Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist & The Mysterious Dream Reviews
Atelier old timers can once again feel at home, even if some important aspects are still lacking.
Atelier Sophie 2 is a lighthearted yet engaging experience that is well balanced. Sporting first-class character design, music, visuals and combat. There is potential to get lost in this dreamworld, with most of the grind being trimmed allowing the player to simply engage. It does have it's rough edges, but depending on your interpretation and expectations of the story. Not for the hard of heart, it's plain to see that the team behind Atelier has a deep love for their craft.
The upgraded alchemy system is the best fun part of Atelier Sophie 2. This game has innovated the classic turn-based combat mode in a unique way, and the improved encounter mode also makes me delighted. However, the story line is unremarkable, some items in the main story line are quite difficult to fabricate, some materials required for devising formulas are difficult to locate, and there are unreasonable aspects in the two-person alchemy system. All these issues will seriously undermine your experience in the game and preclude the game from being outstanding.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Atelier Sophie 2 is a game created with longtime fans of the series in mind, but it hasn't forgotten the lessons of the latest chapters and still shows the will to innovate its gameplay.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is yet another enjoyable game from Gust and Koei Tecmo. Even if you don’t get fully invested in the story, the adventuring alone is enough to keep you playing. A great alchemy system accompanies a fun battle system, all set in a world that’s a joy to explore – with a cast of characters that you’ll undoubtedly enjoy spending time with. If you’ve enjoyed Atelier games in the past, then you’ll love this one too.
Atelier Sophie 2: Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is an improvement on all aspects of its predecessor.
Getting sucked in on a new game isn’t saying much since anyone who knows me, knows I’ll get wrapped up in even a mediocre open world game. However, Atelier Sophie 2 is not that, far from it. Atelier Sophie 2 is a very well made and fun game, and has no shortage of best girls either.
I greatly appreciated Atelier Sophie 2 and it serves well as the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Atelier series. Like prior titles, Sophie 2 is a fun slice-of-life game where the stakes aren’t astronomically high, but the story is fun and the characters are lovable. It was great seeing Sophie and Plachta on yet another adventure, one that I would recommend to newcomers to the series and veterans alike.
While the overall package is lots of fun, it's not without a few issues. The lack of a truly driving story is by far Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream's weakest point. Furthermore, progression is in general just slow throughout, with endless backtracking. The simplified alchemy system is a mixed bag. It does little to stray from the formula and will be picked up by players exactly for that. It would be nice to see Gust take some risks and really step out with some new ideas rather than re-hashes of the same thing over and over.
ATELIER SOPHIE 2 is a hidden gem that didn't get enough attention during the crazy first quarter of this year, and it's not a game that pleases everybody, but it offers so much when you dig deep into it.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is a very by-the-numbers Atelier title, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's fun to play, has a strong cast, and is nicely polished. It doesn't try anything new or special, and it feels very much like a "safe" game. If you like Atelier titles, Atelier Sophie 2 is going to be a solid, if unexceptional, entry in your collection. It's an improvement on the original Sophie through and through, but it doesn't live up to other recent titles.
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is a masterpiece by Gust and the best game in the franchise so far. All elements work to perfection to deliver a rewarding experience. There's an amazing cast of characters, great story and the best combat, alchemy and exploration systems ever seen in the series.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Atelier Sophie's second-part game provided a smooth and simplified experience with a focus on material manufacturing without making any attempts to make any significant move in the series.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is the perfect way to celebrate 25 years of the franchise as it’s one of the best entries yet. The game has another interesting story as we get to join Sophie and a bunch of charming characters on an emotional journey. Furthermore, exploring and gathering materials is made more interesting by the new weather system, new layers to the battle system open up some fun possibilities and the crafting system is one of the most addictive yet. It was a surprise to go from Atelier Ryza 2 back to Atelier Sophie but it’s one that I’m very thankful the team sprung on us.
The game is a direct continuation of the title originally released a few years ago. Originally, I condemned this sequel to devour, but surprisingly it was he who devoured me. In any case, Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dreams is a nice treat for fans of the alchemical cycle, which should not be let out of your hands. Really great craftsmanship from the gentlemen of Gust.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Atelier Sophie 2 does not reinvent the wheel nor blow me away as far as RPGs go, but it did lull me into a peaceful, coma-like state of gratification. This game severely lacks intensity or high stakes and I think that's kind of the point. It's a warm bowl of soup when the weather outside is frightful.
Atelier Sophie 2, unsurprisingly for the newest installment at the time of writing, feels like one of the most refined, polished entries in the series to date. It gets underway quickly, it allows experienced players to get right into the meaty stuff without scaring new players away, its characters are likeable and interesting and its mechanics are solid. Plus it looks lovely, sounds great and is just generally satisfying to play. It’s a game that wants you to enjoy it — and it makes a point of placing minimal barriers in the way of that enjoyment, right from the moment you fire it up for the first time.
Atelier remains the comfort food of video games, and Atelier Sophie 2 is one of the more comforting snacks. With so many dense and complex games releasing around one another at the moment, having something that is light, warm, and good-natured is a nice release. I don't know if launching immediately after Elden Ring and Horizon, and immediately before Triangle Strategy works in Sophie's favour, but if you can resist making those comparisons, what you'll see here is one of the most refined and beautiful entries in this long-running and utterly wonderful JRPG mainstay. The game deserves better than to be compared like-for-like with these other titles, as it no doubt will be.
Even as a huge fan of the series, I'm still in disbelief how incredible of a game Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is. It's so jam-packed with outstanding gameplay and irresistible charm that it has single-handedly become the new gold standard for JRPGs.
Too much fan service to finish, at least for this guy.