[Review] Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg

System: Switch
Release Date: July 13, 2023
Developer: Gust
Publisher: Koei Tecmo

Atelier has been around for over twenty five years, and even though it’s only felt like it’s really started to take off in the last five or so, it’s had a rich history with its slice-of-life RPG experience that is as cozy as it is adventurous and riveting. With the success of recent titles like Atelier Ryza and Atelier Sophie 2, the series has grown exponentially in both detail and scope. However, it’s the humble beginnings that really define how and why the franchise is so unique and special. Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg now brings the series’ debut title to the modern day in a gorgeous fashion, and does so in such a grandiose way that it’s a contender for being the best Atelier game in some time and on Switch.

Atelier Marie has a simplistic concept that streamlines how the series has played but also showcases just how much the series has grown as well. It provides so many hints at the new while appreciating everything that’s come before it, and given that Atelier Marie is where it all began, it’s a remake that is faithful without letting the nostalgia hamper too much on sacrificing how games are perceived and played today, which allows it to become immune to any sort of dated feelings that comes with your run-of-the-mill remaster and/or remake.

Our protagonist, Marlone – who everyone calls Marie for short – is in a prestigious academy to learn how to become the best alchemist she can be. Unfortunately, unlike other alchemists that have eventually found their way before her in The Alchemist of Salburg’s respective lore and the games that followed, Marie is the worst in her class and in need of help. Even with her academics failing, though, she stays optimistic and enthusiastic about all things alchemy, and nothing will stop her love of the craft. Having noticed this, her mentor sees the potential she holds within, and grants her five years to concoct the most incredible item she possibly can as a way to redeem herself and graduate. From this point on, Marie will go and explore the many areas of Salburg, and in doing so meet friends along the way that want to see her succeed.

It’s a simplistic story but one that does a great job at being cozy and warmhearted thanks to the charisma of Marie herself and those that she travels with. While there are certainly key characters that will introduce themselves in the story as the player progresses, what makes the game so interesting compared to many other Atelier entries is that many adventurers come in and out of Salburg that can be hired and befriended, so your party can be managed in any way you see fit with the classes you’d prefer. There’s not really an instance of forcing someone to be in your party unless a scenario calls for it, and heroes can be switched out whenever back in town if one feels the need to prioritize a certain hero over another.

Having this ability to create the team you want makes it so the combat in-between gathering, crafting, and more is tuned to your style of play. I found this to be hugely beneficial to the progression as combat was something I would look forward to rather than trying to avoid. What makes it even more palatable is that there’s an auto-battle feature, which has been present over the course of the last few Atelier titles, that helps with moving things along a bit quicker, especially while grinding or farming (which admittedly is rarely needed).

Though the last few Atelier games have been transitioning into a sort of real-time battle system, Atelier Marie Remake also goes back to basics by making things your standard turn-based experience. As someone who’s been with the series for quite some time now, this is personally what I prefer, so I was immediately comfortable with the mechanics and structure of how battles would work. A big bonus also is that the camera work – of which there are two options for – is extremely well done, so everything on the field is easy to read, and this wouldn’t also be possible without its exceptional user-interface that is without a doubt the cleanest for the franchise to date.

As the series has evolved, there’s been this odd obsession with making crafting techniques overly convoluted, which is in stark contrast to the overall cozy and inviting nature of the series as a whole. The menus also tend to suffer for it because there needs to be a way to convey all the information to the player – and there’s really no way to present all that in a concise manner without looping back to a state of confusion and bewilderment. Atelier Marie Remake beautifully streamlines and prioritizes the need to simply make what you need so long as you have the ingredients, and now that we can go back to doing just that without worrying about potency, fusions, grades, and whether or not the player has a background in engineering and chemistry, it becomes fluid and intuitive again. Have the ingredients you need to make X product? Great – press A to make it and you’re done!

Even for those that have never touched the Atelier games, one thing is for certain when glancing upon them: the ineffable art that’s presented with each and every entry. The renewed illustrations for Atelier Marie are stunning to say the very least, and watching it all come to life on both the big screen and a Switch OLED as they’re slightly animated with a Live 2D-esque look really helps the art come to life in a special way. Marie and all her companions shine and are jaw-droppingly gorgeous, and it doesn’t just end with the 2D illustrations either. Atelier Marie Remake introduces a more chibi-like art direction that’s akin to the 3DS Atelier titles that were never released in the west, and it takes full advantage of the screen space and hardware to make sure that it looks polished and vibrant where it counts. Details like blurring the edges of the screen are also a nice touch, and give off a dreamy feel for The Alchemist of Salburg that adds to its overall comforting experience and agenda. It’s a refreshing new perspective on what is otherwise an either cel-shaded or very anime heavy direction the series has been since it went full 3D with Atelier Rorona, and in doing so it’s helped free up a lot of resources for the Switch that, finally, doesn’t suffer from frame-rate issues, a lack of anti-aliasing, and poor resolution.

Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg is the perfect definition of a remake – one that has the essence and soul of the original while reimagining it for the modern day and audiences. It’s also an incredible entry point for newcomers to the series and those wanting to jump into a carefree RPG that doesn’t ask too much of the player, and it’s immensely refreshing to veteran players of the series as well. The way it’s found the ability to streamline and focus its mechanics with little to no compromise feels like a breath of fresh air, and it’s arguably one of the best experiences for Switch owners to jump into this late in the cycle when wanting something a little less complicated and grind-heavy. Atelier Marie Remake takes what feels like the best of the series and compiles them all in a perpetually fun and relaxing experience with The Alchemist of Salburg, and it once again shows the potential for the ever-growing series that never seems to stop finding a new way to take us on a spectacular adventure.

Atelier Marie Remake is a beautiful game that brings the series’ debut title to the modern day in a grandiose way while respecting the original format and taking full advantage of the medium’s technical progress to avoid the feeling of being dated. It remains a cozy adventure with slice-of-life elements that get players immersed and invested in all of the charismatic characters and protagonists, and the focus on streamlining the experience makes this the best and most accessible Atelier title in a very long time. It’s a reassuring look that the franchise hasn’t lost its footing after all of these years, and the fact that it runs and plays great on Nintendo’s console helps catapult this remake to the top of the list for Atelier offerings on the system as well as any JRPG library.

Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg copy provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review.