Ahead of the game’s full launch on Friday, Koei Tecmo released a free demo of their upcoming game Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land (hereafter Atelier Yumia) on March 17. Although the demo has received much positive feedback so far, some common complaints have been made, including issues with certain camera effects causing “3D motion sickness.” In response, Koei Tecmo announced a list of planned adjustments to Atelier Yumia on the game’s official Japanese website on March 18, a swift move that has been praised by the community.
Atelier Yumia is the latest game in the long-running Atelier series of cozy RPGs developed by Gust, in which players usually step into the shoes of a plucky young alchemist. With Yumia, however, the developers are aiming to take the series to new heights. The game boasts a vast open world of the kind never seen in the series before, a hybrid turn-based combat system refined from Atelier Ryza 3, and an expansive building mode where you can unleash your creativity (more about Atelier Yumia’s ambitious new features here). The story is also set to have a slightly more serious tone, as protagonist Yumia practices alchemy in a dying land where the art is forbidden. The full game is set to release on March 21 for PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
In response to feedback on the demo, Koei Tecmo swiftly announced a list of improvements they plan to make to the game. First and foremost is the game camera. Unlike previous Atelier games that cut between battle and exploration, Atelier Yumia seamlessly takes the player back to the open world when battles conclude. However, to do this, the camera reorientates itself after battle to align with Yumia’s positioning in the exploration mode. In other words, this causes the camera to suddenly spin round in a circular motion, prompting some players to experience dizziness and other symptoms associated with motion sickness. In response, Koei Tecmo announced they will be adding options that will allow players to disable specific camera effects, including “camera behavior at the end of battles.”
The other points raised in the official announcement were “Usability improvements,” which will include more on-screen tutorial instructions for actions and systems that were deemed difficult to understand, as well as adjustments to the feel of the controls. This matter will be addressed gradually, according to the announcement. From the feedback, it seems that many players have mentioned that the new Synthesis System could do with some more explanation to make it accessible.
Lastly, Atelier Yumia’s dev team state that they are “working on additional optimization for some platforms,” with fixes due in order of priority. Although the post doesn’t mention which platforms, there have been many complaints about the Switch version’s choppy graphics. There have also been reports of performance issues with the Steam version.
Despite these issues identified in the demo, overall comments and discourse surrounding Atelier Yumia are positive, with many appreciating the fresh direction it is taking the series in. Users have also praised the developer’s quick response and proposed solutions to the issues that players are currently experiencing.
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is scheduled to be released on March 21, 2025 for PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam). It will also get a physical release on PS4/PS5 and Xbox. Save data from the demo version can be transferred to the full game.
