Following the most recent Nintendo Direct, some surprising news came out of Koei Tecmo (that wasn’t actually part of the direct for some reason). While we’re still on the road to marquee Gust JRPG Atelier Ryza 3, the next entry in the “cozy RPG” alchemy series is already on the schedule, and it’s a remake of Atelier Marie. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, that’s because even if you’re a modern day Atelier sicko chances you’ve played this one are slim. This is a remake of the very first Atelier, and the very first time North America is seeing an official release.
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Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg is a celebratory release marking the series’ 25th anniversary. This game was originally released for the PlayStation all the way back in 1997. While re-released several times since then, English-speaking Atelier sickos weren’t able to play it in their language until a fan translation was finally released in 2018. Come July 17, 2023, This remake will be Atelier Marie’s official localization debut. The coolest thing about this remake is that it’s retaining its old school aesthetic, but is still a thorough remake built from the ground up. Check out the overview here, released on February 21:
And here’s a look at the PlayStation original, or at least a PlayStation 2 port of the PlayStation original, since that’s the one the community translated:
It’s so cool to see how the original Atelier Marie’s style, which is vastly different compared to the Atelier games of today, was adapted. Gust is treating the game with a specific kind of reverence, the kind that doesn’t look at an older game and see just a piece of software in need of “fixes.” That’s that good shit, y’all. And the best part is yet to come. In the next paragraph, I mean.
Atelier games are pretty popular now (relatively), but a major hurdle on the way there was their strict time limits. You often had a long-term goal with limited time to accomplish it, and even picking a single flower could be a weird source of stress. There’s not a damn thing “cozy” about that, and much like Story of Seasons Atelier would eventually drop the time limit thing in favor of appealing to modern JRPG audiences (mostly burnt out millennials, natch).
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Gust is having its cake and eating it too with Atelier Marie Remake. You can choose between the original structure based on a five-year (in-game) deadline, if you’re curious about the original experience. Or you can choose “Unlimited Mode,” removing the time constraint and allowing you to tackle Marie’s dire academic situation without an adorably decorated Sword of Damocles hanging over her head.
Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg winds back the clock big time, hot on the heels of the latest in Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key (that one’s scheduled for March 24). We didn’t get the Atelier series until it was already six games deep with Atelier Iris (PlayStation 2, 2005), so being able to go all the way back to the beginning is pretty rad. Considering this is an anniversary celebration release I’m not banking on five more remakes following it, but for now this is a nice treat.
