Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg (NSP, XCI) ROM + v1.0.0a Update + All DLCs

Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg is a 1997 role-playing video game developed and published by Gust. The first entry in the Atelier series, it originally released for the PlayStation, then received ports and enhanced versions on other platforms. A remake for modern platforms, Atelier Marie Remake, was released worldwide in 2023 by Koei Tecmo.  Following the efforts of alchemist-in-training Marie to pass an exam within five years, the gameplay focuses on exploring materials to create alchemical recipes and completing story missions and requests within the in-game time limit.

Atelier Marie began development in 1996, with creator and designer Shinichi Yoshiike wanting a light-hearted fantasy. Artist Kohime Ohse created the character designs and in-game art. Reception of the game has been generally positive, with commentary focusing on its non-standard gameplay compared to other titles of its time.  The remake saw praise for its art, but several noted its archaic elements.

Following the success of Atelier Marie, Gust developed several follow-up games including two sequels. The Atelier series would become one of Gust’s flagship products. At the esteemed Wizardry Academy (or the Academy for brevity), Marie grapples with alchemical studies.  In a surprising twist, her professor grants her an atelier as part of an exclusive graduation test. To impress her mentor and earn her diploma, Marie embarks on a mission to create a remarkable artifact.

Yet, before Marie can triumph, she must enhance her alchemy prowess, gather ingredients, and amass funds to recruit adventurers and acquire recipes and tools. Amidst the fusion of synthesis, battles, and quests, her path to the exam is abundantly packed! The choice is yours to forge a starting point! Strive relentlessly to graduate from the Academy, while embracing the delights that unfold on this journey.

GAMEPLAY

Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg is a role-playing video game in which the player takes on the role of alchemist-in-training Marie, running an alchemy workshop over five in-game years. The world and environments are presented through 2D sprite environments and artwork. As Marie, the player works from their atelier workshop in the city of Salzburg, where Marie combines ingredients to create items through alchemy. The resultant item is determined by what ingredients are used.

Each synthesis increases Marie’s fatigue meter, which increases the likelihood of a failure producing no item. Successful syntheses are recorded in a journal. Players typically cannot create using more than two attributes, with the one in-game exception being the Philosopher’s Stone item. Using ingredients with opposing attributes requires a neutralizing agent. The game has a time limit, with major actions such as exploring beyond Salzburg or synthesizing in the atelier taking up a day of in-game time. Depending on the player’s progress and actions, multiple endings can be unlocked.

In Salburg, Marie can purchase and sell supplies, talk to non-playable characters (NPCs) to receive quests or unlock new areas beyond Salburg, and hire adventurers to accompany her outside on expeditions. Outside the town, exploration is done by traveling to a location on the world map revealed through talking with NPCs, with exploration portrayed through static artwork and a menu where the current party can be checked, and exploration can be continued.

Each day spent exploring yields randomized ingredients harvested or a random encounter with an enemy. Battles are turn-based, with the three party members including Marie positioned on a grid that determines their abilities. The party can attack, use magic skills, and equipped items. Winning a battle rewards resources and experience points which raise character levels. Minigames also trigger when gathering certain materials or creating important items. The remake, while preserving the original’s basic structure and time limit, features multiple gameplay changes.

The world is presented from an angled 3D perspective with visual novel-style cutscenes. The player guides Marie around the environments of Salburg and dungeon environments, with enemies represented by sprites on the map the player can engage by running into.

There are additional quests, including instructional lessons from Marie’s teacher. The remake also includes an “indefinite mode” which turns off the time limit, allowing the player to take their time while altering the story progression.

SYNOPSIS

Marlone, known by her nickname Marie, is attending the prestigious Royal Academy of Magic in the city of Salzburg. Despite her eagerness and genuine passion for alchemy, Marie is the worst student enrolled, continually failing her exams due to her clumsiness while synthesizing. Her instructor Ingrid allows Marie one final chance to graduate and gives her a workshop of her own in Salzburg.

The condition is that Marie must successfully synthesize a high-quality item within five years, or she will be held back from graduation. Over the five years, Marlone has operated from her workshop, fulfilling requests for the people of Salzburg. She also interacts with Schia Donnerstag, a close friend who is suffering from a prolonged illness. There are multiple endings; a bad ending where Marlone fails, and multiple endings where she passes Ingrid’s test with varying levels of success, with further variations depending on her relationship with Schia.