Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 629 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book Game Cover
Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book marks the franchise PlayStation 4 debut and one of the must play JRPGs on the system, despite its flaws.
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"Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book" is a Japanese role-playing game that follows the story of Sophie, a novice alchemist. The game features a new alchemy system that allows players to obtain recipe ideas from various activities and improve their alchemy knowledge. During the alchemy process, players arrange ingredient shapes on a puzzle board, with the potential for bonus rewards with perfect placement. The quality of items synthesized is affected by the selected materials, offering a high degree of freedom for players.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Play​station Vita
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 629 reviews
story84 positive mentions
grinding55 negative mentions
  • The game offers a relaxing and charming atmosphere, allowing players to enjoy crafting and exploration at their own pace.
  • The alchemy system is deep and engaging, providing a satisfying crafting experience that encourages experimentation.
  • The characters are cute and well-designed, with enjoyable interactions that add depth to the gameplay.
  • The game suffers from technical issues, including lag in menus and high CPU usage during certain actions.
  • The combat system is simplistic and can feel repetitive, lacking the depth found in other JRPGs.
  • There is no option to remap keyboard controls, making it less accessible for players who prefer using a keyboard and mouse.
  • story338 mentions

    The story of "Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book" is characterized as lighthearted and simple, focusing on the daily life of Sophie, a budding alchemist, as she helps others and uncovers the memories of her magical book companion, Plachta. While some players appreciate the charming, slice-of-life narrative and character interactions, others find the plot lacking depth and progression, leading to a more relaxed, albeit sometimes monotonous, gameplay experience. Overall, the story is enjoyable for those seeking a casual, feel-good adventure rather than an intense, plot-driven RPG.

    • “The story is light, fun, and never feels forced.”
    • “The best part of this game is that the storyline is so relaxed; it's just about a girl who wants to become an alchemist and make everyone happy.”
    • “The characters and storyline are sweet and compelling, and the voice actors performed quite well.”
    • “I got bored because the story didn’t seem to be progressing and I had a lot of open areas which seemed to lead me nowhere.”
    • “The story isn't particularly elaborate, but I didn't expect it to be.”
    • “The game has virtually a non-existent plot and the battle system is a bit too simple, and there besides the bonus dungeon has virtually no real superbosses in the game.”
  • gameplay137 mentions

    The gameplay in this title centers around a complex alchemy crafting system that, while initially challenging to grasp, becomes enjoyable and rewarding as players experiment with item creation. The game features a relaxed, turn-based combat system and a non-restrictive time management mechanic, allowing for exploration and material gathering at a leisurely pace. Overall, players appreciate the depth of the crafting mechanics and the charming atmosphere, though some find the combat less engaging compared to the alchemy aspects.

    • “The main gameplay mechanic, alchemy, was a bit hard to understand at first, but once you get a grasp on it, it's pretty fun trying to see just what you can create.”
    • “The gameplay loop of collecting materials, creating new items, unlocking new areas, and using your collected items to create better and more powerful equipment with alchemy is incredibly addictive.”
    • “The alchemy mechanics will take some time to understand, but once you get the hang of it, creating items is as simple as trying to get that slightly better material for a better effect.”
    • “While solid at first, the gameplay loop of collection and combat quickly wears thin.”
    • “No auto-save; the only save point is at home. Together with the unstable game, you may lose quite a bit of progress (I personally lost 46 minutes of progress within that 3.5 hours of gameplay).”
    • “It was an entirely underwhelming experience for me, and the only reason I stuck with it until just before the last battle was that the alchemy mechanics triggered my completionist mentality.”
  • music120 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful and relaxing original soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience and fits the game's light-hearted tone. Players appreciate the ability to customize the soundtrack with music from previous titles in the series, adding depth and nostalgia. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and atmosphere.

    • “The musical score is catchy; I often find myself tapping my foot and humming along with the music in many areas of the game.”
    • “The soundtrack is amazing, as always.”
    • “Great game with great music, characters, and crafting system.”
    • “The music quality is average; the dev seems to have it down to a science for their series.”
    • “Music runs every possible rung of the spectrum from instant classic to catchy as hell to straight horrible.”
    • “Soundtrack hasn't changed much from the old Atelier series, just some of those classic beautiful Gust JRPG style soundtracks.”
  • graphics92 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally described as decent, with a charming art style that features vibrant character designs and a storybook aesthetic. While some players note that the visuals are somewhat dated, particularly compared to newer titles, they appreciate the attention to detail in character models and the overall artistic presentation. Occasional graphical glitches and simplistic 3D models are mentioned, but these do not significantly detract from the overall experience.

    • “Great graphics, especially the color palette made a lasting impression on me as it looks like oil painting.”
    • “Nice graphics and the little details on the clothing and accessories are very well done.”
    • “Atelier Sophie gets the job done in the graphics department, giving the world a storybook feel.”
    • “The graphics are in no way bad, but they aren't really something to write home about either.”
    • “It's about a 5GB download, and the graphics resolution isn't really intended for 4K displays -- the art is as good as in the previous games in the series, but it's clear this is an up-port of a PlayStation Vita level model and not the quality of models generally being used on PlayStation 4 or in PC titles.”
    • “The game's visuals are okay; you won't see lots of effects and techniques often used in AAA games here, but it looks good anyway.”
  • grinding57 mentions

    The grinding aspect of "Atelier Sophie" receives mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and time-consuming, particularly for item collection and character leveling. While some appreciate the engaging nature of the grinding and the crafting system, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, making the game feel like a chore at times. Overall, the game offers a significant amount of grinding, which can be enjoyable for some but overwhelming for others, especially in post-game content.

    • “The crafting part is rather fun (and not grindy), though the story is rather long.”
    • “Little-to-no grinding.”
    • “I technically could spend 30 hours grinding to become powerful enough to defeat the enemies, but I have better things to do with my time.”
    • “The problem with Sophie is that the entire game is nothing more than grinding and little to no exploration of any reason to craft other than the game told you to.”
    • “At times, the game could become very grindy and I found myself doing the same things over and over again for hours at a time, especially towards the end.”
  • optimization28 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players noting significant improvements after patches, while others still experience stuttering and performance issues, particularly on high-end PCs. While many users report smooth gameplay at 60 FPS with decent hardware, there are complaints about poor GPU utilization and lagging menus. Overall, the game shows potential for better optimization, but players may need to adjust their settings or hardware for an optimal experience.

    • “No crashes, the graphical quality and performance improved after the patches.”
    • “Being new to the series, I must say I was really pleased to see how optimized this game is.”
    • “The performance is great too, runs fine even on my laptop.”
    • “At first, this game angers me a bit with its constant stuttering during alchemy and at some other points, but after the updates, this game is a lot more playable.”
    • “I don't know if the game is doing a lot of number crunching behind the scenes or if it's just poorly optimized, but you'll need a solid CPU and GPU to play this game at 60 FPS.”
    • “The game also runs into bouts of stuttering pretty frequently and sometimes crashes with no warning.”
  • atmosphere20 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is consistently described as relaxing, cheerful, and charming, reminiscent of cozy anime settings. Players appreciate the unique and soothing environments, which enhance the overall experience and provide a comforting backdrop for gameplay. The combination of beautiful art, engaging interactions, and a light-hearted tone contributes to a joyful and immersive atmosphere that many find perfect for unwinding.

    • “It's so good I put it on whenever I'm cranking out some work and sets a nice relaxing atmosphere.”
    • “Almost every place in the game has its own unique atmosphere.”
    • “Its world and atmosphere is so soothing it made me smile just hearing Sophie's casual interactions with people.”
    • “The whole atmosphere and relaxing approach to the game makes it a great relaxant after a hard day at work.”
    • “Charming, idyllic, pastoral lifestyle and atmosphere convincingly built up; well done voice acting, and a very pretty art style; the gameplay gets out of the way rather than dragging the pace down.”
  • emotional13 mentions

    The emotional aspect of "Atelier Sophie" is characterized by its heartwarming and wholesome narrative, which evokes feelings of nostalgia and joy. Players appreciate the game's relaxing gameplay and character development, highlighting the absence of typical anime tropes like fanservice or angst, making it a refreshing experience. Overall, the game successfully fosters a sense of warmth and connection, leaving players with fuzzy feelings throughout their journey.

    • “Overall, I would recommend this game, especially since it gave me fuzzy feelings despite some other plot-related content. Rarely do I find wholesome games like this.”
    • “The story is simple and yet kind of heartwarming.”
    • “Her character growth and bonding with others is such a wholesome thing to watch. If you follow her journey to the end after three games, you'll love her even more; she's beloved, that much is clear.”
  • character development12 mentions

    Character development in the game is generally viewed as limited, with characters not undergoing significant changes throughout the story. However, the vibrant character designs and interactions, particularly in the hub town, are praised, alongside the attention given to both main and side characters. While the overall character growth may not be as compelling, the charming aesthetics and engaging side quests contribute positively to the experience.

    • “I absolutely recommend this game, I loved the character designs, Sophie is a sweet girl and I enjoyed seeing her grow throughout the story.”
    • “I think it's great that the character designers have spent a lot of time on the villagers as they've spent on the main and side characters.”
    • “The final few things I'll say in the gameplay is that you can go through various side quests for loot and character development, you have a cafe which works as a type of money income by doing alchemy, fetch questing, or slaying, and you can also obtain rumors which trigger rare items, or bosses to appear.”
    • “The characters won't change massively in the character development.”
    • “Coming off of dusk, it isn't quite as appealing in terms of setting, music, and character design.”
    • “The final few things I'll say in the gameplay is that you can go through various sidequests for loot and character development, you have a cafe which works as a type of money income by doing alchemy, fetch questing, or slaying, and you can also obtain rumors which trigger rare items, or bosses to appear.”
  • humor12 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of amusing item descriptions, funny character interactions, and lighthearted storytelling, which collectively create a charming and entertaining experience. Players appreciate the comedic elements woven into the narrative and character dynamics, often finding themselves laughing at the quirky scenarios and dialogue. While some humor may not resonate with everyone, the overall tone is described as cute and enjoyable, appealing particularly to fans of slice-of-life themes.

    • “The story shows amazing conflicts and some funny scenes.”
    • “+ funny item descriptions to read.”
    • “Just sit back and enjoy some 'slice of life' game, with cute girls doing cute and funny things, and the stuff we weebs all love.”
  • stability7 mentions

    The game's stability is a mixed bag, with some players experiencing frequent graphic glitches and performance issues, particularly in the PC port, which many recommend avoiding. While a few users report a smooth experience, the overall consensus highlights significant bugs that detract from gameplay.

    • “It looks and runs great so far.”
    • “Lovely game I'd happily recommend to anybody, but this port is buggy at best and unplayable at worst.”
    • “I've been told that glitches are common in the PC port, so while I do recommend this game because it's good, I highly advise you to avoid the PC port like the plague.”
    • “Sadly, Azure is just too buggy and melts faces/CPU for me to recommend it as is right now.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is considered low due to the lack of a definitive ending, which diminishes the incentive to revisit it. While updates have improved gameplay, some players still feel that the experience does not encourage repeated playthroughs.

    • “It can affect how you play the game, and can even encourage replayability.”
    • “At first, this game angers me a bit with its constant stuttering during alchemy and at some other points, but after the updates, this game is a lot more playable.”
    • “I would say the main con of this game is that there is no ending, so there's not really any replay value.”
    • “Yeah, this kind of shocked me when I found out, which really lowers replay value.”
    • “Replayability: little to none for me.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, leading to disappointment among players who feel it detracts from the overall experience and reflects poorly on the company's reputation.

    • “I've played a few Atelier games on console and liked them well enough to give this one a shot when it went on sale, but the blatant cash grab by Koei kind of soured me on them as a company.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

76% average critic score

Buy Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book

Play time

42hMedian play time
44hAverage play time
5-92hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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