Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey

Atelier Firis makes huge strides forward with its lively open world, but it also takes several steps backwards in other areas. Reintroducing the time limit forces you to play the game at breakneck speed, which means that much of the world is ignored until over 20 hours into the game. Once you break away from the time limit, however, you'll discover a brilliantly diverse world that you can get lost in for countless hours, where you'll be free to properly enjoy what is ultimately a solid, but neglected battle system.

Gust's most ambitious game to date may have a few flaws, but is definitely an effort worth commending.

The clumsiest Atelier title since Rorona, Atelier Firis lacks the heart, soul, and polish of its predecessors.

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is a title that engenders quite a bit of well-deserved criticism.

No matter how I try, these reviews of Atelier games always end up being long….so if you read all the way through, then thank you for sticking with me. Atelier Firis: the Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey ticks all the boxes of a great coming of age story with good synthesis and turn-based battles. This game has a great sense of exploration in this open-world and makes for interesting and extended gameplay. The prologue is too long (3 hours!) and Firis is a bit of an airhead, but overall: I like it a lot

We certainly liked a lot of the changes made to this new PS4 entry in the series. Right from the start, it feels more open and accessible for everyone especially for those new to the franchise. The mobile Atelier is a very nice feature, and it makes tasks seem less like fetch quests. We also had more fun with the game's battle system as it feels more refined. Playing it on the big screen on PS4 or on the go on the PS Vita felt great, so you'll be able to play either at home or on the go thanks to the game's cross-save features

Atelier Firis isn’t a good game and the characters are very uninteresting. This game falls flat compared to past Atelier games.

Overall, Atelier Firis is probably one— if not the most ambitious— entries into the franchise. Following Firis through her journey and seeing how excited she gets is a great reminder that games like these are amazing. The character interaction, battles, and alchemy all mesh together to create a story about a cute girl that seriously wanted some fresh air.

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is the latest in Gust's Atelier series and quite honestly one of the best so far. Set after Atelier Sophie, join both the new and old protagonists Firis and Sophie through a wonderful and open-conceived alchemic journey.

Atelier Firis is a fun and charming Japanese RPG with an alchemy twist that works quite well with its open-world approach. Admittedly, the combat system is a tad underwhelming and I didn't feel a bond with most of my party members. The key cast members are quite likable though and the game's engaging item creation system make this worth checking out if you enjoy more cozy JRPGs.