Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
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  1. Digitally Downloaded
    Mar 7, 2017
    100
    These are really minor complaints, though, when stacked against the fact that Atelier Firis took me back to the innocence and joy in those Arland games that got me interested in the series in the first place. Most importantly, given that this is the first time that he’s helmed the creative side of an Atelier title, Shinichi Yoshiike has proven himself to be a confident and safe pair of hands to shape the series into the future. As such, I expect that this series will continue to remain my favourite among the more traditional JRPG franchises out there.
  2. GameCritics
    Jan 25, 2018
    90
    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.
  3. GamingTrend
    Mar 7, 2017
    90
    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.
  5. Video Chums
    Mar 8, 2017
    85
    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.
  6. Digital Chumps
    Mar 8, 2017
    83
    Overall, Firis is a solid entry into the long-running franchise that should appeal to previous players and newcomers.
  7. Everyeye.it
    Mar 10, 2017
    82
    Quotation forthcoming.
  8. SpazioGames
    Mar 17, 2017
    80
    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.
  9. Multiplayer.it
    Mar 14, 2017
    80
    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.
  10. Worth Playing
    Mar 13, 2017
    80
    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.
  11. Wccftech
    Mar 7, 2017
    80
    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.
  12. RPG Site
    Mar 7, 2017
    80
    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.
  13. Twinfinite
    Mar 7, 2017
    80
    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.
  14. IGN Italia
    Mar 14, 2017
    79
    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.
  15. COGconnected
    Mar 7, 2017
    78
    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.
  16. Vandal
    Mar 7, 2017
    77
    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.
  17. DualShockers
    Mar 7, 2017
    75
    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.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 54 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 54
  3. Negative: 13 out of 54
  1. Misheki
    Oct 7, 2017
    9
    Its my first Atelier game but i'm absolutely loving it, the graphics while not the best in the world are still quite appealing to my eyes andIts my first Atelier game but i'm absolutely loving it, the graphics while not the best in the world are still quite appealing to my eyes and the game play is enjoyable. All though the Combat system is a bit Robust its still very enjoyable to fight monsters and gather the resources for what I feel is the main thing of this game Alchemy. Its very well done and the way you make new items through Alchemy is well worked out and fits with the theme of the game.

    The time limit is a bit annoying in the beginning as you feel like you have to rush to the end but later on after your first recommendation you get the feeling you can take it a lot slower and in my case I started to enjoy the game a lot more. I haven't completed it yet but I'm about 10-20 hours in and I'm having a lot of fun!

    Pros:
    - Alchemy is well worked out
    - The open World setting is a plus to me
    - The Characters are quite funny
    - The story is a change of pace from the 'Oh god the world is going to explode!' kind of theme

    Cons:
    - The characters can be quite flat at times
    - The Time Limit system is a bit of a hassle
    - It takes a bit to get out of the tutorial area and could have be done quicker in my opinion.    … Full Review »
  2. Dubeau
    Aug 9, 2017
    6
    About 20 hours into the game. I really love the alchemy part. Making things is really fun and exploring too. Combat has a turn base mechanicAbout 20 hours into the game. I really love the alchemy part. Making things is really fun and exploring too. Combat has a turn base mechanic and is well done. I don't dislike it but it could have been a bit more strategic. The levelling doesn't offer any choices. The story seems conventional but not too bad. The music is ok but the voice overs for the main characters are absolutely atrocious. As far as female voices go, they couldn't choose a more hysterical manner to do it. This game isn't that bad and quite addictive once you get pass the underground area. I give it a 75% and hopefully they could do better in some aspect of the next game.

    Update: After you get pass the lake sequence the game becomes much more harder, and require dull grinding. Missions, synthesis and combat becomes really boring. And there is so much backtracking in certain areas. The humour is getting a bit better but otherwise I totally lost interest in the repetitive aspects of the game. I am downgrading this to 60%. Game uninstall before the ending.    … Full Review »
  3. tomvs123
    Jan 5, 2018
    8
    This is another great Atelier game and fans of the previous games should definitely pick it up.

    For a quick introduction, the Atelier games    This is another great Atelier game and fans of the previous games should definitely pick it up.

    For a quick introduction, the Atelier games are about daily alchemist life. The best parts of these games are the alchemy (crafting system) and character interactions while going about your daily work. Atelier games have no definite end, no ultimate bad guy, and no epic story line, so these games aren't for everyone.

    Each new game gets a new set of characters and minor changes to the gameplay and crafting. Although Firis gives a surprise with a huge change to gameplay: it has turned into a semi open-world game. This game gives you an entire world map to explore (with loading screens between zones) with random NPCs peppered throughout.

    The primary goal for Firis is to go on a journey to take and pass an alchemy exam. It is a little more involved than it sounds, but is definitely not enough to fill out the whole game. You'll spend the rest of your time doing odd jobs (quests) for people you meet on your way and completing the storylines of the other characters who can join your party.

    There is a time limit (deadline) for reaching your destination and passing the exam, but it is easily attainable within the time limit. It's a good idea to spend time exploring and meeting new people on your way. If you don't complete their quests and storylines before you take your exam, that's no problem. You can continue them afterwards when there's no time limit.

    In my case, I spent most of my time with the game after I passed the exam. There's no time counter, but I estimate I spent 20 hours before passing the exam and 40 hours completing events and crafting after the exam.

    The game premise reminded me of Atelier Ayesha in that you had one main quest (of saving Ayesha's sister), and then the rest of the game sort of fell flat with uninteresting side quests. Firis doesn't have this problem and all events and quests outside of your exam are interesting enough to keep the game going. Although like all Atelier games, things sort of fizzle out when you run out of quests and events to partake in.

    All of the characters are well acted (Japanese voices) and well written when compared to other JRPGs and are entirely believable within their world. Although, being about the daily lives of these characters (and nothing epic) helps everything be more grounded and believable.

    There's a few reappearing characters from Atelier Sophie (the previous game), and I recommend that you play it first, although it's not required.

    As for the crafting (alchemy), it's still the best crafting system I've used in any game, but it's very similar to the previous games (with So if you got your fill of it already in one of the other PS3 or PS4 installments, you won't find much new here.

    And like Atelier Sophie, obtaining most everything and seeing most events is relatively easy and doesn't require a guide like some of the older games in the series or other low-budget JRPGs.

    When you complete the game, you get a music player, picture viewer, and audio comments from the Japanese cast. It's a shame that there's no subtitles for these. A model viewer would have been nice, too.

    I did encounter a few minor bugs, which is rare for an Atelier game. Some gathering spots are inaccessible or accessible only when your character is at a certain angle. There's a few issues with flashing/missing textures and clipping of NPC objects. Fishing sometimes results in a victory animation, but no fish. And in some cases, you can alter the landscape, but if you go into a cutscene, it shows the old landscape. None of these caused any major issues, though they did break my immersion slightly.    … Full Review »
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