yknow this one doesn’t hit me as hard on a replay, i dont think it’s quite as gripping as even 1, nor does it get my brain ticking and the emotions flowing like 2, it’s much more simple and to the point, and that’s fine, but the thrill on a replay isn’t there, which is the biggest draw the first time through, and it loses that imo. i don’t quite like the character writing here as much either, i think it works fantastic as a cog in the machine of the metal gear franchise, but on its own it doesn’t hit me like that, which is unfortunate, it’s the lowest part of mgs on a replay but even still that first play through was fantastic and i love it for that, even if i don’t feel the same a second time through.

the mysterious quadrilogy within the atelier series is possibly the closest one could ever experience an identity crisis while playing video games. but at the same time i utterly adored every game before this one for how ambitious they were and for the amazing characters every game brought. so going into this i did expect a lot and i can thoroughly say i was not let down at all.
obviously i have my small gripes like wishing there were more cgs and vocal songs like there were in the previous mysterious games but as a whole, this game is overflowing with passion for not just being apart of the atelier series, but also for being a game in general. even more so than previous entries honestly.
the gameplay mechanics are absolutely on point here with a lot of ideas being taken from previous entries (the tetris-esque alchemy from the mysterious games, a similar quest-reputation system to ryza 2, gathering minigames which apparently were from the mana khemia games, etc.) and the nods to both sophie 1 and firis are really really cute and enjoyable.
i loved the entire cast through and through and the story was great too. obviously, it isn't too deep or anything with what it says but i really do appreciate the messages about dreams a lot and the continued message of showing empathy and happiness that the mysterious games are known for is amazing here too.
one last complaint tho is that playing on the hardest difficulty (when you first start playing the game) can cause a couple fights feeling kinda bs, particularly the final two fights but not only did the final boss slap hard still, a majority of the fights in this game are really really good.
anyways yeah perfect video game, 10/10, the atelier series does it again.

also when the final line had "mysterious journey" in it i popped off.