas, allowing you to focus solely on the effect and quality of items.
Also, this time there is an ability to level up recipes, allowing you to make better items in higher quantities. And, you can alter any items traits after creation. These are the main changes made to the alchemy system.”
Q: To quickly compare Yumia to Ryza. When playing Ryza, despite it being the most open-feeling game in the series, I often found the movement stiff and player freedom limited, as well as the invisible walls a little restrictive. Has satisfying traversal been at the forefront of this game’s design?
I am in complete agreement with you on Ryza’s traversal mechanics. This was essentially because this was the best that we could do when developing that game in that moment.
But with the expansion of the development team, we have put a lot of our focus into removing these reported issues from players. And this is why we have createdsuch a vast and open spacefor players to explore this time around.
Q: Having played the opening few hours, I didn’t notice anything like this, but I feel I should ask anyway. The Atelier series has often employed built-in time limits where players will need to strive to mature as an alchemist. Is this something that yumia will employ, or will players be free to progress at their own pace?
“No, there are no time limits present in Atelier Yumia. However, it’s something I would be very keen to implement in the series in the future.
The reason why we did not do this on this occasion is because, in most cases, RPG games with time limits are often received poorly and create a lot of stress for the player.
We did implement this when we produced Atelier Firis, but sadly, we didn’t get good feedback from fans on this. Honestly, the feedback was pretty bad. But while it isn’t present this time around, I won’t rule out time limits being used in future Atelier Games.”
Q: The Atelier series has always leaned into lighthearted stories, with a ‘coming of age’ sort of feel. Will Atelier Yumia continue this trend?
So, Yumia, the protagonist, is already 21 years old when the game takes place, so she is, by extension, a mature character. But, like a number of characters in the story, despite their age, they often have a way of thinking that is a little more childish than their years indicate.
It could still be perceived to be a coming-of-age story, depending on how you view it, as Yumia is still learning and growing as a character. She thinks every decision she makes is the right one in the moment, but on occasions, she may be wrong. But these decisions are what make Yumia who she is.
Q: One of the biggest and most exciting additions I spotted was the ability to build your own Alchemy shop. How important was it to you guys to give players this sense of customization and freedom?
So, this was something that I had thought of including in the Atelier series before we even began developing Yumia. This was a thought that came about due to my love of the crafting in Valheim. It’s a game with a lot of features that I found really fun. And critically, it wasn’t that difficult to implement within the build.
We also wanted to ensure that players had the freedom to customize everything when building an Atelier Shop. But also, we wanted to include a catalog of pre-built options for those players who don’t want to take the time to build their own.
And to speak more to my interest in survival crafting games, I would really love to include some PVP elements into the Atelier Series moving forward. This may even end up being Yumia DLC content, but this isn’t for sure; it’s only a consideration at this point.
Q: Lastly, Atelier as a series has enjoyed steady growth from one game to the next in terms of sales. What do you see as Yumia’s defining feature that will hopefully make Atelier Yumia a household name among JRPG fans?
I think our defining feature is that every new series within Atelier comes with a new protagonist, a new setting, and a new story to tell, and that we take the time to speak with fans and improve with each new title.
Yumia was the game that I had envisioned when we first began creating the Ryza series back in 2019. So, I see Yumia as a natural next step after the success of the Secrets series.
