Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream
Developer: Gust
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (Reviewed), PC, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $59.99 USD – Available Here $89.95 AUD – Available Here
Overview
The Atelier series once had a long running formulaic release pattern that involved releasing a trilogy of games with each new entry in the trilogy featuring the previous’ protagonist as a returning ally in some form. Over the last few years things have changed as not only has Gust released a spin-off game as well as a surprise fourth game for the Arland Trilogy but recently the ever popular Ryza set of games has focused on a single protagonist. As such it came as something of a surprise when it was revealed that the next Atelier game would not only be a sequel to the six year old Atelier Sophie. While Atelier Sophie and the Mysterious Trilogy were well received, few could have seen this coming but now that it has arrived is Sophie’s journey worth continuing in Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream?
Story
Considering the original release was six years ago, longtime fans of the Atelier games may have forgotten some aspects of Sophie’s story and for those who may never have experienced the game at all but want to delve into this latest Atelier entry Gust as players covered. Not only is this release set following the events of the first game and before Atelier Firis, but the development team also included a “Story so far” option at the beginning of the game that provides a cutscene describing the broader strokes of Sophie’s journey through the first game, her encounter with Plachta, and growth between the two.
Sophie and Plachta have left their beloved hometown Kirchen Bell in an effort to not only make Sophie a full-fledged alchemist but also try and find a way to restore Plachta’s body from that of an automated doll to that of her human form. The pair begin their search with a giant tree hidden deep within a forest that Plachta saw in her dreams only for a portal to open up as soon as they arrive at the base of the tree, swallowing both friends before vanishing. Sophie is rescued by some helpful residents of a nearby town and told that she now is in an alternate dimension called Erde Wiege, the mysterious land of dreams.
This land of dreams is ruled over by the mystifying goddess of dreams Elvira who is capable of bringing people from across various times and places into her own world so that they can fulfill their greatest dreams and desires without worrying about time. Sophie quickly realizes that while she has mostly made it through okay, Plachta is nowhere to be seen and no one knows where she may have gone. As such, Sophie begins her journey to search for her missing friend and try and find the reason why they were brought to Erde Wiege in the first place.
The mysteries of this strange land quickly begin to build up as not only is another alchemist named Plachta, who doesn’t resemble Sophie’s Plachta nor have any idea who Sophie is, but another far closer person to Sophie may be within the land of Erde Wiege as well. Despite the fact that the vanishing of a dear friend seems like a dire event, Atelier Sophie 2 still maintains the same calm and steady pace that the franchise has been known for. In fact it may be even more lackadaisical than ever before thanks in part to how well the character interactions are handled and the unique situations that come from the way the world of Erde Wiege works, though this does lead to some pacing issues from time to time.
The chemistry between most of the cast is incredible outside of a few moments that likely could have been handled better, especially in regards to Sophie and a certain someone that could have been far more emotional. Along those same lines players shouldn’t expect too many major twists or depth to the story but thankfully the cast helps carry most of the story especially since every character in the six character group features something of a story arc of their own, undergoing various developments that make the ever present “journey not the destination” part of the Atelier series shine as strong as ever here in Atelier Sophie 2.
Gameplay
Once again Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream features the series’ staple three features of gathering items in the field, fighting enemies, and taking those items and taking them back to the atelier to perform item synthesizing with alchemy and not only have these features been improved upon while still keeping elements from the original Sophie release but a number of newer elements have also been introduced. Perhaps the most notable difference that players will notice, even compared to the most recent releases in the series, is that most of the maps that players will explore in Atelier Sophie 2 are incredibly large by series standards when it comes to harvesting/exploration fields and quite complex when it comes to the various dungeons that players will travel through. Each zone will feature a variety of monsters to fight, resource points to harvest, and various other treasures to obtain though now they will have yet another new system to take advantage of in most areas as well.
Not too long into the game Sophie gains the ability to change the weather of certain fields such as causing it to rain, thunderstorm, freeze, and more and changing the weather of a zone will make a number of changes occur. Not only will some enemies on maps become weaker but the items players can gather from resource points will change and paths that may have previously been inaccessible can now be reached. This element isn’t taken too far as players cannot use it on every location and often it only makes a minor difference but giving exploration some extra depth is always a nice touch, especially when it comes to Atelier.
As usual whenever players are out exploring a field they will find enemies roaming around and can choose to either run away or trigger a fight by running into the enemy or striking them with a weapon. Thankfully, loading into fights now happens near instantaneously as fights no longer enter into a separate screen but now take place in the field nearly where players were at. Atelier Sophie 2 also reverts back to the turn based combat system that was used in the original game as opposed to what recent entries in the series have used allowing for a bit slower-paced and deliberate combat that the series was known for before the Ryza games.
The main new mechanic introduced into battle is the Twin Action System that allows every member of the party to get into the action in one way or another. Atelier Sophie 2 features an eventual six characters that will join the player’s party with three fighters at the forefront and three in the backline. As players are fighting they will gain “TP” that can then be used to bring allies from the backline into the fight in some major ways. This includes being able to perform a “twin action” that allows the frontline and backline unit to attack at the same time, even choosing to use skills and items to create some powerful combinations, or jumping in front of an incoming attack to protect a frontline fighter or swap places instead. These elements may be a bit similar to those found in a few older Atelier games but help spice combat up and keep things feeling fresh for quite some time, especially since combat can occasionally become quite dicey even on Normal which is something of a welcome surprise as the title actually rewards players with playing defensively more often than not thanks to many pieces of equipment providing extra buffs whenever players choose to defend.
Similar to every game in the series, everything that Sophie picks up will have a varying level of quality, rarity, and a number of modifiers attached to it and these items come from basically everything in the game. Be it fishing, taking down monstrous enemies, or harvesting items from bushes out in the field Sophie will always have a slew of ingredients at her disposal and this is where players will return to her atelier and make use of item synthesis to craft everything from healing items, offensive items, equipment, and more to help make the player’s journey a bit easier.
Every recipe in the game features a variety of items that are required to make it and while some ask for very specific ingredients, most simply require something in the same category such as a fuel source, type of liquid, metal, etc. and once player select their recipe and what they wish to put into it, they will be taken to a mini-game of sorts that allows players to place ingredients on a 5×5 grid board. As players make use of the synthesis board they can select an item’s element (if it has more than one) and place it down on the board in various places and while it is entirely possible to simply complete recipes either automatically or without too much care, there are plenty of ways to make sure that the item comes out as strong as possible.
Placing similar elements near one another or on matching element panels will boost various traits and unlock additional ones for items if certain requirements are met such as healing more, dealing extra damage, providing a speed boost, having more uses in the field, etc. While this synthesis system initially can seem a bit much at times, actually seeing what players can create and taking things to the limit can feel quite rewarding. That being said, taking the simple route works just as well when it comes to the more repetitive and simpler items players can make.
Visuals & Audio
It is clear that Gust is growing far more comfortable with creating larger worlds and more detailed than ever character models when it comes to Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream. The stylization of the characters is as great as ever with great use of color and detail to make sure that most of the main cast feels truly unique and the vast areas that players can explore are quite a treat alongside how great combat often looks. That being said, the title does still make use of far too many repetitive enemies at times.
Now when the original Atelier Sophie was released in 2016, Koei Tecmo was still releasing English dubs for all of their Atelier games but now in 2022, that is no longer the case. As such, fans of the original who chose to play with the English dub may be disappointed with the fact that the game now features the original Japanese voice track only. That being said, the Japanese voice cast have reprised their roles and handle their characters incredibly well here so not too much has been lost outside of some unsubtitled dialogue during and after combat. The soundtrack remains as impressive as ever as Gust continues to provide a wide variety of tracks that fit both the calmer “slice of life” moments as well as combat and exploration with special mention going towards the few vocal tracks littered throughout the game.
Overall
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream came as a surprise when it was revealed to be the latest game in the Atelier series but Sophie’s charm and the great chemistry between the cast of characters help hold together its basic story. With a number of great refinements to combat that keep things exciting, exploration that is more expansive than ever, and satisfying alchemy that can quickly become addictive despite its initial overwhelming appearance, Atelier Sophie 2 provides a delightful RPG that shows that the series’ classic entries still have plenty to give.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
