Atelier Sophie 2: Good for Newcomers AND Atelier Fans? (+ First Impressions - PS4/Switch/PC)

[@alanwattie6093]

To be honest it’s been a while since I’ve been looking forward to a game this much. Sophie was my introduction to this series that I’ve really come to appreciate and is one of my favorite characters overall so I’m very excited to continue her journey.

[@FenrisWolfPrinz]

Currently playing Sophie 1 and really looking forward to playing the sequel! The alchemy looks really interesting too! Still kinda new to the series as I started with Ryza but really loving what I’ve played so far so I appreciate you getting me into it with your awesome reviews :)

[@JRPGJungle]

Awesome! I’m sure it’ll be great to play right after Sophie 1! Hope you enjoy it when you get to it :))

[@BacklogBattle]

You and I had the same idea when making our reviews! Great work and good times!

[@Kenko_4]

It's assuring to know that it's okay to jump into this without playing Sophie 1. The turn based battle system and different alchemy has me very interested in getting this (especially since I prefer turn based). While February and March are packed already for me with Elden Ring and Triangle Strategy, I will for sure keep this on my radar down the line. Thanks for the impressions video!

[@Swaggercandy]

I'm so excited! Just finished Sophie 1 recently and had a great time!

[@threethymes]

Thanks for a helpful overview of Sophie 2. I'm nearly finished with the other 3 Mysterious games, having played Sophie, Firis and L & S back to back and was wondering about Sophie 2. I've been playing Atelier games since the days of Atelier Iris and found them very complex, often not able to understand the complexities of synthesis in some of the games. Good to see how GUST has improved since the early days and the highlighting of items in the field is a great QOL addition.

[@HybridAngelZero]

I've mentioned it before, but I started the Sophie a little while ago, and it's the first Atelier I've really dove into, and I'm super excited to follow Sophie and Placta on a new adventure :D

[@cheshxre]

Alettes expression at 7:22 sold me now. I’ll be getting it tomorrow

[@Amoprotecc]

Very great video i can see ur love for the Atelier series! Waiting patiently for my Limited edition to come so i can enjoy Sophie 2! Been playing since the ps2 era one of my fav series! I like how u broke down all the fun n good things about it! Hope new comers will enjoy the game and yes this game looks like it will pls older fans! Thw art style and the alchemy i love it! Sophie is one of my fav Atelier protagonist happy her story continues

[@GeminiSunrise06]

Very nice preview, i didnt even see those 9min goes by 😅 That's so usefull we can see all objectives from requests! I love that! That alchemy system looks easy and im glad from the start we can keep traits and rotate. I only slept 4h this night, maybe it was cuz of the hype 😅 only play for 3h but i really enjoy it so far. Graphic and loading times are both great on ps4 pro. I'm glad it plays so smoothly!

[@PloysMaw]

I can't wait for this. While watching I noticed that the old Trait system is back; I'm so happy. Now all I need to do is wait by the post office, hopefully I don't need to wait a month after release like what I had to do with Second Light. :)

[@JRPGJungle]

I really hope so too! Hopefully you can play it very soon this time :))

[@HalcyonSky42]

Thanks for the overview. I found Sophie 1 to be too barebones for my liking but I'm really excited with with how 2 looks. I love it when there's a greater emphasis on exploration, such as in Firis. I just finished L&S last night and it easily ranks in my top 3 Atelier games (I've played 10). Over the past few years the developers have really outdone themselves with trying out new things and refining old ones.

[@kw3494]

Oooh my god, I have been waiting for this game for soooooo long now. I am so hyped

[@JRPGJungle]

I hope you enjoy it, almost there :DD

[@mhalomy]

Im playing through the Sophie 1 atm and Im super addicted ! Its my first Atelier game and I find it so hard to put down 😭😭😭 Cant wait to get to Sophie 2 ! But idk maybe should play it in April? Kinda want those Tales of Arise collab items 🥰

[@scottvaughn1652]

Thanks for the info I'm buying today I can't wait it looks Amazing 🦋🙂🦋

[@samuelgonzalez-tovar3936]

Everyone is waiting for elden ring and doesn’t know about Sophie 2 But I’m getting both

[@--ART3MIS--]

yeah, that could hurt their sales. really bad timing. (for me, its also Elden Ring first)

[@DavidRBrown7]

I am waiting for my copy to be delivered. Its nice to see that they are trying to keep track of continuity. Although, I do remember that Sophie was a playable character in Warriors All Stars. I wonder how they explain that? Perhaps, Sophie entered a different dream world between 1 and 2?

[@MrGnuh]

I AM SO READY ♥

[@erylaria398]

I recently replayed sophie 1 and firis in preparation for sophie 2, and i even preordered it - amazon said it was shipped yesterday :3 but I'm not touching it, until I'm done with my zillionth replay of dragin age inquisition xD

[@SonoMidnight]

Only going to buy Sophie 2 after beating the first one. This UI is SO CLEAN.

[@RAID3N816Boy]

Thanks for your review I really gonna try playing this!! Hope you gonna play this one stream 🙈

[@kirindas4691]

I can't wait for Sophie 2! I completed the Mysterious Trilogy last month and I'm just waiting for my Special edition to arrive, hopefully today! I'm glad with the board system returning that all the previews seems to have address my main issue with Atelier Firis and Atelier Lydie and Suelle. The elemental symbols will really help me a lot in Sophie 2 because in the previous games mentioned, I had various issues telling red/green and blue/purple apart. I had to do constant guess work through the game relying on the bars increasing to tell if I got the right material colors.

[@TakoVirus]

this is good game. already fans since dusk series of ps 3/xbox. have all series from dusk till now ryza also have.. currently playing shopie 2 after that intend to play arland series and ryza series

[@JimHamiltonIII]

If I may ask, did you plan a "final" review for Sophie 2, given you said you only put 17 hours into the game as of the time of the video? If so, I look forward to it! I bought the digital ultimate edition. I think the game is beautiful and engaging. I don't completely get the synthesis system yet, but it's interesting. One thing I'm not keen on is "translucent" NPCs, of which they can't be engaged in conversation. Seems lazy somehow and adds to a "Potemkin Village" feel to the town. Other Atelier games do this as well, which is similarly annoying. Otherwise, it's a fun game. Thanks for the video!

[@JRPGJungle]

I do plan to do a full, proper review, yes :) this video was basically an extended first impressions :33 I’m about 36 hours in now and in what definitely feels like the second/later part of the game (I just unlocked a fancy artwork that seems like the end of a character story), so expect that sometime after I finish next month :)) And wow, the ultimate edition must be nice ^__^ and yes, I believe the translucent NPCs were in Ryza 2 as well (I remember running through them lol). I would love if they made a couple of the walking ones able to be interacted with - not all of them, but just a few would be fun :3 of course not a huge request, but it would add something to the world. As much as I love Atelier, I generally find the NPCs less engaging than games like Dragon Quest or Voice of Cards where I talk to all of them. I guess it’s a higher priority for some games then others. In saying that, Atelier has all the character events I like that I’ve been doing most of that more than fill that void for me, so yeah :33 I hope you keep enjoying it ^__^

[@JimHamiltonIII]

@@JRPGJungle While I'll eventually return to Ryza 2 (~30 hours at the moment), I found the town too "static" relative to my adventures. I'd like to hear the NPCs tell me, "wow, you were so brave fighting those monsters in those ruins," or "that stuff you brought back; we'll make good use of it," then see some substantial change in the town (apart from the bond meter with the factions at the notice board, which is abstract) due to my efforts. Simultaneously, their lives should continue without Ryza, but develop too. The translucent NPCs add to that hollow feeling. I'm not a huge fan of actually paying for the Ultimate Edition, but I want to signal to the devs I appreciate their hard work and encourage them to create more content. The series of games is great and I'm a big fan. Finally, stupid me in I just bought Monark, even though the reviews are all over the place. Some like it, a few love it, and some hate it. It has a Caligula vibe to it, and I liked those games. However, I'll try to be disciplined enough to finish Sophie 2 first. Wish me luck, and I look forward to your next video!

[@Mystra]

Just got the standard edition, plachta dlc and the 2 recipe packs which barely cost make than deluxe edition which doesn't have any of it lol. Personally I'm okay with no costumes and saving over $20 by not getting the ultimate edition. Anyways, gonna love playing this, Ryza 2 and FFXIV. With some ESO casually lol. It's abit much so not sure how I'll do it. Probably focus more on 2 games than the rest

[@OIdmountain]

currently playing post exam firis. but 1 minor thing i realised is that sophie changed her staff wielding stance from 2 hands in sophie 1 to one hand in sophie 2 and back to 2 hands in firis and l&s

[@JackLim927]

I'm not sure if this is a weird question, but if this is such a big improvement (or such a good atelier game) If I jump to Sophie 2 right after Sophie 1, will it make my gameplay of Firis / Lydie & Suelle suffering? :x

[@JRPGJungle]

Not a weird question :3 I think with Firis and Lydie and Suelle, it’s not the worst jump in visuals :3 you’ll see a little quality difference, but both are PS4 games like Sophie 2 so both are still high quality imo :) it probably is better to know they’re slightly older games first though, but if you do, you should be fine :))

[@megb504]

Really good video, thank you! How would you say this compares to Ryza 2 so far?

[@JRPGJungle]

It’s of course a little different with the different synthesis and not switching items when gathering and the less active battles, so some stuff will come down to personal preference. I’ve found it smoother personally with the good UI and not having to switch stuff all around and the maps are more interesting with the weather stuff, which feels like a step up :33 the only thing I’ve missed from Ryza 2 is being able to put stuff into an item until you get it perfect, but maybe that will come in later (and duplication fills some of that hole as I just duplicate like crazy when I get something right lol) Also on maps, my boyfriend started it yesterday and he far prefers Sophie 2 to Ryza 2 cause he hated running around to find the lore-based stuff and clues lol I didn’t mind it, but the weather changing is much more simple and visually exciting, so that definitely feels better IMO :33 Gust are really good at improving game by game, so Sophie 2 naturally feels a little smoother, but in a Mysterious series way :)) hope that helps!

[@megb504]

@@JRPGJungle It does! Thank you so much for such a detailed breakdown. I greatly appreciate it and will be picking up my copy tomorrow!

[@JRPGJungle]

No problem at all! Hope you enjoy it as much as I am! (I’ve hit 30+ hours since making the video 😅)

[@svdrevolver5109]

Sophie is just so lovely, i have mad respect for her Artist.

[@JRPGJungle]

Agreed! The art and character designs are all lovely in Sophie 2 :33

[@EGWL93]

Thanks for the comprehensive review! Chanced upon when I was browsing PS Store. This is the kind of JRPG I was looking for. Glad that newcomers doesn't need to revisit the first series as PS Store discontinued. Definitely a to play for me

[@10-OSwords]

Does this have anything like core charges or a super/fatal drive or at least more abilities per character than Ryza? Seems like from the reviews I've seen this has a lot less features than Ryza. Might be worth it if the characters can learn more than just the 4 abilities per character in Ryza.

[@sekai963]

I am still thinking if I should buy this, because I am looking forward to JRPGs which has anime and moe element.

[@marksayosmejia7251]

So far ive only finished ryza 1 on ps4 and i cant decide if im getting ryza 2 on ps4 or switch. Is it ok to buy sophie2 without playing the first game??

[@marksayosmejia7251]

Right now i finished devil may cry marathon and im playing blue reflection second light.

[@JRPGJungle]

The video explains in more detail, but in short, yes :) there’s a story so far movie and stuff that will help keep you in the loop!

[@marksayosmejia7251]

@@JRPGJungle been watching your vids even for games i already finished like ryza1, blue reflection 1. Keep making content!

[@JRPGJungle]

Will do, thank you ^__^

[@miles8233]

Are the main story quests more traditional like in Ryza and Ryza 2, or are they more like in Sophie 1 where you have to grind requests and learn recipes to progress?

[@JRPGJungle]

More traditional/like Ryza, although there are story moments that need you to make certain items (the game hints are much better at telling you exactly how to do that though, so story progression is very smooth!)

[@miponii-chan]

I'm kinda giddy about the grid-based synth system after two Ryza games

[@ulengrau6357]

If I'm not a fan (yet), does this game have the capacity to make me one, or will the mechanics frustrate me? I've never, ever played an Atelier game. The music sounds wonderful, and the animations are pleasant.

[@Yusei255]

at least no stupid time limit. and only thing that's time related in this is the festival thing, and like during october was it, where you can only farm those certain items.

[@ricdoe5130]

Can you play 1 and then this 2 avoiding the rest of the trilogy?

[@rintothacha3543]

I'm enjoying Sophie 2 more than elden ring atm prob because I died too many times while Sophie 2 feels more stress free 😂😂😂😂

[@JRPGJungle]

They are kind of total opposites it seems haha 😅

[@Tikky503]

if you have influence please BEG for an addition to the dusk series

[@hikikomorigaming2419]

I play Sophie 2 from start to finish in only bikini outfits.

[@MrHdog111]

Please tell me this doesn’t have a time limit 🥺

[@JRPGJungle]

No time limit! There isn’t even a calendar, only a clock (and it hasn’t effected anything other than scenery so far :33)

[@leedevee]

I’ve been thinking about giving this series a try, but when I look at a review like this, the sexism (I’m not using the euphemism ‘fan service’) really turns me off. The way the skirt of the character with the ample bosom lifts up when she attacks, the little girl with the bunny ears, every female character having huge swaying hips…gives me a yucky feeling. Wonder how you view this and deal with this while playing Atelier games.

[@stupididioticspoiledbrat2419]

which is why i am boycotting all anime-styled games (with the exception of series i had good experiences from like Valkyria chronicles, Dragon quest, and The Tales games)

[@TheBlinkGod]

I'm interested in playing this Atelier but I did not like the first Sophie.

[@LyLy22980]

How to download it on PC

[@TubePlasma]

Just buy it

[@mrfisher7220]

If only they had English voice acting. No English voice acting won't play

[@deusvlad2.083]

is Atelier sophie 2 censored on ps4? lol

[@JRPGJungle]

I haven’t really seen any talk of censorship myself and haven’t noticed anything funny in the game. So no, I don’t think so :33

[@deusvlad2.083]

@@JRPGJungle Don't you just hate it when they do, I mean in xenoblade 2 they censored dialogue in many areas of the game, and changed names around from the Japanese version and didn't bother to subtitle it either during battles or when calling people's names. Yet they left the violence and sexual themes untouched which of course is a good thing but why dialogue its so annoying not having the full version in one game.