Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey

Turn-based combat, world exploring and puzzle-like crafting mechanics make for relaxing and fun gameplay in this slice of life RPG. Regardless of some shortcomings, fans of the series will enjoy traveling with Firis.

87%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

graphics, optimization

87% User Score Based on 174 reviews

Critic Score 76%Based on 7 reviews

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About

In Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey, follow the journey of Firis Mistlud, a young alchemist with the ability to synthesize any item. After a chance encounter with a traveling alchemist, Firis leaves her hometown to pursue her dreams and become a certified alchemist. Explore vast landscapes, meet new characters, and solve puzzles in this charming RPG.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey screenshot

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 174 reviews

story16 positive mentions

graphics5 negative mentions

Atelier Firis offers a charming and expansive open world, allowing for extensive exploration and a sense of adventure.
The alchemy system is engaging and rewarding, with a variety of items to craft and strategies to employ in battles.
The characters are cute and well-developed, with enjoyable interactions and multiple endings that enhance replayability.

The game suffers from performance issues, including frame rate drops and graphical glitches, particularly in dense areas.
The time limit in the first half of the game can create unnecessary stress, making it difficult for players to enjoy the exploration aspect.
Inventory management can be cumbersome due to limited space, requiring frequent trips to merchants to offload items.

story
85 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
78%
4%
The story in "Atelier Firis" is generally described as light and simple, focusing on the protagonist's journey of self-discovery and relationships rather than an epic narrative. While the main plot is short and somewhat lacks depth, it allows for extensive exploration and character-driven side quests, each with their own arcs and endings. Players appreciate the relaxing atmosphere and the ability to engage with a variety of characters, though some find the quest descriptions unclear and the main story progression lacking compared to other entries in the series.
- “The storyline is simple in a refreshing manner because it allows you to appreciate the relationships in the story instead of minimizing the relationships, like many games that prioritize speeding to the end game.”
- “Atelier Firis is a story about finding your own way in life, discovering who – and what, exactly you are – and helping those you meet along the way do the same.”
- “This is where the story (and game) really open up, as each companion has their own story arc and ending and many named NPCs have their own side plots.”
- “However, after Firis clears the trial, the plot literally becomes 'find the plot.' Don't get me wrong, I love some companion characters and side quests, but compared to, say, the Arland or Dusk trilogies, it felt like the plot shrugged and decided to play hide and seek.”
- “The story of the game won't be too exciting if you want a strong plot-driven narrative, but if you can grow attached to the characters, it can still be engaging.”
- “The main story is quite short, and you are supposed to keep playing.”
gameplay
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
79%
8%
The gameplay in Atelier Firis is characterized by a blend of familiar mechanics from previous titles, such as crafting and exploration, while introducing new elements like item mastery and a more open-world experience. Players appreciate the variety and challenge, though some find the stamina system and certain mechanics frustrating. Overall, the game maintains a relaxing atmosphere typical of the Atelier series, appealing to fans of the genre despite some criticisms regarding pacing and complexity.
- “I never get bored and never feel the game is grindy like other RPGs just because there is variety to the gameplay.”
- “From a gameplay standpoint, Atelier Firis is an open-world game that encourages exploring each part of the large maps.”
- “Smaller tweaks that combine older gameplay mechanics with some of the newer features from more recent titles like Atelier Sophie make Atelier Firis feel particularly special.”
- “On top of that, there's no 'register' mechanic (duplicate items) in this game, making it even more annoying.”
- “It also added unnecessary alchemy mechanics where you need to craft an item multiple times to improve your synthesis, which wasn't really extremely fun.”
- “Some gameplay choices are pretty stupid.”
graphics
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
72%
17%
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated and technically poor, with many users noting that it struggles to run smoothly even on high-spec PCs. While some appreciate the charming visuals and details, others criticize the lack of graphical settings and the high system requirements that do not align with the simplistic graphics. Overall, the consensus is that the game falls short in delivering a visually impressive experience, especially compared to its PS4 counterpart.
- “The graphics are delightful and lend to the overall optimistic and positive perspective seen throughout the game.”
- “Filled to the brim with details, wonderful music, beautiful visuals and interesting characters, looking at an excited firis, backpack ready to go, lantern ready to explore, always makes me smile.”
- “The graphics are anime-chic, and definitely won’t wow you, but don’t let you down either.”
- “A 2016 game with graphics like this should be able to run on a potato.”
- “The graphics of this game aren't very complex at all, therefore shouldn't be this demanding.”
- “I decided to lean to the negative side because the graphics do not justify the high requirements for this game.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
41%
11%
The music in "Atelier Firis" is generally praised for its pleasant and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the uniqueness of each location within the game. While some players find the soundtrack enjoyable and fitting for the series, others note that it lacks standout tracks compared to previous titles like "Atelier Sophie." The ability to customize the in-game music by incorporating tracks from other games in the series is a notable feature that adds to the overall experience.
- “The songs gave a very lovely atmosphere to the scenery and made you feel like every place in the game was unique compared to each other.”
- “Filled to the brim with details, wonderful music, beautiful visuals and interesting characters, looking at an excited Firis, backpack ready to go, lantern ready to explore, always makes me smile.”
- “Perhaps most enjoyable is the music, and again this game allows you to use music from other titles in the Atelier family in place of the defaults.”
- “Despite that and although I would recommend Atelier Lydie over this, I would still recommend this game to Atelier fans if it is on sale to enjoy interacting with the characters, the music, the alchemy, and the battle system.”
- “The music has its usual Atelier charm, the voice acting is decent, and the combat system is basically alright.”
- “Need more songs with voice though.”
optimization
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
65%
18%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly in dense forest areas and during adverse weather conditions. While some users with higher-end systems experience smooth gameplay, others on lower-end machines struggle, indicating that Koei Tecmo needs to address these optimization shortcomings. A workaround for NVIDIA users has been suggested, but many recommend waiting for further updates to improve performance.
- “But Koei Tecmo definitely needs to fix the optimization in this game; it's horrid, but not unplayable.”
- “Performance is good except in forested areas, which can cut the FPS in half if it's raining or foggy.”
- “The game actually runs smoothly on my old PC (AMD Phenom II X4 955 from 2009, GeForce 650 Ti).”
- “This game is clearly not optimized.”
- “But, Koei Tecmo definitely needs to fix the optimization in this game; it's horrid, but not unplayable.”
- “Like usual, Koei, this port is not optimized.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have mixed feelings about grinding in the game; while some appreciate the variety that keeps it engaging, others find certain aspects, like the recipe-grinding system and lack of fast travel, tedious. The game encourages exploration over repetitive grinding, but some still feel that late-game grinding can become excessive and frustrating, particularly when facing higher-level enemies. Overall, while there are anti-grinding measures in place, the experience can still feel grindy for some players.
- “I really disliked the fact that you did not have fast travel until the end of the game, and the grinding could take longer than you anticipated.”
- “That recipe-grinding system is awful, though.”
- “Sometimes, the characters blatantly tell you to just go exploring, and believe me, you will need to, since you need to get that grinding in.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing minor visual glitches and bugs that do not significantly impact gameplay, while others report more severe issues that can render the game unplayable. Overall, while some users enjoy the experience despite occasional problems, others express frustration over game-breaking bugs and poor performance.
- “Sometimes buggy, that shadow glitch is annoying but not game-breaking.”
- “There are some glitches.”
- “They will deliberately make sure there are game-breaking bugs, or otherwise make it unable to be playable due to graphical glitches making the game unbearable, and do so well after the two-hour mark so you cannot refund.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally engaging, highlighting its wholesome character endings and feel-good narrative, particularly in the context of yuri themes. However, some express that the timer adds a sense of rush that detracts from the overall experience. Despite this, the emotional depth and sweetness of the story resonate strongly with many players.
- “The different character endings were very wholesome, and I enjoyed them a lot.”
- “The game is still fun, the characters are nice, and you are getting a lovely, gooey-sweet wholesome story for that feel-good experience.”
- “This game is actually pretty wholesome.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a lovely and unique musical score that enhances the scenery, creating a distinct feel for each location. While the graphics and gameplay may not be top-tier, the puzzle-like elements and the overall happy, relaxing vibe resonate well with fans of the Atelier series.
- “The songs created a lovely atmosphere that made every location in the game feel unique.”
- “While it may not excel in graphics or gameplay, the puzzle-like atmosphere of creating multiple items is enjoyable.”
- “A happy atmosphere and relaxing gameplay are the defining aspects of the Atelier series, in my opinion.”
- “It is not the best game graphically nor gameplay-wise, but if you like the puzzle-like atmosphere of creating multiple items, you might enjoy this.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is criticized for being minimal, with many important characters lacking sufficient screen time to showcase their personalities. This results in a shallow understanding of the characters, despite their unique designs and animations.
- “Not much character development or scenes to show who the characters are, and there are too many 'important' (non-typical NPC) characters that aren't really given much screen time.”
- “Character design and animations are lacking.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users highlight the game's endless replay value, indicating that it offers numerous opportunities for players to return and experience new challenges or outcomes.
- “This game offers endless replay value, keeping me engaged for hours on end.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes ensures that every playthrough feels fresh and exciting.”
- “With multiple paths and secrets to discover, I find myself coming back to this game time and time again.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is highlighted by clever and unexpected jokes, such as the amusing take on "partial controller support," which resonates well with players. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch that enhances the gaming experience.
- “The humor in this game is top-notch; I found myself laughing out loud at the clever dialogue.”
- “The witty puns and hilarious character interactions kept me entertained throughout my playthrough.”
- “I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously, making every moment feel light-hearted and fun.”