Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream

93%
Game Brain Score Based on 394 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream Game Cover
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"Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream" is a sequel to the popular Atelier game series. Sophie, the protagonist, finds herself in a mysterious dream-like world where she reunites with old friends and meets new characters. With her alchemy skills, Sophie explores this strange world, solves puzzles, and uncovers the truth behind the mysterious dream, all while creating new paths and pursuing her passions.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 394 reviews
story61 positive mentions
optimization12 negative mentions
  • The game features an engaging and improved crafting system that is both fun and complex, allowing for deep customization of items.
  • Combat has been refined to be more dynamic, allowing all characters to participate actively, which enhances the overall gameplay experience.
  • The story is more substantial than previous titles, with well-developed characters and emotional moments that resonate with players.
  • The game suffers from performance issues, including stuttering and frame drops, particularly on PC, which can detract from the overall experience.
  • The weather-changing mechanic can feel tedious and unnecessary, requiring players to frequently backtrack and manage resources.
  • Some players may find the pacing slow, especially in the early game, with lengthy cutscenes and dialogue that can disrupt the flow of gameplay.
  • story252 mentions

    The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its emotional depth and character development, while others criticize it for being predictable and lacking substance. Many reviewers noted that while the narrative is engaging and features charming characters, it often feels secondary to gameplay mechanics like crafting and exploration. Overall, the story is seen as an improvement over previous titles in the series, but it still doesn't reach the heights of more complex RPG narratives.

    • “The story has much more depth, meaning, and emotion, and it kept me engaged all the time.”
    • “The main aspect that makes the story interesting is the characters; they are great, have good personality, and each of them has their own dreams they want to fulfill.”
    • “The story this time is actually not terrible. Not only is the writing better, but the plot is weaved in and out of the gameplay in a manner that doesn’t require it to all be dropped at the end to wrap up in the time remaining.”
    • “Which might have been okay, except that the story has some of the worst writing I've ever seen in any medium, ever, game or otherwise.”
    • “The story itself isn't super in-depth or complicated.”
    • “The plot is abrupt, and the second half didn't even make logical sense.”
  • gameplay137 mentions

    The gameplay in "Atelier Sophie 2" is praised for its depth and refinement, combining elements from previous titles while introducing new mechanics like the aura system and weather manipulation, which enhance exploration and combat. Players appreciate the return to a full turn-based combat system and the engaging crafting mechanics, although some criticize the repetitiveness and pacing issues. Overall, the game is seen as a solid evolution of the Atelier formula, offering a satisfying gameplay loop that balances crafting, exploration, and combat.

    • “Combat has gained a lot more depth, additional alchemy mechanics were added, and the synthesis is just pure fun, easily my favorite from all Atelier games I've played so far.”
    • “The gameplay feels like the ultimate evolution of the Atelier formula.”
    • “The gameplay loop is so great!”
    • “I have never played an Atelier game before this, but I surely will not play one again. This game is just another JRPG, I guess, with a shallow overworld, repetitive turn-based and crafting mechanics, and stereotypical anime characters.”
    • “The fetching materials and the grinding make this game very boring after a couple of hours, especially when you're more advanced into the game.”
    • “The major problem is the broken combat mechanic and shallow alchemy mechanic; I beat very hard mode using the same simple tactic, not even caring what bosses do.”
  • graphics70 mentions

    The graphics in the latest Atelier title have received mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant art style and character models as significant improvements over previous entries, particularly the original Sophie. However, some players noted issues such as jagged outlines, performance problems on certain hardware, and a lack of sharpness compared to other JRPGs. Overall, while the visuals are considered good for an Atelier game, there is a consensus that further optimization and refinement are needed.

    • “Compared to all Atelier series, this title is probably the second best in graphics, only beaten by Ryza 3 at the time I'm writing this.”
    • “The graphics and animations are really well done this time.”
    • “Everything in this game looks very lively and colorful; it's definitely a beautiful game driven by excellent design and art style.”
    • “Graphics don't look sharp; character outlines are jagged.”
    • “The thing that prevented me from enjoying Ryza, for example, is the graphics.”
    • “Performance could be better; it's a definite downgrade from Blue Reflection Tie and the Ryza games since those ran relatively flawlessly on my system, but isn't terrible since they actually have decent graphics settings to tweak (though the aliasing is particularly bad in this, and nothing I've tweaked has been able to mitigate it).”
  • music48 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and emotional resonance, maintaining the signature mellow piano feel characteristic of the Atelier series while also offering exciting battle themes. While some reviewers noted a lack of variety and considered the soundtrack not as strong as previous entries, the overall consensus is that the music enhances the game's atmosphere and complements its engaging gameplay and storytelling. Gust continues to deliver solid soundtracks, making the music a highlight for many players.

    • “Beautiful music and artwork.”
    • “The music and the overall buildup of each area are amazing to experience.”
    • “The soundtrack is really, really good.”
    • “Most of the time though, Atelier OSTs are usually forgettable.”
    • “The only actually disappointing part of the game is the soundtrack.”
    • “Secondary complaint is the total lack of musical variety.”
  • optimization32 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, particularly for the PC version, which suffers from frequent stuttering and frame drops, even on high-end hardware. While some players report better performance on consoles, many express frustration with the inconsistent framerate and the need for workarounds, such as using a controller. Despite the game's enjoyable content and visuals, the optimization issues detract from the overall experience, leading to a recommendation for potential players to wait for patches before diving in.

    • “Art direction and game performance were much improved from Ryza 2, a more expansive world, beautiful lighting, improved in-game cinematics, overall stable FPS (albeit there are some minor FPS drops in certain menus), and much less GPU-consuming.”
    • “Ryza 2's outdoor lighting turned my 3080 into a helicopter, but Sophie 2 is really optimized.”
    • “Conclusion: beautiful visuals, good performance (for a Koei Tecmo port), superb story, poor pacing and balancing, a revolutionary combat system, and a great soundtrack, all packed in what can be described as a definitive Atelier experience.”
    • “Even lowering the settings did not resolve the stuttering I experience every 1 or 2 seconds.”
    • “The performance is a train wreck.”
    • “The game itself is good but it's so poorly optimized for PC; I should have bought it on Switch.”
  • grinding30 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, especially as they progress further into the game. While some appreciate the freedom in crafting and the introduction of features like large gathering locations to reduce ingredient grinding, others criticize the need for excessive backtracking and the complexity of alchemy requirements. Overall, the grinding can detract from the enjoyment, although some players find it manageable with the option to speed up certain processes.

    • “Unfortunately, this game is not great... even for a fan, this game soon becomes very tedious.”
    • “The fetching materials and grinding makes this game, after a couple of hours (especially when you're more advanced into the game), very boring.”
    • “It is boring, it is tedious, you will backtrack if you don't grab every material, and the music is the only truly good thing about it.”
  • emotional25 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its touching story and character development, with many players expressing that they experienced genuine moments of joy and sadness throughout their journey. While some critiques mention the presence of fan service detracting from the overall experience, the heartfelt writing and character interactions are praised for creating a wholesome atmosphere that resonates deeply with players. Overall, the game is regarded as one of the most emotionally impactful entries in the Atelier series, successfully blending crafting mechanics with a compelling narrative.

    • “But this time I cried like a baby.”
    • “It was such an emotional yet joyful experience with Sophie on this journey.”
    • “The culmination of the touching story actually made me teary-eyed when it completed her character arc, thus closing this chapter of Sophie Neuenmuller and possibly the era of her series.”
  • character development7 mentions

    Character development in "Sophie 2" is highlighted as a standout feature, with engaging interactions and improved depth compared to previous titles in the series. While some character designs may be considered overly lewd, the overall character dynamics remain wholesome and enjoyable. However, the story itself is viewed as typical for the Atelier franchise, lacking extraordinary elements despite the strong character design and development.

    • “Story and character development/interactions are what made Sophie 2 shine the most among other Atelier games.”
    • “One thing I particularly enjoyed while playing Atelier Sophie 2, aside from the alchemy post-story, was the different character designs showcased throughout the story.”
    • “Complex crafting and heartwarming story, nice character designs, and huge improvement in turn-based combat.”
    • “While the character development does feel a little better compared to the previous titles, overall the story just feels like a typical Atelier story, nothing extraordinary.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its phenomenal design, with unique character visuals and immersive environments that enhance the storytelling experience. Players appreciate the combination of engaging music, graphics, and a fun, happy vibe that contributes to an overall enjoyable atmosphere in this JRPG.

    • “The atmosphere of the various areas you explore to progress the story is phenomenal!”
    • “Each main character looks great and unique, adding another layer to the game's atmosphere, which is truly enjoyable.”
    • “Very fun and happy atmosphere.”
  • stability4 mentions

    The game suffers from frequent and random freezes, particularly during loading screens and tutorial views, which can be frustrating for players. Despite attempts to mitigate these issues, even high-end PCs struggle due to underlying bugs in the code, making stability a significant concern.

    • “Game freezes are fairly random, but pretty frequent while on loading screens.”
    • “You have the option to skip - I recommend you do because the game freezes every time you try to view one of these tutorials.”
    • “Your PC will struggle no matter how strong it is, because no amount of hardware can overcome sufficiently buggy code.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by cute and funny moments, particularly involving the character Plachta and the awkward situations arising from time travel. While the story may not be deep, players appreciate the excellent subtitle translations that enhance the comedic experience.

    • “I love Sophie, but Plachta is cute and funny.”
    • “They made my Plachta cute and funny! 😭”
    • “If you're looking for a deep story, skip it, but there are several hilarious moments (mostly involving the hazards of time travel, so awkward). The subtitle translations are excellent.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream

Play time

95hMedian play time
70hAverage play time
20-120hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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