Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land marks a major shift for the Koei Tecmo and Gust JRPG series. With a drastic change into pure action combat and base-building, we sat down with Junzo Hosoi, Producer for Atelier Yumia and Head of Gust to discuss the development process, characters, and surprising inspirations during our hands-on preview of the upcoming game.
Cody Perez, Siliconera: Is there any particular idea or theme that the team decided to base Atelier Yumia around when starting development?
Junzo Hosoi, Gust: Before I started working on Atelier Ryza, in 2018 or 2017, I was thinking about how I could make a three-part series, and how I could step up as a system. I was thinking about what kind of system and game I would like to make when I get a big chance in the next series. As a result, I’ve been getting feedback from the users every time I released a game, and I’ve been making adjustments, so I’ve already decided what kind of game I would like to make.
As for the design of the story, I’ve been getting a lot of reference from Atelier Ryza 3 and the current story trend. First of all, we reinterpreted the complex parts of the story, and reconstructed the overall system. We wanted to make sure that the story was well-received by players alongside the battle system.
The area that was well-received during Atelier Ryza, in the battle system especially, has been utilized within Atelier Yumia as well. And also, these days, action RPG is actually a popular genre right now. So that is why he mixed and merged those areas to create the battle system.
Also, as for the synthesis system, it could get difficult to understand all those areas. We actually received those comments from the survey and social media. So that is why the synthesis system has been redesigned. Also, during Ryza 3, we received comments saying there are no villains. So that is why, since there is a villain in this Atelier Yumia, the motivation on continuing the story and worldview might be more engaging this time.
Speaking of villains, what can you say about the villains and their role in the story?
Hosoi: The villain that comes out in Atelier Yumia is actually because of alchemy. The villains’ lives actually changed because of alchemy. Yumia actually believes in alchemy. However, the villains actually have a lot of stuff that has changed their lives, good and bad, because of alchemy. So, they are actually against each other.
You [the player] might actually think that Yumia’s way of thinking of alchemy is similar to how you feel. Or, you might say, “I feel the same way as the villains.” It might depend on the player once you play through and that might be an area to check out once you play out.
How did the protagonist Yumia’s creation come about? What can you say about Yumia as a character in terms of her design and backstory?
Hosoi: In the past Atelier games, there were more volumes in the silhouettes and a lot of decoration within the costumes. However, for the Yumia, we wanted to turn down the silhouettes and volumes. So the reason why is, for example, if you have a coat running around, it’s actually a bit bothersome. There is also much verticality in the field this time, so that’s why we wanted to add some decoration of gadgets on her shoes. I think that’s why she has bullets that are similar to the gun design in her outfit design.
And also, as for Yumia’s personality, she is self-confident. Her inner core is really strong and she believes in herself. As for the backstory, in past games, it actually took 3 or 4 hours to get to the core of the adventure. However, it has been changed for this title, as you can actually start off quite quickly in comparison. And that is why the villain shows up early as well. Yumia herself uses alchemy, but that is forbidden in her world.
Her mother was actually an alchemist as well, so she wanted to find the reason why her mother was an alchemist, even though it’s forbidden. She has a love for her mother, so that is why she goes on a journey to find out more about alchemy.
Regarding the other party members besides Yumia, who would you say is your favorite and why?
Hosoi: My favorite character is Yumia but in terms of second favorite, it would be Rutger. There are two sides of Rutger. The one we’ve already announced and shown is the face that he actually shows to the other party members. However, there is a second side that involves his past experiences. We are actually confident of the story that we have created for Rutger’s scenario.
A new feature in Yumia is the dedicated building system. How did that housing system come about in development?
Hosoi: The value of exploring on the field, that is why we added the building system. We wanted to add more value in the series. There is a popularity of crafting games as well, which I happen to like myself, such as Valheim. So, that is why we wanted to implement those into the series with this housing system.
Moving on to the action combat system, what were the central themes of the action combat system you wanted to focus on?
Hosoi: What will be important about the combat for some players is player skill. So, if you have higher player skill, and use just the dodge and guard, even if the enemy’s level is higher than your actual party member’s level, by using your own skill, it actually allows you to beat the enemy.
What changes or systems are in place to welcome newcomers to the series. At the same time, what is new for existing fans to look forward to in this game?
Hosoi: The synthesis system being simple is one example. A lot of people thought the Atelier synthesis system is actually difficult to play; it’s really hard to understand. However, now it has been made more simple, so it might be easier to understand compared to the other Atelier titles. But then, even though it’s simple, you do have the fun in synthesizing, so I think that is kept and has been balanced throughout.
Existing fans can also understand synthesis, because it doesn’t have a big change, so it should be fine for the current Atelier fans as well. Although the trait system is actually changed, now that you can edit on afterwards, there is a lot more fun in crafting. That might be an element for Atelier fans to be excited about, and also for the general exploration and gathering in the field.
In addition, in previous titles, you just synthesize items using materials. However, since there is a building system now, there is a joy to creating new stuff throughout building as well with materials. There are now two areas that you can enjoy for those who like to create stuff.
What type of content did you create to make the open world interesting and engaging for the player?
Hosoi: For me, it’s the game Valheim. Of course, I didn’t just copy the design of Valheim, but I was really impressed with playing this game. I think there are a lot of open-world games these days, but in my experience, Skyrim or Oblivion. In addition, it’s been a while, but I was really impressed in the past with Halo’s open field design, and I wanted to incorporate that impression into this game. That’s how I came up with the idea for the open world content in Yumia.
Finally, as a fun type of question, what is your favorite monster in the series and why?
Hosoi: Puni. Even though the Puni gets attacked all the time, they live free. Their living environment seems fun! *laughs*
Post-Interview Questions
After the formal interview, there was a time later on where all of my fellow previewers for Atelier Yumia had left. As the only one left in the office still playing the preview, I had some casual time where Hosoi sat down and we chatted about the game and my thoughts about the four hours I had spent with the game. While I won’t share everything we spoke about during this informal time, there were some notable and even funny anecdotes worth mentioning.
For one, on the discussion of the newmotorcycle. (Yes, there is indeed a motorcycle you can cruise around this fantasy open-world in.) Apparently, the motorcycle was partly inspired by the iconic bike that Akira uses in the beloved 1988 anime film.
In addition to that, we spoke on the character designs and, more specifically, the companion Flammi. While I didn’t get to see too much of Flammi as a character, I learned about how the adorable little floating candle-like creation came from Yumia’s mother. When designing and writing Flammi, Hosoi explained that it came about partly because of characters like R2-D2 and C-3PO from Star Wars. More specifically, the idea of Flammi being a message or gift from Yumia’s mother, much in the same way R2-D2 brings a message to Ben Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.
All of these fascinating details show that Atelier Yumia has had an intriguing development thus far. With the game pretty much complete at this point, only time will tell how Atelier Yumia lands for existing fans and newcomers alike when it launches worldwide on March 21, 2025.
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land releases for Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on March 21, 2025.