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Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings

The twentieth year of the Atelier series also brings us its nineteenth game, Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings.
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings Game Cover
77%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, optimization
90% User Score Based on 109 reviews
Critic Score 75%Based on 25 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPCPlaystation 4WindowsPlayStationPlaystation Vita
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings Game Cover

About

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is a single player role playing game with fantasy and business themes. It was developed by KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. and was released on March 27, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings" is the 19th game in the Atelier series, and the final entry in the Mysterious trilogy. This instalment follows the story of twins Lydie and Suelle Marlen, who discover a mysterious painting that leads them to a world full of rare materials for alchemy. Their goal is to run the best atelier in the country, using their alchemist skills and the resources from the painted world.

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90%
Audience ScoreBased on 109 reviews
story20 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions

  • Atelier Lydie & Suelle features a charming story with emotional depth, tying up the Mysterious trilogy beautifully and providing satisfying character development.
  • The alchemy and crafting systems have been improved, offering a more engaging and enjoyable experience compared to previous titles in the series.
  • The game boasts a vibrant art style, catchy soundtrack, and a delightful cast of characters, making it a relaxing and fun JRPG experience.
  • The game lacks an English voice option, which may deter some players who prefer dubbed content.
  • There are performance issues, including frame rate drops and a lack of fast travel options, which can hinder the overall gameplay experience.
  • Some players feel that the DLC pricing is excessive and that certain mechanics, like the alchemy system, have become overly convoluted.
  • story
    74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Atelier Lydie & Suelle" is a heartfelt and engaging conclusion to the mysterious trilogy, featuring returning characters and emotional arcs that resonate with fans. While it offers a mix of lighthearted moments and deeper themes of grief, some players found the narrative pacing uneven, with certain chapters feeling disconnected or filler-like. Overall, the game is praised for its character development and nostalgic callbacks, making it a rewarding experience for those familiar with the series.

    • “The story is far more sad than the other mysterious games, but it is also a great conclusion to the mysterious trilogy as this game ties up all loose ends.”
    • “The story follows twin sisters trying to rank up their atelier to become the best in the country and then getting involved in exploring a mysterious painting.”
    • “Overall, the story is fantastic; they have a way of making weak characters feel impactful.”
    • “The story is rather weak; instead of one main storyline, you are introduced to chapters, but most are just fillers with no significant meaning.”
    • “This really dragged because most continuous chapters aren't event connected to each other; it's like it's its own story for every 2-4 chapters.”
    • “However, they purposely toned down a lot of seriousness in the new mysterious series (according to the developer) in story, character, and even game mechanics.”
  • gameplay
    33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its streamlined mechanics and enjoyable crafting and exploration elements, while others criticize the convoluted alchemy system and the abundance of dialogue that can slow down the experience. Overall, it offers a relaxing and fun JRPG experience, with improvements noted over previous titles, though some players feel it lacks depth in certain areas. The introduction of new mechanics, such as battle mix and DLC features, adds variety but may not satisfy all fans of the series.

    • “This game streamlines most of the gameplay mechanics from the previous mysterious games, making it far easier and more fun.”
    • “The battle mix mechanic, a sort of simple mid-battle synthesis that augments existing items or uses materials to create impromptu items, works swimmingly.”
    • “Relaxing gameplay and fun storytelling.”
    • “The alchemy and gathering mechanics are not that advanced at all.”
    • “I can't say a lot about battle mechanics, different from previous installments, but I don't think it is better than Firis.”
    • “Now be forewarned that there is not really that much gameplay; there are a lot of side interactions that basically encompass the whole game. Sometimes there is just so much dialogue that I start feeling sleepy.”
  • music
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received high praise, with many players highlighting its catchy and memorable soundtracks that enhance the overall experience. While the majority of tracks are well-received, some users noted a few repetitive elements, particularly during combat. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and enjoyment.

    • “Love this game so much and the soundtrack is so nice <3”
    • “Instantly after starting the game, you're greeted by cheery music which will accompany you throughout the game.”
    • “The only OST I actually disliked was the one at the end of the game, where you can fight Sophie to grind certain endgame traits.”
    • “Think of it like you buy a bunch of OST discs and have a game slapped on the box set; that way the money/cost is there.”
    • “Honestly, I bump to the music while I am gathering and fighting monsters; sometimes I revisit places just for the music.”
  • graphics
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are widely praised for their beauty and charm, featuring a vibrant art style, lovable characters, and improved animation quality, particularly during cut-scenes. While some players note a slightly low-tech feel and limitations in graphics settings, the overall visual experience is considered enjoyable and fitting for the game's aesthetic. However, performance issues on lower-end systems have been reported, affecting frame rates and graphical fidelity.

    • “Graphically, the game looks beautiful.”
    • “Graphics and animation quality have received a significant improvement.”
    • “With opulent costumes, lovable characters, a pleasant soundtrack, and gorgeous environments, it offers refreshingly low-impact and enjoyable grinding/crafting/dungeon-crawling gameplay.”
    • “It's true the graphics are slightly better than its predecessor, but they also ditched the large open-world maps for smaller ones.”
    • “Also, you can't adjust the graphics settings, so I wonder how a consumer-grade PC would perform in this.”
    • “This game requires the same minimum requirements as Atelier Sophie, and while my Atelier Sophie runs at 60fps, this one runs at 10fps and you can't even change the graphics.”
  • humor
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features a delightful blend of humor, with many scenes showcasing the comedic challenges of adulthood and a cheerful tone that surpasses its predecessors. While it may not reach the comedic heights of previous titles like Lulua, it offers plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, particularly through its charming characters and comical visual effects. Overall, players appreciate the lightheartedness and humor that enhance the gaming experience.

    • “There are several scenes in the game with them dealing with adulthood, with sometimes hilarious results.”
    • “The graphics engine is now able to render some comical visual effects during cut-scenes which is quite satisfying and hilarious as well.”
    • “I just love those 'ahah!' moments every time I see a character event and start laughing like a maniac.”
  • emotional
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Atelier Lydie & Suelle is praised for its heartwarming story and strong character development, creating deep emotional connections with the main characters, particularly through the twins' familial journey. Reviewers highlight the game's touching narrative and satisfying closure to the "Mysterious" series, noting its ability to evoke genuine emotions despite some criticisms regarding pricing. Overall, the game successfully blends a slice-of-life atmosphere with meaningful emotional arcs.

    • “Atelier Lydie & Suelle has a heartwarming story with decent character development, combined with a deep and polished alchemy system.”
    • “Not only that, but Atelier Lydie & Suelle personally made me very emotionally attached to the main characters, more than the other Atelier games from the 'Mysterious' series.”
    • “The game still amuses me even though it's overpriced; I must say I'm satisfied with the storyline from the first series to the last. It is enjoyable, intriguing, and touching.”
  • grinding
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while the new end-game area, Claudel Prairie, offers enjoyable farming quests and low-impact gameplay, some feel it is excessively grindy compared to previous titles like Firis and Sophie. However, improvements such as the secret bag and increased basket size help alleviate some of the tedium, complemented by the game's charming aesthetics and engaging soundtrack.

    • “This game's too grindy compared to Firis and Sophie.”
    • “However, the secret bag and increasing the basket size has always been part of the mechanics to improve gameplay and make the game less tedious.”
    • “Fixes a lot of tedious alchemy mechanics in Firis and, in normal Gust fashion, it has amazing music and cute girls doing alchemy and other cute things.”
  • optimization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it features several tweaks and improvements, many users report it as a poorly optimized port, particularly given its high price. Despite performance issues on some platforms, others have experienced smooth gameplay, especially with the crafting system and combat mechanics.

    • “The game also has quite a number of tweaks and optimizations.”
    • “I previously acquired the PC version of this game from a source outside of Steam, and there were no performance issues.”
    • “I know it is a poorly optimized port and it is expensive as hell, but I much prefer the crafting system here, and the combination arts let me truly enjoy the combat (but I wish we were given the choice to skip the combination arts' animation though...), and the characters... oh the characters...”
    • “Which is weird, because I had previously acquired the PC version of this game from a source outside of Steam, and there were no performance issues.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Atelier Lydie & Suelle features heartwarming storytelling and solid character development, marking a satisfying conclusion to the Atelier series. The characters are well-designed and their growth is complemented by a deep and polished alchemy system.

    • “Atelier Lydie & Suelle has a heartwarming story with decent character development, combined with a deep and polished alchemy system.”
    • “Great character development as the end of the mysterious series for Atelier.”
    • “Excellent character design.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game demonstrates solid stability, with users reporting smooth performance and successful adjustments for 21:9 aspect ratios. However, some minor bugs have been noted, particularly in the Hageru-san shop.

    • “The game runs great for me, and with a simple edit of the ini file, 21:9 works just fine.”
    • “I haven't experienced any crashes or major bugs; the stability is impressive.”
    • “The performance is smooth, and I can play for hours without any issues.”
    • “The Hageru-san shop is a little buggy.”
    • “I frequently encounter crashes during gameplay, which disrupts the experience.”
    • “The game has a lot of stability issues, causing lag and unexpected shutdowns.”
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Frequently Asked Questions

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is a role playing game with fantasy and business themes.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Windows and others.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings was released on March 27, 2018.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings was developed by KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD..

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is a single player game.

Similar games include Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland, Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book, Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout, Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy and others.