There are many popular JRPGs that have withstood the test of time, like Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Fire Emblem, Persona, or even Tales just to name a few. Yet, one often overlooked franchise that is older than even Final Fantasy itself is Atelier. It almost beggars belief that Koei Tecmo released the first Atelier game almost 25 years ago.
The franchise launched its 23rd game, Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, only this February. It's generally difficult for franchises to remain relevant for such a long time without falling prey to nostalgia, with fans often arguing over how this or that earlier game was better than the latest entry. However, Atelier not only managed to stay relevant, but its 23rd game is the most complete in the franchise so far.
The Story So Far
As far as the plot of Atelier Sophie 2 goes, it's a pretty standard JRPG time travel story. As she was leaving for the town of Kirchen Bell to earn an alchemist certification, Sophie is separated from her best friend, Plachta, is sucked into a parallel dream world where she meets younger versions of people she knows. Significantly, she meets a younger version of Plachta, joining forces with her to search for her best friend who has been stuck in a doll's body since the events of Atelier Sophie.
Atelier Sophie 2 may be a direct sequel to Atelier Sophie, and a prequel to Atelier Firis, but the developers at Gust did make an effort to give the sequel a unique and distinct story instead of simply picking up where the first game left off and gluing the timeline together. Nevertheless, there is a "story so far" option in the main menu that cinematically summarizes the events of Atelier Sophie for players who would want to catch up with the story. This is a function that other games should look to adopt, especially when stories span several games.
JRPG Combat At Its Best
JRPG is almost synonymous with turn-based combat, but Atelier Sophie 2 brings some substantive additions to the age-old mechanics. There is usually a fog of war around enemy attacks, but Atelier Sophie 2 makes them visible, and also lets the player know which character will be targeted by an attack. This adds a layer of strategy where players can choose to block an attack instead of attacking themselves, or use the "support guard" mechanic to have another character soak in the damage like a tank. Unlike previous games, half of the characters aren't sitting idle in the back.
The most interesting novelty in the combat is "Twin Actions." This allows characters to perform joint attacks based on how much trust there is between them. Several of the special skills also consume no MP. The combat in Atelier Sophie 2 returns to more familiar grounds, especially compared to Atelier Ryza, which had more chaotic combat. Overall, the animation for those special attacks is visually appealing, and the art direction is the best in the franchise so far.
Atelier Is All About Crafting
Where the franchise really distinguishes itself from its JRPG counterparts is its complex crafting mechanic. In Atelier Sophie 2, players can perform Alchemy with either Sophie or Plachta in an Atelier, which means workshop in French. The act of Alchemy involves gathering items that each have their own levels and attributes, which contribute to the quality of the final product. Those items must be combined on a grid where the player has to match the correct pieces to further improve the quality of the finished item.
The crafting in Atelier Sophie 2 is definitely an improvement over Atelier Ryza. Once the player understands the intricacies of crafting, such as catalysts and super success during Synthesis, Alchemy becomes a grueling yet satisfying experience. After all, spending hours playing the game on one screen, taking notes on another, and having a spreadsheet open on a third only to create something powerful enough to defeat the final boss in a single hit is the true essence of Atelier Sophie 2.
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, and Switch.
