Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World

The name of the game is simplicity. Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World offers an experience that takes aspects of many genres and boils them down to the basics, for better and for worse. This mix of mindlessness and analysis creates an entrancing paradox that's fun to experiment with. While the game has little in terms of innovation or challenge, it offers itself as an escape into a weird world that you can invest in as much as you want, allowing a haven of your own design that grants success with some effort, patience and time. It'll suck you right in if you can stomach the syrupy sweetness and hollow banter.

If Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists accomplished one thing, it was getting me into the series at last. I don't know how fast I'm going to move on to the main series, but I've had my first glimpse into the world of Atelier and I'm interested. Town building was fun in this game, and it made me feel like a real manager of an economic enterprise. I enjoyed my time in this world, and if you have been thinking about this one, give it a shot if you can.

Instead of a glorious celebration of all things Atelier, Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists comes off more like a misguided attempt at creating a spinoff by toning down all the elements that makes Atelier games enjoyable in the first place.