Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings Reviews
Overall, Atelier Lydie & Suelle is a very niche game that fans of the series will no doubt enjoy. I’m sure if you give it time and are willing to fork over the hefty price tag, newcomers will find some quaint enjoyment in it too. It’s ambitious for its budget which I appreciate, even if it doesn’t come out looking the best. Aside from that and the poor frame rate, the production is great with music and direction. The story is what you will be here for and if you’re into the cutesy anime style of the dialogue then you’ll definitely be in for a warm, delightful, fuzzy time as you go with the sisters on their journey to be the best in the Kingdom. I definitely did.
Atelier Lydie and Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings readily enchants with a charming story and some fantastical worlds to explore. But, while the game’s greatest strength lies in the depths of its alchemy system, Gust has failed to have thrown enough new ingredients into their murky cauldron to innovate on the experience as much as has been seen in what came before. What we’re left with is a rather average concoction.
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is a great new addition to the Atelier franchise – it takes on board the issues the previous games had and corrects them with small tweaks here and there. It's a shame the open world has been removed, but I personally don't feel that has reduced the charm and delight the game delivers – especially if you liked Atelier Sophie, as Lydie and Suelle works very similarly. This is a great game for both newcomers and fans of the franchise with its ease of use and user-friendly mechanics, if you're a fan of JRPGs then you have no excuse not to try this game out.
The game system in Atelier Lydie & Suelle is solid, combat is great and the soundtrack is nice, but we could have expected more from a title marking the 20th anniversary of the series.