Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis – PS2 Review

Another retro by Aaron Cook:

Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis for the PS2 is a great game in some aspects, and needs maybe just a little work in others. I like this game. It has addicting game play and it’s a game I wont be able to put down even after I complete it. The people who made Atelier Iris, my favorite RPG for the PS2, is back with this game.

It is better than Atelier Iris that is for sure. I like the way the story line flows in this game. It takes place at a university and you have to learn many different things. When you are done with an assignment, you are graded and rewarded. This is a great concept. The story is divided in semesters like a school is too.

A bunch of places to go on the map

The game has many different places to go. And in these places to explore, there is more than 1 route to go which is great instead of just 1 linear RPG, you have non-linear game play which is a really great idea too.

I like the way you control your character that was all done very well. You can move and jump very good and the graphics are top notch for the PS2 as well. The music sounds like accordion heavy on the notes because that is all you can hear. It would have been nice to hear some other variety thrown in on the soundtrack.

A huge world to explore

The fighting system is pretty good. The way you can see enemy encounters is always an awesome thing. I like too how they did the turn order at the top of the screen with cards so its easy to tell whats going to happen next so you can plan your attacks with ease. There is one thing that needs to be fixed, and that is the memory of the courser. I have used up a healing item way too many times when I really didn’t want to. There is no option to turn it off either, so they must have wanted you to be on your toes, or that could have just been sloppy programming that got in the way. There’s also an issue with the enemy AI. Its pretty cheap sometimes when the day turns to darkness. I have gone into battle with full health and then had my team creamed within like 2 minutes. This balance should have been fixed so you would have a chance but they decided not to fix it.

The level system is different than in most RPG games. You must earn enough AP points and then synth certain items to unlock a spot and then spend the AP points on the items you want. It is like the FF X grid in where you have to progress further with your anarchy skill and then earn the amount of AP to get the skill.

Huge leveling tree makes it a challenge. You need to collect certain things to advance the level up

Also, the alchemy in the game is cool but can be hard to figure out what items you need to collect to get the effect you want. Other than that, this game is really good. I would definitely recommend. It has a talking cat in it too! On thing I don’t understand is why they don’t already have another one made for the Playstation 4 yet? You mean to say they only created 2 and that is it for the Playstation 2? Very strange and I’m sure the fans are clambering for more. I know I am.

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