Oh, dang it, is this one of those Atelier games folks were talking about in another thread? I don’t know anything about them and there appear to be about 20 of them, so I’ll just guess the most recent, which is something like Atelier Sophie.
Well, yes, it is one of those Atelier games we were talking about in another thread. It is the most recent one, which is Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream. And it is a fantastic game.
Atelier Sophie 2 has many things in common with Recettear. Two female protagonists (one dressed like a fairy with bunny years, kind of) with their own quirks and personalities; you fight monsters and use their materials to create things you can use and/or sell; there are barrels (た～る!) around; there’s a main hub city with multiple places you can go and interact with, things to buy, people to talk to; and it’s filled to the brim with charm and lots of non-toxic positivity. And they’re both super fun games I fell in love with.
Atelier Sophie 2 is also the best Atelier game I’ve played. Streamlined in the right places and improved in nearly every aspect, it’s the most fun I had in the series so far. It looks pretty great and runs pretty well in my PC, too. Even in an year filled to the brim with great games to play, Atelier Sophie 2 has been a highlight, and I can’t wait to play more. ;)
Thanks for saving me, @Nightgaunt ! Your turn!
That does sound pretty good, although I wish that these merchant shop games (including Recettear) would have the courage to just be merchant games instead of adding in dungeon crawling combat…
I’ll have to dig up a game sometime today. Hmmm…
The combat is pretty low key in most. But I’ve been raised on anime, and I can’t fathom the depth of the cringe the 3D games of the series provoke in me. Well, that’s not the series fault in all truthness: the whole landscape of Japanese gaming has been going in a very wrong direction, to me.
I suspect the English adaptations might alleviate some of it though. I gave one of the recent games a try in English, and it wasn’t as bad, it seemed.
Well, the Atelier games aren’t really merchant shop games. They’re crafting games first (with lots of gathering too), with some combat and RPG elements. So don’t go trying Atelier if you want more merchant shop action! :D
Well you sell stuff you make, and you give them to the deliveroo guy (always voiced by the same guy) at the local inn.
It was way ahead of its time, 26 years ago!
Well, in Atelier Sophie 2 I can sell the stuff I make, but I rarely need to. And there’s no delivery guy? You report quests and deliver materials to this person:
I am pretty sure that’s no guy, and she has a very pleasant voice, two. I mean, too.
I’d say everything is more right than it’s ever been.
Seriously, Atelier Sophie 2 is a great and super charming game. If you have the chance to try it out, I think you should. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Kyosho
3295
I’ve always heard pretty good things about the Atelier series. But I’m a weirdo who has to play everything in order, and IIRC many of the games in the series haven’t been released (or even fan-patched) in English. Do these games have much tie to one another? Is there even a storyline to them, or is it more of a sim type of thing where you make your own story?
It’s complicated. They are mostly separate mini trilogies.
Games have many endings and are very hard, mostly because of time limits.
Atelier Sophie 2 is self-contained enough to be beginner-friendly. You’ll get more out of it if you’ve played Sophie 1, but you don’t need to.
Also, no time limits. It’s probably the most user-friendly and beginner-friendly Atelier game right now.
As for story… well, the “Mysterious” “trilogy” started with Sophie 1, than Firis, then Lydie & Suelle. Sophie 2 takes place between Sophie 1 and Firis, and it takes place in a different world (so to speak), so if you play it and want to see more of those characters and storylines, you can always play the other games later, though you’ll probably miss all the QoL changes in Sophie 2. ;)
No time limits?! Everything is wroooong, I tell you!!!
Sophie 1 hardly had any time limits either. I think Firis does, but Lydie & Suelle again doesn’t.
Kyosho
3300
So, if I want to get everything I can out of Atelier Sophie 2, I should play Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book DX first?
Technically yes, but as I said, you don’t have to. As mentioned, the story in Sophie 2 is pretty self-contained, and most characters are also entirely new. But you’ll appreciate some characters and moments and cameos more if you play Sophie 1 first.
It’s like Sophie 2 is Witcher 3. You’ll get more out of Witcher 3 if you’ve played 1 and 2, but you can play and enjoy it without having played the previous games at all.
Oh, i didn’t know that about the Witcher. Only played part of 1.
Considering you (lack of) knowledge of recent Atelier games, that checks out, timewise.
