Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book Reviews

Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book is ranked in the 67th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7 / 10.0
Apr 11, 2017

Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book is a solid, yet not perfect, beginning of the new saga, sporting enjoyable characters, that sadly don't get the development they deserved, outside Sophie and Plachta, and interesting mechanics, such as the new alchemy system. Some of the new mechanics, such as the removal of the time limit, do create some pacing issues, but the development of the main characters' relationship is so good that it's easy to look past this issue. Just don't expect to play the best Atelier game ever released.

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8 / 10.0
Mar 17, 2017

Overall, Atelier Sophie is a great addition to the Atelier franchise. Despite the story being quite weak, the character interactions made up for that, especially between Sophie and Plachta. I’ll be looking forward to playing the sequel game Atelier Firis.

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8 / 10
Mar 3, 2017

Atelier Sophie's highly addictive game-play through its alchemy systems help mitigate the blow the game takes from its ultimately underwhelming storyline, especially for a JRPG. Nevertheless, Atelier Sophie is an enjoyable game for those looking for a JRPG with a focus more on crafting rather than story-line or combat.

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7.5 / 10.0
Feb 23, 2017

While some aspects may seem potentially annoying or daunting, such as the passage of time (and the fact no one has an open store at one in the morning) or the intricacies of the alchemy system, these aspects grew on me the more I kept playing. I learned to adjust my in-game schedule in order to view character events, and the alchemy system is something meant to start off as a looming presence that you slowly become familiar with. Overall, Atelier Sophie is a great addition to the series, and while it does have its flaws, does its best to try and overcome them. Although the PC port could run a lot smoother, the majority of the transition went well, and is still an enjoyable game to play.

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7 / 10
Feb 8, 2017

Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book isn’t anything groundbreaking, but any fan of the series can attest the Atelier games never set out to be – and it doesn’t matter.

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7 / 10
Feb 7, 2017

Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book gets off to an odd start, with its initially confusing crafting sessions and an extremely open-ended story. It does get easier as materials become easier to obtain and as the world opens up, but it's more freeform than the standard JRPG. Still, it has one of the most unique and engaging crafting systems out there, and it's exhilarating coming up with new combinations of items. It's definitely got a unique flavour, but it's charming and addictive all the same.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 9, 2016

Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book marks the franchise PlayStation 4 debut and one of the must play JRPGs on the system, despite its flaws.

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PS3Blog.net
the_nmac
93%
Jul 6, 2016

We found Sophie to be a great and relaxing, but challenging game. It ran great well on the Vita, maintaining solid visuals while at the same time providing a fun battle system and some challenging mechanics. On PlayStation 4 it runs like a charm and the visuals really pop on the large TV screen. Sure, it does not feature the deepest story of any RPG, but it is actually a nice break from the typical “save the world” story we are used to getting. If you are a fan of JRPG, then hopefully our Atelier Sophie ~The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book~ review has shown you why you should definitely give this one a try!

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8 / 10
Jun 24, 2016

Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book is now available for the PS4 and PS Vita. It was developed by Gust Co. and published by Koei Tecmo. This review covers the PS4 version of the game.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 24, 2016

Atelier Sophie has a target audience in mind here, and while it offers a compelling crafting with alchemy, the narrative lacks much intrigue to keep things moving.

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Gamers Heroes
Johnny Hurricane
Top Critic
8 / 10
Jun 23, 2016

Overall the Atelier Sophie is a good JRPG that is worth checking out if you are a fan of these kinds of games. If you can get over the fact you have to play a cutesy young woman, there is a good story, deep combat system and a great crafting system waiting for anyone who checks it out.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 23, 2016

Sophie is a fun game that is ultimately marred by a tedious advancement system, vague mission objectives, and the choice to downplay its battle system in favor of character interactions and dialogue. If it were to balance these elements better, Sophie would easily have been a much better game worthy, but as things stand we can only hope that the next game in the trilogy will bring more balance to Gust's trademark series.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jun 15, 2016

If the PlayStation 4 will continue to get priority from Gust I would like to see more attention spent on careful animation and getting away from the amateur-level animations and syncing that I see in Sophie. However, their writing remains top notch, their choice of seiyu and English voice actors remains some of the best in the industry, and their addictive blend of resource gathering, crafting, and more traditional JRPG goodness is masterful when it is at it's worst. Atelier Sophie: Alchemist of the Mysterious Book is a powerful entry into one of the best JRPG franchises to date.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 15, 2016

In conclusion, while the game has flaws most of which stem from a cluttering of systems being placed into the game. The immersive crafting experience and colorful characters still makes it an enjoyable experience. If the player doesn’t care much for combat and prefers a crafting experience Sophie will be a truly good title to have in one’s library.

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8.4 / 10.0
Jun 12, 2016

Atelier Sophie offers a fresh start for the franchise on the PS4 and for a new trilogy. Some design changes from previous entries made this one more enjoyable for me, so if you were on the fence before, give this entry a closer look.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2016

Even so, Atelier Sophie gets right the same things as many of its predecessors. It’s a charming, relaxing adventure with a new cast, strategic depth of combat, lovely visuals and a uniquely bright setting and atmosphere. It does almost nothing new, but it doesn’t have to because the fans don’t want it to. If you’ve played any of the recent series entries, you already know if you want this. If you’re a series fan, you probably already have it.

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ZTGD
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Jun 9, 2016

Gust’s first foray on the PS4 with their flagship Atelier title is a rousing success, and even though I lament the removal of the time limit mechanic from the series, it still proves one of the strongest entries the franchise has had to date, and one of the best RPGs available on the PS4.

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NZGamer
Top Critic
5.5 / 10.0
Jun 9, 2016

Atelier Sophie isn’t at its best when doing particularly anything. It may only appeal to an alcove of anime fans, being so jovial you can practically hear it wishing you a merry Christmas. The broad stroke of the content can be experienced with any other JRPG, and better so. But if the home-bound, alchemic twist appeals, you may have a game worth persisting for.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jun 9, 2016

All in all, Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book is a solid if unexceptional addition to the franchise. The new alchemy system is enjoyable, but the combat lags behind its predecessors. The focus on a more relaxed and lighthearted atmosphere than the Dusk games can be either a plus or a minus, depending on the player. At the end of the day, it's an enjoyable and relaxing game where you spend hours crafting the ultimate cake in order to fight a giant dragon, and if that appeals to you, Sophie fits the bill nicely.

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7.3 / 10.0
Jun 8, 2016

Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book isn't going to win any awards for best RPG of the year, but it's still a good time and gives you a couple dozen hours of enjoyable playtime.

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