We’re no stranger to the Atelier series here at Phenixx Gaming. Because of that, I’m usually keeping an eye on the latest developments for the series. Today we’re digging into what I think is yet another genius move by Koei Tecmo, the Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack.

The Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack is a deal all on its own and contains Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book DX, Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey DX, and Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings DX, along with Digital Artbooks containing art and soundtracks for each game.

This is the first Nintendo Switch pack like this that I’ve come across to actually have separate digital artbooks, which is surprising. Including the DX version of the games is also interesting, because it is the version that contains all previous DLC and various enhancements that the original western releases didn’t have.

Before we get into what you need to know about this pack, let’s break down the premise of each game, shall we? I’m leaving out any major spoilers, so the actual plotline might vary just slightly, but the premise is here.

Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book DX puts you in the role of Sophie, a budding alchemist who finds a talking book among her late grandmother’s belongings. The book is named Plachta and is an amnesiac, who regains her memories when Sophie writes alchemy recipes into her. They begin an arrangement, Plachta helps Sophie grow as an alchemist while Sophie helps her to regain her memories. The journey begins from there.

Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey DX puts you in the role of Firis and takes place after the events of the first game. Firis has lived in an isolated underground town for her entire life. However, after a chance meeting with Sophie and Plachta, she sets out to take the official Alchemy License exam, and become a full-fledged alchemist.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings DX centers on twin sisters Lydie and Suelle, who made a promise to their late mother to make their Atelier the greatest in the kingdom. They discover a world inside a painting and realize that the “mysterious paintings” can help them achieve their goal. The journey they set out on becomes more involved than they could have imagined.

Unlike Atelier Ryza (and its sequel), these three games are turn-based. Additionally, they (mostly) lack the time-constraint element from previous games in the franchise, though the Ryza series has continued on that trend. I personally think that the series is at its best when it is turn-based because it adds so many layers of strategy to the combat.

The Alchemy system was reworked for this trilogy as well compared to previous installments, making it more of a puzzle-esque situation rather than being as complex as previous trilogies. There are even aspects of this system that have carried on in later games, so it is interesting to see the evolution of the mechanics over the years.

Each of the three games play very well. There are multiple combat speed options added to make things more palatable for players who want combat to go faster. Additionally, you can select either Japanese or English voice acting, depending on which you prefer. Recent releases from Koei Tecmo have foregone English Localization, so I’m happy this bundle has it.

All in all, you’re getting 3 games, all the DLC, the soundtrack, and the art book for each game. At a 90 dollar price point, when each of these games easily gets you 80+ hours of gameplay, you’re getting a great deal. Plus, these three games in particular have great mechanics, fun characters, and a really cool set of storylines.

The combat is interesting, dynamic, and easy to learn. Plus, there are multiple difficulty levels in case you wanna turn up the heat a bit. The Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack is a fantastic purchase for any JRPG lover or any Atelier fan. If you haven’t played any of the Atelier games before, this is a great place to start as well.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of the Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack was provided by Koei Tecmo for this review.

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Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack

$89.99

5

Score

10.0/10

0.0/10

Pros

• Alchemy is a Fun Puzzle
• No Time Constraints
• Fun Turn-Based Combat
• Hundreds of Hours of Content
• Three Great Stories in One Package