Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey

Another year, another fantastic game in the Atelier series. Wonderful characters, an expansive story, a great big open world to explore… never once has it felt like this series has rested on its laurels. I see similar themes and callbacks to earlier games, of course, but fundamentally each Atelier series looks at what came before and builds something new and beautiful atop it – and Firis is no exception. I feel like I say it every year, but I honestly have no idea how they’re going to top this. And yet, I’m fairly confident that they’ll manage it somehow.

Atelier Firis: Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey is the first open-world Atelier game and it takes the fun battles and item creation modes from the previous titles and makes improvements and additions that make this the most impressive game in the series. Fans of the series will find this a triumph, and even those unacquainted will be impressed with this fun, strategic, and light-hearted adventure.

Atelier Firis tells a heartwarming story of a girl determined to forge her own path in life with the help of her sister and a few friends. Its open world is full of rewarding tasks to master and the battle system will put your alchemy abilities to the test. In the end, it may not be the best game in the series but it's definitely a wonderful start to take Atelier in an entirely new direction.

Overall, Firis is a solid entry into the long-running franchise that should appeal to previous players and newcomers.

Quotation forthcoming.

The developers of Atelier Firis tried to create a product that could satisfy both purists and new players. And they succeeded: even if it is a niche title, it's worth a look by the fans of the genre.

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is a good JRPG with solid gameplay mechanics and a very large world map that offers a lot of more content than the previous games did.

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is a solid and enjoyable JRPG that feels a bit too ambitious for its own good. The mechanics can sometimes feel overly bloated and overcrowded, and the graphics don't live up to the concepts. At its core, the alchemy is among some of the most fun in the franchise. It doesn't live up to the highs of the Dusk series, but Atelier Firis is still an enjoyable entry in the long-running franchise, and it's a very solid improvement on Sophie's strengths.

Atelier Firis: Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey represents the biggest step forward for the series in quite a long time, striking a very good balance between the typical time management of the series and an open world experience. Some design choices may not be the best, but there's quite a lot to like in this mysterious journey.

Aside from framerate issues and a lack of truly meaningful exploratory content, the series has never been more impressive from a technical perspective. Any fan of the Atelier games will be captivated with what’s in store, and newcomers may just find something to admire as well.

Despite its relatively flat cast, the game is a rather enjoyable experience that will feel well-rounded to fans of the series. The large map offers far more exploration opportunities than previous games did, which may help compensate for a pretty lackluster battle system. Smaller tweaks that combine older gameplay mechanics with some of the newer features from more recent titles like Atelier Sophie make Atelier Firis feel particularly special.

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is a good, classic JRPG with a simple but entertaining plot and an excellent art direction. Unfortunately, the graphics are quite outdated, but its still a great game and a nice turning point for the series, which both fans and newcomers will certainly enjoy.

While still keeping its staple formula alive by maintaining the aspects of material gathering, simplistic turn-based battles, and alchemy, Atelier Firis is further improved by tweaking them in ways that’ll invite newcomers with open arms while keeping returning fans happy. While visually the game is a little rough, the sheer amount of things you can do and hours you’ll subsequently expend is endless. Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is a light-hearted and enjoyable JRPG where you can put your alchemy skills to the test.

This title certainly takes an interesting new turn in the franchise, improving some of its shortcomings, but not all of them. Still, a very good RPG Atelier fans should try.

I admire Gust for delivering a product outside of their comfort zone. However, even though the open world is the most exciting new addition, it also tends to bring the most problems with it. Atelier Firis will surly impress fans of the franchise, but could feel dated to modern RPG fans.

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is the eighteenth chapter of the Atelier jRPG series, developed by Gust. The game features for the first time a vast open world, ten times larger than previous Atelier: Sophie, and even though there is a return to the controversial time limit, its implementation is definitely softer and it does not come as an issue. There are some minor problems on quest tracking and the graphics seems too old for the platform, but the game is eventually deep and satisfying for jRPG lovers. It is a good turn for the series but there are some lost chances here.

Atelier Firis tells a bright, fun tale in a somewhat restricted world.

Atelier Firis makes huge strides forward with its lively open world, but it also takes several steps backwards in other areas. Reintroducing the time limit forces you to play the game at breakneck speed, which means that much of the world is ignored until over 20 hours into the game. Once you break away from the time limit, however, you'll discover a brilliantly diverse world that you can get lost in for countless hours, where you'll be free to properly enjoy what is ultimately a solid, but neglected battle system.

Another fun JRPG from Gust not very innovative in any way but interesting enough for fans of the genre.

Atelier Firis is an ambitious entry in the long running series, with many new mechanics and a larger than ever world map to explore. Unfortunately, the inconsistent performance and a poorly implemented alchemy system hinder the overall experience greatly.

A new enjoyable installment in the Atelier series that sometimes makes you feel lost due to the sheer amount of new ideas you have to digest at once.

Atelier Firis shows us that the important thing is not the goal, but the journey to reach it. However, we do not have here a revolutionary game in any respect compared to its legacy.

While fans of the franchise and the new Mysterious series will undoubtedly appreciate this new entry, newcomers may find many of its elements too tedious. Atelier Firis is an undoubtedly good attempt at an Atelier game but may prove to be too niche for others.

I loved Atelier Firis. It features my favourite group of characters in an Atelier game, while the vast, open world environments add something unique over the rest of the series, with a huge amount of options and quests to explore. Unfortunately, it isn’t until you pass the time restricted first half of the game after dozens of hours of playtime that you’ll truly be able to appreciate any of this. Combining timed quests with free exploration is an interesting idea, but its flawed execution ruins leads to some awkward pacing. Atelier fans and curious newcomers will still have an amazing time, as long as you don’t let the intimidating timer put a damper on what should be a magical experience.

The clumsiest Atelier title since Rorona, Atelier Firis lacks the heart, soul, and polish of its predecessors.

Gust opened the world, but it still lacks a more interesting story and better visuals.

The latest addition to the Atelier series is a pleasant return for long term fans. The game has a good fighting system, but for newcomers the game might be quite difficult. Additionally, the time limit will not please everyone.

With some tuning of the initial time mechanic and a rework of the characters, Atelier Firis could have been the best the series has seen. Still, it can boast the best world the franchise has offered to explore, and that is saying something.

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey is a dull, flat story filled with insipid characters, delivered through thoroughly monotonous gameplay and dragged out over the course of an interminable amount of time. Steer clear of this trope-ridden snoozefest.