Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings

The map aside, this is yet another great title in the Atelier series. The stakes are high, the characters are likeable, and the gameplay is as good as it’s ever been. Every year I approach the newest Atelier game with a little trepidation – will this be the year they screw it up? Will the streak finally end? But for at least one more year, the answer is no. Gust has again delivered another fantastic JRPG that does the series proud.

As someone who's played every game in the trilogy, I must say that Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings ties it all together in a masterful way. I'm excited to see what Gust has in store for their next trilogy of delightful adventures.

Being the third and final installment on the "Mysterious" trilogy, this game offers a title which takes the best from the recent games and mix it with some features from the "Arland" trilogy, making a game which improves in graphic, playability and content.

There’s a charming story and intricate systems that help make it one of the best entries to date. I can’t think of a better way to help celebrate 20 years of this long-running series.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings has allowed me to rediscover why I fell in love with the series in the first place. And though I did find the lack of characters and inconsistent translation frustrating, just about everything else blew me away.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is the kind of game that’s best played when one just wants to sit back and relax for a while. Its lack of urgency combined with its liberal use of bright colors, upbeat musical tones and exceedingly optimistic characters make for an experience that can’t help but inspire a faint smile.

This game is true to the Atelier series, and while including plenty of fan service, the game makes sure that newcomers have an idea of what's going on. While it lacks in many departments, the great finale of the trilogy more than makes up for it.

Here's wishing that the next episode will reintroduce the open-world component.

While it lacks the visual depth of a modern day PS4 game, it definitely fills that void with beautiful art and gameplay that deserves more respect than I had originally given it. It is one of the most charming and easy going JRPG games this console generation has seen, and I will certainly be crafting cute items for days to come.

Old fans of the series will most likely enjoy this entry just as much as the previous ones and any newcomers will be able to pick this up quite quickly and will have a good understanding of what the series is about.

Those looking for style and substance will only find the former in abundance, but there’s just enough of the latter to keep Lydie and Suelle’s adventure interesting enough to explore deeper.

This new adventure doesn't bring new changes. It's still fun and enjoyable, but the combat and exploration need to be revisited.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is an enjoyable romp with a charming world, an interesting alchemy system, and plenty of content.

Not the best entry in the popular Gust JRPG franchise but a good one indeed.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle is a lovely relaxing turn based RPG that suffers from some aspects that make it feel rushed but still a welcome improvement from Firis that nearly killed the franchise for me.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is a serviceable entry in the long-running JRPG series by Gust, offering an experience that's surely entertaining, but not as good as Atelier Firis. Additionally, the lack of any real innovation in both story and gameplay departments translates into a very predictable game.

Atelier Lydie and Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings succeeds in important ways, but a lack of polish really takes away from an otherwise great experience.

Despite lacking the variety of previous Atelier games, Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings has a happy charm that makes it hard to put down.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle fits right in with the franchise’s tendency towards quiet, solid competence — and, it should be added, it looks much better than it ever has on the Vita. Personally, though, it has me certain that wherever the series goes next, I’m only going to follow it if I can play it on a handheld.

A novel, thematic conceit is the most interesting element of this repetitive experience; the rest is weighed down by crybaby characters and vague, unsatisfying gameplay objectives. Atelier is overdue for a revamp.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is a role-playing videogame developed by Gust, with a turn based combat system. It does not introduce many innovations to the series, but is nicely inspired by classics in a nostalgic and vintage way.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle isn't as innovative as its predecessors, but that doesn’t mean you should write it off entirely - it tells a charming and captivating story that ends up being the best tale in the whole Mysterious trilogy. There are plenty of enchanting areas to explore as well, and as always, there's a deep alchemy system for you to master.