Written by Anthony L. Cuaycong
Developer: Gust Co. Ltd.
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Genre: RPG
Price: $59.99
The Atelier games have always exuded an aura of comfort that makes the franchise feel fresh and easy to pick up. Its colorful characters, interesting combat systems, and wholesome themes of family and friendship set it apart from other more melancholic JRPG offerings. True, recent releases in the series have started to delve into far more mature topics. That said, it has steadfastly remained true to its bloodline. Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream arrives with the promise and premise of its forebears, and it bears the weight of expectations brilliantly. It emulates the core experiences of its earlier predecessors, particularly Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book, and more. It brings with it better combat mechanics, an expanded roster to play with, tons of items to use and create, and a strong sense of personality to anchor it to what it does best.
In a lot of ways, this concept that underpins Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is pretty standard JRPG fare. Sophie’s own adventures along with the characters she encounters are all tropes that have been played out before. However, what makes the game shine isn’t the uniqueness of its story, but the sincerity in its writing. Its character moments may sometimes be hit or miss, especially for those who seem to be playing out their stereotypes, but the warm, relaxing pace of its story makes for some easy reading. The side quests you take serve to flesh out your companions, and characters you meet all have their own motivations and drive to them. The main quest serves to fill out the world, which itself feels a fairy tale come to life, and the entire narrative is driven with its fantastical themes and whimsical moments. It’s almost like a carefully laid out fantasy, and while it’s not a perfect one to lose yourself in, it’s an experience that allows you to just chill and relax, basking in its wonderful art style and its addicting gameplay.
In a nutshell, Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is better than its older siblings. While its narrative might be playing safe, its gameplay has seen some much-needed improvements. The overworld and crafting parts, for instance, have seen improvements. Navigating the world map is easy, with plenty of fast travel points to use to get yourself from area to area at a moment’s notice. Sophie moves at a brisk pace to begin with, and the areas you explore might have their gimmicks, but they’re moderately sized so you won’t really be getting lost in them. You’ll be gathering lots of plants and materials, and these are brought to your Atelier, where you’ll use them to craft important items. You can even boost the crafted item’s quality through its own minigame, and the progression you take is always easy to follow due to the helpful recipe book to get you to find what item you need next.
And then there are the outstanding graphics. No matter what system you play on, Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream looks pretty good. Its environments are fairly tame, ranging from rural farmsteads to ruins and grassy plains, but the art style and its aesthetic are what really catches the eye. Everything in the game just oozes color and charm, with the character and monster art, in particular, looking fantastic. The main characters are all easy to tell apart; they all have their own style so you won’t forget them. Monster design is exemplary. While golem-like beings, birds, and slimes are all pretty normal for a JRPG, developer Gust’s Atelier art style brings them to life in a very cutesy way that feels just at home in their colorful world. If there’s any fault to the aesthetics, it’s mostly in the non-playable characters and areas where the programmers figure you wouldn’t look too carefully. While its main cast and enemies are all brimming with life, supplementary characters don’t have as much attention on them, and some pop-in does still does occur to ruin some of its visual feast.
Overall, Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream does a great job in staying true to its roots, but, at the same time, improving upon them. It excels in areas that help its gameplay flow better while preserving the charm and feel of the Atelier series. It’s completely accessible to play – easy to understand and yet deep enough to be engaging. If nothing else, it proves you don’t need to subvert stories or create new genre-defying gameplay to make a great game. All you need is some heart, a standout art style, and efficient systems in place, and everything else will follow.
THE GOOD
- Witty, charming, and entertaining characters
- Strong, solid gameplay loop with a lot of content on offer
- Engaging, relaxed fun, with some memorable moments and environments
- Background NPCs feel lifeless
- Has some framerate and pop-in issues
- Tropey characters in its roster
RATING: 9/10
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