#oneaday Day 565: Fall of Alchemy

Started Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy today and am already enjoying it a lot. There are certain aspects of the game so far where I can feel it just sort of straining to become what the Arland series would become, but it's also its own distinct, unique thing, too. The characters are already shaping up to be some of my favourites so far; Ulrika is what I regard as a proper Atelier protagonist, which I feel like we didn't really have throughout the Iris series (with the possible exception of Viese), so it's a pleasure to have a ditzy, enthusiastic young girl in the leading role once again.

Interested to see how the two routes play out in Mana Khemia 2. They're already shaping up to be quite different with occasional crossovers, even just looking at my limited experience with the first chapter. It appears that one group focuses on combat studies, while the other focuses on alchemy, though I imagine there'll be a bit of both in each route — there certainly has been in Ulrika's so far.

There's also some pleasing fanservice for the first Mana Khemia in there, too. The group's homeroom teacher from the first game is now the principal of the academy, and is not doing a very good job of it. Flay, the "perpetual student" playable character from the original, is now a teacher, as is Tony, the secondary antagonist for much of the early stages of the first game. It's interesting to watch these two in particular apply their personalities to a "professional" life — though with Al-Revis in the state it's in at the start of Mana Khemia 2, "professional" may not be quite the best word!

Looking good so far, then. I'll be archiving my gameplay on YouTube again (primarily for my own purposes so I can refer back to footage and take screenshots if required), so if you want to see what the game's all about feel free to check out the videos. First one should be going up tomorrow.

Hope you've had a pleasant Monday! It is Monday, right? I'm losing track…