Atelier Lulua ~The Scion of Arland~ Reviews

Game runs at 3 FPS with broken videos because it doesn't know what the GPU is for. Yes, I eventually found out that this is because you have to go to System > Display > Graphics and manually add C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Atelier Lulua\Atelier_Lulua.exe to the programs there, then force it to use your GPU instead of integrated graphics. But all searches on the forums show outdated info for an NVidia app that has since been replaced and the current one does not have the same settings (and what looks like a GPU-forcing setting in there does not work). The text file on troubleshooting they give you with the game just says to run it in windowed mode, which gives you an unreadable, tiny window that runs jerkily at 10 FPS or so, and all the videos are still broken, so this is still pretty much unplayable. I have an RTX 4090, why does the game think that using Intel UHD at 3FPS is a good idea? At this point, I've spent literally all of my play time so far just trying to make the game work and I'm putting this up so that (A) they can finally make their Atelier games find the GPU so we don't have to do nonsense like this in the future. It's not the first Atelier game to be like this, but I made the others work via the old NVidia control panel method that no longer exists since they moved to the NVidia app and (B) So that anyone else who finds this can fix it more easily, because I was a few minutes away from refunding the game when I found a fix. At least now I can actually play the game, but loading into broken videos at unplayable frame rates is an utterly terrible first impression. I will update this review if and when they start fixing the game so we don't have to put up with this sort of nonsense just to get past the title screen.

This is my first Atelier game, and I am distinctly impressed. Despite a few frustrations, this is one of the very select class of game that has always left me with a smile on my face. The story is a sequel to the earlier Atelier Arland titles, but you don't need to know anything about previous chapters to get this story, as it focuses on the growth and hijinks of Elmerulia "Lulua" Frixell, a trainee alchemist who obtains a magical book. The characters are charming if slightly stereotypical, and there is a zero-pressure approach to things that is delightfully refreshing. The gameplay is deceptively shallow, with a basic turn-based combat system and exploration of small areas. There is a surprising and sometimes unexpected level of depth, with character move combinations, support triggers, equipment and weapon-based stats, and item or accessory use. There are some difficulty spikes, and enemy levels mean something: just a level or two is the difference between surviving a boss's powerful attack and getting a party wipe. With items and accessories, we hit the other half of Atelier Lulua; the alchemy. It is a complex and engaging system, with mutually conflicting elemental balance, traits, awakened effects that can be triggered, and an item's quality. This is apparently one of the most complex alchemy systems in the series, but once it clicked, it was a great time finding ways to boost effect levels and create items that could take down enemies more than ten levels higher than the party. A note on this compared to other Atelier titles. While the other Arland titles have in-game time limits and time-based mechanics, Lulua limits itself to ingredients or events only happening at certain times, or some enemies only appearing during day or night. There is no time limit, meaning the player can explore and complete optional story events at their own pace. There is challenging post-game content, and New Game + for those who want to go through and see more of the game's twelve or so endings if they don't unlock them on their first runthrough. Onto the music, graphics, and technical side. The music is absolutely fantastic, a wonderful mixture of calming tunes, remixes of earlier Arland tracks, combat tracks, and character themes. The visuals aren't the most impressive, with some pop-in and stiff character animation, but Mel Kishida's character designs and the overall aesthetic are charming. Also PC versions of Atelier titles have frequently had technical issues, but Atelier Lulua suffered nothing more than some occasional stuttering when entering areas. On the whole, I'd call this a solid game in its own right, and (for me) a sound introduction to Atelier. It has some limited time mechanics, but no time limit. The crafting can be overwhelming, but deeply engaging. Combat is simple to grasp, but tricky to master, and surprisingly challenging at times. The graphics are not the greatest, but the art and soundtrack are stunning. This is also one of the most technically sound PC ports within the series. Highly recommended for seekers of cozy RPGs. 8/10.