Androu1
Log Status
Completed
Playing
Backlog
Wishlist
Rating
Time Played
9h 0m
Days in Journal
1 day
Last played
October 27, 2023
Platforms Played
As a Remake, this is nearly flawless and makes the original completely obsolete. I do still have a soft spot for the art style of the OG, sure, but that's limited to certain characters and CGs exclusively because I felt most of the game looked bad. The charming chibi style (which seems to be calling back to the chibi sprites of the OG) and modern artwork look great here, especially in the CGs (which are still as rare as in the OG).
The game mostly plays things pretty close to the OG, so it doesn't try to warp the classic game into something more fitting of the later entries, but it does make some very welcome changes and additions.
Gathering is now an actual exploration instead of being just a single JPEG with dicerolls. The exploration itself is incredibly simple, fitting the game, and it does make the game easier since you can see what you're gathering and can avoid enemies or get pre-emptive strikes. The classic gathering system is also available, though, as the "Simplfied Gathering" feature! I used it a couple times, so it's a welcome addition.
Combat is, for the most part, largely unchanged. Turn order is much more transparent, and I'm not sure the OG had the same "basic attacks get you more turns than special attacks" thing... but it's been forever since I played the OG Marie. What is a huge glow up, though, is the presentation! The chibis really get to move their tiny stumpy legs in combat, with some very charming animations. On top of that we get combat speed-up and difficulty options, as well as Auto Battle which I warn everyone to ignore because it wastes items AND turns.
Salburg itself also got a glow up, albeit a minor one. Instead of the town being a static image, like gathering, you can now walk around the main plaza. It feels nice, but it's a relatively minor change all things considered. However, it does host a new shop that opens later in the game and also unlocks the new Atelier customization feature, which is another minor-but-nice addition.
What is NOT a minor addition, however, is the large new amount of events the game has. I'm pretty sure events have doubled, making friendship with your various party members more important. For example, I'm pretty sure Schwalbe had no events after he became an adventure in the OG, if my memory serves right. Now he has 3 new events dealing. Might not sound like much, but this treatment applies to every party member, they all now have at least 2 or 3 more events to flesh them out. Considering Atelier is all about the characterization and interactions, this is extremely welcome.
The one flaw of these events is that they lack voice acting. Not that I care much, because I generally skip the audio once I'm done reading in Japanese games, but it's worth noting. This game seems to reuse the OG's voice acting, so new content doesn't get voiced, basically. On the other hand, music has been rearranged and sounds better than ever! Though you can also use the OG OST (or the OST for almost every other Gust game if you have the DLC).
To top it all off, there's also loads of quality of life improvements that make the game snappier than ever. It's much easier to keep track of the loads of shit you need to craft and what quests you have accepted. It's also easier to find and trigger events!
If I had a gripe with this remake it would be that I felt that I got way less direct requests than in the OG, which made raising friendship more annoying. But that's RNG and I haven't played the OG in forever, so maybe it's just me imagining it?
What IS annoying, though, is that they didn't add a feature to let you pick which ending to watch (from the ones you qualified for, of course). I know they put that feature in modern Atelier games and it would be welcome here, as I qualified for all but ONE of the endings (100% Item Guide was being a bitch so I didn't do that). Then again, BFF ending is the best ending and it has the highest priority so it works out...
I'm gonna be over the fucking moon if they give Elie this kind of remake treatment, as I loved that game much more than Marie. And I'll be going sicko mode if they also remake and localize Lilie for the first time ever! One can dream...
The game mostly plays things pretty close to the OG, so it doesn't try to warp the classic game into something more fitting of the later entries, but it does make some very welcome changes and additions.
Gathering is now an actual exploration instead of being just a single JPEG with dicerolls. The exploration itself is incredibly simple, fitting the game, and it does make the game easier since you can see what you're gathering and can avoid enemies or get pre-emptive strikes. The classic gathering system is also available, though, as the "Simplfied Gathering" feature! I used it a couple times, so it's a welcome addition.
Combat is, for the most part, largely unchanged. Turn order is much more transparent, and I'm not sure the OG had the same "basic attacks get you more turns than special attacks" thing... but it's been forever since I played the OG Marie. What is a huge glow up, though, is the presentation! The chibis really get to move their tiny stumpy legs in combat, with some very charming animations. On top of that we get combat speed-up and difficulty options, as well as Auto Battle which I warn everyone to ignore because it wastes items AND turns.
Salburg itself also got a glow up, albeit a minor one. Instead of the town being a static image, like gathering, you can now walk around the main plaza. It feels nice, but it's a relatively minor change all things considered. However, it does host a new shop that opens later in the game and also unlocks the new Atelier customization feature, which is another minor-but-nice addition.
What is NOT a minor addition, however, is the large new amount of events the game has. I'm pretty sure events have doubled, making friendship with your various party members more important. For example, I'm pretty sure Schwalbe had no events after he became an adventure in the OG, if my memory serves right. Now he has 3 new events dealing. Might not sound like much, but this treatment applies to every party member, they all now have at least 2 or 3 more events to flesh them out. Considering Atelier is all about the characterization and interactions, this is extremely welcome.
The one flaw of these events is that they lack voice acting. Not that I care much, because I generally skip the audio once I'm done reading in Japanese games, but it's worth noting. This game seems to reuse the OG's voice acting, so new content doesn't get voiced, basically. On the other hand, music has been rearranged and sounds better than ever! Though you can also use the OG OST (or the OST for almost every other Gust game if you have the DLC).
To top it all off, there's also loads of quality of life improvements that make the game snappier than ever. It's much easier to keep track of the loads of shit you need to craft and what quests you have accepted. It's also easier to find and trigger events!
If I had a gripe with this remake it would be that I felt that I got way less direct requests than in the OG, which made raising friendship more annoying. But that's RNG and I haven't played the OG in forever, so maybe it's just me imagining it?
What IS annoying, though, is that they didn't add a feature to let you pick which ending to watch (from the ones you qualified for, of course). I know they put that feature in modern Atelier games and it would be welcome here, as I qualified for all but ONE of the endings (100% Item Guide was being a bitch so I didn't do that). Then again, BFF ending is the best ending and it has the highest priority so it works out...
I'm gonna be over the fucking moon if they give Elie this kind of remake treatment, as I loved that game much more than Marie. And I'll be going sicko mode if they also remake and localize Lilie for the first time ever! One can dream...