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.
45%
Jun 4, 2017

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

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5.5 / 10.0
Mar 15, 2017

A decent opening devolves into a directionless wander. The repetitive nature of many of the game's tasks and situations mean that the real meat of the game is hidden under a lot of padding that demands a huge investment of time and will to uncover. Unless you're a hardcore fan of the laid-back crafting loop of the Atelier games, there are many more engaging RPG's out there.

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5.5 / 10.0
Mar 31, 2017

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey is a dull, flat story filled with insipid characters, delivered through thoroughly monotonous gameplay and dragged out over the course of an interminable amount of time. Steer clear of this trope-ridden snoozefest.

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6 / 10
Mar 16, 2017

Once Firis has passed the exam and the game drops the time limit, Atelier Firis turns into a pretty good JRPG with some deep crafting mechanics but a fairly lacklustre combat system. To get to this point, however, requires a fairly substantial time commitment.

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6 / 10.0
Mar 15, 2017

Atelier Feris: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is sometimes charming, but frequently feels a bit vapid in execution. The core of Alchemy is done well, but the things around it don’t hold up. I can praise it for telling a more personal journey, but not much else.

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3 / 5.0
Mar 14, 2017

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

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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

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 / 10.0
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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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

Mar 13, 2017

Atelier Firis is GUST's first try at an open world game and they do it decently, but the real draw lies in the game's complex alchemy system.

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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
Apr 10, 2017

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.

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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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ZTGD
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2017

Atelier Firis is an ambitious entry in the long running series, with many new mechanics and a larger than ever world map to explore. Unfortunately, the inconsistent performance and a poorly implemented alchemy system hinder the overall experience greatly.

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7 / 10
Mar 17, 2017

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.

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7 / 10.0
Mar 19, 2017

Atelier Firis tells a bright, fun tale in a somewhat restricted world.

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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

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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7.5 / 10.0
Apr 30, 2017

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.

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