Liza’s game toned down the fan service and refocused on giving the series a much-needed boost. Once an afterthought, combat has become an integral part of modern Atelier adventures, offering players deep and engaging combat that blends beautifully with aspects of alchemy. This is an experience that has been vastly improved by offering some of Ryza’s older scores, and the latest, Atelier Ryza 3: The Alchemist of the End and the Secret Key, was highly rated in our review. Scored him an impressive 9/10.
Encouraged by the success of these recent works, Gust has returned to the origins of the 26-year-old series to remake the original Atelier Adventure, marking the first official English release of Atelier Marie. time till now.
To find out a little more about the upcoming Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg, ahead of its July 12th release, we spoke with Gust CEO Junzo Hosoi. .
Nintendo Life: This remake will return to the beginning of the Atelier series: Marie’s original adventure in 1997. Is there a particular reason why you wanted to bring this particular story back up now?
Mr. Junzo Hosoi, CEO of Gusto: Well, thanks to the “Secret (Ryza)” series released from 2019 to 2023, the number of people interested in the “Atelier” series itself has increased significantly. In order to convey the origin of the series to those who are not familiar with “Atelier Marie”, I decided to remake “Atelier Marie”.
Does this remake signal an intention to return to an even more important point in the series’ history? Marie’s Atelier? CWill some of the popular titles in the series be renewed in the near future?
Well, the possibilities are always there. One of our goals is to sell the entire “Atelier” series from “Atelier Marie” to the latest work on the digital store. We believe that the next game, Atelier, will be created based on the opinions of those who have played past and latest games.
Judging by the game’s trailer, the visual style of the original has been overhauled quite radically. Can you elaborate on what exactly has changed and how the graphical elements differ from his 1997 version?
Characters and stages have also been newly designed from 2D to 3D. Battle scenes have also been converted to 3D, making it possible to create dynamic productions with plenty of effects.
On the other hand, 2D character illustrations are used in conversation events to preserve the atmosphere of the original. The evolution from the original is that the character illustrations have been animated, making it possible to depict the characters more vividly.
Other than graphical enhancements, has anything been added or removed from the story compared to what fans know from the original experience?
In addition to the original scenario, additional scenarios equivalent to about 30-40% of the original story are included. You can learn new aspects of the character, and the teacher’s feedback on Marie’s work. An additional purpose is to increase character portrayal and increase immersion in the world.
No scenarios have been deleted, but some expressions that do not match modern values have been adjusted.
Can you tell us a little bit about how the tutorial and navigation system for Atelier Marie Remake has been expanded and improved to modernize it for new audiences? What are the biggest changes in this regard? ?
“Professor Ingrid’s Mission” has been significantly altered from the original. In the original version, it was necessary to pass the graduation exam with almost no hints, but in this work, by clearing the tasks given by Professor Ingrid, you can get hints on what to do and proceed with the game. increase. Regularly.
We already know that a new ‘Unlimited Mode’ has been added to the adventure, but what else, if any, did you bring to the reworked version of the game?
I think being able to walk around the gathering area is the most changing element of the play experience. In the previous game, you couldn’t walk around the gathering area, and you could only choose whether or not to gather materials, but in this game, you can walk around the gathering area and gather materials just like in the recent Atelier series. . Access materials on the ground to pick up items.
Combats are now symbol encounters and players can choose to avoid enemy encounters, so they have been balanced accordingly. In addition, for those who want to enjoy the game in the same way as the original, we have prepared a “simple collection” function that selects and collects options.
In addition, many fun elements have been added, such as redesigning the Atelier and adding a photo mode that has been popular in the Atelier series in recent years.
Are there any noticeable differences between the Switch version of the game and other platform versions? How does Switch performance hold up compared to other versions?
Optimized for each platform, including appearance, so that you can play comfortably on any platform.
For new fans just beginning their Atelier journey with the fantastic Ryza trilogy, what are the key differences you’ll notice in terms of style, theme, or core gameplay loop of this game?
Compared to Atelier Marie, the Secret series with Ryza as the main character is more RPG-oriented. The game progresses along the story, and the player naturally progresses along the story to the ending.
In contrast, Atelier Marie is more of a simulation game. The game is played in a way that the player manages schedules and coins to achieve success and aim for a good ending. However, for those who are used to the recent Atelier series, the game design may not be familiar, so we added additional features such as “Ultimate Mode” and “Professor Ingrid’s Mission”.
At the same time, some things remain the same. For example, the three major elements of the game, “synthesis”, “battle”, and “collection”, have not changed from Marie to Ryza.
How do you think Marie is different from Liza as a main character?
I think that Marie and Ryza both start off as immature and grow up while having their own worries, and are real-life protagonists that many people can sympathize with.
The only difference is that Marie might seem a little passive compared to Liza, who is always proactive and leads everyone. The reason for this is the difference in how each title is played. In “Ryza”, the main character acts independently and advances the story, but in “Marie” the player must choose the main character’s actions.
In the West, no package version of Atelier Marie Remake -The Alchemist of Salburg- has been announced. Is this something that is likely to change in the future, or will fans here have to cope with the announced digital version?
No physical release planned.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Thanks to Hosoi-san for talking about this wonderful remake.
Are you looking forward to discovering the origins of the Atelier series with the release of Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg on July 12th? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
