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Atelier Firis |OT| The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey

Cornbread78

Member
VIvELuZ.jpg


Series: Atelier
Developer: Gust Co. Ltd.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows
Publishers: Gust Co. Ltd (JPN)., Koei Tecmo (WW)
Genre: "Alchemic" RPG
Mode: Single Player
Initial release date: November 2, 2016 (JPN)
NA/EU Release Date: March 7, 2017 (PS4, PS Vita & PC<Steam>)
Website: http://www.koeitecmoamerica.com/firis/

PSN Link = (once posted)
Steam Link
Free PS4 Theme
Free Vita Theme


Box Art:
GAgoqAv.jpg


Pre-Order Bonuses:
Pre-ordering at Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games or GameStop in North America, or pre-ordering at participating retailers in Europe, unlocks two adorable costumes that provide Firis with useful bonuses: the “Resort Vacation” costume which increases the chances of finding high quality materials for use in synthesis, and the “Wonderland” outfit which decreases the time it takes for synthesis and fast traveling between landmarks!


System Requirements (PC):

Minimum:
OS: Windows® 7, Windows® 8.1, Windows® 10 (64bit required)
Processor: Core i5 2.6GHz or better
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX550Ti or better, 1280x720
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 35 GB available space

Recommended:
OS: Windows® 7, Windows® 8.1, Windows® 10 (64bit required)
Processor: Core i7 3.40GHz over
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX960 or better, 1920x1080
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 35 GB available space



Features:
Between settlements there are a plethora of different environments to discover, each with their own particular weather conditions that affect travel. Selecting the appropriate attire for each situation will grant Firis benefits and allow her to easily traverse these terrains. The Snow Bright costume reduces the consumption of Life Points in icy cold conditions, while the Zealous Explorer gear aids travel through blistering heat. Outfits can have countless other effects such as accelerating movement speed, enhancing synthesis abilities or increasing the likelihood of finding high quality materials!

While exploring their surroundings, players will encounter events which they must overcome to access new locations. These challenges will have multiple solutions that can permanently alter the environment. Take a broken bridge, for example – fixing the bridge will allow for easy access to the other side, but taking an alternate route could lead to the discovery of useful synthesis materials. Some of these Landmarks will be quite useful for Firis’s travels and she will need to return to them often! Once visited, Landmarks can be used as Fast Travel locations, allowing Firis to easily travel back and forth across the world


Updated Synthesis System:
xLixE98.jpg

The Synthesis system in Atelier Firis features exciting new additions to suit its newly nomadic nature. For example, Mass Synthesis allows Firis to create large items to overcome obstacles in her path, such as building a bridge to cross a river, or a boat to cruise across a lake. Deciding what to build not only changes the appearance and accessibility of various locations, but can also affect the course of the story! Furthermore, the effectiveness of items can be amplified with the use of special Catalysts, which grant bonuses and provide greater perks to the end result.


Story:
Set after the events of Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book, the first title in the Mysterious saga, Atelier Firis follows the Mistlud sisters – Firis and Liane – as they set out on a journey to make Firis a certified alchemist.


Characters:
PKi3m57.png

Firis Mistlud:
The heroine of this game. A girl who lives in a mining town sealed inside a mountain. She has a special ability to sense where ores and minerals are buried, and her job is to use that ability to collect them. She has never once gone outside of the town, and has a strong yearning to see the world outside. Certain events lead to her learning about alchemy, giving her an opportunity to travel through the vast world. She has a gentle and quiet personality, but she has a strong heart.

6n4ySo2.png

Liane Mistlud:
Firis's older sister, who also lives in the underground mining town. She is a skilled hunter, and is one of few allowed to venture outside. She loves her younger sister Firis dearly, and her doting affections are famous around town. She sympathizes with Firis's desire to go outside, and she finds her current circumstances painful to bear.

BmMXbzl.png

Ilmeria von Leinweber:
An alchemist girl who calls herself a genius alchemist. She has a lot of pride, but she's also diligent and hard working, and her attitude to alchemy is serious. Her personality is a bit childish, and she hates losing. However, she is also very honest. She and Firis become friendly rivals, and they seek to become professional alchemists together.

6o6FJre.png

Revy Berger:
A wandering swordsman who travels seeking only strength. He searches for weapons and other relics in various lands to meet these ends. His appearance is a bit scary, but appearances can be deceiving, and he is skilled in all aspects of housework. His personality is usually very serious, but he sometimes does crazy or astounding things. He also seems to have a few loose screws.

8GY0G6X.png

Sophie Neuenmuller
An alchemist who teaches Firis alchemy. Firis adores her, and likes to call her "Ms. Sophie". She seeks to pass the license exam, and left her homeland to travel the world. She's pure and cheerful, but she's also become more adult-like after growing through her many experiences.

k3t1X9E.png

Plachta
A girl who travels along with Sophie, and is also her alchemy teacher. She and Sophie get along well, to the level of best friends or close family. She has a serious and calm personality, but could still learn a thing or two in certain regards. Her knowledge of alchemy is abundant, gently watching over her apprentice Sophie, and grand-apprentice Firis, providing wise advice.

Uc0zrmW.png

Drossel Weissberg
A woman who works as a playwright. She's lively and curious, and doesn't care about complicated or minor details. As long as something's fun, she's into it.&#12290;

She has learned how to fight from her father, and her combat abilities are considerable. However, she's not exactly bright when it comes to certain regards, and her sense of direction is beyond terrible. She mainly acts on whims, but she can also be surprisingly thoughtful at times.


Screens:


Videos:
Announcement Trailer
Boss Gameplay
Environment Showcase


Reviews:
Metacritic


Trophies:
Playstation.Org PS4/Vita Trophy List


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Man, I gotta hop back on this pony. I played every Atelier game up until Escha and Logy so I am way behind. Now that they're releasing on Steam yo, it's gonna be even longer as I wait for sales.
 
Thank you for this OT! Didn't know it was releasing tomorrow so had to get my Amazon order in. Playing Horizon right now and still have to finish Sophie, but I'll get there eventually. I think.

Persona 5 is in a month...
 

mindatlarge

Member
I take it this is a brand new game in the series and not a remaster of a title on PS3 or something? Might check it out if it's something brand new.
 
With all the games that came out in January and February, and the upcoming slate for March, I'd totally forgotten this was coming out. I'll hand in my Atelier Fan Club card and alchemy wand at the next meeting.

Pleasantly surprised that despite the 20% Prime discount from Amazon.ca, the Steam version is still cheaper. I'll miss not going for the Platinum trophy, though. 100% Steam achievements somehow doesn't feel the same.
 

Eolz

Member
Nice OT!
I still have Sophie to finish, and heard that Firis is not as good, but definitely plan to get it on PC later this year.
 

Mudo

Member
Excite! I buy every Atelier I love them. Anyone know if their is a timer or is it still gone (i prefer no timer). Also, how were JPN impressions of this for anyone who has played it? I LOVED Shallie and Sophie so if it's anything like those then even better.
 

Arthea

Member
Excite! I buy every Atelier I love them. Anyone know if their is a timer or is it still gone (i prefer no timer). Also, how were JPN impressions of this for anyone who has played it? I LOVED Shallie and Sophie so if it's anything like those then even better.

This one has a time limit, yes

it has Sophie in it, how can it be bad?
 

umbra

Member
Excite! I buy every Atelier I love them. Anyone know if their is a timer or is it still gone (i prefer no timer). Also, how were JPN impressions of this for anyone who has played it? I LOVED Shallie and Sophie so if it's anything like those then even better.
Only a minor time limit,
just the first year from what I've read and then no time limit afterwards
.
 

Rahvar

Member
So. This hasn't showed up at any Swedish retailers, and the European release date is on the 10th as far as I can see.
Anyone who can put some light at the end of this tunnel?
 

Arthea

Member
So. This hasn't showed up at any Swedish retailers, and the European release date is on the 10th as far as I can see.
Anyone who can put some light at the end of this tunnel?

you can buy it digitally, so that's not a problem
as of why it's not there for you locally, I have no clue
 

Khrno

Member
What time does the game appear on the US PS Store? I'm buying digital for PS4 and I'm tired on seeing just the two free themes every time I search for the game.
 

Strings

Member
Does anyone know if the US version will have all the game breaking bugs fixed from the Japanese version?

Should do. They've patched the jpn version a shiton.

I'm really curious if we'll get all the DLC for Firis, because there's actually a ton of cool stuff (and they never brought over the free Sophie story DLC that leads into Firis).

EDIT:
This may be the first Atelier game in ages that I wait on as I want to hear some impressions after the rut of mediocrity Atelier has been stuck in for a while now.

Can't say I really agree, outside of not liking Shallie as much as other entries. Imo, the games get consistently better with each installment.
 
This may be the first Atelier game in ages that I wait on as I want to hear some impressions after the rut of mediocrity Atelier has been stuck in for a while now.
 

Khrno

Member
This may be the first Atelier game in ages that I wait on as I want to hear some impressions after the rut of mediocrity Atelier has been stuck in for a while now.

What rut of mediocrity? Escha & Logy was just a single game, no more awful male main characters after that.
 

SarusGray

Member
It's so mixed. On one hand, I enjoyed Atelier Ayesha a ton, while others hated it, I hated Eschalogy while others loved it, I enjoyed Shallie while others though it was the worst.

Sophie for me was fun but felt very rushed. I think Firis should be a great addition since it really looks like they finally put more time in to the game.
 

Cornbread78

Member
What time does the game appear on the US PS Store? I'm buying digital for PS4 and I'm tired on seeing just the two free themes every time I search for the game.

Whenever the update decides to go up in NA tomorrow. It should go up on time tonight in EU, but NA just launches their games when they feel like it on the day of launch...
 

RedBoot

Member
The second game has been my favorite for each of the last two trilogies, so I guess I should have high hopes for this one.

Release date absolutely snuck up on me though, and there may be no room for this one between Zelda and P5. Might have to wait until May or so.
 

Khrno

Member
Whenever the update decides to go up in NA tomorrow. It should go up on time tonight in EU, but NA just launches their games when they feel like it on the day of launch...

Ah sucks, I was hoping to wake up tomorrow and have the game already pre-loaded and ready to play it.

Are... Are you implying Escha & Logy isn't easily the best game in the series?

I haven't played any of the games prior to Iris and also I didn't play the Mana Khemias, so I cannot say for sure, but I will grant you, it is only better than vanilla Rorona, but not Rorona Plus.
 

SarusGray

Member
Ah sucks, I was hoping to wake up tomorrow and have the game already pre-loaded and ready to play it.



I haven't played any of the games prior to Iris and also I didn't play the Mana Khemias, so I cannot say for sure, but I will grant you, it is only better than vanilla Rorona, but not Rorona Plus.

vanilla rorona.... -twitches-
 
Man, I don't know when or if I'll be even be picking this up. Zelda, Horizon, Nier, and Nioh are all I care about playing for the rest of this month right now. I already beat Nier Automata (A-E), and I'm taking my sweet time with Zelda and Horizon. I don't want to beat these great games too quickly. Don't think I've played a single game last year that I liked as much or better than any of these four.

I imported and played Atelier Firis last year. Good old atelier formula married to the latest open world craze. Game has, easily, the biggest zones of the entire franchise. No more traversal via an over head world map either. Time limit also returns, at least for a while, which gives the game a bit more tension, and less overly relaxed.

I don't know about the story though. That's kinda been the weakest point. Meruru was the last game I thought had interesting and endearing characters, even though I got annoyed by the frequency of the skits. The rest of the games have been more about the gameplay for me, and that's the thing here. Do I really care to know what the story is now, or am I completely satisfied with my import?

Well, right now, I already have other games that have my highest priority so, whether I pick it up or not, it'll have to wait. It's kinda sad though, since I want to support the series in the west, but at the same time, there's a mix of burn out and the fact that I don't really like how the localization has been handled under Actill.
 

SarusGray

Member
Man, I don't know when or if I'll be even be picking this up. Zelda, Horizon, Nier, and Nioh are all I care about playing for the rest of this month right now. I already beat Nier Automata (A-E), and I'm taking my sweet time with Zelda and Horizon. I don't want to beat these great games too quickly. Don't think I've played a single game last year that I liked as much or better than any of these four.

I imported and played Atelier Firis last year. Good old atelier formula married to the latest open world craze. Game has, easily, the biggest zones of the entire franchise. No more traversal via an over head world map either. Time limit also returns, at least for a while.

I don't know about the story though. That's kinda been the weakest point. Meruru was the last game I thought had interesting and endearing characters, even though I got annoyed by the frequency of the skits. The rest of the games have been more about the gameplay for me, and that's the thing here. Do I really care to know what the story is now, or am I completely satisfied with my import.

Well, right now, I already have other games that have my highest priority so, whether I pick it up or not, it'll have to wait. It's kinda sad though, since I want to support the series in the west, but at the same time, there's a mix of burn out and the fact that I don't really like how the localization has been handled under Actill.
I'm actually having the exact same problem. Horizon is one of the best open worlds I've played. Nioh is insanely addicting and fun. And Nier is just an absolute fun fest. I'm kinda worried Atelier firis released so closely to all these titles :/

I've dayed one every atelier but I might wait for this one to drop in price.
 
Oh... Right. Shit. Forgot this was coming out.

Gonna have to go on the back burner even though Im usually all for a new atelier.
 

Khrno

Member
Man, I don't know when or if I'll be even be picking this up. Zelda, Horizon, Nier, and Nioh are all I care about playing for the rest of this month right now.

Funny enough my most expected game for Q1 is Firis, Atelier just became my favourite yearly series, and although I'm a big Zelda fan I'm keeping my hype low due to not buying a Switch just yet, since this week I'm building up a $2000 USD gaming PC (exchange rates and taxes make it more expensive than it should) since my previous one broke. Also I'm not getting Horizon and Nier until around June since that month seems a little empty for what I know.
 

Tohsaka

Member
Nice OT, mine shipped but I probably won't get to it for a bit since I need to finish Horizon and play Zelda. Firis really came out at a bad time for me, at least I won't have a gaming drought for a while though.
 
Any reports on the Vita version? Vita Sophie was good to me but this one looked rougher. I ordered it on PS4 to be safe and might pick up Vita too if it's good.
 

Derkon

Member
As others have said, this game just came out at a really bad time heh. Trying to finish Zelda, by the time that's done Persona 5 is probably next. Just going to have to wait on this one, though it does look good with the larger maps and what appears to be an improved combat system over Sophie.
 

Arthea

Member
Escha & Logy was fine, what are you people even talking about?
only one modern Atelier game that was not quite up to Atelier standards is still Ayesha.
That and Dusk trilogy not being as good as Arland trilogy.
Still even Ayesha wasn't horrible or anything.

Not sure were I'd rank Sophie even if I finished a game, need to play Firis to get more out of Mysterious trilogy and some time to pass, then I'll know.
 

SarusGray

Member
Escha & Logy was fine, what are you people even talking about?
only one modern Atelier game that was not quite up to Atelier standards is still Ayesha.
That and Dusk trilogy not being as good as Arland trilogy.
Still even Ayesha wasn't horrible or anything.

Not sure were I'd rank Sophie even if I finished a game, need to play Firis to get more out of Mysterious trilogy and some time to pass, then I'll know.

Escha & logy gameplay wise was great. But I was just bored out of my mind with the story and main characters, theme and music.
 

Khrno

Member
Escha & Logy was fine, what are you people even talking about?
only one modern Atelier game that was not quite up to Atelier standards is still Ayesha.
That and Dusk trilogy not being as good as Arland trilogy.
Still even Ayesha wasn't horrible or anything.

Not sure were I'd rank Sophie even if I finished a game, need to play Firis to get more out of Mysterious trilogy and some time to pass, then I'll know.

I don't want male main characters on my Atelier games, that's all, because the system and gameplay had no issues.

Also Ayesha, together with Meruru, are my favourite Ateliers.
 

Arthea

Member
I don't want male main characters on my Atelier games, that's all, because the system and gameplay had no issues.

Also Ayesha, together with Meruru, are my favourite Ateliers.

what's wrong with male characters? They are in several Atelier games...

favourite as in all time? Or just of modern Atelier games?

because there is no game better than Mana Khemia and it has a male protag, even if that has little to do with a game being GOAT.
 

Eusis

Member
I'm waiting mainly because of the one two combo of low funds and REALLY good games hitting. Nevermind a whole new platform with the Switch.

Frankly though I'd probably fail to get around to it short of every other game magically vanishing anyway.
 
Escha&Logy was structurally broken. The terrible system there forced you to burn time just to advance the game and turned the whole thing into a slog.

Ayesha was the only good Dusk game.
 
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