Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book DX

I love the game story but the grind is endless and doesn't stop also you need crazy amount of materials and steps just to make decent gear.

Atelier Sophie is really fun. The game has a lot of charming characters and a great, chill vibe. While the story is a bit basic, what you really play Atelier Sophie for is the wonderful character interactions and the incredibly addictive Synthesis mechanics. However, there are a few design flaws that might frustrate you or even turn you off. Consider these informational warnings before you dive in: [h1]1. No Auto-Saves & Crashing[/h1] The game can crash, and there are absolutely no auto-saves (which is wild for a DX release). I got my first crash after 15 hours, and it crashed about 3 or 4 times across my 70-hour playthrough. [b]Tip:[/b] Save your game every single time you head back to the atelier, and never interact with the cauldron until after you've saved. [h1]2. Tedious Character Event Tracking[/h1] I wish the mini-map had (!) icons next to character faces when they had new dialogue. You have to constantly run around and talk to everybody, every single weekend, just to progress the supporting cast's sub-stories. It gets pretty annoying and tedious. [h1]3. Highly Unbalanced Combat[/h1] It is not uncommon to get into fights way above your capability where enemies deal mass…

it was good but the story was short... spent most of the time gathering materials and synthesis...so many possibilities to craft something and it's brain-racking, 7/10 story, 10/10 synthesis

Absolutely great game and my favorite out of the Atelier Series I played so far (Arland and Secret series). The alchemy here is the best from the series as well and Sophie is a great protagonist. Obviously being a older game shows from some UI and game design but still a great game to recommend for fans who are starting this series. Would definitely play Sophie 2 as well.

A fun game. A little grindy. But I enjoy the fact I can put something on my second monitor and play this game without having to be overly engaged. That might sound like the game is not fun but that is furthest from the truth. It is fun and I enjoy the alchemy and for me unlocking all the different recipes was a lot of fun. But be aware its an older game with some of the growing paints. I am excited to try Sophia 2 and see the advancements.

The third Atelier game I've completed and the only one so far I unlocked 100% achievements on. I wouldn't say it's a perfect game. There's some pacing issues, a few minor bugs, the graphics obviously aren't going to amaze anyone. But it's a damn fun game that's suitable for just about anyone with an interest in JRPGs, from veterans to people new to the genre. Charming characters, shockingly good music, a fun low-stakes story, and of course an extremely in-depth and intricate crafting system. I'd recommend this as a solid entry point for anyone interested in Atelier (mine was Rorona and I can see how many modern players wouldn't like it).