Review: Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book DX (Reviewed on PS4, also on Switch/PC)

[@Justin_Anime]

This was my first Atelier game, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. It was like nothing I've ever played at the time & while Firis & Ryza are at a tie for my favorite Alchemist, Sophie & Plachta's journey is a lovely one that I encourage all to experience 🤗.

[@seanbcusack]

i love how sophie and plachta's journey covers three games. the final character events for plachta in lydie&suelle were some of the most emotional ones in the entire series for me. such wonderful closure after such a huge, lengthy journey.

[@tanatornkao]

@@seanbcusack Wow, thanks for the information. I have all remastered versions (not DX) but I don't play it yet After reading your comment it would be a great journey. After I finished Ryza2 I will play Sophie ASAP Sophie 1 ->Sophie 2 -> Firis -> lydia&Suelle right?

[@seanbcusack]

@@tanatornkao yes that would be chronological for the characters involved. just be aware that the jump to and from sophie2 is significant, both sophie1 and firis are going to be a bit older graphics and a tad clunky in a few ways. i still love them all tho. just finished sophie1 again before playing sophie2, which was awesome. i started firis as well just to see how it transitioned from sophie2 but didn't replay it again at the time, i'll do that another day. enjoy! it's still my favorite atelier arc.

[@lunaria.28]

My first Atelier game....I still remember played this amazing game in 2017, so relaxing and funny at the same time. Happy to see Mysterious Trilogy is getting more attention.

[@0c3An50uL]

I hope you see this in useful time xD: Is this a good point to start Atelier?

[@lunaria.28]

@@0c3An50uL In my opinion, Yes it is, since Atelier games are on sale more often this time, specially the first Atelier Sophie because Koei Tecmo is producing the sequel for February, so it's a good start, of course you are free to choice between the amount of games these series has.

[@alanwattie6093]

Picked up vanilla version while looking for something to fill the void after finishing Cold Steel 4. Gotta say it surpassed my expectations. Loved the characters, music, relaxing gameplay. Such a great change of pace to get away from the whole saving the world trope and just enjoy a story of personal growth. Really glad they released the dx trilogy since I couldn’t get Firis for a reasonable price. Really looking forward to getting back into this series.

[@xLadyDushi]

I am happy I Found your channel since I found the corner of cosy JRPGS via the atelier games which I started recently with. I am playing atelier Lulua right now and loving it. Hope to find even more nice JRPGS via your channel

[@Makoto03]

Great review. Sophie was a fantastic start of the Mysterious Trilogy. Looking forward to your Firis review. :)

[@JRPGJungle]

Thank you ^__^

[@DaddyGamerDiaries]

Very informative. I've only played Ryza so knowing which Atelier games have similar quality of life improvements is the type of information I wanted to know

[@magicalcat-girl5272]

This was a great review. I'm thinking about getting atelier sophie dx for the nintendo switch later on. It really looks relaxing and fun too. It really made me more interested in the atelier games for the nintendo switch. I really love the atelier games too.

[@PloysMaw]

I've been looking forward to this review and it was worth the wait. I enjoyed how you explained how the systems have changed per entries and that it makes sense for why Ryza turned out the way it has. Atelier Sophie was my first Atelier as I've mentioned before and the DX version has added content that makes the opening of the game feel less slow which I loved. It's no longer my fave Atelier but still it holds a special place in my heart as it was my introduction to the franchise, and I still recommend it as a good place too start. My only issues are that I wish it ran better on the Switch and that Gust would implement an in game achievement system for those who are playing on Switch.

[@lovevideogames1]

I've played the PS4 version of Atelier Sophie from beginning to end (the vanilla version, not the DX version of course), and in my opinion, Atelier Sophie is slightly better than Atelier Firis, both games are enjoyable JRPGs, but Atelier Sophie is a little more enjoyable partially because it doesn't have a time limit. It's a great starting point and I recommend it even if you have never played an Atelier game before. By the way, this is the first video you upload after I subscribed to your channel, I've enjoyed your content a lot, and yeah, this is the first video you upload after getting my subscription, so...you have won a subscriber and also, great review :)

[@JRPGJungle]

Haha thank you very much :)) and I agree, the lack of time limit makes it very enjoyable and a good starting point for most (or a good point to continue for those coming from Ryza) :))

[@PrometheanKitchen96]

This game was my very first Atelier game

[@sugaminny1447]

Thanks for the review! Although as someone who has never played any of the Atelier games this video wasn't very helpful to me personally in deciding whether to give this game a try or not, since i am not familiar with the series.

[@JRPGJungle]

Sophie is a good starting point! It’s the start of the Mysterious trilogy and trilogy starts are the best points to jump into Atelier games as each trilogy is a separate story :3 I hope that helps fill in the blanks! :)

[@GeminiSunrise06]

Very nice review! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@JRPGJungle]

Thank you! :))

[@SonicTheFrenchHorn]

I just picked this up in a sale yesterday, and it is very pleasant.

[@rpg-memories8069]

Thank you for covering these titles, they are skipped over by most other KZbinrs. At least the majority I watch ;)

[@seppokaartinen6326]

I bought this game in sale because i wanted to try one of the Atelier games to see if i liked them. No time limit and relaxing music, alchemy and lots of recipes which you can try to make. It was nice change of space to jrpgs which i usually play excample tales of vesperia. I have now played it a bit maybe 10 hours and i enjoy playing Sophie, gathering materials and then mixin them in cauldron is fun and vacuum you right in it long time. Atelier sophie is relaxin and fun to play, it made me interested in Atelier game series and i might play more of them.

[@JRPGJungle]

I'm glad to hear :) that's very much my experience with these games, playing one is always a breath of fresh air :) hope you keep enjoying Sophie (and the rest of the series if you try more!)

[@acebreaker7]

Great job on the review, I did managed to pick up the physical trilogy on Playasia so I gotta see if I can make time before June madness

[@buckroger6456]

You really lucked out with that. I would have done the same but never seen a PS4 version.

[@acebreaker7]

@@buckroger6456 I don't think they did a physical release of the DX version on ps4 only the vanilla release

[@buckroger6456]

@@acebreaker7 if they did I couldn't find one 😭.

[@ech0ashes]

This is late but the physical DX versions on PS4 are sadly Japan only. The playasia version on switch is the only DX version you can get physically. The other option would be the original vanilla games physically.@@buckroger6456

[@birdup6663]

I don't have the DX release, as my computer is a bit too low on specs to run it, but I was lucky enough to grab the original Atelier Sophie on Steam before they delisted it. This is the only game in the series I've played, but what a great game it is.

[@jmporkbob]

This was the first, and so far only, Atelier game I've played, around 1-2 years ago. Seeing as how it always went on sale for the cheapest on Steam, I know it's true for a lot of others, too. As much as I know you love the series, it's cool to finally see you get to play it. I know the puzzle aspect to the alchemy isn't generally representative of the series, but it was definitely interesting and rewarding once you figured it out and make some really OP stuff in the later game. The problem for me is that I like interesting stories and character development, stuff like that. And pretty much all Atelier games are sorely lacking there. It's not even related to it being a slice of life game, because I enjoy those too. The writing here just tends to give off like Twilight Zone / Stepford Wives vibes pretty regularly, like Pokemon games. I don't mean this as a knock for the series or anything. I always watch these reviews for them. I can appreciate it for what it is, but I hope they can invest some of that Ryza money to truly bring the writing up to the next level. Then I will be as fully onboard as I am for something like the Trails series. The crafting is the meat here though, and if that is what you're after this is one of the best games out there, period!

[@JcHellspawn]

Perhaps you will enjoy the games of the dusk trilogy more considering that.

[@MissBubbles]

If I were to buy this game it is solely for how much I adore the name Sophie hehehe! I have been eyeing the trilogy but have picked up 3 Atelier titles so far and did not start them yet 😩

[@buckroger6456]

They are a smidge expensive at $50 each if I remember right but you can buy all 3 together at a deal price.

[@MissBubbles]

@@buckroger6456 thank you for letting me know!

[@FenrisWolfPrinz]

Great review as always Atelier Tara ;) definitely feels like I need to try this series, they’re in my endless backlog lol starting with Ryza soon though.

[@JRPGJungle]

Haha, thank you! :)) I hope you enjoy Ryza when you get to it, definitely a great place to start :D

[@tokoyakiboy]

Should I wait for the DLC to be fully released before I play the game? Planning to buy Ultimate ED but it says on steam it will be release end of May 2022

[@NathanWubs]

My question is, did you platinum? I came back to Atelier after a long hiatus after the ps2 era. And since then could not resist plating all the mysterious trilogy games.

[@buckroger6456]

Beastly!! I went back to Lydie & Suelle about a month or two ago and left with two trophies away from platinum. I think I need to beat one of the goddess one more time but they both have said they have shown me their true power. My last one is a real grind since it's use al battle mixes.

[@JRPGJungle]

Not yet, although I feel like I want to come back to a lot (if not all) of the Atelier games/packs to see more events, so that may lead me to platinuming in future :) but I’ll becoming back for the extra story more than anything else ^__^

[@liangbenhuang6244]

I have a question. If I buy an old physical copy of Atelier Sophie, can I upgrade to DX version? Thanks.

[@JRPGJungle]

Good question, unfortunately you can’t. Would be nice if you could, but no, they’re separate products unfortunately >

[@reinaldotirado6446]

I love all the atelier games they all bring me joy watching their own unique story unfold also like the battle system ima turn based nerd

[@d3smond]

Ooo I’ll

[@joannaowen6653]

Hi, thanks for the great review! I want to get into the atelier games. Which is best to start with please? I have a 3DS as well as a switch. Thanks

[@JRPGJungle]

If you haven't played Ryza, that's a great start as it's the most polished (especially Ryza 2!) and isn't too difficult to pick up. If you want more story events like in Sophie though, the Mysterious trilogy is where I started and got me into things, so I naturally recommend that too (I want to do a video going into more detail someday, but those are my thoughts at the moment :33). Hope that helps! :)

[@joannaowen6653]

@@JRPGJungle yes that does help, thank you very much!

[@douglasnascimento9196]

This is the first Atelier game I played. And was the only one. I liked it, but I stopped playing twice. I think the difficulty or the repetition made me quit. But I might try it again. I started to miss the battle music and the characters. Lol.

[@buckroger6456]

It's a real shame that we don't get any physical releases on the DX games in the west.

[@1invag]

There a difference between atelier sophie and atelier sophie dx version? Cos the atelier sophie game is on ps4 with a pal release physically available

[@buckroger6456]

@@1invag the DX versions get some extra dlc stuff.

[@cgillis3989]

Does anyone know if it's best to play the series in a specific sequence? Or does it not matter; Could I just play this game without the previous ones?

[@JRPGJungle]

You can play Sophie without the previous ones! The main thing with Atelier is it's best to start at the beginning of a trilogy/set of games, so since Sophie is the beginning of the Mysterious trilogy you're good :))

[@patron7906]

is this DL only on the switch? I can not find a physical copy....

[@Mega3iD]

I only finished Atelier Iris Grand Phantasm on ps2, other games where so hard... could you recomend me the easiest game in the franchise ?

[@MrGnuh]

sophie was my absolute fav until ryza 2 ever so slightly knocked it off the throne. or maybe they share top spot now idk. either way. i love atelier sophie!

[@mikhailnikolaev9927]

Did they removed craft timers in DX?? As far as I remember, there was timers on every cauldron except one.

[@PhazonSpear]

Craft timers still exist

[@DavidRBrown7]

I remember enjoying this game and I though the story was memorable (compared to Firis). I am glad it has had an update. However, its interesting to see the game-play in your video and how Rhyza 2 looks so much better than this.

[@JRPGJungle]

It is crazy seeing them side by side, I felt the same when editing. Sophie might have a higher frame rate, but Gust has definitely improved on their visuals over the years :3

[@buckroger6456]

Maybe I'm a odd one out here but I like the older art style more. Also i prefure the alchemy and battle system of the older games way more then Ryza.

[@neworleansmade504]

Is this game really good? it's on sale on psn

[@lavayuki]

I remember I got this free on PS plus on the vita years ago, and played it 2 years ago to just get the easy platinum. It was my first and only (probably last) atelier game, I didn't really like it very much. I was glad to get the platinum and it out of the way in terms of clearing some of my free plus game backlog.

[@delilahcavendish]

Atelier Sophie 2 CONFIRMED!!

[@JRPGJungle]

I'm so excited, it looks so good :'D

[@seanbcusack]

if you are going to continue past the endboss, and haven't made a philosopher's stone, reload before the boss and make one first before beating it - it alters the ending a bit. it's one of only 2 missable things in the game - the other is messing up the final monica event. fyi.

[@JRPGJungle]

I think I have to do this still, I saw a few things about it after I finished but it's a good reminder considering I'd like to come back to this at some point, so thank you :))

[@Arnice164]

Atelier Sophie is my fav atelier!

[@JRPGJungle]

That made me smile, I'm glad :D a wonderful game ^__^

[@HybridAngelZero]

I still have the vanilla PS4 version of this in my backlog, and I'll probably play that, then come back to the DX versions on Switch sometime in the future (I'm eyeballing the trilogy physical pack on PlayAsia)

[@pemburupzuri]

who better? sophie or ryza?

[@JRPGJungle]

For me personally Ryza, but mostly because I think there’s something special about watching her grow up over two games so far :3 but I’m willing to let Sophie 2 make me rethink things! Sophie is very lovable :3

[@JcHellspawn]

I just hate that the game is 5 times the price of the original version on pc in my country. Considering that i think it was a very shitty decision on their part to remove the original version from steam. Should have bought it when i had the chance. Great video btw.

[@phongpham6749]

Did the time limit thing still in DX version? That anoying me so much

[@JRPGJungle]

There’s no time limit in Sophie (in the original too), but Firis still has its one :3

[@phongpham6749]

@@JRPGJungle oh thank you. I will buy it ASAP:3

[@NathanWubs]

@@phongpham6749 Firis it's time limit is also super relax. You basically have a year to get everything done. To put that in perspective. I was doing things optimally and everything optional and still had 200+ days left. On average people have 90+ days left when they finish part 1. And the big part 2 has no time limit.

[@joshuataylor7443]

Who's the artist?

[@lovevideogames1]

The artists are NOCO and Yuugen. Really nice 2D art, the Atelier games always have great 2D art in my opinion.

[@joshuataylor7443]

@@lovevideogames1 Thanks.

[@randomguy1706]

Ryza 2 alchemy is fucking DOG WATER compared to this masterpiece, atelier sophie has THE BEST alchemy gameplay out of all the rest of the games

[@NerevarineKing]

This game felt underwhelming after Dusk and Arland imo