Atelier Yumia is excellent on PS5, but what about Nintendo Switch and PS4?
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is finally here worldwide on consoles and PC platforms. Ahead of its launch, I've been playing the Steam, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch versions of the game. While I focus on the PC version in a separate article, this one covers how the game scales on consoles. Having played all the Atelier games on every platform since Atelier Escha & Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky which was my first taste of the series, it has been interesting to see how Gust handles each platform.
Since Atelier Yumia is another Gust release launching worldwide across multiple platforms (including Xbox for the first time in the series history), I'm going to help you decide which version is best for you covering the PS5 (base not Pro), Nintendo Switch (on Switch OLED), and PS4 (on PS4 Pro and PS5) versions of the game. I will likely be updating this after launch when I get my Xbox pre-order.
Atelier Yumia — PS5 vs Switch vs PS4 content and differences
Before getting into the technical differences, Koei Tecmo is also doing a special DLC that is only available for the PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 versions of Atelier Yumia. This is the Atelier Yumia - Backpack Set. The bundle lets you change the color of Yumia's backpack and Flammi's smoke. You unlock it once you've gotten to base building and have placed a Dressing Room. It includes the following:
- Flammi Backpack" Accessory for Yumia
- Memory Backpack" Accessory for Yumia
- Twinkling Smoke" Accessory for Flammi
- Crackling Smoke" Accessory for Flammi
The other differences are in some platform-specific features. The PS5 version has great DualSense controller support with haptic feedback while gathering and even adaptive trigger support while shooting. The Switch version has decent rumble, but the main draw of it comes from the hybrid nature of the system.
Atelier Yumia — PS5 vs Switch vs PS4 visuals
Visually, there are some notable differences between the PlayStation and Switch versions. Even the PS4 and PS5 versions have some differences in image quality. It is worth noting that the PS4, PS5, and Switch versions all have two visual modes: Quality and Performance. Quality aims to have improved video quality while Performance prioritizes the frame rate over video quality. I did my testing in the Performance mode on all versions on my 1440p monitor, 1080p display, and also on the Switch OLED handheld screen.
Beginning with PS5, Atelier Yumia is superb. While the open world has some teething issues in its visual quality affecting every platform and also in some shadows, it looks and feels excellent on PS5 in the performance mode. Having put in nearly two dozen hours into the PS5 version, I only had maybe three instances where I could notice any performance issues, and those only happened for a second or two. Atelier Yumia's PS5 version looks excellent on my 1440p display.
The PS4 Pro version is a step down from the PS5 version in image quality, but not by much with some shimmering on foliage while exploring. The major issue the PS4 version has on PS4 Pro is the load times and performance which I will cover below. I redownloaded Atelier Ryza 3 to test it on PS4 Pro as well, and Atelier Yumia looks noticeably better across the board. It also doesn't cut back on foliage as much as the Switch version. There are some LOD-related issues, but even those don't feel as jarring as they did in Atelier Ryza 3 on PS4 Pro.
Moving over to the Nintendo Switch, I was worried about this version. I say that because while Atelier Ryza and Ryza 2 were excellent on Switch, Ryza 3 was not. It was playable, but not even close to an ideal experience. Atelier Yumia on Switch is a step below Ryza 3 in visuals, and while the open world is noticeably emptier than other platforms with worse image quality, the cutbacks make sense. This is a more demanding and ambitious game compared to Ryza 3.
On Switch, foliage is dramatically cut back compared to other platforms. In fact, even the PC's lowest possible settings are well above the Switch version. Beyond that, Ryza 3's most noticeable issue returns with the level of detail pop-in happening very close to the camera in some instances. Since the open world lets you basically climb up and jump off mountains and the like, it is impressive to see all of this hold up without additional loading screens on Switch, but the downgrade is very noticeable even indoors compared to other platforms. Early on when using the Zipline, you can see the area around Yumia change as she's moving towards it and it is quite jarring. The visual cutbacks would be fine if they led to a stable performance, but sadly that isn't close to perfect on Switch.
Atelier Yumia — PS5 vs Switch vs PS4 performance differences
In addition to comparing the performance on the three consoles, I also want to give context for how Atelier Yumia runs compared to prior games from the series on the same platform here. While it may not be useful for someone who has access to every system and wants the best experience, I know there are folks who like to play an entire series or a trilogy on the same platform if possible. I do that as well when I can. In addition to discussing how Atelier Yumia runs compared to a few prior games on the same platforms, I'm also going to cover what I think could be added to improve the experience in updates.
Atelier Yumia on PS5 feels like a huge step up over the lacking PS5 upgrade for Atelier Ryza 2 a few years ago. I remember having to play that in 1080p so the frame rate didn't give me motion sickness. Atelier Yumia in its performance mode is almost flawless performance wise. Like I said above, I only noticed a few instances where I noticed performance issues in nearly two dozen hours.
Note: Given how dynamic the game is with time of day and other effects, it was difficult to get both screenshots with the exact same in-game position and time. Both images are captured via the Switch docked and PS5 at as close to the same in-game time as possible. They were then cropped and resized to show the differences in a single image. For context, the Switch version here runs at an unstable frame rate in the 20s with a lot of popin while the PS5 version is much higher resolution at a locked 60fps with better visual settings like draw distance, reflections, and more.
The PS4 version on PS5 runs at 60fps without issues as expected, but the experience on PS4 Pro isn't ideal. The game needs a 30fps cap because both the quality and performance modes run with a variable frame rate and it never feels good. I can't comment on how this is on base PS4, but I'm not happy with the variable performance on PS4 Pro. Atelier Ryza 3 on the other hand ran more consistently on PS4 Pro. I get that the games are more ambitious now and push for higher quality visuals, but I hate uncapped frame rates when the experience is this variable. It can hit 60fps, but usually just varies quite a bit below.
On Switch, performance rarely feels like it holds a stable frame rate unless you're indoors or looking on the ground. Even looking up at the sky sees regular performance issues. Exploring is also accompanied by regular frame rate drops. Atelier Ryza 3 ran better based on my testing, and that wasn't perfect either. If you enjoy using photo modes in games, Atelier Yumia on Switch feels even more sluggish here. You will need to be ok with a variable frame rate dropping to the low 20s in parts with Atelier Yumia on Switch. This is all when played in the Performance visual mode as well. Atelier Yumia's performance didn't bother me as much as Trails Through Daybreak II since that has worse visuals with its performance issues.
Atelier Yumia — PS5 vs Switch vs PS4 load time differences
With the visual and performance differences out of the way, the load time differences have been interesting to see. While the major variance is across the initial load and save file loading, I'm pleased with how the fast travel load times are quick across the board. I hope the delay in opening the map can be addressed on Switch though. It is annoying having to wait 3 seconds for the map to open sometimes when it can take under a second on others.
For measuring load time differences, I used three specific situations: launching the game to when the Koei Tecmo logo displays, loading a save file, and fast travel from the Atelier to the Ligneus Survey Base. I also tested all of these twice to make sure and rounded up the results. I also added the PC handheld numbers here as a frame of reference with the Steam version running off the internal SSD in both cases.
- PS5 version: 29 seconds to get to the logo, 11 seconds to load a save, and under 1 second for fast travel.
- PS4 version on PS5 internal SSD: 17 seconds to get to the logo, 9 seconds to load a save, under 1 second for fast travel.
- PS4 version on PS4 Pro: 71-76 seconds to get to the logo, 26 seconds to load a save, 1.5-1.7 seconds for fast travel.
- Nintendo Switch OLED: 61 seconds to get to the logo, 24 seconds to load a save, 1.5-2 seconds for fast travel.
- ROG Ally: 30 seconds to get to the logo, 8 seconds to load a save, 1.5 seconds for fast travel.
- Steam Deck OLED: 41 seconds to get to the logo, 11 seconds to load a save, 1.5 seconds for fast travel.
I was surprised by how the PS4 version on PS5 loads the fastest of all versions in my testing for the initial load and for the save file.
Atelier Yumia — PS5 vs Switch vs PS4
If you played and enjoyed Atelier Ryza 3 on Switch, Atelier Yumia isn't a huge step back from that, but it is noticeably worse performing. It holds up better than I expected given the open world. The PS4 version on PS4 Pro would be an easy recommendation if it had a frame rate cap. If you are ok with variable performance, it is ok. The visuals hold up well in that version compared to the PS5 release which is easily the best of the lot. I also really love the DualSense features in the PS5 version. Hopefully these get added to the PC version in the future.
If you value portability above all and don't have a PC handheld, the Switch version delivers the full Atelier Yumia experience after a lot of cutbacks. I hope the performance can be improved a bit because despite all the compromises to visuals and resolution, I'm impressed that Gust managed getting the full open world with fast travel working on Switch. I expected more loading screens than there are. I look forward to checking out the Xbox Series X version in the future when I can and updating this article.
Since this is a worldwide simultaneous multiplatform launch on more platforms than we've ever seen from Gust, I hope we see some patches to address some of the issues in the future as the team also brings DLC to the game.