Atelier Sophie 2: Exclusive Interview – Is Development Like Boss Fighting?

In 2016, “Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book” was published in this country and immediately charmed RPG fans. As the protagonist of the novel named Sophie, you will experience firsthand how she continues to grow with her missions in order to get closer to her great goal: she wants to become the greatest alchemist out there. Sophie gets help from a magical book who behaves strangely human and gives her tons of advice. In the course of your adventure, you will turn the book into a powerful alchemist by the name of Plachta. How convenient! She stayed by Sophie and became her mentor and friend.

Monday’s journey continues into the next branch. In one of their explorations, Plachta and Sophie find a huge tree that Plachta had actually seen in one of their dreams. Shortly thereafter, events unfold and the two alchemists are drawn into a strange world. Until now, they had all the adventures together, but now Plachta is gone and Sophie has to fend for itself. After doing some research, Sophie finds out that Plachta is supposed to live in a nearby town. But this is not your friend, but a completely different person! Thus begins a new mysterious story in “Atelier Sophie 2”.

We don’t know much about the game yet. The trailer shows some opponents, characters and the alchemy system, but what innovations are really there is not entirely clear to us yet. Aside from the fact that the battles on the map now run smoothly and the battles, which are now turn-based again, Gonzo Hosui referred to as “Multi-Link Turn-Based Battles”, possibly due to a combination of attacks by individual team members . It looks really cool in the trailer, but it remains to be seen if the whole thing will work that way.

Why Sophie?

The duo from the first “Atelier Sophie” was received very well by fans, which is why the two young women were once again chosen as the main characters in the sequel. If you’ve been a longtime fan of the game series, you might also know its direct successor, “Atelier Firis”, where Sophie has gained incredible knowledge so she can teach. “Atelier Sophie 2” bridges the gap between these two games, producer Hosoi tells us:

Sophie was a junior chemist, then in ‘Atelier Firis’ she was a chemistry teacher and in ‘Atelier Lydie & Suelle’ a chemist who reached an exceptional level. Obviously, Sophie and Blachta had a lot of experience during that growth. So we thought it would be really fun to showcase One of these trial periods as a sequel and a new title and we decided to choose Sophie as the protagonist.”

Video game development can be boss fight

Although there are many “Atelier” games out there, they are not just copies of each other. Each game offers new challenges for developers. After all, you want to keep developing the franchise. This product often features major missions somewhat similar to the Battle of the Boss. Explain to us:

“Well, not only for ‘Atelier Sophie 2’, but in general when developing games, I have a feeling that I am facing a main opponent every day. And the sense of achievement in defeating the enemy is incredible! But there are so many strong enemies! I really hope that from now on I will not There will be stronger enemies waiting for us.”

The magic of “Atelier” games

We already mentioned it in the introduction: the “Atelier” franchise is just a magical thing. This, at least in the eyes of the author of this article, is mainly due to the feeling, that special atmosphere that each one of them exudes. It’s not just the characters or the story that are responsible for this special feeling: it’s the interaction of many factors that make this “all is well. The world is a magical place where all problems can be solved” – Viben Trigger. This is awesome! From the author’s subjective point of view, this is definitely the biggest plus point in the series, which distinguishes each “Atelier” game from other RPGs.

In a conversation with Junzo Hosoi, it is revealed that he sees her in a certain way. However, this goes a little further for him. The reason why many JRPG fans can’t generalize like the “Atelier” series is for him. So there are surely people out there who love this distinct ‘Atelier’ vibe. But also others who find alchemy fascinating or take the characters to heart. After all, every player is different.

If you’re curious to know about “Atelier Sophie 2,” we have good news: the game will be released on February 25, 2022 for PS4, Switch, and PC. Don’t worry if you don’t know (yet) your ancestor: according to Hosoi, single-player games can be played without prior knowledge. There will also be a video synopsis of the sequel so you know the first part.

By the way: If you’re still completely new to the world of alchemy, Junzo Hosoi also has a tip on where to start: pick a character you’d like to learn more about their story. There is nothing quite like The PERFECT to start the series. He advises you to take what fascinates you directly.

More news about Atelier Sophie 2.