Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg Review

thesixthaxis.com:

Way before Atelier Sophie introduced me to the franchise in 2016, and even further before the first 3D adventure Atelier Rorona came out in 2009, a little game called Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg arrived for the PlayStation in 1997. Despite being a quaint, simple, 2D game about managing an in-game calendar and a supply of craftable materials, it went on to launch one of the longest-running JRPG franchises in history. Now, to celebrate over 25 years of Atelier, the game that started it all has been remade, and despite being a decades old experience, it feels like a fresh step forward for the franchise.

Atelier games are generally comparable to Kiki’s Delivery Service in terms of narrative depth, introducing you to a new bright & cheery protagonist with simple motivations and heartwarming goals each time. You aren’t solving a world-ending conundrum or fighting an ancient evil, you’re just trying to become an alchemist, in different but equally endearing ways each time. Atelier Marie Remake strips everything down to it’s most basic element, though. It’s set in a world where there are demon kings and chosen heroes, but none of that concerns us – we play as the inexperienced and foolhardy alchemist-in-training Marie, who has five years to alchemise an item to a high enough standard for the Royal Academy of Magic to recognise her as an official alchemist.

You get that info in a brief opening cutscene, but it’s also pretty much the only cutscene you’ll ever see. Atelier Marie Remake is incredibly light on story. You’ll get brief dialogue interactions with other characters like Marie’s best friend Schea or the know-it-all academy classmate Kreis, but they’re minor, standalone scenes that never contribute to a larger,