Atelier Escha and Logy of the Dusk Sky is the second game in the Dusk Trilogy. The Dusk Trilogy which, starts in Atelier Ayesha: is a trilogy of interconnected stories. Ayesha’s journey ends, as this one begins. While Ayesha might not be present per-say, her legend is known far and wide. Escha and Logy are two young Alchemists who now both work at a small town called Colseit. Escha and Logy both might be young Alchemists, but they both know quite a bit. Logy started Alchemy at Central, a place where the best Alchemists work together. He left Central to travel to Colseit, where he meets Escha, a young Alchemist who lives there. The player can choose between playing as Escha or Logy. Choosing between playing as a male or female is cool because all the games before it were lead by a female character.
Players will work to develop the Alchemist workshop in Colseit. As they do, the goal will gradually change until the duo must work to craft an airship that will help them explore the Unexplored Ruin. As a duo, they will work together, helping people, and slowly making it possible to get to this mysterious ruin. Players will choose between playing as Escha or Logy. The storyline will remain the same, but the events and endings watchable in the game might change. Escha’s story is similar to the rest of the series and involves daily life scenarios. Logy’s story is for RPG fans and will have serious scenarios. Pick which character the player will enjoy best and jump in.
This game unlike, Atelier Ayesha, is split up into four-month chunks. The duo will take on nine big assignments and sixteen little ones in every chunk. While the big assignments are necessary the little ones do boost the department rating and might reward the player too with information, recipes, or items. Once players achieve 100%, they can report to their boss Marion Quinn who raises the development teams’ evaluation level. Finishing this early makes the rest of the time free time which is good. If players don’t finish an assignment on time, they will lose time for the next assignment, which could lead to a game over. Unlike Atelier Ayesha, though, this game does give the players more time, and I’m thankful for that.
Escha and Logy might be the main characters, but they will meet plenty of characters along the way. Nine other characters will join the duo on their journey if they have the DLC or the DX version. These characters have backstories that will be flesh out through story events. Side characters are also important and help make the world just a little more lively. Players will once again need to use alchemy, though in this Escha synthesizes, while Logy drills. Since both characters travel together, the player can use both methods regardless. Players must once again have the ingredients needed to practice alchemy. It might take a while, but players should understand it in no time. Alchemy is sometimes challenging because it requires different items. Every ingredient will have properties and traits, and players will have to use those to their advantage. Players can choose up to three traits to give to the item like health boosts or other boons. Synthesis will help increase both character’s alchemy level too! Be sure to use special skills, because they can enhance the items made.
As players travel the world, they will find plenty of items. These items are helpful because they are all used in alchemy. Players must search the world through gathering spots that now only contain one type of item. Players can also obtain items through battling monsters. Once players gather all of the items and battle all the monsters, they will need to return to the area to do it again. There is a special gauge that fills up as the characters interact with the world. Players can use this to take part in special investigations. These investigations yield items, recipes, or flyers, which are all invaluable. They can also increase the gathering are or bring in stronger monsters. Use these wisely and be rewarded! Players will eventually be able to disassemble relics they find in the field. By doing so, players can learn about new ingredients, properties, and even recipes. These relics might be old, but they enlighten the player about the world’s history, and that is invaluable. These relics aren’t everywhere, so when the player finds them, they ought to disassemble them.
Battles are similar to ones in previous entries. Players can choose up to six members, three in the front and three in the rear. These characters will support each other by doing follow up attacks or protecting them. As the battles go on, a support gauge will rise, this will allow the characters to support each other. It’s necessary to use this gauge wisely because it can be of great help. Players can set up their party before the battle, but by performing support commands, the characters will swap. It’s necessary to focus on the characters in both rows to maximize this swap. Sometimes it’s worth swapping when a character in the front row is damaged. By doing so, they can keep them alive and bring in a healthy character to do more damage.
Logy and Escha can use items in and out of battle. Players will have a certain amount of uses per each item they bring with them. Returning to town will restore the number of uses. Players will craft them, find them, and earn them from events, so always be ready to find new items to equip. Players can even use these items in battle. Players can select the item option only as Escha or Logy. If they activate W Draw, players will be able to use two items for both of them to use. W Draw is a good choice because it can allow for several special support attacks to be used. Players will learn when and when not to use W Draw, and it should help them out.
Solle Grumman might be a little sour, but he does a great job. Players will receive quests from this sour puss, and they should complete them. Players can receive sweets which the Homunculus love. They also help the player rank up; this will help in the overall game. The best thing about requests is that players can cancel them without repercussions. They are also updated every ten days, so check back often. Solle also watches over the Homunculus, little furry allies who help the duo. They can be sent of missions to gather or duplicate items if the player has enough sweets. Players will see how long it will take and can shorten the time by giving them more sweets. Players should know they can’t request items they don’t yet have. The Homunculi are helpful, so pack some sweets and ask for help.
Atelier Escha and Logy has eleven endings for the player to unlock. These endings aren’t available to each protagonist. Doing certain things can cause endings to not be accessible. Like Atelier Ayesha, players can choose from a list of endings if they have achieved more than one, which is nice. This game has a DX version that contains all of the DLC too. The DLC comes in the form of new characters with new story events, new costumes, music, and additional scenarios. Players will have fun playing the game with characters they encounter in the story, and it should be nice to have them on the team. Players can also change the music at will with the DX version. Head to the workshop to change between music from any game in the series. The music is always different, and changing things up can keep the game from getting stale. Some of the older music is amazing, so it’s worth looking into.
Atelier Escha and Logy: Alchemists of the Dark Sky DX is a fantastic game. It exceeds the fun of Atelier Ayesha by making it more accessible. Playing as a male character is also a nice change of pace. This world is such an interesting one, and I’m glad they went with a trilogy. Escha and Logy need to explore a hidden ruin, will the player help them out?
Disclaimer: A review key was provided