Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack
Koei Tecmo Games
JRPGs
PlayStation 4
Over the last few years, Koei Tecmo has been bundling older Atelier games to make them more accessible. The latest trilogy to get this treatment is the Mysterious trilogy, which includes the DX versions of Atelier Sophie, Atelier Firis, and Atelier Lydie & Suelle. Each game comes with new content that was previously only DLC.
Atelier Sophie DX
Atelier Sophie is a favorite in the series. The game features a cute world with bright colors and wonderful characters. Sophie, the series protagonist, finds a peculiar talking book named Plachta that has lost her memories. From here, Sophie and Plachta adventure out to find the memories and make a few friends along the way.
The game has a cozy aesthetic, as it avoids the big stakes that most JRPGs stumble into. It’s a relaxing coming of age story that also features solid combat and alchemy mechanics. The DX version includes tons of outfits, tracks to listen to, some items, and a new storyline for Sophie. The new storyline is cute and gives players an extra look at the protagonist as she continues to learn alchemy.
Atelier Firis DX
Atelier Firis features a few new ideas for the series, including a big open world and a new crafting mechanic. The game puts less emphasis on the smaller stories and trades it for a grand adventure. Firis meets tons of familiar faces on her journey as she tries to learn enough to take an exam at the end of the year. The story is still grounded, but everything feels grander in Atelier Firis.
Those who are looking for more to do will be delighted with Atelier Firis DX’s content. New enemy encounters, vehicles, and quests are the highlights of this one. Of course, there are also costumes and tracks for players to enjoy as well.
Atelier Lydie and Suelle DX
Atlier Lydie and Suelle has two protagonists. These twins sisters have dreams of running the best atelier in the nation. Players will get to explore worlds inside of paintings as they help the sisters defeat monsters, learn new stuff, and chase their dreams. This entry has a blend of open-world and smaller locales, making it a nice hybrid of the two games that came before it.
The DX version features the opportunity to explore a painting of the world with Nelke, a character from another Atelier game. There are also costumes, music, and a few other extras in this game as well.
The Bundle
All three games in the bundle feature lush worlds, cozy gameplay, and tons of content. The battle system is fairly simple in all three games. While the combat is enjoyable, it’s not what makes these games special. The crafting and alchemy systems are what’s really rewarding. There is plenty of room for experimentation, and the combat mostly only serves as a vehicle for players to see the cool stuff they made. It’s all simple but feels rewarding when players finally get to use something they have been working for.
The performance of each game is significantly improved, and I didn’t run into too many technical hiccups throughout my time with this trilogy. Atelier Sophie shows its age graphically, but all three games still look fine at worst. The improvements and additions to the games might not be enough to warrant buying these games again. For someone who has never gotten to experience this trilogy, this a wonderful set of RPGs that will likely give the player over 100 hours of gameplay.
At the end of the day, this is a bundle of games that just feel good to play. They aren’t revolutionary, but all three games have cute stories that are a nice break from the hustle of modern games.
