Character spotlight on Atelier Sophie 2, out February 25

blog.playstation.com:

Sophie Neuenmuller has been such a magical character to me since we first introduced her six years ago in Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book, and I know that many fans reading this feel the same way. When I was thinking about what we could do for the 25th anniversary of the Atelier series, I thought about a game that retains the Atelier-like feel of the series but is also an evolution of the series, and came up with the idea of Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream – having Sophie return as the protagonist. This game throws Sophie into a mysterious, dreamlike world as she sets out on a heart-warming adventure to find a lost friend, and I think it’s a great storyline and adventure that our passionate fans have been waiting for.

Along her journey, Sophie meets a collection of characters who join her quest, both in the storyline and battle. We’ve changed things up a bit with battles this time — for the first time in the Atelier series, combat begins seamlessly without any load times or separate screens. In Atelier Sophie 2, battles consist of up to six party members that are split into two teams: the assault team which consists of the three members in the front, and the back-up team which features the three members at the back. While there are times characters can be moved between the teams during battle, each character has their own strengths and weaknesses to consider for battle placement.

Before the game hits PlayStation 4 on February 25, I wanted to give everyone a quick look into the six key characters, showcasing how each of them complement each other in combat

The leading lady of the title, Sophie, is an alchemist. Her playstyle is suited to using items and assisting allies in