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A new adventure with new protagonists and an original story in the world of “Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy and the Polar Night Liberator” is coming to PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Nintendo Switch and Steam® as a “completely offline” title.

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Find out more in the press release below:

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land takes players on a journey exploring the theme of memory. Playing as Yumia Liessfeldt, a young alchemist who lost her mother in an accident when she was young, players set out to uncover the forbidden art of alchemy while also learning the true intentions of Yumia’s mother who hid her identity as an alchemist. Along the way, Yumia joins the Aladiss Research Team where she meets Vikto von Duerer and his younger sister, Isla von Duerer. There, they are also joined by an assorted cast of characters including a mysterious woman, a timid demi-human, and a former adventurer with spectacular experiences.

Together, Yumia and her companions will travel across the vast continent that was once the Aladissian Empire, where all civilization has perished. Players will have a wide range of actions and items at their disposal throughout the adventure, allowing them to explore a vast open world made up of different biomes as they make their way through these unknown lands gathering materials that can be used to synthesize and craft new items for use in their quest – both during exploration and combat. Not only will fans be able to craft items without having to return to their base thanks to the “Simple Synthesis” feature, but for the first time in the series, fans will be also able to build, furnish, and decorate their own base with the all-new “Building” feature!

To help make Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land come alive, KOEI TECMO and developer Gust have teamed up with the brilliant artist Benitama to create the main visual and all of the character designs. Specializing in creating illustrations and character designs for various fantasy game titles, Benitama incorporates references to paintings and reliefs in his work while striving to balance both persuasive depth and cuteness. His design, characterized by a monochrome based style, give a cool impression while bringing out the charm of the Atelier series.

 

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KOEI TECMO America and GUST Studios have announced that Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg is now available. You can get the game on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5 and PC via Steam. The game is available in both a digital Standard Edition and a Digital Deluxe Edition. The Digital Deluxe Edition comes with the original game, Atelier Marie Plus, the Gust Extra BGM Pack and the Another Look costume set, in addition to the new Atelier Marie Remake game. Also, there is a Digital Deluxe Upgrade Pack available if you just want to buy the base game for now and get the Digital Deluxe extras at a later date. Not only that, but the latest press release mentions that in celebration of the Atelier series’ 25th anniversary, there are two bits of free DLC available as well. Both the 25 Glasses accessory DLC and the Atelier Series Legacy BGM Pack are free for all players. Feel fee to check out the brand new launch trailer down below. And over here, you’ll find our review of the game.

In Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg, players are reintroduced to Marie, a struggling student at the Royal Academy of Magic, whose teacher lends her an alchemy atelier for her upcoming graduation exam. Marie’s ultimate goal is to create an item within five years that will satisfy her teacher, but to do this, she’ll need to improve her alchemy skills, gather materials, and earn money for reference books and tools, as well as hire adventurers. Where to start is up to the player, as they’ll be able to navigate the game at their own pace in this carefree adventure, with the ultimate goal to graduate from the academy.

This modern version of the classic game includes all-new graphics, new 2D illustrations, and cute “chibi”-style character models. While maintaining the simple and highly flexible playability of the original game, Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg also introduces a tutorial, helpful clues via “Professor Ingrid’s Tasks”, and an Unlimited Mode for a carefree adventure.

If you’d like to know more about Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg, visit the game’s official website.

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Ever since I finished the original Atelier Ryza game I’ve really been getting into the overall Atelier franchise. I’ve never played anything older than the first Mana Khemia though. So I was looking forward to trying out Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg. I knew it’d be a dated entry, but I adored the new art/graphical style and Koei Tecmo mentioned in their promotional info that it had a new Unlimited Mode, so I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about the time limit. Originally, I didn’t think I’d be the one doing this review but fortunately, it landed in my lap and I was lucky enough to check it out.

Atelier Marie Remake revolves around Marie, of course, who is the worst student at the Royal Academy of Magic in Salburg. She’s given an atelier and five years to create a high enough quality item to pass a special graduation exam. And that’s it, that’s the basic plot of the game. You’ll find that Atelier Marie, being the very first Atelier game, is super simple and basic. You have five years in game to raise your alchemy skill and make something decent. This game’s calendar pretty much resembles a real calendar, each year has January through December and each month is a full month, they’re not some sort of fictional shortened versions. To gather stuff, you’ll leave Salburg and go to one of a select handful of areas to gather materials. Each time you gather something, a day passes by. These gathering areas have monsters to battle as well. To form your party, you’ll hire a couple of characters out of a number of people in town. These characters require payment, so you’ll have to pay them every time you get back to town. But as you become friends, the cost slowly goes down. Also, battles are a super basic turn-based affair as well. There’s nothing fancy or any advanced mechanics here. In between alchemy and adventuring, you’ll also be able to fulfill requests in town to make money and you’ll occasionally happen across rumors in town or at the local bar, which will raise your knowledge and possibly unlock stuff, such as new places to gather. And as you finish quests, your reputation will go up. Your reputation goes down if you miss a deadline for a request or cancel one.

Now, I did play the game in the new Unlimited Mode. Nonetheless, you’ll find the game isn’t necessarily completely chill on Unlimited. Various events still happen on certain dates and when you take on a request, you will still have to finish it in a specific number of days. Thus, despite having extra time after the five year deadline to complete what you need to, you’ll still be relying on the calendar and trying not to waste any time. It’s just not as relaxing and carefree as a later title, like Atelier Ryza, which lacks a calendar system altogether. Still, it’s nice they give you that extra time to complete the important stuff, it’s not as strict as Atelier Ayesha for example. Also, the game is really short; I finished my first playthrough in a little over 10 hours. However, there is a bit of replay value. There are a handful of endings to unlock, there was one character I never even met who required something I clearly didn’t do correctly or at all, and you might find yourself with not enough time before the graduation exam to befriend every single party member and see all of their events. Plus, when I checked the event requirements list, which shows you some vague requirements for unlocking different events, I saw some characters had one scene you don’t get to unlock in Unlimited Mode. Based on the requirements, I thought these might be some sort of bad ends/relationship results or something of that sort. Therefore, even though this is a really short Atelier title, you might just find yourself playing it quite a few times, especially if you’re a completionist.

Overall, I thought Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg was a super cute and charming little entry. It’s super basic, being the very first Atelier, but the brand new modern chibi character designs and all the various art screens throughout the game were all extremely charming. The soundtrack was just okay. Having played this before launch, I missed out on the ability to play with Atelier Sophie’s bar theme as the relaxing tune I set in my atelier. I always like to have a chill tune set for the hours I spend on alchemy. Oh and something I forgot to mention earlier, the alchemy system is also super basic. You merely need to have the required ingredients, there’s no little minigame or advanced mechanics behind crafting. There are some occasional minigames though. When I crafted or collected specific items, a minigame would pop-up where I’d have to go around a maze on a time limit, collecting something while avoiding these enemies of a sort, to keep that item or even get extra. Also, eventually you’ll be able to unlock different designs for your atelier, which have specific bonuses for different gameplay aspects.

In the end, I’m very happy to have had the chance to play Atelier Marie. I was really looking forward to it as I said before and it turned out to be quite the fun and cute little adventure like I hoped it would be. Well, maybe it was a bit shorter than I realized, I’m not sure I would pay full price for this one, much less the Digital Deluxe price. Regardless, the fact that the Digital Deluxe Edition lets you play the Plus version of the game, which as far as I know is much more like the original with just a few extras – not a modern remake – is a nice little bonus. I may have to get myself the Digital Deluxe someday in the future. Anyway, if you like Atelier games, or you’re a fan of really basic and short little slice-of-life type RPGs, then I would highly recommend Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg. But if you prefer a much longer game, or specifically a more in-depth Atelier title, then this one might not be for you. Or, perhaps it’s something you’ll wanna snag on sale.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy was provided by the publisher. A copy of your own will cost $49.99 for the Standard Edition and $69.99 for the Digital Deluxe Edition.

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KOEI TECMO America and GUST Studios have released some more details on a couple of extra gameplay features which will be a part of Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg. First of all, they’ve announced that there will be a brand new photo mode (pictured below). They’ve also announced that some old minigames have been reworked and included. You can find more details from the latest press release on both of these features, in addition to info about the different editions of the game available for pre-order and some of the free DLC, not to mention pre-order bonuses that will be available, down below. Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg is scheduled to launch digitally this upcoming July 13th, 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5 and PC via Steam. If you’d like to know more about the game, feel free to visit the official website.

In Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg, players are reintroduced to Marie, a struggling student at the Royal Academy of Magic, whose ultimate goal is to create an item within five years that will satisfy her teacher. This re-imagined take on the classic title introduces freshly written additional events for a completely new scenario where players will be able to learn intimate details about the characters that were not in the original story!

In addition, Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg players can immortalize their cozy RPG adventure in the all-new Photo Mode. Here, they can play with poses and expressions of Marie and friends. Pictures taken can then be decorated with stamps and other items, while also enabling players to head to the “Hall of Memories” to change filters, frames and camera angles.

Also reworked for Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg are six fun and exciting minigames, remade for the latest platforms. Games include Punipuni Hammer, Golden Salmon Search, Catch Those Rats, Apple Rush, Treasure Hunt, and Name Collector. Minigames can be accessed from the “Extras” menu and succeeding in these minigames will reward players with valuable new items!

Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg is now available to pre-order digitally. Players who pre-order the game by July 12, 2023 will receive the pre-order bonus, “Useful Items Set”.

A Digital Deluxe Edition of Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg will also be available. In addition to the standard version of the game, the Digital Deluxe Edition includes the original game “Atelier Marie Plus: The Alchemist of Salburg”, the “Gust Extra BGM Pack” and “Another Look” Costume Set. A Digital Deluxe Upgrade Pack will also be available digitally and includes all the items of the Digital Deluxe Edition except for the standard version of the game.

In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Atelier series, two free DLCs will be available for all players from July 13, 2023 — the “25 Glasses” accessory, and the Atelier Series Legacy BGM Pack.

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KOEI TECMO America and GUST Studios have announced that digital pre-orders for Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg are now available. Atelier Marie Remake is scheduled to launch this upcoming July 13th, 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5 and PC via Steam. If you pre-order by July 12th, you’ll receive the ‘Useful Items Set’ pre-order bonus. Feel free to check out the brand new trailer down below. Also down below, you’ll find more about the game from the latest press release, in addition to info about the game’s Digital Deluxe Edition and some free DLC which will be available at launch.

Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg takes place in the city of Salburg, the capital of the Schigsal Kingdom, where subpar student Marie attends the Royal Magic Academy. Marie has five years to create an item that will satisfy her teacher, and to succeed, she will need to improve her skills by buying books and tools necessary for synthesis at the Academy. Marie will also be able to synthesize objects and check her assignments in the alchemy atelier her teacher has gifted to her. To gather ingredients needed for her recipes, Marie will venture outside the city, while being careful as to not cross paths with the many monsters living in the area!

To get ready for battle, players will be able to buy weapons and armor at the Weapon Shop, and hire adventurers at the Sky Tavern to defeat the monsters together. At the tavern, Marie will also meet various characters with whom she can make friends and accept their requests.

KOEI TECMO America previously announced that a Digital Deluxe Edition of Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg will also be available. In addition to the standard version of the game, the Digital Deluxe Edition includes the original game “Atelier Marie Plus: The Alchemist of Salburg”, the “Gust Extra BGM Pack” and “Another Look” Costume Set. A Digital Deluxe Upgrade Pack will also be available digitally and includes all the items of the Digital Deluxe Edition except for the standard version of the game.

In celebration of the 25^th Anniversary of the Atelier series, two free DLCs will be available for all players from July 13, 2023 — the “25 Glasses” accessory, and the Atelier Series Legacy BGM Pack.

If you’d like to know more about Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg, visit the game’s official website.

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I have always been a huge fan of the Atelier franchise, and I was very excited when Koei Tecmo announced the final chapter in the Atelier Ryza series. This is the first time they have ever kept the same Alchemist as the protagonist throughout an entire series, and with the title Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & The Secret Key, I just knew this was going to be a great conclusion. I’ve spent over 70 hours with the game and I’m ready to share my thoughts. Was this the epic ending I was hoping for or did it fall flat? Let’s find out!

The story begins as Ryza and her friends set out to investigate a new set of islands that have appeared near their hometown. These islands are dubbed the Kark Isles, and not knowing if these islands were a threat or not, they set out to explore them. They soon discover ruins with a huge gate. Just as Ryza approaches the gate she hears a voice in her head say to reach the Code of the Universe, and a strange key appears in her hand. The group will now set out on a new summer adventure that will lead to the very roots of Alchemy.

Overall I loved the story here. I’ve gotten to know these characters over the course of the previous two titles and seeing more of them was pure joy. Stories leftover from previous titles were wrapped up along the course of this story, and the new characters were a lot of fun as well. Dion is the hot headed youth who just wants to prove himself to his village. Him and Lent have some parallels, so seeing the two of them interact together was a lot of fun. The hardworking Federica is from the crafting city of Sardonica. There she is the deputy union head of the craftsman union. There are two factions there, glasswork and Fairystones, that are at odds with each other. Federica is caught in the middle as deputy union head and is trying to get the two sides to compromise. She learns a lot about the world on her adventures with Ryza and the others. She has some really cute moments thrown in here as well. Lastly we have a new Oren party member, the adorable Kala. Don’t let her small stature fool you, she is a very old lady with vast power and knowledge. She seems to have knowledge of both the gate and the “Code of the Universe.”

Graphically, Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & The Secret Key is a slight step up from the last game. The models look a bit cleaner, and the PC version has more options for texture filtering. There is an issue with Depth of Field being too strong, and they did address this issue with a patch. I don’t know why anyone would ever use that. You buy hardware so games look good running at decent framerates, not to have everything look like it has gasoline rubbed on it. Anyway, the new environments are richly detailed and really give you a great sense of depth for each area. The character models look outstanding with tons of little details you will notice if you look close. The enemy models look great as well, though I do feel like they could throw in a few new types to spice up the action next time around. They did, however, do a great job on the boss monster models. They are big and badass and will make you wonder if you are gonna come out on top the minute you see them.

The soundtrack here is what you would expect from Gust. Every song here is done with quality and you will likely want to listen to them over and over again. The new battle themes are light and fluffy like the others in the series, and the overworld themes really get you into the mood to explore this vast world. The ending theme, “Travelers,” gives this crew a fantastic send off and is one of my favorite themes in the franchise already. The voice actors you know and love are back to reprise their roles and they do an amazing job. The game is only voiced in Japanese with no English dub, but I think this series just works better this way.

The gameplay here has changed a little from the last time around, but most of the basic combat and synthesis features are still here. Combat is still real time with the great combo system from the last game. They have added some new tactical moves that can be done, such as performing more combos and the new Key system is a big addition. You can extract keys from the enemies in combat. Their health will have to be at a certain level, and the type of key will depend on the blank key you used. These keys can be used for a variety of things: open doors on the field, during synthesis for bonuses, at certain gathering points and in combat for various buffs. As you would figure, the more rare the key is you created, the better the effects will be. Using ones with great effects during a battle you are struggling with can really turn the tide. Synthesis works exactly like it did the last time around, but using the keys can boost your items in various ways. This makes it easier to create some truly powerful gear, accessories or consumables quickly.

This time around Gust has gone with an open world approach. You can basically explore each of the huge maps at will, barring making a few items here and there to progress. There are plenty of map markers on each map, so it’s not tedious to travel around using fast travel. These markers also help a lot in completing the various quests the game has to offer. There are a few different types of quests found in the game. Random quests pop up on the map all at once, and have you doing things like make X item or slay X group of enemies. You can totally ignore these if you wish, but they do offer some great rewards. Normal quests are exactly what you would expect and then there are the World Quests. These quests will offer a distinct story for each region and while the rewards are not as straightforward as the other quests, they do have a nice pay off.

At the end of the day, Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & The Secret Key is everything I could’ve hoped for. It’s a fantastic end to this amazing series, the gameplay is fantastic and I love this cast almost as much as the Arland crew, which is quite a lot. I would love to see them revisit Ryza someday as she takes an apprentice just to see how things changed down the line. This game is worth every penny of the $59.99 price tag and I would highly suggest everyone check out all of Ryza’s titles. They are all amazing in their own ways, topped off by this truly amazing final chapter.

Review Score
Overall

Game was provided by the publisher.

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KOEI TECMO has announced that Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key is now officially available. The game can be purchased for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5 and PC via Steam. There is a Standard Edition of the game available both physically and digitally, in addition to both a Digital Deluxe Edition and Ultimate Edition. The press release states that the Digital Deluxe Edition includes the Another Look costume set, the Back to Summer costume set, Gem Packs and Key Packs. The Ultimate Edition comes with all of that plus, the Gust Collaboration costume set and the game’s Season Pass. Feel free to check out the brand new launch trailer down below and read a little bit more about Atelier Ryza 3 from the latest press release. Also, please look forward to our review of the game, we’ll have one out soon.

In Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key, lead writer Yashichiro Takahashi, who delivered the script for the original Atelier Ryza game, returns to the franchise to deliver an unforgettable third chapter in the Secret series, a chapter that follows fan-favorite alchemist, Reisalin Stout, and her mischievous friends a year after the events of 2021’s Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy. The latest summer escapade finds Ryza and friends enjoying their peaceful lives on Kurken Island when they hear news that a mysterious group of islands have appeared in nearby waters. It turns out that these islands, known as Kark Isles, are having a negative effect on their homeland, so Ryza and her friends quickly set out to investigate. But when their investigation leads to an enormous gate deep within strange ruins, Ryza hears a haunting voice in her head that wants to lead her to the ‘Code of the Universe’. Who is talking to her and what lies beyond the gate?

While uncovering the mysteries of Kark Isles, Ryza and her friends will explore four regions in a new “open field” – all explorable with seamless transitions as they set off discovering landmarks, hidden areas, wildlife, and even randomly occurring quests. The story progresses through encounters and discoveries in the field and even underwater as Ryza will be able to climb cliffs, zip line across the shore, and even summon a water beast to climb waterfalls! As players continues to explore the vast regions, their various discoveries will begin to tie in with the main story. Some wild animals can lead Ryza to treasure chests or provide materials, landmarks enable fast travel, and hidden areas in the field lead to unknown surprises!

Throughout the journey, Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key reunites players with characters from previous games, as well as making new friends pivotal to the story. A total of eleven party members will be featured in this latest entry, one of the largest rosters in series history! As Ryza and friends continue their quest, they will also find mysterious keys that will aid them on their adventure. There are various types of keys that can be found and created, useful for exploration, synthesis and battle. Each key has a different effect, so players will want to try experimenting with them as the keys to unlocking the island’s secrets are now in your hands.

If you’d like to know more about Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key, visit the game’s official website.

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Yesterday on Twitter, Koei Tecmo announced that Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key will be releasing a little later than initially planned. You can find more info about the delay in the tweet linked above. Originally scheduled to launch on February 24th, Atelier Ryza 3 is now launching on March 24th, 2023 instead. The game will be released for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5 and PC via Steam. If you’d like to know more about Atelier Ryza 3, feel free to visit the game’s official website.

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Koei Tecmo has released a first look trailer for Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key. This YouTube presentation shows off some of the game’s combat and other features as well.

Ryza and her friends are living their lives on Kurken Island when news of a sudden appearance of a mysterious group of islands in nearby waters arrives. To find a way to save her island, Ryza and her friends will set off on final adventure surrounding the “roots of alchemy.”

The stage for this adventure is a vast open field!
The field is made up of multiple maps that are connected seamlessly. Enjoy this adventure in a vast and ‘living’ field that is one of the largest in the Atelier series.

You can do many things with the key!
Obtain various types of keys which can be used in different instances of exploration, synthesis, and battle. Each key has a different effect, so use it to enjoy the adventure conveniently!

A total of 11 party members!
Reunite with characters from previous games, and meet new characters who will be key to the story. Mix and match your favorite members and enjoy the adventure!

Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key will launch on February 24th, 2023, and the tradition of Summer Look pre-order costumes as a bonus is alive and well. Find out more on the official site.

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Today a video released celebrating the Atelier series 25th anniversary. This video seems to tease a new title, and this is very likely since Koei Tecmo said they would have a GUST title at the Tokyo Games Show coming up on September 16th.

If I were guessing which title was going to be announced, I would say probably the third entry in the Atelier Ryza series. Maybe that is me being bias cause I want to see how the story ends, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

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It’s no secret I am a huge fan of the Atelier franchise, and anytime I get the chance to check out a new release, I jump on it. I was very happy when I finally got my hands on Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream. Sophie was my favorite of the Mysterious trilogy, and spending more time with her seemed like a win. Let’s see if this game met the high expectations I set for it.

This is a direct sequel to Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book, and begins with Plachta and Sophie going towards their next destination on the road to becoming a licensed alchemist. They soon encounter a strange tree, and a vortex appears and sucks them both in. Sophie awakens in a strange land, but Plachta is nowhere to be found. She begins to frantically search for her, and soon discovers a town of people. This town is called Roytale, and she will find many friends there to help her search for her lost mentor. What will Sophie discover about this strange world, and what actually happened to Plachta? It will take some luck and lots of alchemy to find these answers.

This story is self contained, so while I feel like it would be better if you played The Mysterious Book first, it’s not necessary to understand what’s going on here. It does give you a much better insight into Sophie and Older Plachta’s characters. Everything here centers around dreams, friendship, and never giving up on yourself while trying to make the world a better place. I cannot think of a better message to send out into the world right now than that. Everything here is laid back, as you would expect from the series, and that’s a great thing.

The new characters here are all amazing, and I loved each one of them. Young Plachta is the same, but also very different from her more mature self. Still pretty smug, but you can tell experiences in her life have given her plenty of growth. Ramizel is a strong warrior that is a great leader. Sophie can tell right off that Ramizel is her grandma that she loved so dearly. Seeing these two interact throughout the story is heartwarming, and very emotional at times. The resident treasure hunter, Alette, is a very comical character. She is always looking for the next big score, but this girl has a heart of gold already. She is a bit clumsy, but it only adds to her cuteness. Olias and Diebold are the two badass guys of the story. Both work as bodyguards, keeping people safe from the monsters of this land. They each have an interesting backstory, and both are two of my favorite male characters of the franchise now.

Fans will notice right off that Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream has gotten a graphical upgrade from the first game. All of the character models looks fantastic, and all of the environments are well presented. They had to put extra work in on these this time around, since there are many weather effects that change them up. The monsters look great as well. You will see some familiar ones, and some new ones as well. The boss monsters are the standouts here. You can tell a lot of love went into making them look great.

I love basically every GUST soundtrack ever made. I think this team does an amazing job on every game they work on. Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is no exception to this. The exploration themes are upbeat and full of mystery. The battle music is some of my favorite in the franchise already, and the ending theme is great as well. It’s not quite up to the standard “Hands” set in Ryza 2, but it’s still pretty great. The Japanese voice cast does a great job bringing these characters to life. They always seem to do a great job in not only conveying the emotion of a scene, but bringing a lot of personality to the table as well.

The gameplay here is a pretty standard affair. You go out to collect materials to make items, equipment, and other things you need to progress the story. New alchemy recipes appear as the story progresses, and they make it fairly easy to keep track of what is needed to unlock them. The only minor complaint I have here is sometimes I already completed a goal for one of these before it is unlocked, so it doesn’t count. This gives you a bit of backtracking at times, but each stage has plenty of waypoints to start at, making it not too much of a hassle.

The new field mechanic this time around is the ability change the weather. This will not only open up new paths, but also change what enemies you can encounter and the items you can gather as well. This give some fields a light puzzle element, which I thought was pretty fun. This effect can be used in boss battles as well, and can really turn the tide of battle. Some bosses will gain bonus stats under one weather condition while taking a debuff in another. This makes it important to keep an eye on the weather when the battle begins, in case a change in the forecast is needed.

Combat here has gone back to the turn-based roots of the franchise, but they have thrown in a few new things as well. The combat setup features front and back rows. These characters can attack in pairs via the Twin Action system, so long as your meter is built up enough to do so. This gives combat a great flow were you actually feel like you need every member of your party at their fullest. That same gauge can be used to have a back row party member defend a front row one as well. You will have to decide if it is better to go all out, or hold back for some defense. Later in the game you will unlock powerful attacks called Dual Triggers. These massive attacks can be pulled off after so many Twin Actions, and will grow more powerful as your friendship with the party increases. I had to use a lot of these to defeat some of the powerful bosses in the late game, because of their Auras.

Auras are the next major addition to the combat. Enemies that have these will be immune to most damage until they are dispersed. The second attack of a Twin Action will still get some of the damage through, but it best to deal with these ASAP. To break an Aura, you simply have to hit it with an opposing element until you deplete its points. Some of these go down pretty easily, but others can be a real pain to break. You can make items and give your equipment some traits to help with this. Once an Aura is broken, the enemy will be stunned and take massive damage for a short time. In boss battles, it is very important you take advantage of this opportunity. It can be the difference between victory and defeat.

Synthesizing items here works basically like it did in Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book. You still place elemental colored blocks on a grid, trying to match up as many as possible to create the most powerful ones you can. The grids and effects can still be changed, but instead of cauldrons, you use catalysts this time around. Using a restricted grid will help your items grow faster, but it can make fitting all the different shaped blocks a real pain. As your friendship level grows with your party, they can help you with this as well. Each one has a different element they can help you with by giving you extra links, extra pieces, and even extra materials. This is a great addition to this system by throwing a bit of spice in the mix. I have to say, this is one of my favorite alchemy systems, so I was happy to see it back. I spent way too much time trying work things in to get that last bit of power out of my items.

Without a doubt, Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is one of my favorite releases of this year. The graphics are top notch, gameplay is great, and the soundtrack is simply amazing. The story here is what I love the most. This is a positive story that is pure JRPG comfort food, and damn if we all don’t need some comfort right now. I was a little worried when this was announced and about how a follow up to Sophie would work, and I can safely say, I was worried for nothing. The game retails for $59.99, and I spent around 56 hours with this one. This a fantastic release in the franchise and a must own for fans. This title is very welcoming to newcomers as well, so if you never picked up one of these great JRPGs, now is a good time to jump in.

Review Score
Overall

Game was provided for review from the publisher, but the season pass was purchased by the reviewer.

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BEST MULTIPLATFORM

Previous Winners
2016: Megadimension Neptunia V-II
2017: NieR: Automata
2018: Valkyria Chronicles 4
2019: Code Vein

This category contains the nominees for games we simply found to be overall fantastic and happened to be released on multiple platforms. Due to how common it is nowadays for games to launch on a variety of platforms, there was certainly no shortage of great games to consider. Nonetheless, we had to choose only our top favorites, and these are the nominees.

Lost Judgment

NA Release Date: September 24th, 2021
Platform(s): PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Review

Lost Judgment is the sequel to Judgment, a still relatively new and fresh spin-off of the Yakuza series. Many of us at oprainfall, myself included, have found ourselves fans of the Yakuza franchise, every new entry is exciting to jump into. This title in particular, seemed to be in the works and then finished a lot sooner than anyone expected. Regardless, it turned out to be a fantastic game, as always. In Lost Judgment, Yagami finds himself called to Yokohama by one of his friends, to help on a new case. It turns out that a local high school in Ijincho might have a bullying problem, and Yagami has been asked to help out in getting to the bottom of things. Seeing as this latest case takes place at a school, we find ourselves able to enjoy a number of new minigames as part of the various club activities at Seiryo High School. Minigames and sidequests are a large part of what makes games in the Yakuza franchise so fun. Between the intriguing main story and all of the fun stuff to do around Ijincho, we at oprainfall had a blast with Lost Judgment and have thus nominated it as one of our picks for best multiplatform.

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy

NA Release Date: January 26th, 2021
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PS4, PC
Review

Here at oprainfall, we fell in love with the first Atelier Ryza game. The sequel sees Reisalin Stout, aka Ryza, leave her home island as she heads to the big city to meet back up with her old friends and explore some ruins. The sequel isn’t quite as carefree feeling as the first game was. Nonethless, it’s still a wonderfully fun JRPG starring one of the most beloved main characters among the whole Atelier series. In Atelier Ryza 2, Ryza ends up exploring different ruins around the capital city with both new and old friends and continues to study alchemy along the way, all while learning more about the distant past via memory fragments found in said ruins. The sequel introduces a variety of new features including, locating memory fragments like I just mentioned, traveling atop a Spirit Beast mount and even swimming underwater to collect materials and access a ruin. We’ve nominated this game due to being another fun Atelier adventure with our favorite alchemist.

Bravely Default II

NA Release Date: February 26th 2021 (Switch) September 2nd, 2021 (PC)
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PC
Review

Bravely Default II is the latest entry in the Bravely Default series and a completely standalone title. The game takes place in a brand new world on the continent of Excillant. The elemental crystals are stolen and Gloria, who comes from Musa; a now destroyed kingdom, goes looking for them. She ends up meeting three others and they all turn out to be the four heroes of light. BD2 is a classic turn-based JRPG, which fans of the more traditional old-school Final Fantasy games will fall in love with. We here at oprainfall certainly did, and that’s why we’ve nominated it. Just like the other Bravely Default games, you’ll be able to collect different job classes and mix and match two at a time along with different passive abilities from any of the jobs you’ve raised, to create unique setups for battle. Not only does Bravely Default II have what made the other games great, but it also comes with a brand new card minigame to enjoy as well. We had a ton of fun with this one and simply had to nominate it for best multiplatform.

And the winner is…

Lost Judgment!

Like I said before, many of us at oprainfall are fans of the Yakuza franchise and Lost Judgment is pretty great. It’s a fantastic sequel that definitely surpassed the greatness of the previous game, as a sequel should. The groundwork that was laid by Judgment, the first entry in this spin-off series, was properly built upon, with an extra combat style, a more advanced tailing system, new minigames to enjoy and more. Ultimately, Lost Judgment has won more of our hearts than the other nominees, and that is why it’s our pick for best multiplatform game.

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Today Koei Temco has shown off a couple of new characters that inhabit the world of their upcoming release of Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream. Sophie will use the town of Roytale as her base of operations as she searches for Plachta. This town has some interesting characters in it. One of these being Kati. She is the owner of the Crystal Sparkle Pavilion and her employee Gnome is very kind-hearted. The other unique induvial is Pirka, the owner of Pirka’s Emporium. Sophie will need to take advantage of these eccentric characters services if she is to complete her quest to find Plachta.

Here is more information from the press release:

At the Crystal Sparkle Pavilion, Sophie will be able to accept a wide range of requests from the local townspeople, and through completing these requests, she will earn rewards and raise her reputation. As her reputation increases, Kati will offer advancement quests that, once successfully completed, will increase her Adventurer Grade – allowing her to take on more challenging requests with greater rewards. On the other hand, Pirka’s Emporium is a unique shop that can replenish and duplicate items – both important services for alchemists to utilise alongside synthesis.

As Sophie progresses through her journey in Atelier Sophie 2, scenarios will unlock for a variety of characters in Erde Wiege. Through these events, players will be able to learn of each character’s goals and dreams, as well as raise their friendship level with the character – leading to new skills being unlocked. Each character has their own unique scenarios: Alette dreams of getting rich quickly so she asks Sophie to help her learn alchemy, whereas Ramizel feels like she isn’t able to live up to everyone’s high expectations. Can Sophie help Ramizel find the success she’s looking for?

Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream will release Feb. 25, 2022 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 Computer Entertainment System, and Windows PC via Steam.

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KOEI TECMO has put out a new trailer for the upcoming sequel to Atelier Sophie, Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream. They’ve also detailed some of the new gameplay features that will be in Atelier Sophie 2. You can check out the new trailer and read up on this new info about the game, down below. Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, is headed to Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PC via Steam on February 25th, 2022. Also mentioned in this latest press release is that physical copies of the game will include a special reversible cover.

In Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream players will follow Sophie Neuenmuller in the search for her friend Plachta in a mysterious dream-like world known as Erde Wiege. As Sophie makes new friends in town, they set off in search for her best friend Plachta, who has gone missing. Unfortunately, instead of finding Plachta the party uncovers a rift in space that leads them to a mysterious location with no inhabitants in sight. Just as they decide to give up on their search and return to town, Sophie hears a familiar voice, but before she has time to investigate, a water dragon suddenly appears and attacks the group of friends. Luckily, thanks to the arrival of aspiring alchemist Ramizel and a former knight named Diebold, they are saved in the nick of time.

As they continue exploring this mysterious new land further, they meet Elvira, the goddess who created Erde Wiege. Here, Sophie is finally reunited with Plachta, but her friend appears to be lifeless. Does Elvira know the secret behind Plachta’s unconscious state?

Throughout the many adventures in Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, players will encounter environmental obstacles, such as raging rivers, that will stop their progress. Each area of Erde Wiege has pre-determined weather, but thanks to the discovery of the Dreamscape Stones scattered across the land, Sophie and her friends are able to change the weather to help them progress on their journey. Using a Dreamscape Stone to change the weather can drastically change the environment – such as lowering the water level of a once flooded location – as well as uncover new gathering spots with a wealth of unique materials.

When exploring these new locations, players might also discover Major Gathering Spots – spots that allow them to obtain better materials than those found in traditional gathering spots. If the correct gathering tool is equipped when arriving at a Major Gathering Spot, a mini-game will start, and the quality and number of materials gathered will increase according to their results. These mini-games include a fishing rod style game where a certain number of fish must be caught, and a slingshot game where players have to shatter various targets within the time limit. Mastering these mini-games will help in obtaining rarer materials that are extremely useful for synthesis!

If you’d like to know more about Atelier Sophie 2, visit the game’s official website.

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KOEI TECMO has announced that the free demo for BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light is now available in both the Nintendo eShop and the PlayStation Store. In this latest press release, they mention that Gust Studios has announced a costume collaboration between BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light and Atelier Sophie 2. Anyone who gets the Summer Bikini early purchase bonus for BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light and the limited time Comfy and Casual outfit for Atelier Sophie 2, will then be able to use each outfit in the opposite game. KOEI TECMO also states that in this trial version of the game you’ll get to experience both a prologue and story demo. They explain that the prologue covers the beginning of Ao’s journey and the story demo lets you try out various gameplay basics such as crafting, exploration and battles. Plus, anyone who completes the prologue will unlock a bunny head accessory and a fragment titled “Preparing for the Unknown,” which will then carry over to the full game. BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light launches for Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PC via Steam this upcoming November 9th 2021. If you’d like to know more about the game, feel free to visit the official website.

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Today Koei Tecmo has announced two new characters for their upcoming release of Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream. The new characters are Alette Claretie, a treasure hunter, and Olias Enders who claims to be the world’s strongest bodyguard. The press release below also covers some of the changes to grid based alchemy system.

The game will release in North America on Feb. 25, 2022 for PlayStation 4, Switch and Steam.

Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream follows beloved alchemist, Sophie Neuenmuller, shortly after her adventures in 2016’s Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book. Sophie’s unexpected new adventure finds her unconscious in a mystifying, dream-like world known as Erde Wiege, where she is saved by an unfamiliar face. The hero of the day is named Alette Claretie, who dreams of one day finding treasure that can only be found in Erde Wiege. She’s a procurer who sells things she finds throughout town, but is also known for being reckless and wild. Alette helps Sophie explore this new world, setting out on a quest to find Sophie’s friend Plachta, who appears to be missing.

They begin their journey at a place known as The Dream Tree, where Sophie was found unconscious. The mysterious woody plant resembles the tree where Sophie and Plachta had last explored before ending up in Erde Wiege, but Plachta is nowhere to be found. When Sophie and Alette return to Roytale, the only town in Erde Wiege, they are approached by a man named Olias Enders, who refers to himself as “the world’s strongest ultimate bodyguard!” Olias claims to know a girl named Plachta, and offers his services to help guide them to the atelier on the outskirts of town. But when the trio arrive and encounter Plachta, Sophie claims not to know this new girl. Who is this new Plachta, and what is her relationship with Sophie’s best friend? Sophie, Alette, and Olias are determined to find out.

Throughout the adventure, characters will need to employ their skills in alchemy in order to proceed, with gamers utilizing an updated version of the panel synthesis system featured in the Mysterious sub-series. In Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, new items are created based on the alchemic components of materials placed on the panel. Alchemic components are associated with an element (color) of either fire, ice, lightening, wind, or light. By selecting material that consists of an element (alchemic component) that matches the type of item you want to synthesize, various effects can be acquired. With alchemic components, panels that light up brightly are known as link components. When link panels of the same element are adjacent, they form a link, and the greater the number of links, the better effects can be acquired. In order to create powerful items, being aware of links and strategically placing alchemic components becomes key.

As the game progresses, catalysts and restricted panels will also become available for use. Using catalysts will enable special effects such as increasing the size of the synthesis panel. And while restricted panels have a higher synthesis difficulty level – making it harder to place alchemic components – there are special effects that can only be acquired by using a restricted panel.

In addition, Sophie and Plachta will be able to unlock the special use of Assist Skill further along in their adventure. When Plachta’s synthesis is unlocked, either Sophie or Plachta can be selected to assist with synthesis. There are some recipes that are exclusively for Sophie, and some only for Plachta, and a few of these recipes include important items required to proceed in the game. In order to create the advanced items that are key to the story, players need to raise their level as an alchemist (Alchemy Lv.). Balancing the use of Sophie and Plachta in synthesis to increase each of their Alchemy Lv. will be essential to advancing the storyline and unlocking the mysteries behind this mysterious dream.

To help celebrate the latest edition into the Atelier Sophie franchise, KOEI TECMO America is offering a delightful new Limited Edition of Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, exclusively available through the NISA Online Store. This must-have version of the game contains an art book, deluxe fabric poster, keychain, bonus BGM CD, and an exclusive DLC costume all packaged into a beautiful collector’s box.

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Earlier today on Twitter, KOEI TECMO EUROPE announced that there will be an upcoming demo for BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light. They state that the demo will be available on both Nintendo Switch and PS4. No specific date for when this demo is available has been announced yet at this time. However, BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light is scheduled to launch for Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PC via Steam this upcoming November 9th 2021.

If you’d like to know more about BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light, feel free to visit the game’s official website.

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