Koei Tecmo’s new game Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian will be releasing on September 26, 2025 for PC (Steam), PS5 and the Nintendo Switch. Not to be confused with the mobile game Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy and the Polar Night Liberator, the new Atelier Resleriana is an independent, full-price addition to the Atelier series – and its developers at Gust say that the new title will go back to some classic Atelier mechanics, including a fully turn-based battle system.
Automaton talked to Atelier series producer Junzo Hosoi and director Yuuki Katsumata, who told us about where Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian stands compared to its predecessors.
“We are always thinking about how to further grow the Atelier series. For example, we expanded the RPG experience in Atelier Yumia by proactively implementing action-packed battle elements and an open-world system, which are recent trends in the console RPG scene,” Hosoi comments.
Gust’s new twists on the series’ formula in Atelier Yumia proved successful, with the game becoming the fastest selling Atelier title to date. However, the team also recognized a demand for the good old stuff, as Hosoi adds, “we have always been making turn-based RPGs, and we’ve noticed that many of our fans want exactly that. That is why we wanted to create another console game which we could take in a completely different direction than Yumia and expand on the ‘old-school Atelier’ experience – and that is how the new Atelier Resleriana came to be. You could even say it’s a title that inherits the creative direction and spirit of Atelier Sophie 2.”
Expanding on the universe that was the setting for the mobile Resleriana game (though the devs don’t consider it a spin-off), Hosoi explains that his team focused on bringing the classic Atelier experience to the players. Some of the key team members working on Red Alchemist & White Guardian’s development include Masaki Shibuya, who already has experience and deep knowledge on the mobile Resleriana, and Yuuki Katsumata, who worked on Atelier Sophie 2. In short, the development team focused on bringing together gameplay elements reminiscent of Sophie 2 with the worldbuilding of Resleriana.
For example, parties in the new Resleriana will consist of six characters divided into a frontline and a backline. Furthermore, there will be special character-specific items and differing equipment slots for each alchemist – which is also reminiscent of Sophie 2. A skill tree system was also implemented, and the devs prepared various active skills each of the characters can use in battle.
Additionally, director Katsumata points out the addition of randomized dungeons to the game. Players will be able to choose how much or how little they want to grind, but those who don’t mind spending a bit more time climbing the randomly generated floors of the dungeons will be rewarded with exclusive weapons and special enhancements for the characters.
As another callback to old-school Atelier, the two main characters will be managing a town shop, and the way the shop is managed will affect the way the town develops, unlocking new places and characters and thus progressing the story.
While the development team is still actively looking for input from fans, it seems like the new mainline entry of the Atelier series was created precisely thanks to the feedback they got while experimenting with Atelier Yumia’s direction.
Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian launches September 26, 2025 for PC (Steam), PS5 and the Nintendo Switch. A PS4 version will be available in Japan only.
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