Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis
Mana Khemia is the ninth entry in the Atelier series, but really you can jump into it without having played any of the prior games. It focuses on Vayne Aurelius, the son of a legendary alchemist who’s been invited to the Al-Revis Academy for alchemy training.
The game is built as a series of terms at the school, with each term being made up of several weeks. During these terms you can complete different courses and receive a grade, with the term then culminating in one major event or battle. The “alchemy” school gives Mana Khemia a bit of a different feel than other titles, and it uses its school setting and structure well.
Like most of the Atelier games, Mana Khemia heavily uses alchemy as a gameplay feature, allowing you to craft and create different items and equipment. It uses a pretty typical turn-based system for combat, but instead of levels characters earn grow points that you can then invest in their own unique “grow books” to strengthen them.
Mana Khemia may not be the easiest game to track down these days, but it’s worth trying if you’re on the hunt for more school JRPGs.
