With the end of the Secret series, Koei Tecmo has announced on 21st February the remake of Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg. The remake of the very first Atelier game, released back in 1997. Also for the first time ever, the game will receive a localization allowing new players to explore this iconic title.
What is Atelier Marie Remake
Dubbed as a “carefree, cozy RPG adventure“, Atelier Marie Remake revolves around the protagonist Marlone. Often referred as Marie she’s a 19 years old girl attending the Royal Academy of Magic in Salburg. Unfortunately the aspiring alchemist is in a predicament as she’s risking not graduating due to her poor academic results. Professor Ingrid gives her a chance by also giving her an atelier, in exchange she must create something extraordinay within 5 years
Marie will have to earn money, get resources and improve her alchemy, while also exploring new areas and making new friends and discoveries along the way. The remake will feature several QoL improvements, starting from the updated graphics, a snappier combat system and a few extras. Of which, Unlimited Mode will allow us to have a more relaxed experience, not being bound by the 5 years limit, although we’ll lose a few events. This is important because in the game every action will advance time, and we’ll also have to take care of Marie‘s stamina and mana, essential for alchemy.
Similar games to play in the meanwhile
Atelier series
The Atelier series has come a long way since the original Marie, with over 20 titles! Despite that the core mechanics has remained the same, with the newest series not so different overall.
Thus it would be easy to suggest the 1st entry of the Secret Trilogy, Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout. Ryza biggest appeal apart from the charismatic protagonist is a focus on the exploration and combat aspect of the game. With plenty of interactions and very JRPG approach, this is a great title for those looking for a fun adventure. Not to mention seeing the protagonist grow with each entry, both as an alchemist as well as a person.
Another one is any title from the Mysterious Tetralogy as they feature different protagonist and stories. Although Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book is an easy recommendation, as Sophie return in Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream. These titles are definitely more appealing for those interested in crating minigames more than combat and exploration. While those are important and integral part of the game, the alchemy crafting has a rather interesting layer of complexity, giving different result each time and potentially different effects.
Bokujō Monogatari
With the new update look, Marie Remake would definitely align with a few games that will offer a very similar or rather close experience. Among those there are a few worth to be mentioned among the Bokujō Monogatari series, by Marvelous.
Story of Seasons, previously known as Harvest Moon, will match Marie‘s top down view. Not only that, but it shares very similar mechanics as well. The alchemy is replaced by crafting and tending to your farm. While elements like resource gathering with exploration and a day&night cycle. As well as interaction with various characters and more sim mechanics, with minigames and side-activities. The choice is between Pioneers of Olive Town and Friends of Mineral Town. With the first being more recent and visually better, while the latter offering a few extras like a combat mechanic.
Speaking of combat, the spin-off series of Rune Factory with the recent Rune Factory 5 and Rune Factory 4 Special. 5 is the most recent and while it does a few interesting things, like going full 3d, it also lacks a bit of the charm of the previous titles. My suggestion would be RF4 Special, it features all the charm and being pretty up there with a great cast. Combat is quite decent, although trying to keep up with the daily routine is not easy. In terms of story it’s simple but it evolves the further we go. In terms of gameplay and atmosphere this is the closer you can get to an Atelier game.
Others
Some other similar titles, at least in some aspects, comes from mostly from indie titles. Stardew Valley is probably the most famous among them, feauring extensive sim mechanics. You can go at your pace creating your farm and building, and intereact with NPCs which while varied are not as deep as some other games. A very recent similar to Stardew is Roots of Pacha, which adds a few gimmicks and interesting takes. We’ll part of a Stone Age village and we’ll have to discover new ideas to further advance your lifestyle, not to mention a good co-op implementation.
As for other games there are few more which lean toward an hack&slash approach. Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale, while pretty old offers a very Atelier like experience and story. As Recette, she’ll manage an item shop and try to pay the loan her father took for it. She’ll make friends along the way, as well as explore dungeons in order to find items to sell at the shop. There’s also the team’s next entry Chantelise – A Tale of Two Sisters, which is pretty similar but with a fully 3D graphics
A great indie title with similar premises is Potion Permit, by MassHive Media. This title combines element of Rune Factory with the focus on brewing potion, with a crafting mechanic similar to Sophie‘s games. We’ll have to gather ingredients by exploring and brew potions in order to heal ailments as the new chemist of the town. With 30 unique characters to interact with and plenty of side activities, there’ always something to do!
Conclusion
So with about 2 weeks away from Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg launch on 13th July, these are the games I suggest taking a peek at if you haven’t played any of them already. Marie’s adventure will likely satisfy those looking for a cozy adventure with plenty of interesting characters and interactions.
