Atelier Sophie: On to the next step

After 11 hours of smooth play, I unlocked the Friendly Persona, i.e. the last of the Beginner Recipes. Doing that gave me a pleasant completion feeling, almost as if I had just finished the game; in fact, I feel so good about myself and my accomplishments in Sophie that I could nearly stop playing it right now. I won't, of course; I'm not bored of that game yet, and there's still a lot to discover and achieve.

 

Call me Darth Maul.

That being said, I will play in a more casual, relaxed way from now on. Sophie was the only thing I played these last ten days, and I didn't complain; but to avoid alchemy fatigue, and because other games are begging for my attention now, I'm going to space my Sophie sessions out. I don't worry too much about losing the thread, because story in that game is little more than an paper-thin excuse to move the player forward; and neither do I worry about not getting my fill, because even short playing bouts usually make me feel nicely sated.

 

There's little novelty since my last post, apart from the fact that everything is getting better. Combat is snappier and more thrilling since I gained a fourth party member and extra skills with badass animations, I have enough areas unlocked to forage without ever being bored, and I manage to snatch rare materials on a regular basis thanks to a clever use of rain and Rumors. My only gripe so far is the limited size of my basket, which often forces me to exit areas just when materials start getting valuable and abundant. To avoid that, I run around, fight a bit, and only start foraging when I reach Gathering Level 3 or 4. Thanks to that carefully controlled recklessness, I managed to obtain high-quality materials with interesting Traits much earlier than in other Atelier games. High-quality materials mean more productive synthesis, more efficient crafting, a better gameplay experience overall, and a happier little me.

 

Did someone say Castlevania?

My plan for the next days is simple: to keep running around, foraging, fighting and synthesizing until I clear the whole batch of Growth Recipes. After that, we'll see if I keep going or take a small break. I'll see you soon with a fresh run report, dear fellow gamers Stop the presses! I just received my copy of PMD: Rescue Team DX, and that game takes absolute precedence over everything else. The next Sophie run report might come later than expected; still, I won't drop the game. Stay tuned!