Kinda vague title, but I was trying out some of the Atelier games recently and while I do find the crafting interesting, I can’t stand the “slice of life”/CGDCT style they have. Yumia seems to be a bit more interesting but the gameplay is too simple and balancing seems to not take into account the crafting system, which makes it really unsatisfying to play.
Are there any alternatives? SMT/Persona too I feel has similar systems with fusions, but I think I’ve already played enough of the ones I’m interested in. They also lack the crafting of items, which is the main thing I find interesting in the older Atelier.
This is a stretch because it’s an ARPG, but Path of Exile 2 is all about chasing after gear and crafting (or you can buy from other players.) The crafting is very deep with many different ways to modify items, but it does rely on good RNG.
Some other options are the rune factory games, specifically Rune Factory 4. I really enjoyed its crafting system, and for the most part you can ignore the farm life in that game and just go through the dungeons/explore.
Legend of Mana is another option, and pretty much any of the Monster Hunter games (Rise is my personal favorite.)