For games to have long titles has quite an awkward effect on gamers. A sizeable part, probably the majority, of gamers who spot a really long name tend to give up on it immediately and move on to something else, something with a shorter name, while others tend to suddenly get much more intrigued in learning more about said title. I would probably fall among the latter group, since the longer a name the more I become curious about it, since it definitely strikes the eye.
Atelier Escha & Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dark Sky, which is the longest title on my PS Vita to date, is one case in particular, where the long name will not detract any interest from the game itself, especially since it makes part of the Atelier series which has attracted so much interest and love from its fans around the world. The Gust developed JRPGs have always obtained a good score, and certainly this one is no less. Escha & Logy, in fact, is a remaster of the game released on PS3. In short, the story follows two alchemists, appropriately named Escha and Logy, who in their quests to become better at their trade, are recruited by the government into the Research and Development department at a small town called Colseit, which also happens to be Escha’s hometown. The aim for these recruits is to do work and develop their skills as well as help the department gain some viable reputation for itself, since it has oftentimes been understaffed. Early on we also learn of The Unexplored Ruins, which as the name rightfully implies, are ruins which have never been explored before since they float in the sky. This also becomes an objective for both Escha and Logy, since the two share the same curiosity for exploration.
Gameplay wise, the game is quite straight forward. There are a lot of quests, which unfortunately do not introduce some new game breaking mechanic from other games, but which at least involve the element of time, so you actually have some form of constriction in them. Quests become integral to the game when involving combat, since the battle system in the game is quite a good one. Apart from the usual JRPG turn based elements, which probably even my grandma knows by now, the title adds a support mechanic which builds up over turns and can be unleashed when a meter is full up, potentially helping turning a fight from a loss to a win.
The Vita has its fair share of graphically stunning games, and while not the best there is out there, Escha & Logy surely is a beautiful game to look at. Its shading style is not that common among games in general, so it comes as a breath of fresh air. The character detail is also on point, with major focus on Escha and Logy obviously, but that focus pays off since the central duo look very good from head to toe.
As for the audible part of things, Escha and Logy does its best to get the player involved into the storyline with, honestly, very good voiceover actors. I cannot speak for other languages but the English actors really manage to portray the feelings while saying their lines, especially Escha, whose voice has all the charm and enthusiasm that the in-game character shows all the time. Other characters are not that worked upon except for Logy, who can also boast a strong voice actor. Not to say that the whole cast is bad, which would totally not be my opinion since voice acting is done well in this game, but the focus on the main characters is evident. As it should to be honest, just maybe a tad less obvious.
All in all, Escha and Logy is quite an enjoyable, while long, experience. Its cutscenes are done in detail and are very good, but may disrupt the flow of the game, especially when working against time or when the momentum is high. These conversations also tend to drag on a little too much, sometimes taking five minutes instead of just one or two to explain something very simple. With that said, it still is a very solid title, with a good combat system and quest style which will have players going back and forth until the end.
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