Gust's Atelier games are wildly popular in Japan, but most have never had a chance to succeed in the US. Hoepfully all that will change with the release of Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island for the DS. Atelier Annie puts gamers in the shoes of Annie, a lazy young girl who finds herself entered in an alchemy competition.
Atelier Annie is similar to the Harvest Moon games in that it provides gamers with a large variety of gathering and resource management based gameplay. Players are tasked with participating in the game's main alchemy contest, using their prize money to help rejuvenate Sera Island, and also with building relationships with other characters in the game and creating items for them. Because of all the things to do in the game, Atelier Annie is great for playing in short bursts, but it can also be incredibly addictive. As I played I often kept telling myself "just one more quest" only to find myself playing for another hour.
Atelier Annie also offers a traditional turn based battle system. While questing for materials, players will often encounter monsters that they must either flee from or fight off. Players can build a three-person party out of other characters in the game, and can outfit them with weapons and armor than they purchase or synthesize. The battle system is very basic, but is full of cute character quips that help to spice things up.
Atelier Annie really could've benefited from more in-depth character interactions, but it still is a great game with tons of replay value. If you're not a fan of this sort of game, Atelier Annie won't win you over, but this is a great game for anyone who enjoys games like Harvest Moon. Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island is available in stores now.
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