Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis

"Nippon Ichi sends us another old school gem-- with emphasis on the school."

Beautiful graphics, catchy tunes, unforgettable characters... and a plot that doesn't really begin until well into the third act? How can such a title merit such lofty praise and high scores? Even this reviewer caught himself wondering such things from time to time. But give just a little bit of your time to Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis and you'll see why this game is captivating people left and right all over the world.

Everything about Mana Khemia (MK for short) is unconventional, including the main character. You'll be playing as Vayne, mysterious and amnesia-riddled young would-be alchemist. Okay, a hero with amnesia hardly defies convention in the world of JRPGs, but his personality certainly does. I've never quite experienced such a laid back, careless sort as the main character of a video game. He seems to let people push him around left and right, never seeming to mind a whit. At first I found this bothersome, but later on his refreshingly nonchalant, almost milquetoast demeanor finds itself to be quite a fresh breeze in this Cloud/Squall/Sephiroth world of ours. In any case, he's accepted into an institute devoted solely to the pursuit alchemy, the game's (and series') bread and butter. And even though the storyline- excellent as it eventually is- doesn't kick in until about 50 of the game's 70 hours have passed, you won't mind one iota when you feast your senses on Mana Khemia's alchemical system.

I have literally never seen as many items in one video game as I have in this one. Items most of which you, the gamer, create yourself. Armor? Check. Weapons? Of course. Accessories? Naturally. Magical fish dinners that heal everyone in the party for maximum HP? Well, actually, yes. Everything you can possibly imagine is creatable in MK, way more than any of the Atelier games that preceded this title. What's even better is the Grow System that accompanies item creation: the more items you create, the better stats your characters get-- since there's absolutely *no* leveling up in Mana Khemia. Yep. You cannot level up to get better statistics, period. If you wanna get tougher, go back to the lab and create more items, go to your Grow chart, and bam, you get your choice of which statistics you want to raise, which skills you want to learn, et cetera. Think of it as a more interactive FFX Sphere Grid system... on steroids. It makes the creation of items not only fun in their own right, but more rewarding in the knowledge that your party will be getting much stronger as a result.

When they're not in school, that is. Yep, taking a page from Persona 3, your group of school chums and you will be dividing time between battling evil and... attending lectures and seminars. Now before you walk away from this review, don't worry. Every class and course you can take will in some way help you work your alchemical sorcery a little better, and some classes require you to fight enemies and create magical items in their own right. Admittedly, the fact that most of the classes are tutorials for the main game is a bit on the lazy side, but once you get going you'll be glad you were given the chance to learn everything, particularly when you're questing throughout the seemingly endless amount of huge, deep, monster-infested dungeons that this game has got going for it. Some of them are nearly Phantasy Star 2-level of complexity, I kid you not, so your party will be kept busy in and out of school.

Speaking of your party, never ever have I seen character sprites so luxuriously and painstakingly animated in a video game as I have in MK. Every single character in battle has a myriad of fighting animations, many of which change and evolve throughout the game's duration. The graphics as a whole are absolutely top-notch, now ranking #1 on my list of most impressive PS2 visual achievements. 2D and 3D have never merged together so perfectly as they have here, and you'll be amazed at the sheer number of animations every character, enemy, spell, and skill are given in Mana Khemia.

There's nothing to sneeze at on the musical front either, as the world of MK is brought to life by more than 30 wonderful songs-- and you get to keep 'em on the bonus CD included free with purchase of the game. Mana Khemia really is the game that keeps on giving. I didn't even mention the free mini-poster and beautifully drawn box art on the collector's item-caliber box the entire package comes in. Well, ok, I just did mention it now. But you get the idea.

I'm not gonna lie, I adore the Atelier games, and this new offshoot takes the baton from the somewhat disappointing Atelier Iris 3 and runs with it, beautifully and superlatively. Creating items, getting rewarded for it in the form of stat bonuses, experiencing a touching (albeit molasses slow-moving) storyline, and getting to know some of the most wonderful characters in the history of JRPGs (did I mention one member of your group is a fat space-snail bent on taking over this planet that he just crashed into?) sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Add onto that the free CD and mini poster, and then the matter of the multiple endings, and I think it's safe to say you have yourself a winner right here. So what're you waiting for? This is one school you'll absolutely never want to leave.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/14/08

Game Release: Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis (US, 04/01/08)