Almost 26 years after its original Japanese release, Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg is getting a modern remake complete with its first official English release.
Publisher Koei Tecmo and developer Gust Studios unveiled Atelier Marie Remake today to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Atelier series. That said, Atelier Marie technically released in Japan for the original PlayStation in May 1997, so by the time this remake hits the West in July 2023, we’ll have almost 26 years of Atelier history.
Atelier Marie Remake is coming to Switch, PS5, PS4, and PC, but its exact release date seems to vary slightly. Steam says July 12, the website says July 13, and Koei Tecmo says July 17, so let’s bet mid-July and you can check whatever platform you want.
In case you miss that particular niche over the past two decades and are switching over, Atelier Marie is the first game in a long line of JRPG creations. It’s fascinating to see that even the original game has the exact same premise: a young woman runs an alchemy shop while trying to meet shipping and/or review deadlines and occasionally negotiating turn-based combat. . The series has traditionally been split into disparate trilogies, with the most recent being Atelier Ryza. In this case, Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key is released on March 24 on the same platforms as the remake of Marie.
L’Atelier Marie being extremely old, it has been refined for its relaunch. Koei Tecmo promises brand new graphics with chibi models for gameplay and lush artwork for story scenes, and the art looks pretty good, especially for such an old JRPG. The tutorial has apparently been updated to make the game “more comfortable and easier to play”, with combat and alchemy item synthesis also getting some balance tweaks.
“Many new elements have also been added for fans of the original version, as well as the novelties of the Atelier series”, adds the publisher. “In Unlimited mode, players can now take their time without having to graduate in five years, which benefits those who want to enjoy a relaxed life in the workshop without being pushed by deadlines. . Additional social events have also been added, allowing players to interact with the main characters, discovering new aspects and charms that were not included in the original game. The always useful ‘Professor Ingrid’s tasks’ are also added. These tasks serve as a guide, as the question “what should I do next” can be answered immediately, a unique feature for RPGs with this high degree of freedom.”
The Atelier series has been quietly iterating on a winning formula for over 20 games, but the game that started it all has never been (officially) playable in English until now. Logically, this should be a decent place to start the series, but if you’re looking to try some more modern entries, plenty of them are on sale on Steam (opens in a new tab) until February 28.
It’s been a big month for cult classics, especially with around half of the all announced in the February 2023 Nintendo Direct being extremely niche.