Ports can be fickle things and they tend to have a sense of negativity to them. At the same time, some ports, much like Atelier Ayesha Plus, can gain exposure with such a tactic. Previously on the PS3, Atelier Ayesha finds itself now in portable form, but in a library chock full of ports, does it have what it takes to stand among those that benefit from a secondary release? I don’t necessarily want to use the phrase “mixed bag” when referring to the game’s graphics and performance, because there’s really nothing that keeps Atelier Ayesha from playing properly on the PS Vita; but even though the cel-shaded graphics deliver a very pristine and clean look to the game overall on the original OLED screen, the game engine that seemed to be underutilized on the PS3 is now being worked while in portable form. Quite often, the frame rate drops to noticeable levels, and this holds especially true when in almost any city or large environment. Happily, while the issue still remains sporadically throughout the game, I can attest that this issue becomes negligible as the eye acclimates to how the game plays; biology can be quite the helper.
As mentioned in the PS3 review of Atelier Ayesha, the soundtrack has a very relaxed feel to it. A point was made to how a lot of AAA titles are funding bombastic and engaging tracks to enhance the action, but what Atelier and the team at GUST has done well with this franchise is create an environment that relaxes and eases players into the long haul of an RPG. In contrast, the voice acting tends to be very tame, but much like a great deal of the best animes, the voice work tends to be more relaxed and focused on narrative progress to help make the often-complex journey more accessible. Sure, things tend to be a bit repetitive, but the repetition helps to maintain focus in an RPG filled with side quests, objectives – and with a calm delivery.
What ends up being special about a game like this is that the combat style has enough in it to engage the heartiest of RPG and JRPG aficionados while still having a level of accessibility that newcomers would benefit from having in order to help streamline the process of learning the ways of the role-playing world. With its turn-based focus, Atelier Ayesha ebbs the likes of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy X while holding its own identity.
At the same time, the game has a special nuance to it which makes avoiding combat possible in multiple ways, since it’s entirely possible to solve problems in other ways. Still, if players are looking for a deep, engaging, and complex combat system, then they may be looking in the wrong place.
The time limitation is another element to the game that complicates things nicely. Much like in Lighting Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Ayesha is only allotted three years of time to complete her directive, and almost everything takes time to complete. This side to the game is really the only thing that yields any urgency to actions taken throughout, since anything from crafting and gathering to exploring areas and combat tick time away. Luckily, wandering around towns doesn’t kill time, unlike Lightning Returns, which helps to maintain the pace of the game and give players more of a control as to how and when time is passed.
What’s unfortunate this time around is that the negatives found in the PS3 version are still present; and while they tend to be nitpicky and there’s not too much that could be done about a couple of them, they’re still present. Enemies tend to be recycled continuously; the game lacks a feeling of customizability, and the overall cast of characters is minimal for the RPG genre. On the latter note, having fewer characters can make it more accessible and appreciable for newcomers, but the lack of association and complexity on that front can easily drag down the experience for anyone.
In its portable form, Atelier Ayesha Plus delivers exactly what fans want, but risks aren’t taken here to differentiate this from another port for the PS Vita. At the same time, the game itself has its own charm and accessibility that yields to both RPG veterans and newcomers alike, even though the relaxed demeanor may bore those who are looking for high action sequences and bombastic soundtracks. Even though this version of Atelier Ayesha still has its former flaws, it still has its former charms as well, and anyone with a love for RPGs who hasn’t picked up this franchise before may be in for a surprise.