Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg Analysis & Review: Key Points, Ratings & More

After our impressions of an early version of the game. Today we bring you our analysis of Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg for Nintendo Switch. A game that set out to return to the origins of the series, bringing us for the first time in history the first Atelier game to the West, localized in perfect English. We tell you what we think.

Marie, The Cutest Alchemist Apprentice

This game focuses on a reformulation of what was the first Atelier adventure of all. For this reason, its story is quite simple but no less beautiful or welcoming. Specifically, we will play Marie, a young alchemist’s apprentice who is informed that if she doesn’t take her batteries, she will be expelled from the Academy where she studies. A whole drama that she will have to solve by becoming a master of the subject, collecting ingredients around with the help of adventurers and preparing dream recipes.

At its core, Atelier Marie is still a game conceived for an earlier era, and this is evident above all in the simplicity of its playable proposal. However, its updating gives rise to a cosy proposal that, certainly, has made us fall in love.

A simple, but satisfying structure

As we told you in our impressions, the gameplay of Atelier Marie follows a very defined cycle. The game is set in a small city with different locations, such as a castle that we won’t be able to access from the start, a tavern where we can accept missions and hear rumours from the crowd, or an academy where we can buy and sell items. In all these places we will also be able to recruit a varied cast of characters in exchange for money, which will make them accompany us to defeat monsters and collect ingredients around. The more we hire a specific character, the more their level will rise, as well as our friendship with them, which will make them cheaper for us.

How could it be otherwise, elements that we know well from Atelier games are also present here. The combats are in turns, and they are quite traditional, although fun. Item collecting can get a bit repetitive, but it’s relaxing. If we are not too interested, we can even automate it. On the other hand, the elaboration of recipes through alchemy also has its mechanics, making the experience quite round.

A very successful change of scenery

Although it is obvious at the moment, Atelier Marie is a very different proposal from that of contemporary games in the saga such as Atelier Ryza 3 or Atelier Sophie 2. This is not only reflected in its gameplay but also in its audiovisual section, reminiscent of games like Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Glittering Pearl. The title features chibi models that are interspersed with beautiful animated illustrations of their characters at dialogue moments. All of this makes for a very visually satisfying cocktail, as well as beautiful. It is a very successful game.

We also liked the game’s soundtrack, redrafted for the occasion, and found it quite welcoming. Another thing that we can speak positively about is the number of quality-of-life improvements introduced in the title concerning the original instalment, such as being able to sprint or having the possibility of making quick saves to continue with the adventure later.

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Even An Unlimited Mode

In addition to the aforementioned, functions such as a photo mode, quite fun mini-games and even an “Unlimited Mode” have also been introduced, which eliminates the time limit that Marie suffers to graduate to offer us a more relaxing experience in which time management has no place. The duration of Atelier Marie Remake is about 10 hours in total, making it an ideal game for short sessions.

If what you are looking for is a cosy RPG with management elements, a nice story, simple but addictive gameplay and a short duration, Atelier Marie Remake is a great choice. Without a doubt, this is the breather that the Atelier series needed before showing us what its future holds, it was to return to its past.

Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg arrives on Nintendo Switch this coming  July 13  in digital format through the eShop, take a look if you are curious about the origins of the franchise!