Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny (PS2)

Reviewed by Kit

Hello boys and girls. Two reviews in one week, you say! I know. I'm amazed myself. Today's review is Ateleir Iris 2, a prequel of Atelier Iris 1. That said, I'm almost positive that 2 was actually made before 1 but brought over later. In any case, shall we begin the review.

Story: You begin the game as Viese (vee-zay), a young alchemist who is an orphen and lives with her fellow orphen, Felt. The two have feelings for each other though they never admit it. They live in the world of Eden, which as the name implies, is perfect. No monsters, no fighting, just half-naked mana creatures and a handful of humans. One day something happens and half of Eden is missing. Not liking this, Felt somehow manages to pull the sacred sword of Eden and goes through a gate that leads to the typical monster invested world of Belkhyde. While he is trying to save Eden, Viese is at home learning alchemy recipes so that Felt can benefit from her knowledge. (The two have magic rings which allow them to share items back and forth). Along the way Felt will meet some interesting party members, and they are definitely interesting and entertaining. Much of the game is point A to point B to running around gathering items to point C. It's slow at first, but after a while you don't mind so much. The plot is generic, but it makes fun of itself. Early in the game when Felt and Viese first pass the magic sword (an Azoth) Felt attempts to pull it out. The screen turns bright, and knowing that he does at some point weild the sword, you sigh. Then the screen goes back to normal and Felt says, "Yep, no pulling that out." It's funny, it's unexpected, and these kind of cute jokes pervade the game. 4/5

Audio: The music in the game is a good fit the dungeons you are in, but it's nothing spectacular. There is also voice acting for important scenes. The acting is well done, and the actors manage to capture the voices of their characters well. 4/5

Graphics: Visually the game is pretty but again nothing spectacular. The backgrounds are not extremely detailed but colorful and attractive. The characters are sprites that look a bit gritty at times but serve their purpose. During scenes when the people talk anime style images come up to represent the characters. These are beautifully drawn and excluding the handful of anime cutscenes, the best art in the game. 3/5

Gameplay: There are so many thigns to talk about in the gameplay, it's hard to decide what to mention first. Let's start with the central aspect of the game, alchemy. As you adventure through the game, you will find alchemical recipes which, if you have the ingredients, Viese can make. Sometimes if you change the ingredients, you will make a new item. Items can be equipped that give you special attributes such as stronger offensive power or faster speed. These skills can be mastered by earning SP. Special attacks are learned from weapons which also takes SP. The map works by having dungeons and towns placed on it, and you just travel over dotted lines to get from place to place. There are no monsters outside of dungeons. Battles have a lot going for them, so here's a picture to show you what I'm talking about.

There are two types of attacks, a charge attack (basic) or a break attack (pushes enemies back on the turn bar). If you break enemies into the yellow part of the bar, they will break, and you pull up a combo meter which will build up no matter what enemy you hit as long as one enemy is still broken. This is important because you get SP and EXP bonuses depending on how large a combo you make is. The meter on the top right is an SP meter (nothing to do with how much you earn after the battle). These is what you will use for special attacks. Different attacks require different amounts of SP. The meter is shared by the party and filled through charge attacks or being attacked. Up to three people can be in a party at a time, but you can switch characters out. All characters gain full experience and SP after the battle. The game takes some time to get used to, but once you master break attacks, it becomes fun to fight. 5/5

Replay: There is no real point to replay. Post game you have more monsters in an arena unlocked, but that is all. Well, an art gallery is opened as well, but you don't need to replay to see it. Still, the game is very entertaining and not overly long so it would be worth picking up again. 3/5

Overall: While the plot is generic, the game is fun and incredibly amusing. The characters and dialogue will make you laugh, and the alchemy system is a nice tool (though sometimes finding ingredients is a pain). Overall, if you like fun RPGs, this is a good choice. Don't expect deep thought, but do expect to enjoy yourself. 4/5