Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 39 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 39
  3. Negative: 10 out of 39
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  1. tomvs123
    Nov 25, 2018
    3
    Short review: The character and world writing fall well below the bar set by previous Atelier games.

    Long review: I play Atelier games for their good writing. And by good, I mean a diverse cast of characters, all with their own traits, goals, and issues who all make sense within their well fleshed out world. This is the first Atelier game that doesn't have that. Atelier Lydie &    Short review: The character and world writing fall well below the bar set by previous Atelier games.

    Long review:

    I play Atelier games for their good writing. And by good, I mean a diverse cast of characters, all with their own traits, goals, and issues who all make sense within their well fleshed out world.

    This is the first Atelier game that doesn't have that. Atelier Lydie & Suelle is the low-effort cute/comedy Atelier that appears to be trying to appeal to the waifu or moe croud while offering nothing in terms of intelligence.

    I was initially worried about this game based on the protagonist character designs. And my worries were unfortunately warranted. The protagonists are dressed as fancy clowns, and they stay dressed that way through the entire game (no clothes changes like the last two games). The clothes make no sense in their world. No one else is dressed like a clown. Most other characters in the game and all protagonists from the prior games are dressed relatively normally, with a few bits of flare here and there, depending on their profession. The protagonists clothes make even less sense since they're supposed to be very poor. In fact, everything in the game indicates that they're the poorest people in the city, so how are they wearing and maintaining such fancy clothes? There is a story reason for their clothes, but like most other story points in the game, it's very weak.

    The amount of unbelievable things in the story increase from there. There's not much good unless you want nothing but comedy.

    Returning characters from the previous games are mostly one-dimensional comic relief. Liane is no longer a strong mercenary who loves her sister. Now she's a straight-up sister stalker who has no value in the story at all besides telling everyone how cute her sister is - to an absurd and unbelievable level.

    Firis, the well-fleshed-out protagonist from the previous game has been reduced to being a travel addict. Now she only talks about traveling or comically eating meat.

    Plachta and her rival are mostly ignored. Their histories could have been very interesting in this story, but we get very little of that. But they have plenty of comedy...

    The game is suspiciously devoid of masculinity. The most masculine man in the game (ignoring Hagel) is a pretty boy prince who is constantly berated by the other characters for wanting to find a girlfriend. And he fails at this constantly, which doesn't make sense, especially given his position. The much-more feminine male gets all of the girls, and why? For comedy's sake.

    All of the above would have been acceptable if the protagonists were well-written. But they're not. They've got the most generic goal of having the best atelier in the kingdom because their mother told them to. And they don't have any real hardships with reaching that goal. The game gives the impression that because of they're cute, things are easy for them and everyone wants to help them.

    In previous Atelier games, the protagonist has a goal and has to work hard to reach it: physically, within society, and within hard rules. And sometimes they don't even reach them. Their stories had the theme that hard work results in good things. They didn't progress through society simply by being cute. But not this game. Almost nothing is portrayed as being hard, there is almost no society to work within, since everyone you interact with is comic relief, and the tasks that you must meet are arbitrary and have very little meaning in relation to the world. You're just going through the paces, doing meaningless work, and everything that you want is coming true. Not because any real effort, but because you're cute. It's disturbing to me how much "cute" is mentioned in this game. Is this what all young girls should strive for, instead of hard work? And if you're not cute, are you worthless?

    The gameplay and crafting is about what you'd expect, although there's pluses and minuses here and there. Overall it seems not as good as previous entries, but my dislike of the story might by coloring my opinion.

    How gameplay is intertwined with the story is another big issue. Your main goal is to raise your atelier's reputation as ordered by the kingdom (who consists of one person, apparently - did I mention that this game has almost no world building?) . You raise your reputation not by doing work for society, but by picking up items, using certain attacks, crafting items with specific traits, and watching comedy cut scenes. There's almost no interaction between you and the city population, which is what would make sense if you were trying to increase your reputation. No other previous Atelier game had this big of a disconnect between the gameplay and story.

    So this isn't the game for people looking for intelligent writing. But you might still like it if you like the traditional Atelier combat/crafting or if you're looking for a new moe waifu.    … Expand
  2. Natashaxb
    Apr 2, 2018
    7
    I was excited for this game to come out, and decided to buy it on the switch instead of the usual PS4 version like the preceding games. I was disappointed at the graphics quality on the switch. The graphics are kinda blurry when you play using the portable feature of the switch, and it kinda made me sad. I hoped it would be awesome since other games available on the switch, for exampleI was excited for this game to come out, and decided to buy it on the switch instead of the usual PS4 version like the preceding games. I was disappointed at the graphics quality on the switch. The graphics are kinda blurry when you play using the portable feature of the switch, and it kinda made me sad. I hoped it would be awesome since other games available on the switch, for example Kirby Star Allies, have really good graphics even in portable mode. I recommend this game if you liked the preceding games of this series, but I recommend you buy it on PS4 if you want to fully enjoy the graphics and game experience.… Expand
  3. 17_jrpg
    Mar 27, 2018
    9
    Now that Atelier Lydie & Suelle is finally released, I'll share my review for Mysterious series (Atelier Sophie, Atelier Firis and Atelier Lydie & Suelle).

    Each game in the Mysterious series have their goal: in Atelier Sophie you must restore the book's memories and its former human form, in Atelier Firis you must pass the alchemist certification exam in one year so you can become a    Now that Atelier Lydie & Suelle is finally released, I'll share my review for Mysterious series (Atelier Sophie, Atelier Firis and Atelier Lydie & Suelle).

    Each game in the Mysterious series have their goal: in Atelier Sophie you must restore the book's memories and its former human form, in Atelier Firis you must pass the alchemist certification exam in one year so you can become a full fledged alchemist and earn the right to keep exploring the world indefinitely, and in Atelier Lydie & Suelle you must explore the worlds within paintings and raise the Atelier Rank in order to have the best atelier in the kingdom. To achieve goals, you have to do certain tasks, and you solve these tasks with alchemy (this is the core of all Atelier games).

    The core system of alchemy is the same in all Atelier games: you need a recipe and ingredients to make a new item. To get a new recipe you have to buy, earn or find them, at least that's how was in previous games. In the Mysterious series they presented a new way to get a recipes: now you can get an idea for new recipes through various types of activities such as fighting, meeting characters, gathering material, and the act of synthesis itself. This new way to get a recipes is interesting, and actually gives the feeling that the protagonists learns alchemy. Also, the synthesis system has been changed in the Mysterious series, and this new system is a bit harder for reason because you have to solve the puzzle so you can get the better effects on the items. In previous games it was easier, for example in the Arland series you can get a different effects based on the quality of the items (better quality, better effect), or in the Dusk series you can get a different effects based on element level (higher level, better effect). In each game of the Mysterious series, they add some new elements to the synthesis system to improve it (for example Catalyst system and Enhancing Agent). Maybe the new synthesis system is a bit harder, but it adds the challenge and the ability to experiment with the items. If you want to make a better item, then you need to find the best ingredient. Each ingredient is of different quality and contains different traits. To find the best ingredients then you have to explore the world and fight different monsters.

    The battle system through the Mysterious series also has changed a lot (just like in the Dusk series). In Atelier Sophie they put a traditional turn-based battle system with support system (four characters in battle). In Atelier Firis they put a battle system which is a combination of battle systems from Atelier (support system and Chain Burst) and Ar Tonelico (three vanguarts in the front and alchemist in the back). In Atelier Lydie & Suelle they put a new battle system which is known as Collaboration Battles. In battle there are three pairs (six characters in battle), and in each pair, one takes the role of the main attacker, while their partner provides the support. Also, in battle you can use a special command to synthesize items (similar to Atelier Iris). This new battle system is much better than battle systems in Atelier Sophie and Atelier Firis, because it is faster and more active.

    In the end I can conclude that from Atelier Sophie to Atelier Lydie & Suelle, certain aspects of gameplay are improving. In order to gain a full experience of the Mysterious series, I recommend that you first play Atelier Sophie and Atelier Firis (in case you didn't), then Atelier Lydie & Suelle. I have rated all three games in the Mysterious series with 9 out of 10 because I like them all, they have a very interesting story and gameplay. I can say that the Mysterious series is one of the best in the Atelier series. Also, I gave a score of 9 out of 10 because there is still a place to improve the Atelier games, so I hope the next series will be even better.    … Expand
  4. BlahCultural
    Mar 28, 2018
    9
    Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings é um título que eu já aguardava há muito tempo. O sucesso da franquia é tamanho que agora ela já tem praticamente diversos títulos em seu total. Particularmente, sou fascinado por J-RPG's e todos aqui sabem disso, mas será que este aqui vale seu rico dinheirinho como dizia o Tio Patinhas?

    Atelier Lydie & Suelle marca o    Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings é um título que eu já aguardava há muito tempo. O sucesso da franquia é tamanho que agora ela já tem praticamente diversos títulos em seu total. Particularmente, sou fascinado por J-RPG's e todos aqui sabem disso, mas será que este aqui vale seu rico dinheirinho como dizia o Tio Patinhas?

    Atelier Lydie & Suelle marca o retorno da saga após quase um ano do lançamento de Atelier Firis. Em Lydie e Suelen temos nossas duas protagonistas inicialmente em uma floresta em busca de alguns itens para trabalhar em sua alquimia. Com foco em entregar os itens solicitados por alguns aldeões em seu vilarejo, somos introduzidos a uma breve narrativa - e ao mesmo tempo tutorial - para coleta de itens. As duas irmãs conseguem alguns itens que eram necessários para criar os itens solicitados. De volta ao atelier de seu pai, recebemos mais algumas funções de tutorial a serem seguidas como poder dormir, descansar e ir até o caldeirão e aprender alquimia. Enquanto não devem descansar, também somos apresentados a como salvar o jogo, que apenas será necessário se aproximar da cômoda do quarto delas. Além de podermos realizar o save, nesta mesma cômoda, podemos trocar a trilha de fundo e também alternar entre as protagonistas. Dada essas opções, logo a seguir, temos de ir para o caldeirão e criar tudo aquilo que nos foi solicitado. Há um breve tutorial de como criar os itens. Podemos criar itens de cura, de ataque e defesa, mas também tinta de pintar. Tudo que inicialmente somos ensinados a fazer são os Healing Pads. Uma espécie de biscoito que mais parece Clube Social e podemos usar em nossa jornada para curar nossas garotinhas.

    Tudo aqui é baseado em magia e, apesar de nossas encantadoras personagens inicialmente não terem praticamente poder algum, após esses acontecimentos somos apresentados a um outro tutorial que ensina alguns golpes. Ele são específicos para uma determinada área do mapa chamado de “Outskirts Map”, uma espécie de sub-mapa de vilarejos dentro da cidadela onde estamos. Lá temos de coletar alguns itens específicos simplesmente por também haver uma certa rixa entre os atelieres da cidade. Há uma competição entre eles para aumentar seus rankings e precisamos coletar itens essenciais para fazer uma alquimia melhor. No decorrer da jornada, vamos aprendendo a como deixar melhor nosso sistema de alquimia e também relações interpessoais. Não há um sistema de amizade nem nada próximo disto, mas sabemos que, de certa forma, as pessoas do vilarejo verão nossas gêmeas com outros olhos caso elas venham a ter um melhor desempenho ao criar itens através da alquimia.

    Os comandos para ataque e defesa são bem básicos e há muitas cutscenes. Somos apresentados a diversos personagens que possuem ataques diferenciados. Uma das protagonistas está de posse de uma pistola que visualmente parece um “três oitão”, enquanto outra desfere golpes e magias através de um bastão. Na verdade, tirando a parte de lutas, o restante do game é quase um graphic novel, ao menos no início de nossa jornada. Para que haja uma experiência ainda mais gostosa, em aproximadamente 20 horas de gameplay, quase metade deste tempo foi gasta com cenas e diálogos que até entretêm e que, por vezes, eram demasiadamente longos. O que há de combate real são lutas contra monstros e algumas missões provindas de certas pinturas. Os cenários mudam totalmente e cada pintura é um novo mapa a ser descoberto. Também há como receber algumas missões provindas de NPC’s espalhados nos mapas e consequentemente teremos acesso a algumas habilidades após encontrarmos algumas misteriosas pinturas. Exemplo disto é quando fomos tragados pelo quadro que está no sótão da casa delas e que o pai as proíbe de ter acesso. Lá coletamos itens diversos que não existem em nossa ‘realidade’. O combate é praticamente todo feito por turnos e sua única opção de bater em algo sem que seja dessa forma será para quebrar uma rocha ou fazer com que frutos caiam da árvore ao tocá-la com seu cajado. Há alguns puzzles a serem resolvidos e boa parte deles são simples. Não há muita mufa a ser queimada, enquanto outros jogos do gênero passam longe de terem quebra-cabeças.

    Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings conseguirá arrancar suspiros dos mais apaixonados pelo gênero e mesmo de quem não conheça a história dessas franquia. Certamente qualquer jogador ficará surpreso em tudo que o jogo lhe proporcionará, em uma experiência que pode durar cerca de 30 horas se você fizer tudo direitinho e vasculhar todo o jogo desde NPC’s até mesmo resolver certos puzzles mais complexos. Uma linda aula de alquimia e magia o aguarda.    … Expand
  5. Inuhanyou
    Mar 27, 2018
    10
    I have not played an Atelier game since Escha and Logy, but i have to say this one was really great. It feels like Gust are really reaching toward the penultimate combination of slice of life elements and chemical crafting and traditional turn based RPG combat. And the art style has really survived the transition from last gen to current gen.

    I just hope some day Koei Tecmo gives Gust    I have not played an Atelier game since Escha and Logy, but i have to say this one was really great. It feels like Gust are really reaching toward the penultimate combination of slice of life elements and chemical crafting and traditional turn based RPG combat. And the art style has really survived the transition from last gen to current gen.

    I just hope some day Koei Tecmo gives Gust more of a budget to really expand their formula to even greater heights    … Expand
  6. TeamKazato
    Apr 24, 2018
    8
    Das Letzte Game der Mysterious Trillogy. Gut aber mit Mängeln, insbesondere verglichen mit dem Vorgänger Atelier Firis.
    Das Level Limit im moment ist 50 wird mit patches wohl noch auf 99/100 erhöht werden aber im moment ist 50 das Maximum welches ich schon lange vor dem Finalen Boss erreicht hatte.
    Die Gegner sind für Lvl 50 EXTREM unausgeglichen einige Große Gegner sind selbst mit dem    Das Letzte Game der Mysterious Trillogy. Gut aber mit Mängeln, insbesondere verglichen mit dem Vorgänger Atelier Firis.
    Das Level Limit im moment ist 50 wird mit patches wohl noch auf 99/100 erhöht werden aber im moment ist 50 das Maximum welches ich schon lange vor dem Finalen Boss erreicht hatte.
    Die Gegner sind für Lvl 50 EXTREM unausgeglichen einige Große Gegner sind selbst mit dem Endgame Equipment einfach nur lächerlich hart. Man kann Palmyra in diesem Game wieder bekämpfen aber sie hat hier mit Lvl 50 schon 12000+ HP, mal ganz zu schweigen von der Crimson Goddess welche einfach eine Attacke nach der anderen machen kann, teilweise mehr als 5 oder sogar 8 hintereinander was SEHR STARK an "Order Break" in Omega Quintet schon erinnert und dieses war das absolut schlimmste.
    Die ganzen Coolen Super Moves die es in Atelier Firis gab? Weg, ersetzt mit Kombinations Attacken welche kaum bis gar kein ersatz für die Super Moves sind. Ach ja das Team ist im Kampf auf 3 Mitglieder beschränkt was den Kampf sogar noch schwerer macht vergleichen mit Atelier Firis wo man 4 hatte.
    So nun die Guten Punkte:
    Fast alle alten Charaktere von Atelier Firis sind hier wieder vertreten. Ilmeria welche die Lehrerin von unseren beiden Hauptcharakteren ist, Firis, Sophie, Plachta, Kornelia, Pamela, Drossel, Fritz, und ich glaub sogar der Schmied aus Atelier Meruru? korrigiert mich wenn ich falsch liege.
    Ilmeria sticht SEHR hervor als der beste Character in dem Game bei WEITEM.
    Ilmeria ist hier 19, sprich 4 Jahre älter als in Atelier Firis und man merkt es nicht nur an ihrem Aussehen, sondern auch an Ihrer veränderten Personalität aber sie hat noch Ihre alten Komplexe von früher was gut ist!
    Die Musik ist recht gut gelungen auch wenn die Musik nie wieder an das Meisterwerk welches Atelier Meruru war rankommen wird.
    2 Wunderschöne Tracks sind hier enthalten der Flower Garden und in dem Zeit Gemälde.
    Story ist ganz Gut, es geht um Lydie und Suelle welche den besten Atelier im gesamten Königreich aufstellen wollen und müssen diverse Tests durchlaufen um ihren Rank zu erhöhen. Mehr will ich dazu nicht sagen aus Spoiler Gründen.
    Die Spielbaren Charaktere sind Lydie, Suelle, Firis, Sophie, Mathias und Alt.
    Jap das ist richtig kein Ilmeria oder Plachta.
    Ilmeria wird wenn wir es wie es in der Japanischen Version so war bekommen, als DLC Kaufbar sein aber wann weis niemand.
    Wird wahrscheinlich 7-10€ extra kosten. Plachta ist nicht verfügbar aus Gründen die ich nicht Spoilern will, kann aber sagen es ist was tolles!
    Das Craft System wurde nochmal ein ganzes Stück verbessert und man kann jetzt schon zu beginn richtig Gute Sachen craften wenn man weis was zu tun ist, denn das Craft System ist so komplex wie immer.
    Die Kampffelder in den Gemälden haben Feldeffekte welche z. b. 50% mehr Schaden auf Skills gibt.
    Die LP die es bei Erkundungen in Atelier Firis Gab? Die sind weg und das ist auch gut so.
    Man kann jetzt sogar von jeder Map und Dungeon jederzeit zurück ins Atelier gehen, was Erkunden eine Ecke einfacher macht.
    Bei Cornelia kann man später immer seine verbrauchten Items auffüllen was zwar schön und gut ist, aber SEHR kosten spielig werden wird, insbesondere mit sehr gut ge-crafteten Items, Die Figur aus Atelier Firis war da um längen besser.
    Und genauso wie in Atelier Firis kann man die BGM Packs der alten Atelier Spiele runterladen und jegliche Tracks mit denen ersetzen im Spiel was etwas ist das ich absolut geliebt habe in Atelier Firis!
    Mein Tipp für dieses Spiel? Kauft es euch in 2 Monaten wenn alle Updates draussen sind, dann wird das Spiel nochmal eine ganze Ecke angenehmer werden und vielleicht sogar billiger!

    Meine Meinung zu diesem Atelier?
    7.5/10 Punkten, Gut, Durchschnittliches Atelier Game welches Viel Spaß macht aber auch seine Frustmomente hat; Gründe siehe oben.

    Ich erwarte etwas mehr beim nächsten Atelier Game wann auch immer das sein wird!
    Aber vieleicht bin Ich auch zu sehr verwöhnt mit Atelier Firis und Atelier Meruru.    … Expand
  7. the_ed_85
    Mar 27, 2018
    3
    My wife and I played this game for a few hours and I can't say that this game was worth the $100 that we paid to get the collector's edition. The packaging was nice, with the well-done art book, the pins, fabric poster, audio CD, and collectible box, but the packaging can't make up for a very lacking game. After playing through Atelier Sophie and Firis, I had very high hopes Lydie andMy wife and I played this game for a few hours and I can't say that this game was worth the $100 that we paid to get the collector's edition. The packaging was nice, with the well-done art book, the pins, fabric poster, audio CD, and collectible box, but the packaging can't make up for a very lacking game. After playing through Atelier Sophie and Firis, I had very high hopes Lydie and Suelle. Unfortunately, those hopes took a giant belly flop into a giant pool of burning lava.

    The first thing that you notice is that the game lacks a very badly needed English dub. Hearing the characters sound like idiots saying "barrel, barrel" whenever you investigated one was a comedic and entertaining way to break the usual very grindy-feeling gameplay of alchemy games. In Sophie and later in Firis, I would go and gather materials for a few hours and then go and see a barrel just for a quick laugh and refresher from the gathering. I know it sounds stupid and it really is, but it was a classic quality that this game doesn't have. The lack of an English dub is not only a letdown, it’s flat out painful. The Japanese voice actors that Gust used are so bad that I would rather take a motorized cheese grater to my ears than hear their voices. These actresses make the Japanese actress for Taokaka in Blazblue seem like a goddess.

    The next thing that I noticed is that the graphics engine breaks the character models. There’s nothing like seeing your character slide in from the right or left and say “hold on, I left my boob over there” and then having it snap back into place like a rubber band. While this is amusing for first few times it happens, it is most definitely a base system of the game not working properly. Honestly, how did the game get through QA testing with such an obvious problem?

    After getting through the obvious graphics problems that the game has, we come to the soundtrack. The songs available in the beginning of the game are flat out bad. There’s no sugar coating it, because the infectious pus that it excretes would make it dissolve away. The DLC soundtrack that you get for preordering the game only includes songs from Atelier Firis. It does not include any of the truly awesome songs that come from earlier games. This is a massive setback for this game since the default soundtrack is not good to listen to.

    Overall, I honestly can’t recommend people buying this game right now. There are just to many things that the game misses on and great packaging does not fix a bad game, the collector’s edition is a whopping $100 that really is not worth it. If I had known that this game would come out this way, I wouldn’t have bought it at all.    … Expand
  8. OneManCast
    Apr 30, 2021
    10
    Contrary to tomvs123, I do not see it like that. Atelier Lydie and Sue is an incredible experience, with phenomenal OST music, great setpieces and arguably one of the best alchemy systems in the series. It tackled many themes. Loss, how to cope with it, as well as other aspects. So yeah no, its a great game and doesn't insult one's intelligence. This game is easily one of the better gamesContrary to tomvs123, I do not see it like that. Atelier Lydie and Sue is an incredible experience, with phenomenal OST music, great setpieces and arguably one of the best alchemy systems in the series. It tackled many themes. Loss, how to cope with it, as well as other aspects. So yeah no, its a great game and doesn't insult one's intelligence. This game is easily one of the better games out there. Get this one over the Ryza duology.… Expand
  9. hairyarmpit
    Feb 9, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. very good, I used it as a tile, but I prefer Mario kart because its a minecraft copyright… Expand

Awards & Rankings

54
#54 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Gaming Age
    May 25, 2018
    67
    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.
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  2. GameCritics
    May 14, 2018
    90
    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.
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  3. Eurogamer Italy
    Apr 23, 2018
    60
    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.
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