At the gross level, alchemy may be defined as the transmutation of
base metals into gold. Delve deeper into the soteriological function
of alchemy where it works as a means to perfection of the spirit and
the symbolism, codes, and writings from Martin Luther, Mircea Eliade,
and Roger Bacon take on new life. The alchemy video games from
publisher Gust take the former tack.
The word "atelier" hails from the French
vernacular which denotes a workshop or studio. It fits the series of
games perfectly. In the original, Atelier Marie, hapless alchemy
student Marlone is relegated to her own studio by tutor Ingrid. In
the follow-up, Atelier Elie, our heroine works to concoct an elixir
to stop a plague which storms the land. She labors in her workshop
to that end. The latest Atelier takes a jaunt back to yesteryear, to
a time before Marlone or Elie mixed bubbling tonics and spiced them
up with reagents. As the story goes, alchemy prodigy Lilie lives for
the craft and trains at the Kentonis Academy. She dreams however of
building her own academy to advance the art and takes on assignments
to raise the necessary capital. To this end, Lilie teams up with a
couple of fellow students to travel the land, hunt for ingredients,
and transmute ordinary materials into masterful creations much in
demand. The game presents itself by way of interaction sequences
with characters, world roaming, and the usual battles against
aggressors. |
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