Soon, Gust is going to bring a classic Atelier entry to the west. Atelier Marie Remake is on the way. Ahead of its debut, Siliconera got to talk to Gust Executive Officer Junzo Hosoi about the development of this installment, its new quality of life features, and the chances of us seeing games like Atelier Elie and Atelier Lilie returning too.
Jenni Lada: When did work on remaking Atelier Marie begin?
Junzo Hosoi: We began development in 2021.
What sorts of quality of life adjustments did Gust consider when preparing Atelier Marie Remake? Which one do you think is most helpful?
Junzo Hosoi: We thought it was essential to add an in-game tutorial and an intermediate goal of “Professor Ingrid’s Task” to guide the gameplay so that new or current game players can smoothly enter the game. “Professor Ingrid’s Task” clearly states the minimum goal to clear so that even newcomers can play without hesitation.
How much did the actual game itself change between the original and the remake in terms of both gameplay and its story? Did this mean additional script adjustments or mission rebalancing?
Junzo Hosoi: The biggest change in gameplay is that you can now obtain items of your choice by gathering. At the same time, we have adjusted the balance of requests, battles, and number of days for synthesis.
As for the storyline, additional events to interact with the characters you can hire, as well as events in which the teachers evaluate Marie’s performance have been added. There are few changes to the original storyline.
Image via Koei Tecmo
Which more recent Atelier games influenced Atelier Marie Remake most?
Junzo Hosoi: I think it is Atelier Sophie 2, which was released last year, and Atelier Ryza 3, which came out this year. In order to bring Atelier Marie up to a quality suitable for the present day, the knowledge we have gained from these two works has been utilized in this one as well.
What led to the implementation of the Professor Ingrid’s Tasks feature in Atelier Marie Remake and how does it work?
Junzo Hosoi: As the original version of the game had limited in-game instructions, some first-time players may be unsure of what to do. The idea was to make it easier to play by presenting short-term goals for such players. By having Professor Ingrid give you a task every six months, it is easier to know what you need to do next, and it makes it easier to play toward the ending. In Ultimate Mode, the deadline for these tasks can be ignored, making it easier to play for people who are not comfortable with the deadline system.
There are all new 3D character models for the Atelier Marie Remake. How did the original designs influence their new looks?
Junzo Hosoi: We created the characters to be cute in a modern style, while reproducing the character designs and pixel art features of the original work.
How did the team prepare it for a digital release on multiple platforms?
Junzo Hosoi: Since the foundation for multiple platforms has been laid with the past Atelier series, development and debugging for each platform was done pretty much simultaneously.
Image via Koei Tecmo
What are your thoughts on Atelier Elie and Atelier Lilie? How would you feel about also eventually revisiting those games with possible remakes?
Junzo Hosoi: It is possible. One of our goals is to have the entire Atelier series, starting with Atelier Marie, available in the digital stores.
Now that Ryza’s story’s been told and we’ll meet Marie again, what would you like to do next with Atelier games?
Junzo Hosoi: Based on the experience we’ve gained up to the Secret series and the feedback we’ve received from everyone, we will continue to take on the challenge of creating a new “Atelier.”
Please look forward to the future development of the Atelier series.
Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg will release on July 13, 2023 on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC.
