Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book

At the third try it finally clicked and I finished the game (well, almost - the final boss was too big a difficulty spike and after 5 hours of grinding and I still didn't do it I called it quits and finished via youtube). It's a good game. I enjoyed the character writing a lot - there isn't much story writing. The crafting system starts enjoyable, but at some points the hints for triggering the recipes become so obscure I was having to look up so much ♥♥♥♥ - some of which meant something completely different than the hint was, e.g. "work until exhausted" has nothing to do with working (AKA doing alchemy) but exhausting LP. Anyway, I liked the game, but it was frustrating at times. Also the run away command in battles is pretty much useless, you can spend 3 full turns trying to run away (if you survive that long as most of the time you run away there's a reason for it) and fail - thereby dying. Fortunately the penalty for dying is pretty low, but yeah.

Play DX

The game is fun, enjoyable with some lovable casts. although looking back the publisher greed has gotten much worse compare to when this was availble to be bought

Always a fan of the Atelier games.

This entry stays true to the core of the Atelier series, offering a familiar yet refined blend of material gathering, item crafting, and time management. It's easy to get absorbed in the alchemy system, which rewards experimentation and efficiency. While the pace is relaxed, the occasional difficulty spike in combat can catch you off guard. However, with smart item use and proper preparation, even tough battles become manageable. It's a thoughtful, well-paced experience that caters best to seasoned Atelier fans or players who appreciate a slower, more strategic RPG.

As someone who has played all the previous Atelier games, this is a new fresh take in my opinion! The synthesis system is more of a simple puzzle. The segment turn based combat is fun. The characters are really fleshed out with well written personalities and it fixes my gripe with the earlier games as it feels more relaxed as there isn't as much time pressure for deadlines. Definitely get the DX version!