The Atelier games have a long history of being a popular Japanese RPG series, so it is to no one surprise to know that it’s been around here for 25 years. With 23 games in the series already and many more planned titles coming in the near future. To celebrate this amazing accomplishment, the developer Gust has decided to continue the story of one of its previous alchemists in the series, the lovely and cheerful Sophie; her wish is to make everyone happy using alchemy.
Atelier Sophie 2 starts shortly after the events of the first game with Sophie determined to take the alchemy exam to become an alchemist just like her grandmother. Her Goal, find a way to help Plachta become human, however, sometimes things don’t go as planned and it’s not too long before the two find themselves thrown through a portal to a dream world.
Just a couple of weeks ago there was an announcement of a collaboration between Tales of Arise from Bandai Namco with Atelier Sophie 2 to bring in-game cosmetics to celebrate the 25th anniversary with a release date sometime end of April 2022. With that said, we’ve had the opportunity to check out Atelier Sophie 2 on the Nintendo Switch in our latest review.
Gameplay
Atelier Sophie 2 feels like a brand new game, but it also kept some of the original features from previous Atelier games. The main feature that made this series fantastic is the crafting system. Compared to previous Atelier games, the crafting system had a revamped that made it simpler but still keeps some of the old original features that made this game feel unique. For instance, even though the gathering of the material is the same concept, the complicated and time-consuming crafting method has greatly simplified this game by giving players the option to use the auto feature; this feature mixes the components for you compared to before where you’d have to add them piece by piece. However, you don’t have to use the auto feature. This is a wonderful feature for new players of the series who have trouble getting used to the crafting method.
One thing I found out while exploring the world gathering resources was these special resource gathering spots which require you to have specific tools to harvest them. These tools can be crafted at your cauldron in your Atelier house. These special gathering spots that glow around the world, give you access to a mini-game. Every tool has a slightly different minigame to play but each will allow you to try to add specific elements, increase quality or quantity, or obtain random amounts of in-game currency. Being able to put your luck in getting the right materials can be incredibly useful when you start crafting tons of stuff with different elements or quality.
Combat mechanics are fun and relaxing. The part that made the combat fun is the number of interactions between the main character and her companions where the combat is a traditional turn-based mode, and this is where the relaxing part comes in place where you have time to think about your next move. Your party is split also between two teams, the Attack Team and Back-up Team. The Attack team is your main party, but then the backup team can support the Attack team by using their technical points to activate special commands; basically, it is a tag-team effort. Fighting monsters is the most important aspect of the game because there are times you will get requests to hunt down certain monsters or bosses in the world.
Using Alchemy
A new feature that was added in this game is using alchemy; players can create special stones that allow you to change the weather whenever you are out exploring. This impacts the look of the environment, what materials you can pick up, and what enemies you’ll encounter. Also changing the weather can impact the layout of the land; for instance, if you activate the sunny weather stone, the area that was flooded or impassable with water can now be crossed such as riverbanks, and it is the same with the rain weather stone where you will need water to cross by walking over a bridge of barrels or boxes.
Performing alchemy is like a puzzle where depending on where you place the materials and what order you place them, you will have a different outcome. As you gain access to higher grade raw materials and your crafting understanding improves, you will be able to craft more powerful weapons, armor, and items to use in battle. It can be a complicated system, but also it can be quite fun and addicting because every time you craft something you never know what the outcome could be; you won’t get the same quality items with the same traits each time you craft. Because of this, the possibilities are endless.
Graphics/Audio/Controller
When talking about the graphics, we have to look at the artwork for Atelier Sophie 2; the artwork is amazing, from the characters and monster looks to the environment of the game. The game looks so beautiful that it gives you the motivation to explore and get distracted. Even the different types of unique monsters you see are adorable. Not only the way the game looks but also how it sounds; it is like walking into a café and chilling on your couch while drinking a cup of coffee and listening to café music.
The reason I say that is because the game is like a café where everything you do, the music to the sound effect breathes life into the game, and on top, the voice acting for the characters is amazing either in English or Japanese. Just listening and enjoying all the dialogues between the characters as the story progresses fills in the gap.
There is so much to do in the game and you wonder how many buttons do you have to memorize. Also is it easy to navigate the UI of the game whether it be combat, crafting, or the party menu. I will have to say yes, the developers made it easy and simple for us to navigate between the different menus. Character movements were smooth whether gathering resources or the combat system; it was quite simple.
Replay Value
Atelier Sophie 2 has a new mode and new game + once you complete the main storyline of the game. One new mode is called Charismatic as a difficulty option. Don’t confuse this with the very hard difficulty that is usually unlocked in prior games; this difficulty is already unlocked once you start the game. The charismatic difficulty makes some enemies more difficult than before while granting you greater rewards and better items from these encounters.
Atelier Sophie 2 also has a new game + that will let you start from the beginning and carry over: money, equipped weapons, armor, accessories, talismans, items, and Hunting Grade Certificate; all your gear can be found in the container. With these modes, it can be a challenge but it can also make it fun to go through the entire game again.
Conclusion
I will have to say, I think I put in about 25+ hours plus or more into this game, and I have to say I love it so much; this has to be one of my favorite games from the Atelier Series. When I started playing this game and entered the amazing world of Atelier Sophie 2, my eyes were in tears, because I played the first one and I love every moment of playing that. Seeing the sequel to that one got me excited to start my next adventure. I have to say I spent most of my time farming resources to craft because I have to say the alchemy crafting is quite addictive in a way that it is like a jigsaw puzzle where you have to pick your moves carefully to unlock the full potential of the items.
Well to sum it up, Atelier Sophie 2 is a charming game that you will not get confused playing because the tutorial and guideposts throughout the game are super helpful. Navigating the different menus isn’t complex at all. The crafting and gathering can be overwhelming because there is just so much information to remember and the number of materials you need to get and use for the crafting can sometimes get you confused, but as long as you have some patience and understanding you will enjoy the game.
Ports and Review Copy
The game was released on February 25, 2022, in North America and Europe for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
A digital copy of the game was provided for review.
