Atelier Lydie & Soeur looks gorgeous in new images and story details
Just last week, Koei Tecmo and Gust served up important information regarding Atelier Lydie & Soeur: Alchemists of the Mysterious Painting. This will serve as the third and final entry of the "Mysterious" subseries trilogy, following Atelier Sophie and Atelier Firis, and based on the new images we have for you today, it's shaping up to be quite a beautiful experience.
Lydie and Soeur are twin girls living in small atelier shop in Melveille, the capital of the Kingdom of Adallet. Lydie is somewhat frail, but is a friendly and gentle character who loves to study alchemy. Her sister, Soeur, is a bit of a tomboy who can be mischevious and likes to tease Lydie, but cares a lot about her. They hold a strong bold to one another that has only become stronger as their atelier has been underperforming.
They dream to one day run the best shop in the country, but they're still immature, and they're starting to get impatient with this fact. Plus, their atelier shop isn't doing so well. Nonetheless, they still hold on to these goals they dream will come true.
One day, the girls discover in the basement of the atelier several mysterious paintings which allow them to enter and explore vast worlds. Worlds with fields of flowers, floating islands, and even spooky manors. Perhaps the biggest benefit is that they are able to gather materials they wouldn't be able to find the real world.
The gameplay is somewhat reminiscent of Atelier Firis. You'll enter each world inside of a painting, clear a specific assignment, and earn an evaluation from that same world which in turn raises the rank of the atelier. You'll also receive quests and synthesis requests from the townspeople.
Over the course of the adventure, Lydie and Soeur's dream of having the greatest atelier shop may slowly become a reality.
As was mentioned in our previous article, the producers are looking to simplify the alchemy synthesis mechanic by stripping away the complexities, thereby making it more approachable.
One of the new features is an "activation item." An activation item is a special item to be used in alchemy which will greatly affect the contents of the formulation. Each activation item has a different effect, so it encourages players to experiment and find out all the surprises and unexpectedness.
Combat has also seen a number of changes in what's being called the Combination Battle system. The field will be laid out with three sets of 2 party members (a total of six people) representing the avant-garde and the rear guard. The rear guard acts automatically according to the actions of the avante-garde, leading to some really flashy combos.
You'll also be able to perform basic alchemy during combat with a special ability called Battle Mix. Just like in normal synthesis at the atelier, by blending together the materials you have on hand, you'll be able to create items instantly and use them right away. This allows you to enjoy the game for longer stretches away from the shop.
Take a look at all of the new media for the new game in the gallery below:
Atelier Lydie & Soeur: Alchemists of the Mysterious Painting is set to be released for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Nintendo Switch in Japan this winter. There is no English localization announcement yet. You can also read more information about the game here. Thanks to 4Gamer for the details.