Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey Reviews

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is ranked in the 63rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2017

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is a solid and enjoyable JRPG that feels a bit too ambitious for its own good. The mechanics can sometimes feel overly bloated and overcrowded, and the graphics don't live up to the concepts. At its core, the alchemy is among some of the most fun in the franchise. It doesn't live up to the highs of the Dusk series, but Atelier Firis is still an enjoyable entry in the long-running franchise, and it's a very solid improvement on Sophie's strengths.

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NEOsite
aysnel
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Mar 12, 2017

Atelier series finally gets vast open world. Unfortunately, adventures of young alchemist Firis are bland and makes the weakest link of the whole series.

Review in Polish | Read full review

8.2 / 10.0
Mar 10, 2017

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is the new episode of the famous franchise. This chapter improves all the features of the prequel and reintroduces the time limit to complete the main plot.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8 / 10
Mar 9, 2017

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is bigger and better than its predecessor and shows a promising future for the series.

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8.5 / 10.0
Mar 8, 2017

Atelier Firis tells a heartwarming story of a girl determined to forge her own path in life with the help of her sister and a few friends.

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7 / 10.0
Mar 7, 2017

I’m not sure if Atelier Firis will be the entry that introduces new players to the franchise. Its strengths are found in its charm, as well as in the adventure and concocting new items to play with. I can’t penalize a title too much for clearly not having a high budget, but there are some definite areas that need improved upon. For what it's worth, it's easy to lose track of your time when playing the game, but it's just overshadowed by the many stronger titles that are launching in the same quarter.

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4 / 5.0
Mar 7, 2017

Despite its relatively flat cast, the game is a rather enjoyable experience that will feel well-rounded to fans of the series. The large map offers far more exploration opportunities than previous games did, which may help compensate for a pretty lackluster battle system.

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7 / 10.0
Mar 7, 2017

If you're one to pull through the time limit concept of the first half, you will certainly enjoy a distinct experience later on.

Review in Arabic | Read full review

65%
Mar 7, 2017

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

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7 / 10
Mar 7, 2017

Atelier Firis shows us that the important thing is not the goal, but the journey to reach it. However, we do not have a revolutionary game in any respect compared to its legacy.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Mar 7, 2017

Most importantly, given that this is the first time that he's helmed the creative side of an Atelier title, Shinichi Yoshiike has proven himself to be a confident and safe pair of hands to shape the series into the future. As such, I expect that this series will continue to remain my favourite among the more traditional JRPG franchises out there.

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90 / 100
Mar 7, 2017

Atelier Firis: Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey is the first open-world Atelier game and it takes the fun battles and item creation modes from the previous titles and makes improvements and additions that make this the most impressive game in the series. Fans of the series will find this a triumph, and even those unacquainted will be impressed with this fun, strategic, and light-hearted adventure.

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Cubed3
Top Critic
8 / 10
Mar 7, 2017

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is a fantastic addition to the franchise. The new world design, new visuals, and small tweaks to the many ingrained game systems make this the definitive Atelier experience. With a tremendous lifespan, consisting of a plethora of side-quests, a long main storyline, and a long, long list of items to synthesise, it should more than live up to many players' expectations. It's thoroughly recommended to fans and first-timers, alike, although be prepared to sit through a good 30-minute slog before the game begins to get going.

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Renan Fontes
Top Critic
7 / 10
Mar 7, 2017

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey's story isn't going to impress and combat will rarely, if ever, offer any semblance of a real challenge but Gust has tucked so much care into the overworld and crafting that the plot and action feels inconsequential most of the time, and the tense free narrative is a nice concept that can easily be realised fully in the next instalment. Firis is far from a perfect JRPG or high point for the franchise, but it's an admirable effort that shows that Gust still has a few tricks up its sleeves eighteen entries and twenty years in the game.

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7 / 10.0
Mar 7, 2017

Atelier Firis is able to pull off many of its elements pretty well while at the same time falling short in others. While some of the things the new title tried change or introduce were improvements from its predecessors, such as the new alchemy and partial time limit systems, others felt like a step back for the series, including its combat system and lackluster characters. While fans of the franchise and the new Mysterious series will undoubtedly appreciate this new entry, newcomers may find many of its elements too tedious. Atelier Firis is an undoubtedly good attempt at an Atelier game but may prove to be too niche for others.

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78 / 100
Mar 7, 2017

Atelier Firis is a light-hearted and enjoyable JRPG where you can put your alchemy skills to the test.

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Eric Zander
Top Critic
8.7 / 10.0
Mar 7, 2017

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey is a game that can be played and enjoyed by both fans of the series, newcomers, and even people who would otherwise not consider it. It may not be a complete return to form for the series, but It does a great job of mixing both modern and classic Atelier games. I believe that it ranks slightly higher than the last entry.

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7.5 / 10.0
Mar 7, 2017

I admire Gust for delivering a product outside of their comfort zone. However, even though the open world is the most exciting new addition, it also tends to bring the most problems with it. Atelier Firis will surly impress fans of the franchise, but could feel dated to modern RPG fans.

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4.5 / 5.0
Mar 7, 2017

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey provides a great example of how a game can provide an entirely fresh experience merely by shifting around the mechanics that it already had, as opposed to piling on new ones.

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7 / 10
Mar 7, 2017

I loved Atelier Firis. It features my favourite group of characters in an Atelier game, while the vast, open world environments add something unique over the rest of the series, with a huge amount of options and quests to explore. Unfortunately, it isn’t until you pass the time restricted first half of the game after dozens of hours of playtime that you’ll truly be able to appreciate any of this. Combining timed quests with free exploration is an interesting idea, but its flawed execution ruins leads to some awkward pacing. Atelier fans and curious newcomers will still have an amazing time, as long as you don’t let the intimidating timer put a damper on what should be a magical experience.

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