Alchemical Origins
- by PJ O’Reilly
The Atelier series has, believe it or not, been with us since 1997 back when Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg was first released on the original PlayStation in Japan. In the years since, we’ve seen a pretty staggering number of additions to the franchise, with 25 mainline entries alongside a smattering of spin-offs. There’s a lot to dig into here if you’re interested, and a whole host of memorable protagonists to get to know along the way.
What started off as a quite fan-servicey simulation in its earlier years, has now blossomed into a full-on RPG affair that balances turn-based combat with an in-depth alchemy system that’s garnered a large following of enthusiastic fans, and rightly so. On Nintendo Switch, we’ve been treated to the best entries in the franchise, with the Atelier Ryza trilogy seeing developer Gust really step up to take the series to the next level.
