Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea

Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea[lower-alpha 1] is a 2014 Japanese role-playing video game developed by Gust for the PlayStation 3.[8][9] As part of the Atelier series of games, it is the third and final installment of the Dusk storyline and the 16th main game in the series overall. The game was released in North America and Europe in March 2015.

Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea
Developer(s)Gust Co. Ltd.
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Yoshito Okamura
Producer(s)Tadanobu Inoue
Designer(s)Azusa Takahashi
Programmer(s)Yuji Higuchi
Composer(s)Kazuki Yanagawa
Hayato Asano
Daisuke Achiwa
SeriesAtelier
Platform(s)PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4,[1] Nintendo Switch,[1] Microsoft Windows[1]
Release
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

A version for the PlayStation Vita titled Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea was released on March 3, 2016 in Japan,[10] January 17, 2017 in North America and January 20, 2017 in Europe[11]

A port of the game titled Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea DX for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 was released on December 25, 2019 in Japan,[4] and on January 14, 2020 in the West along with an additional Microsoft Windows release worldwide.[12]

Gameplay

The player is able to choose one of two characters, each with a differing storyline and adventure; regardless of which character is chosen, the flow of the game remains the same. In comparison to previous Atelier games, fields are significantly larger, and the player is able to harvest a wider variety of items and raw materials to use for mixing.[13][14] Field actions differ depending on the character. Shallote is able to scrub the floor for items with her broom or clean and catch fish using bait, Shallistera is able to uncover hidden items through dowsing, and both characters are able to mine for items at various locations on the field.[15]

A new goal management system that is known as the "life task system" displays the tasks that need to be performed at specific times, and is tailored to suit different play styles.[13][16] This system replaces the time limit feature from previous installments of the series.[17] The details of each life task vary upon play style and progression so that they match the player's previous choices, an example being that a player who spends much of the time in battle will be given battle-related tasks. The field changes dynamically during exploration depending on the player's actions; monsters and items on the map change after fulfilling life tasks.[18] Failure to accomplish enough life tasks has a toll on the player's performance during exploration and item gathering.

Just like the previous game, the battle system involves parties consisting of up to six characters, where consecutive attacks fill a Burst gauge which triggers a Burst state when filled, allowing the player to build up effect boosts from the chain, and utilize special skills.[19]

The player is able to experience events with the characters as the game proceeds. These events are separate from the main storyline and allows the player to view new sides of the characters.[20]

The player is able to combine items into different items. To create an item, the player must first obtain the blueprints and items to use as ingredients for the new item. The player can then choose what item to create through a list that is displayed by accessing a cauldron in an atelier. The player will then be able to choose ingredients and decide in what order they will be added, and the player will after a certain point in the game be able to use skills to fine-tune items in this step. At a high enough level, the access to using "Chain" will be given. By using skills of the same element, a "Chain" will build up. The Chain value affects the effect of skills. Additional effects can be picked in the last step of the creation of the item. Weapons and armor are made in the same way, but has to be crafted by character Miruca at her atelier, as the player characters Shallistera and Shallotte are unable to create such items. Miruca will also learn skills and share the level used to create items with the protagonists, but there are differences between Miruca's, Shallotte's, and Shallistera's skills.[21] Items that can be used to create other items can be obtained from the fields, but items may disappear from a location if they are harvested too frequently.[22]

Plot

The game's story takes place about 10 years after the beginning of Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk and 6 years after the beginning of Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky. As water sources dry up from an oasis town, the plants wilt and animals go hungry. It is here where two alchemists with different methods of making a living meet. Whilst Shallistera aims to find a way to save her village from demise, Shallotte Elminus goes on her daily life in an attempt to become a proper alchemist.[13][23][24] Shallistera's story will reveal the truth and mysteries that have been depicted throughout the Dusk series, while Shallotte's story will revolve around daily life in the world. After meeting each other, Shallistera and Shallotte will grow by fulfilling goals by working together and the friendship of the two is one of the elements that the story will focus on.[25]

Playable characters

Shallistera Argo

Voiced by: Kotori Koiwai
One of the two protagonists, she is the leader of a ship family's daughter who searches for a means to save her home village from drought and travels to the oasis town to do so.[26][27] She is given the responsibility of protecting a sacred alchemist relic.

Shallotte Elminus

Voiced by (English): Sarah Anne Williams[28][29]
Voiced by (Japanese): Sumire Uesaka
The second protagonist who is an inexperienced young girl who obtains a few subcontracting jobs. She works as an alchemist and continues to run her late father's atelier while also receiving alchemy training from Wilbell.

Kortes Argo

Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
Shallistera's guard and childhood friend, who fights with a pike. He is a soldier of Shallistera's family, but he is doubtful towards the customs of his hometown after as a child seeing the modern oasis town and the progressing alchemy.[26]

Miruca Crotze

Voiced by (English): Mela Lee[30]
Voiced by (Japanese): Rina Hidaka
A young alchemist who runs a small atelier,[31][32] where she offers to create armor and weapons for the player.[33] She is a childhood friend of Shallotte[31][32] and the younger sister of Jurie Crotze.[32]

Jurie Crotze

Voiced by (English): Erica Lindbeck[30]
Voiced by (Japanese): Kanae Itou
A treasure hunter who aims to obtain riches and pay off her debts by seeking out treasures told of in legends. She is the older sister of Miruca Crotze, and hopes to live happily with her once she has paid off her debts.[32][34]

Wilbell voll Erslied (ウィルベル・ヴォル エルスリート, Uiruberu Boru Erusurīto)

Voiced by: Asami Seto
A sorceress in training who travels to the area in order to make contracts with spirits. She becomes Shallotte's teacher.[35] Wilbell is a returning character in the "Dusk" series, and initially appeared in Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk. She looks younger than her actual age, which bothers her.[26]

Homura

Voiced by: Haruka Terui [26]
A nihilistic homunculus who is an experienced treasure hunter. Homura is a strong fighter and is learning an old kind of swordsmanship.[36] He is well respected among the other homunculi because of his good speaking skills.[26]

Keithgriff Hazeldine (キースグリフ・ヘーゼルダイン, Kīsugurifu Hēzerudain)

Voiced by: Jōji Nakata
First seen in Atelier Ayesha, he is an experienced alchemist from another country with keen interest about ancient times. He is searching for remains of ancient alchemy together with Odelia, an automaton who serves him. He is always holding on to his smoking pipe.[27]

Escha Malier (エスカ メーリエ, Esuka Mērie)

Voiced by: Rie Murakawa
A returning character and one of the main characters from Atelier Escha & Logy, Escha is an alchemist like Shallistera and Shallotte, and government official summoned by Solle to the oasis town in order to continue the investigations. Ancient alchemy is her strongest skill, but her attempts on challenging the uses of alchemy give cause to turbulence. Like Solle, she is only available to play via DLC.[37]

Solle Grumman

Voiced by: Daisuke Matsubara
A returning character from Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky. Solle is a government official sent for the sake of investigating the oasis town and to set up a Branch Office in the town. Like Escha, he is only available to play via DLC.[32][38] He has a sharp tongue, and in his spare time he likes to bake sweets.[26]

Logix "Logy" Fiscario (ロジックス フィクサリオ, Rojikkusu Fikusario)

Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa
A returning character and one of the main characters from Atelier Escha & Logy. He only appears in the "Plus" version.

Ayesha Altugle (アーシャ・アルトゥール, Āsha Arutūru)

Voiced by: Marina Inoue
A returning character and the main character from Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk. She only appears in the "Plus" version.

Other characters

Nady Elminus

Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa
A housewife and Shallotte's mother, who supports her daughter by finding jobs for her.[39]

Theokhuga

Voiced by: Shin Aomori
A shipbuilder by trade and escort of Shallistera. He is very trusted by Shallistera’s parent, the head of the family, and is handling the family’s treasure - a ship. He has been taking care of Shallistera since she was a young child.[26]
Katla Larchica
Voiced by: Chihiro Uno
Also a returning character from Atelier Escha & Logy, she is a traveling peddler who sells rare wares, though, to most people, her wares do not appear very useful. She is looking for a way to make a high profit in a short time in order to expand her business.[40]

Raoul Pireit

Voiced by: Satoshi Tsuruoka
The leader of a union for treasure[41] who bestows the player with quests.[42] He considers everyone affiliated with the union as a family.[41]

Harry Olson (ハリー・オルソン)

Voiced by: Mitsuaki Madono
A recurring character in the Dusk series, Harry is a wealthy and eccentric collector of rare items. He travels around the world on an expedition together with Reyfer.[43]

Linca (リンカ, Rinka)

Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu
A skilled and calm secretary who appears to have many secret admirers because of her beauty.[27] She is the seventh born Linca, and an older sister to the eighth born Linca who appeared in previous games of the series.
Albert Perriend
Voiced by: Nobunaga Shimazaki
The only son of Gerard Perriend.[27][44] He dreams about to revive automaton technology and mass produce them.[27]

Odelia

Voiced by: Kaori Sadohara
Originally seen in Atelier Ayesha, Odelia is a 900-year-old automaton who used to work in an ancient library until she accepts Keithgriff as her new master and starts traveling with him. She serves Keithgriff as his assistant, and she has become like him a bit over the time they have spent together. She knows a lot about the past, but despite being a very well-performing automaton, her memory seems to have been damaged.[43] Her name is romanized as Odileia in Japanese media related to the games.

Reyfer Luckberry (レイファー・ラックベリー, Reifā Rakkuberī)

Voiced by: Yasunori Masutani
Returning from Atelier Escha & Logy, Reyfer is a sharpshooter and treasure hunter. He came to the area together with Harry, looking for a great pirate's treasure. Despite that he has already become rich, he continues to travel in search for new adventures.[43]

Rosemia

Voiced by: Yumi Hara
A mysterious collector who travels by ship. In exchange for personal belongings as payment, she buries those who have died. She sells the valuables she has collected.[44]

Gerard Perriend

Voiced by: Mahito Ōba
Albert’s father and the leader of a company who controls the water source of the town.[44]

Development

During the development phase, the game was referred to by the code name "Project A16", which was announced as a new game project by Gust on March 16, 2014.[45] The game was initially announced for release on June 28, 2014, but was delayed to July 17 in the same year in order to improve the game's quality.[46]

Reception

Famitsu gave the game a review score of 33/40.[47] The game sold 43,744 physical retail copies within the first week of release in Japan.[48] Within a November 2014 earnings report, Koei Tecmo announced that 80,000 copies were shipped within the Japanese and Asian regions.[49][50]

The game has a Metacritic rating of 76%.[51] Push Square's review of the game compliments how the game simplifies some of the more complex mechanics from previous games while still remaining to be challenging enough for the player to enjoy, giving an overall rating of 7/10.[52]

Notes
  1. Japanese: シャリーのアトリエ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～, Hepburn: Sharī no Atorie ~ Tasogare no Umi no Renkinjutsu-shi ~

References
  1. "Atelier Dusk Trilogy Deluxe Pack announced for PS4, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  2. November 7, 2014, Atelier Shallie Out In March 2015, Atelier Ayesha Plus Set For January 2015 Archived 2014-11-08 at the Wayback Machine, Siliconera
  3. "Atelier Shallie Plus announced for PS Vita - Gematsu". gematsu.com. 24 November 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
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  5. "Atelier Dusk Trilogy Deluxe Pack launches January 14, 2020 in the west". Gematsu. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  6. "Atelier Dusk Trilogy Deluxe Pack launches January 14, 2020 in the west". Gematsu. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  7. "Atelier Dusk Trilogy Deluxe Pack launches January 14, 2020 in the west". Gematsu. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  8. 2014-03-31, 「アトリエ」シリーズ最新作となる「シャリーのアトリエ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～」が2014年6月26日発売。2人の“シャリー”が綴る黄昏の海の物語 Archived 2014-04-02 at the Wayback Machine, 4gamer
  9. 2014-03-28, Atelier Shallie announced for PS3 Archived 2014-03-31 at the Wayback Machine, Destructoid
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  20. SYSTEM - キャライベント Archived 2015-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, Atelier-ps3.jp
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  27. 2014-06-16, PS3「シャリーのアトリエ ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～」2人のシャリーが交わっていく序盤のストーリーを紹介―キースグリフの登場も明らかに Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Gamer
  28. "Sarah Anne Williams on Twitter: "New character I voice: Shallotte Elminus from Atelier Shallie, out now on the PS3 in the US! I love her. SO MUCH. http://t.co/DLXOLNjtCx"". Twitter. Retrieved 17 February 2020. External link in |title= (help)
  29. "Sarah Anne Williams on Twitter: "Also! Returning Character I voice: Shallotte Elminus in Atelier Shallie Plus, out on the PS Vita! Loved coming back to voice more of her! https://t.co/Zb8Eq0M71R"". Twitter. Retrieved 17 February 2020. External link in |title= (help)
  30. "Mela Lee on Twitter: "@ericalindbeck oh Herro- I play Miruca Crotze FIXER of all the things in Atelier Shallie PS3 http://t.co/My0fampPeq"". Twitter. Retrieved 17 February 2020. External link in |title= (help)
  31. CHARACTER - ミルカ·クロッツェ Archived 2015-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, シャリーのアトリエ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～ Official Site
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  35. CHARACTER - ウィルベル·フォル＝エルスリート Archived 2015-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, シャリーのアトリエ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～ Official Site
  36. CHARACTER - ホムラ Archived 2015-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, シャリーのアトリエ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～ Official Site
  37. CHARACTER - エスカ·メーリエ Archived 2015-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, シャリーのアトリエ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～ Official Site
  38. CHARACTER - ソール·グラマン Archived 2015-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, シャリーのアトリエ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～ Official Site
  39. 2014-04-14, PS3「シャリーのアトリエ ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～」思いついたことがそのまま目標となるライフタスクと新たに用意されたフィールドアクションの数々を紹介 Archived 2014-04-15 at the Wayback Machine, Gamer
  40. CHARACTER - カトラ·ラーチカ Archived 2015-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, シャリーのアトリエ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～ Official Site
  41. CHARACTER - ラウル·ピレイト Archived 2015-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, シャリーのアトリエ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～ Official Site
  42. SYSTEM - 依頼 Archived 2015-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, シャリーのアトリエ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～ Official Site
  43. 2014-06-30, PS3「シャリーのアトリエ ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～」のゲームサイクルをおさらい！バトルで役立つスキル・必殺技や旧作から登場のキャラクターたちも紹介 Archived 2014-07-01 at the Wayback Machine, Gamer
  44. 2014-07-14, PS3「シャリーのアトリエ ～黄昏の海の錬金術士～」ベリアン商会の会長・ジェラールと妖しい回収屋・ローゼミアを紹介！, Gamer
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  48. 2014-07-23, Media Create Sales: 7/14/14 – 7/20/14 Archived July 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Gematsu
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  51. "Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2015-08-22. Retrieved 2015-06-13.
  52. "Review". Pushsquare. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
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