Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian – A Gacha-Free Experience
Koei Tecmo Europe announced on November 26, 2024, that the upcoming Atelier Resleriana spinoff will ditch the gacha system present in its mobile predecessor, Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy and the Polar Night Liberator. This is a significant departure for the series, offering a fresh approach for fans.
No Gacha, Offline Play
The absence of a gacha system is a key highlight. Unlike many free-to-play titles where progression is often gated behind in-app purchases, Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian promises a more traditional experience. Players won't need to spend money to unlock characters or powerful items, and the game is playable offline.
The game's official website promises "New protagonists and an original story await in Lantarna," suggesting a fresh narrative within the established world, separate from the mobile game's characters and storyline. The game will launch on PS5, PS4, Switch, and Steam in 2025. Pricing and a precise release date are yet to be announced.
A Look Back at the Mobile Gacha System
Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy and the Polar Night Liberator, the mobile game serving as the foundation for this new title, utilizes a gacha system. While retaining core Atelier elements like synthesis and turn-based combat, it integrated a monetization system where players could spend to enhance characters.
This gacha system featured a "spark" mechanic, allowing players to accumulate medals through pulls to unlock characters or Memoria (illustration cards). The system differs from a standard pity system, requiring a specific number of medals rather than a guaranteed drop after a set number of pulls.
Released in January 2024 on Steam, Android, and iOS, the mobile title received mixed reviews. While mobile ratings were generally positive (4.2/5 on Google Play, 4.6 on the App Store), the Steam version faced criticism due to the perceived high cost of its gacha mechanics. The upcoming console and PC release aims to address these concerns by eliminating this aspect entirely.
