The Atelier series is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and as part of the celebration, Koei Tecmo has released another entry in the Mysterious Saga.
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is another adventure that follows the titular character Sophie and her magical companion Plachta.
This will be a direct sequel to Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book, taking place just before Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey.
Players who haven’t played the previous game will be able to view a recap of the story. The story takes place right after Sophie and Plachta leave the town of Kirchen Bell, for a new adventure.
But before they can even start their journey, they discover a huge mysterious tree that seems familiar to Plachta.
As they investigate they are sucked into a vortex. Sophie awakens alone in the strange world called Erdge Wiege and what’s even more shocking is that she meets a young alchemy enthusiast called Plachta.
Even though she has the same name as her companion, this Plachta is completely different. As Sophie investigates she discovers that her new location is a dream world created by the goddess Elvira.
Sophie finds herself in the town Roytale, a place where people have gathered throughout time.
It's great to see the Mysterious Saga wipe the slate clean to feature a new location and a new cast of characters without losing what fans love about the series.
The story is as charming as ever with a colourful cast of characters who are a great addition to the Mysterious Saga.
Visually Atelier Sophie 2 is a massive step up from its predecessors, looking akin to Atelier Ryza 2, its dazzling array of colour just leaps off the screen.
The game once again mixes an anime aesthetic with Gust’s signature art style, with the main beauty lying within the battle animations which boasts dynamic camera angles for each move and dazzling cinematics for the special attacks.
Character models including the NPCs have original quirky designs that you could only find in a JRPG, each of the core characters ooze personality and this time around the NPCs feel much more energetic and engaging than in past games.
Enemies' designs really vary with the bosses looking fantastic and menacing that will give players a sense of satisfaction once they are defeated, but the majority of the creatures just look too cute and cuddly for my liking.
The gameplay in Atelier games is always a mix of alchemy, exploration and combat which has worked well for the series to date. Atelier Sophie 2 introduces new ideas mixed with mechanics from previous games.
A lot of the adventure will be spent in Roytale town which contains most of what you need to aid you on your adventure.
The Sparkle Pavilion is probably one of the most important places as here players will be able to take on requests, which are the game's side quests from residents in the town.
A lot of the requests tended to be fetch-quests or defeat certain enemies, but the new weather mechanic made things a lot more enjoyable. Side quests are important for gaining new items and materials.
Exploration has definitely improved from the first Atelier Sophie game, with larger areas to explore and better traversal actions to reach more places.
The main new addition is the ability to alter the weather with items called Dreamscape Stones. Changing the weather will allow Sophie to reach new areas and uncover secrets.
Different enemies will also appear meaning that if players are looking for an item that is only dropped by defeating a particular monster, they can dictate their material collection by altering the weather.
The game also features another new mechanic which works by equipping the correct gathering tool at a major gathering spot to trigger a mini-game for better materials.
There are several mini-games that vary depending on the material you are trying to gather. Your score will determine the quality of items you get.
These new elements within exploration really elevate the overall experience and show the developers are looking at ways to keep the Atelier fresh and relevant.
Combat has also seen an overhaul with major changes. Firstly there isn’t a transition from the overworld to the turned base battles.
Everything happens where you interact with the enemy. I feel this should be the standard for JRPGs going forward as it limits loading time and gears more towards that open-world experience.
Battles will feature six party members with three at the front and three at the back, players will be able to freely switch between them as they see fit.
Twin Actions is a new ability that allows players to cooperate moves by exchanging actions between the frontline and backline party members.
They allow players to inflict more damage while consuming less MP which means players can explore for long periods of time.
There is also a support guard action that allows players to use backup characters to block attacks meant for the front characters.
These all take technical points which can be replenished by executing certain actions. It's important to keep an eye on your technical points so Twin actions can be chained together.
Characters will also be able to execute a team attack called a Dual Trigger which serves as the game's super special moves. These are great to see in action.
The game also introduces an Aura mechanic on enemies, which was used in Atelier Ryza. Players will have to destroy their foes' aura with an elemental move that they are weak against in order to stun and make them miss a turn.
Aura can also be weakened by changing the weather, which is a great extra feature to include in your strategy.
Synthesis returns in an updated panel system where players will have to strategically place their alchemic components on the panel to increase the final item's quality and effect level.
There is an auto-fill mechanic which will help players to learn what are the best combinations and what to experiment with.
Verdict
The Atelier series just keeps getting better and better as the years go on. Koei Tecmo has done a fantastic job at crafting charming games that feel much more accessible than before, to welcome new players, whilst also offering a new experience for fans of the series.
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is a great way to celebrate the series anniversary.
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is out for the PlayStation 4, PC and Nintendo Switch on 25 February
