While those of us in western markets still have a few more weeks to wait until the English localised release of Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book, Gust have provided their first look at the next Atelier game for release in Japan later on in 2016. Known as Atelier Firis: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey (Maintaining a similar naming pattern to its predecessor), the 18th main Atelier game is being developed for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
This new game follows 15-year-old heroine Firis Mistlud, who like all other main characters has the abilities of an alchemist. She lives in an underground mining village which is cut off from the outside world. While there is a way out, a giant iron door prevents all but a few from either entering or leaving the village. But an opportunity arises which will allow her to see the outside world while learning alchemy. Firis will be joined by her older sister Liane, a skilled hunter and one of the few who have been able to leave the village as well. Expect to see more playable and secondary characters announced over the coming weeks and months.
The journey that Firis and co. will take shall lead them through various climates, from warm seaside downs to snowcapped mountain ranges. As a little change from past games, Firis will change outfits depending on where in the game world she is. One example, as you will see in the screenshot batch below, will see Firis donning winter clothes while in colder climates. Another change to the world is that you don’t necessarily need to head back to town in order to synthesise items. This is because it will be possible to use a Traveller’s Bonfire to use alchemy on-the-go.
Choice is another element that Gust are incorporating into the game. Although time will tell if it manages to be anything notable, there will be occasions where players can opt to overcome a barrier in her journey through one of several ways. This could possibly be a choice of two routes, one which requires the use of alchemy to complete while the other takes a more combat-oriented approach to complete.
These are just some of the new inclusions and changes which will be included in Atelier Firis. Expect to hear even more over the coming months.
