Atelier Ayesha Plus: Okay, I love it

No buts and yets this time: I adore that game and I'm having the time of my life playing it. I've been gorging on it for 42 hours straight, and I'm seriously pondering a physical purchase — despite the sky-high prices complete and mint Japanese copies of that game command these days.

As it stands, I'm about to polish off my second playthrough; and the very existence of that second playthrough must not be chalked up to my love for Ayesha, but rather to the fact that I suck big time at alchemic RPGs. I spent my first playthrough running around like a chicken with its head cut off, spending way too much time on pointless pursuits and not nearly enough time on the stuff that really matters. I fought, foraged and ran around on the world map too much and synthesized too little, and the consequences were harsh and stinging: I didn't manage to reach the final boss' lair in due time, let alone save my sister. This utter and complete failure stung a bit, to be honest — especially after having read on forums that Ayesha was lenient with time and that clearing everything and getting all endings on the first run was piece of cake. Ouch, my poor gamer's pride.

I was not going to stop at that, obviously; I started a New Game + right away and proceeded to streamline my playing. It certainly helped a lot that the game let me keep my overpowered gear, including those awesome items that cut down foraging and travelling time. Those two runs were like night and day, really: this time around, I managed to progress smoothly, synthesize a lot, beat the final boss to a pulp and rescue my sister — and, most importantly, have fun. I'm currently busy tying up a couple of loose ends story-wise and fighting complimentary bosses, and I fully intend to sell my whole inventory right before the end to get funds for my next playthrough. I ran with Linca and Regina during both of my runs, and came to absolutely adore them — so much so that it's going to be really hard to try cruising with other party members. Not that I need to, mind you: I'm in mostly for the atmosphere, the exploration and the fighting, and nothing prevents me from running forever with these two if I want to.

But what about alchemy, you may ask? Yeah, what about the meat and potatoes of the Atelier series? Well, about that... It's, erm, complicated. Like, in every sense of the word. I have to admit that I don't really understand the logics of synthesis yet, and that the whole process is too murky, complex and random for comfort. Like, why are Traits, Effects and Properties separate? What's the Stock Yard for, and how come that the Traits I pour into it more often than not don't end up in the final item? Why are Effect descriptions sometimes so impenetrable? Why do I end up with an item with a Water Power Trait when I've been using two ingredients with Wind Power to synthesize it? Why, why, why? I'm lost, I really am. Ayesha is a game that sorely needs detailed tutorials or a replete booklet to explain this whole alchemy business to noobs like me. And yes, I somehow fathom that the very randomness of synthesizing is what makes the whole process interesting; but to enjoy it at all, one must at least master the basics and understand what they're trying to accomplish in the first place. Maybe the original PS3 version came with a massive manual, for all I know; but the digital-only Vita version does not, and that absence really stings.

Ah, well; no need complaining about what one cannot change. Not mastering alchemy certainly didn't hamper my fun, nor did it prevent me from finishing the game; so I can live with it, I guess. And who knows, maybe I'll become proficient in alchemy as I play more Atelier games. Because indeed, I'll definitely play more of these: Ayesha has managed the tour de force to make me fall in love with the series in earnest; and after my tepid beginnings with Rorona, that was easier said than done. Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!