Following the first details on Atelier Firis: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey, producer Yoshito Okamura shared additional details in an interview featured in this week’s issue of Famitsu magazine. [Thanks, Hachima.]
About the area and era
Okamura “The era is set shortly after the ending of the previous game. It takes place as the same world as Sophie’s but the area is pretty far from where she lived in Kilhen Bell.
“Alchemy culture is further developed than it is in Kilhen Bell, so you’ll see many alchemists other than Firis make an appearance.”
Does that mean characters from the previous game will appear…?
“I wonder [laughs]”
Julio and Leon that appeared in the previous game were from outside Kilhen Bell, does that mean Firis lives close to their hometowns?
“That is right. This time there will be all kinds of towns, and we’re challenging the maximum number of towns and fields from the Atelier series.”
It looks like the play feel will be quite different this time from before
“Up until now there was always the loop where you used a town as a base and checked out gathering locations to get material and go back to town for synthesis, but this time since you’ll be going to the next destinations, you’ll see what you can gather from the outskirts of the cities, see what you can make then will need to properly think about what you’ll want to take with you for the journey to the next city. I want you to try and learn through trial-and-error.”
“This time around, you’ll have a time limit of a year to accomplish the first objective, and after clearing that you’ll be able to play without any time limits.”
“Firis’ true journey begins after clearing that first objective. There are many events, including fields that are five times bigger than Sophie’s biggest fields.”
Atelier Firis: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey will release for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. The game’s development is currently at 50% complete.
