Alchemy is okay, probably the worst from modern atelier. The removal of trait mixing and the way cost works in this game is a pretty big downgrade from Rorona. Combat is also nothing special but doesn't really do anything wrong.
This game however is primarily focused on exploration and character events, which is done very well.
Exploration is a little hard to enjoy fully because of the time limit, but fun nonetheless.
The license system was done very well and getting points from various sources and ranking up felt good & was fun to try to accomplish.
The characters and their friendship events are great. I really love Mimi especially.
While the game doesn't focus on story much, the little story there is towards the end with Totori's mother & the frontier village is really nice.
Last thing to say is, for some reason this game has much less QoL than Rorona despite releasing later. Very weird and some stuff was very annoying to not have access to.
Great game in general, Not the best for Atelier but has it's own charm for sure