Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg (Switch) Review

In 1997, the Atelier series kicked off with its first RPG about an up-and-coming alchemist, spawning a robust franchise with more than twenty mainline games and several spinoffs. The latest chapter in the Atelier saga takes us back to where it all began, with a remake of Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg.

The very first alchemist introduced in the series, Marie is a failing yet determined alchemy student at the Royal Academy of Magic. One day, Marie’s professor gives her an alchemy studio of her own as part of a last-ditch effort to push her to graduate. Marie has five years to create something worthy of a master alchemist. Pass, and graduate from the Academy. Fail, and flunk out forever.

To succeed, Marie has to beef up her skills by adventuring far and wide in search of alchemy materials, engaging in turn-based combat alongside her allies and shaking down her fallen enemies for XP and items. Coin earned through these excursions and quests goes to obtaining new synthesis recipes and tools. These mechanics will be familiar to players returning to the Atelier series, as they provided the foundation for the games we all know and love. From Atelier Marie to the more recent titles, the core components of the games have remained fairly constant—battle enemies, gather ingredients, synthesize items.

One of many traits shared by these earlier Atelier installments is the time limit mechanic. Traveling, synthesizing, battling, and collecting alchemy ingredients all take up precious in-game time. However, the time pressure in this game is extremely lax. For players who still prefer Atelier games without the time management mechanic (or simply don’t want the adventure to end) the newly added Unlimited Mode provides the option to play without the deadline, offering a more leisurely experience.

Other upgrades introduced in the Atelier Marie Remake include a photo mode, reworked minigames, new event illustrations and character designs, and additional cutscenes and assignments not present in the initial game. The score of new events provides scenarios original to the remake as well as additional opportunities to learn more details about Marie’s adventuring partners. One of the Atelier series’ strong suits is its endearing characters, so these added events are a slick way to infuse the earliest game with some of the charm of the later installments.

As one might expect from a remake of a 26-year-old game, the visuals and sound have also been updated. The characters and environments have gotten an upgrade to 3D, a massive enhancement that modernizes an old favorite. The soundtrack is complete with new arrangements, but players who miss the original 1997 soundtrack can select it as an option in the sound settings.

The tutorials in the Atelier Marie Remake have been revamped as well. Originally, players were given free reign when deciding how to shape Marie into a proper alchemist—the player was given almost no guidance on the path to completing the game. In the remake, the academy’s Professor Ingrid provides a number of goals to guide Marie in her quest to graduate. The newly-added assignments on the road to the final exam provide more hints on how to progress, but they are rather basic and come with extremely forgiving deadlines. They give the game a bit more structure without holding the player’s hand too much.

Even the alchemy style is simple: just add the ingredients listed in the recipe and combine. In fact, it’s almost too easy compared to the complex, highly-engaging synthesis systems that became standard in later games. While it does lack the customizability and challenge that became a hallmark of the Atelier series, the synthesis mechanic in Atelier Marie Remake falls right in line with the simplicity of the overall gameplay.

In a similar vein, the combat seems nearly minimalist in comparison to the dynamic battle styles present in the later games with their heavier RPG focus. The Atelier Marie Remake features standard turn-based fare, with just a handful of enemy types to encounter. Players seeking a greater challenge can try the harder combat mode unlocked after completing the story once.

The Atelier Marie Remake is a relaxing adventure that can easily be completed over the course of a few weeknights, but players can start again with their clear game data to carry over their event list and equipment from the previous playthrough. Players are almost guaranteed not to see every character and world event in one playthrough, so it’s certainly worth playing more than once.

Despite its simplicity, Atelier Marie Remake’s back-to-basics approach makes it ideal for newcomers, offering a cozy, casual experience after a run of more complex titles. Those already familiar with the series will likely be pleased to note that it provides a significant enough update to gameplay and graphics while carefully maintaining the atmosphere that has drawn players to the series for more than two decades. As they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg is due to launch on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam on July 13.

SCORES

GAMEPLAY - 8/10

VISUALS - 8/10

SOUND - 7/10

CONTROLS - 9/10

REPLAY VALUE - 9/10

OVERALL - 8.2/10

Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg is due to launch on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam on July 13.