Today Koei Tecmo and Gust released a sizable batch of screenshots of the upcoming JRPG Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings.
Firs of all, we get to see the costumes that will be distributed as early purchase bonuseses. The first is Marie’s from Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg (the first Atelier game released in 1997 for the original PlayStation and Sega Saturn), and the second will be Elie’s from the sequel Atelier Elie: The Alchemist of Salburg 2.
We also see mockups for the contents of the Japanese Premium Box and Atelier 20th Anniversary Box editions.
Since this is the third and last game of the Mysterious series, Firis Mistlud from Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is back. She is now nineteen years old, and she grew taller, while her appearance also changed considerably. However her lively personality is unchanged.
Thanks to her unparalleled ability as an alchemist, she opened her own atelier in the city of Melveille, and it immediately became popular. Yet, she is also good with a bow, and learning the art of the hunter from her sister Liane (who also returns in this new game).
Ilmeria Von Leinweber is also back, and she’s also nineteen years old. She was invited directly by the government to open an atelier in Melveille, and she somhow ended up mentoring Lydie and Suelle. Her ability is comparable to Firis’.
The third character we meet is Roger Maaren, 35 years old. He is Lydie and Suelle’s clumsy dad. He’s basically a failure as an alchemist, but makes it up by being a painter of great talent. Lydie and Suelle often call him a bad father because he’s basically a klutz, and quite wasteful. He is also a bit of a mad scientist, and his failed formulas tend to explode.
We also get to see two words within the paintings, a forest and a fire-based lava environment.
Last, but not least, some screenshots showcase the battle system, in which characters fight in three groups of two, split between the front line and the rear guard. While it’s a command-based turn system, the time before the following action depends on what was selected first. The order of battle will change every time a character acts.
Characters besides Lydie and Suelle can act as the “support guard,” absorbing damage in their stead. On top of that, characters from the rear guard can execute follow-up skills when certain conditions are satisfied.
When Lydie and Suelle are in the rear guard they can use “Battle Mix,” that allows them to create items that can be concocted with alchemy only during battle following specific battle recipes.
On top of that, if the rear-guard and the front line are set in specific combinations, thy can execute the powerful “Combination Arts,” but details about them have not been revealed.
The game will launch in Japan on December 21st, 2017, for PS4, Switch and PS Vita. The Japanese Vita release will unfortunately be the only one playable on Sony’s portable, as the western release, which will come in early 2018, will skip it in favor of PC.
