22/12/2017

Atelier Ayesha Plus: I'll be back, baby


Just a quick post to let you know that I've cleared my second run of Ayesha and nailed three of the game's ten-or-so endings. No true ending in sight, but that was to be expected given that I gave Keith the cold shoulder during my whole run. As promised, I sold my whole inventory in the last days and ended up with a massive 200,000 cole balance that's gonna come in handy during my next run. I managed to cram in a bit of gear appraising during the late stages of the game and made my weapons even better, which should make my next runs an even bigger piece of cake than my newly finished run was. I beat most of the complimentary bosses to a pulp, but not all of them, sadly: those bloody Tera Slags got the best of me every single time, and I could hardly scratch that stupid Tank. Guess there's still some room for improvement when it comes to my appraising skills, indeed.

Having said that, I can gladly claim that my alchemic skills got a bit better. The learning curse was steep indeed, but we're getting there, thanks to an awful lot of observation and experimentation. I no longer feel completely lost at sea when I'm toiling in front of my cauldron, and I've been able to craft pretty nifty items during my last days in Dusk. I'll probably only get better at it as time and playthroughs go on and enjoy that whole alchemy business more and more. And maybe one day I'll be able to generate those insanely good Traits/Effects/Properties that pop up in forums about complimentary bosses.

I only have praise in store for Ayesha, and I have a special soft spot for the land of Dusk. This is simply one of my favourite game worlds ever, and roaming it routinely sent me into heavy-duty bouts of wanderlust. There were times I simply stopped playing to gaze at the scenery, and some of the vistas were so breathtakingly beautiful and evocative that I nearly became teary-eyed just looking at them. Of course, it helps that I'm excessively drawn to mountains as a rule and that Dusk is choke-full with mountainous landscapes; I got some strong Central Asia vibes from that game, mixed with a touch of Tyrol. Dusk feels like a cohesive and organic game world — unlike Arland, which felt more like a collection of disjointed vignettes with little to no consistency. I can only imagine the wonderment of gamers that went from the Arland trilogy to Ayesha and were treated to those breathtaking landscapes thanks to the PS3's horsepower.

So, I'm leaving Ayesha for the time being; but I'll certainly reunite with the endearing alchemist and her colourful pals sooner or later. I'll probably also purchase a physical Japanese copy at some point, when my purchasing instincts awaken — they seem to be hibernating for the time being: I haven't purchased a game in weeks. Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!

4 comments:

  1. I'm right there with you: this game is amazing, though I have yet to complete an entire run. I always seem to lose too many games, and then there comes a point that I realise I'm not going to make it. Rorona was my first ever Atelier, but Ayesha was the one that had me falling in love with the series. And like you say: that scenery! And the cutscenes! Amazing!

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    1. The scenery was something else, really. I'm sure I wouldn't have loved the game half as much if it had taken place in, say, a urban setting. Now I only hope that the next Dusk games unfold in a similar environment: I want more of those gorgeous vistas! ^^

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  2. Glad you made it, Isleif! Now you just need to finish the other 20+ Ateliers around! :p Despite some flaws, the Dusk series is still, overall, a great trilogy. Now that you finish the first, you should keep going and start Escha & Logy (which, by the way, is a lot more RPG-focused than Ayesha).

    >"I'll probably also purchase a physical Japanese copy at some point, when my purchasing instincts awaken — they seem to be hibernating for the time being: I haven't purchased a game in weeks"
    I haven't either but that's because I've been saving up money for a PS4. I finally decided it's time.

    Oh, and Merry Christmas!

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    1. Merry Christmas to you too, Sieg! ^^

      Ah, let's be honest: I won't play these 20+ Atelier games, like, evah. I already consider it a miracle that I could finish Ayesha AND genuinely enjoy it. :P

      "I've been saving up money for a PS4. I finally decided it's time": Awesome! I'm sure you'll have a blast, there are so many yummy niche RPGs on that system now. Are you going to get a PSTV as well? :)I sure know I would -- that is, if I had a TV in the first place. :p

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