I fell in love with the original game, and I'm so looking forward to picking this up to spend more time with Sophie on a new adventure. As a side note, Gust's games this generation just look absolutely gorgeous, they are all wizards I swear xD
Thank you for this review. I am playing through Atelier Ryza 2 now and was considering Atelier Sophie 2 as my next main entry. You answered all the questions I had so thank you. Will be getting this! 😊
Another great video. Atelier is a franchise I have heard so much good things about, and need to get into it more (have one on PS2, and some on the PS3) and feel it would be a very enjoyable experience. Thank you for another wonderful watch/review. Hope you're having a great day, can't wait to see what you have in store for us next.
I must admit this was my first Atelier game and regret not trying them before. It's a great example of a modern turn based jrpg. I was impressed with the battle system, mapping, weather changing in particular. I spent quite a while at the alchemy but crafting powerful items was satisfying. Hopefully they continue this standard in subsequent games.
Yay! Finally, your Sophie 2 review is here! I enjoyed it very much and I thank you for all your hard work--as usual. I wasn't surprised at your score, given your love for the series. Although I haven't finished the game (more in a moment), I think it's definitely warranted. The game is beautiful, almost certainly the best in the series. It runs well on PC. The alchemy system is fun. Exploration perhaps isn't as fun as Ryza 2, but it's still engaging. The characters are compelling, but perhaps Ryza and Klaudia's relationship was a bit more deep. BUT In a previous video, you mentioned going back to Monark. I bought it on PC, and I tried to get into it. I'm guessing you play on PS5 or PS4, but the stuttering frame rate on PC is atrocious. I want to like that game, but the technical issues of stuttering and framerate drops are significant. In comparison, Sophie 2 looks gorgeous. It runs with maximum settings at 4K (I have an RTX3090, so there's that). It rarely stutters, and it's barely noticeable when it does. Monark graphically looks pretty ordinary, yet even an RTX3090 can't overcome whatever technical shortcomings it has. But I think I've played all I can stand. This review will probably prompt me to return to Sophie 2 to finish it. Oh, also I was distracted by Rune Factory 5, but it's not hooking me yet (and it too has framerate issues). At any rate, I greatly enjoyed your Sophie 2 video. You hit all the right points, and your score reflected how good the game is. Thanks again!
Thank you! I’m glad you liked the review I know you were waiting for it :3 coincidently, I’ll have a Monark review coming too; my feelings for it now are certainly much deeper than my ones in the first impressions, although not so much for performance as I played on PS5 (I did have a crash during my playthrough though, which wasn’t ideal >
@@JRPGJungle Thanks for your reply! Is the framerate on PS5 acceptable? Although I'm not keen on purchasing it again on another platform, I might consider it if the game is good enough. Maybe I'd wait for a sale. I'd definitely wait for your review to potentially influence me. All that said, I'm not hopeful even with patches PC performance would improve. As for Sophie 2, I think I'll go back and finish it. I think I saw somewhere in your video, or maybe you mentioned it, you had around 65 hours in it? Or am I recalling another video from another creator? I don't remember. At any rate, a game really has to draw me in to spend more than 60 hours with it. Persona 5 did this. So did Blue Reflection 2. I'm on the fence about Sophie 2. The alchemy system is pretty addicting, but it also feels gated thus far. Maybe the story will hook me in. I have around 15 hours into it. I think I'll give it a generous chance this week. Wish me luck! Finally, keep up the great work with your videos, and I look forward to your insights on Monark. Best of luck!
I had about 70 for Sophie :3 as for Monark, I didn’t find the frame rate an issue on PS5 though, but there were other things that wore on me that I’ll be talking about in my review :3 in any case, I hope Sophie 2 ends up pulling you in :3 thank you for watching ^__^
Having played through both Ryza games and now this, i definitely want to go back and try the original Sophie however i feel like the art style and gameplay mechanics in these "newer" iterations if you will definitely spoiled me and i don't know if i can go back to the older titles now lol, regardless, Sophie 2 was really fun ! Amazing review as well :) the amount of depth and detail never fails to deliver !
I cant wait to actually start playing this. I have had the collectors edition from Nisamerica but have not cracked it open yet. I do wish Koei Tecmo would bring over those AR Nosurge games that came out in Japan like a year ago. Honestly I thought we would have had localized versions of them by now.
Looking forward to jumping into this one soon. My bro got it for cheap and has been enjoying it and I'll def be looking into playing it once I've finally finished Monark and then Death End Request 2. Really love how they upped the battle mechanics so its turn-based as they was my one letdown when I played the other ateliers like ryza
I love this game. Not only it went back to the turn based battles (I strongly disliked Ryza's combat system), it presented my favorite cast of characters in the entire series. And I love the soundtrack.
This game exceeded my expectations in every way by bringing my favorite elements from Mysterious(crafting, recipe unlocking, paired attacks)and Ryza (individual growth quests, landmarks encouraging exploration, gathering tools). Really enjoyed all the characters and feel like they really did a great job in an area I feel a lot of Jrpgs fall short in which is the characters’ relationships with each other and not just the protagonist. Loved the story and the world and was also sad to finish it. A little nervous that Gust may have painted themselves into a corner as I don’t think they can top this and I’m going to be mildly disappointed in some manner with future titles whether the characters aren’t as liked, battle system not quite as good, etc. but only time will tell.
Just stumbled across your channel the other day and I have to say, I really like your reviews and coverage! It's nice to find a channel that caters specifically to JRPGs that also produces really top quality stuff. :) This review convinced me to order a copy of Atelier Sophie 2! I was considering picking up the DX version of Atelier Sophie 1 for a re-play but it's not particularly well optimised for PC on the Steam Deck from what I can see. I find a lot of Japanese games aren't as well optimised for PC these days, sadly.
@@JRPGJungle I loved the first one! It was my first game in the series. Firis is my personal favourite though, that big open world to explore was so exciting to me. I find these games perfect to relax with after work so as long as Sophie 2 is as nice and chill as the first one, I'm sure I'll love it :)
@@JRPGJungle one day I'm going to give Firis DX a playthrough to experience it all over again! But I have Ryza 2 and now Sophie 2 to catch up on first 😅 started Ryza 2 earlier today on PS5, it's absolutely gorgeous and so relaxing.
I have the same feeling about sophie 2. The cast is so great, i love every characters. Gameplay is really smooth 🤤 to be honest i did use auto alchemy since i didnt want to bother but i regret it now, i missed something there.
I find it really impressive that they change the gameplay this much between titles. I loved the ps2 era games, but got bored with the first 2 ps3 enteries. Having come back with Ryza and now being half way though the Ryza 3, I think I'm probably going to pick this up next year because of the change. Ryza's systems are fun, but after 3 I'm ready for something different.
So far, this is the most enjoyable JRPG this year. The only thing I would have liked more of was more young Plachta - OG Plachta interactions... but perhaps there will be more in the DLC.
I think it's the first Atelier game I played where I absolutely loved every character, made me really sad to see them go at the end :( I haven't played Firis, Lydie & Suelle yet, so I'm excited to get into those later to see the continuation of Sophie's story.
I think so :3 I’d love to see more Dusk series! Ayesha had a lot of mystery in her story between Dusk 1 and 3, there’s reason to do it :3 haha I’d accept any character though!
I loved the story but really struggling with crafting high quality items. And i have spent hours trying to catch the Old Master fish but no matter what i do to level up my fishing rod i can’t unlock it. I think I’ve only got the very last couple of bosses left to fight now but they are really knocking me out fast
I have to be honest. Atelier games just don’t interest me. I just can’t get into their stories. But I’m happy that you like them and that you enjoy them.
I've also only every played 2 PS2 titles, they were strict RPGs and 2D sprite based, these modern entries into the series seem a little meh to me to but i can 100% recommend the PS2 titles
Do you lose out on not playing the first Sophie or the rest of that trilogy? I just got into Ryza and am liking it so far. Also wondering if I should grab the trilogy since it's on sale on PSN right now, or hold off. Great video! :)
No u don't lose much there is story summery of sophie 1 in shopie 2 Besides the current story is stand alone one it doesn't follow the previous one even most of the characters in sophie 2 are totally new
Only played a few hours but I enjoy it more than Sophie 1 or Ryza both of which I lost interest in very quickly. Not to say they are bad, I just have trouble to focus on a game. I haven’t really enjoyed Atelier games as much as I did back I. The Arland and Dusk trilogies but this one I think I might be the first one I finish since the Dusk games. Also I need to mention that Kati is the most beautiful woman in any of the Atelier games. 😍
It is! I knew it was German (and gave up trying pronounce it in the video 😅) and looked up the individual words, but was so focused on how to say them I didn’t notice it was cool :)) a good name for a world indeed ^__^
I’m learning :3 I played in English though, the Japanese footage is from an Atelier livestream as I didn’t take footage of the catalyst stuff (I tend to stop taking footage after 10 hours to avoid spoilers and use trailers etc for the rest :3)
My first video on it was a first impressions, even though I was 20 hours in :3 I wanted to take my time for the review and make sure I’d finished it properly :))
I fell in love with the original game, and I'm so looking forward to picking this up to spend more time with Sophie on a new adventure.
As a side note, Gust's games this generation just look absolutely gorgeous, they are all wizards I swear xD
I think you'll love it. I sure do!
Thank you for this review. I am playing through Atelier Ryza 2 now and was considering Atelier Sophie 2 as my next main entry. You answered all the questions I had so thank you. Will be getting this! 😊
Another great video. Atelier is a franchise I have heard so much good things about, and need to get into it more (have one on PS2, and some on the PS3) and feel it would be a very enjoyable experience. Thank you for another wonderful watch/review. Hope you're having a great day, can't wait to see what you have in store for us next.
I must admit this was my first Atelier game and regret not trying them before. It's a great example of a modern turn based jrpg. I was impressed with the battle system, mapping, weather changing in particular. I spent quite a while at the alchemy but crafting powerful items was satisfying. Hopefully they continue this standard in subsequent games.
Love your reviews! I just recently picked this up for the switch it will be my first Atelier game!💜
Great review like always! I cannot wait to play this game. It looks SO GORGEOUS. Gust just makes incredibly beautiful worlds.
Can't help falling in love with Ramizel. JRPG of the year so far, and glad I finally tried the Atelier series with this one!
Thanks for the thorough review 😊🙏
Yay! Finally, your Sophie 2 review is here! I enjoyed it very much and I thank you for all your hard work--as usual.
I wasn't surprised at your score, given your love for the series. Although I haven't finished the game (more in a moment), I think it's definitely warranted. The game is beautiful, almost certainly the best in the series. It runs well on PC. The alchemy system is fun. Exploration perhaps isn't as fun as Ryza 2, but it's still engaging. The characters are compelling, but perhaps Ryza and Klaudia's relationship was a bit more deep.
BUT
In a previous video, you mentioned going back to Monark. I bought it on PC, and I tried to get into it. I'm guessing you play on PS5 or PS4, but the stuttering frame rate on PC is atrocious. I want to like that game, but the technical issues of stuttering and framerate drops are significant.
In comparison, Sophie 2 looks gorgeous. It runs with maximum settings at 4K (I have an RTX3090, so there's that). It rarely stutters, and it's barely noticeable when it does. Monark graphically looks pretty ordinary, yet even an RTX3090 can't overcome whatever technical shortcomings it has.
But I think I've played all I can stand. This review will probably prompt me to return to Sophie 2 to finish it. Oh, also I was distracted by Rune Factory 5, but it's not hooking me yet (and it too has framerate issues).
At any rate, I greatly enjoyed your Sophie 2 video. You hit all the right points, and your score reflected how good the game is. Thanks again!
Thank you! I’m glad you liked the review I know you were waiting for it :3 coincidently, I’ll have a Monark review coming too; my feelings for it now are certainly much deeper than my ones in the first impressions, although not so much for performance as I played on PS5 (I did have a crash during my playthrough though, which wasn’t ideal >
@@JRPGJungle Thanks for your reply! Is the framerate on PS5 acceptable? Although I'm not keen on purchasing it again on another platform, I might consider it if the game is good enough. Maybe I'd wait for a sale. I'd definitely wait for your review to potentially influence me. All that said, I'm not hopeful even with patches PC performance would improve.
As for Sophie 2, I think I'll go back and finish it. I think I saw somewhere in your video, or maybe you mentioned it, you had around 65 hours in it? Or am I recalling another video from another creator? I don't remember.
At any rate, a game really has to draw me in to spend more than 60 hours with it. Persona 5 did this. So did Blue Reflection 2. I'm on the fence about Sophie 2. The alchemy system is pretty addicting, but it also feels gated thus far. Maybe the story will hook me in. I have around 15 hours into it. I think I'll give it a generous chance this week. Wish me luck!
Finally, keep up the great work with your videos, and I look forward to your insights on Monark. Best of luck!
I had about 70 for Sophie :3 as for Monark, I didn’t find the frame rate an issue on PS5 though, but there were other things that wore on me that I’ll be talking about in my review :3 in any case, I hope Sophie 2 ends up pulling you in :3 thank you for watching ^__^
Having played through both Ryza games and now this, i definitely want to go back and try the original Sophie however i feel like the art style and gameplay mechanics in these "newer" iterations if you will definitely spoiled me and i don't know if i can go back to the older titles now lol, regardless, Sophie 2 was really fun !
Amazing review as well :) the amount of depth and detail never fails to deliver !
Yeah cause it somehow will feel like downgrading I get how you feel towards it
My first game was Ryza 1, then played Ayesha. I don't mind the graphics that much, it's the gameplay that's nice.
Just finished Sophie 2 and I loved it, I really hope we get Atelier Ryza 3 next and after that an Escha & Logy sequel 💕
I cant wait to actually start playing this. I have had the collectors edition from Nisamerica but have not cracked it open yet. I do wish Koei Tecmo would bring over those AR Nosurge games that came out in Japan like a year ago. Honestly I thought we would have had localized versions of them by now.
Me too :3 my only hope is that we haven’t heard cause they’re translating Ciel :3 fingers still very crossed!!
@@JRPGJungle same here! That would make sense.
I really want to start the Atelier saga, the ones that interest me the most are Ryza and Sophie
Looking forward to jumping into this one soon. My bro got it for cheap and has been enjoying it and I'll def be looking into playing it once I've finally finished Monark and then Death End Request 2. Really love how they upped the battle mechanics so its turn-based as they was my one letdown when I played the other ateliers like ryza
I love this game. Not only it went back to the turn based battles (I strongly disliked Ryza's combat system), it presented my favorite cast of characters in the entire series. And I love the soundtrack.
This game exceeded my expectations in every way by bringing my favorite elements from Mysterious(crafting, recipe unlocking, paired attacks)and Ryza (individual growth quests, landmarks encouraging exploration, gathering tools). Really enjoyed all the characters and feel like they really did a great job in an area I feel a lot of Jrpgs fall short in which is the characters’ relationships with each other and not just the protagonist. Loved the story and the world and was also sad to finish it. A little nervous that Gust may have painted themselves into a corner as I don’t think they can top this and I’m going to be mildly disappointed in some manner with future titles whether the characters aren’t as liked, battle system not quite as good, etc. but only time will tell.
Definitely agree!! It was so well executed and brought the best things from the older and the new.
Just stumbled across your channel the other day and I have to say, I really like your reviews and coverage! It's nice to find a channel that caters specifically to JRPGs that also produces really top quality stuff. :)
This review convinced me to order a copy of Atelier Sophie 2! I was considering picking up the DX version of Atelier Sophie 1 for a re-play but it's not particularly well optimised for PC on the Steam Deck from what I can see. I find a lot of Japanese games aren't as well optimised for PC these days, sadly.
Thank you so much! :) I hope you enjoy Sophie 2 (if you liked the first one, I'm sure you will ^__^)
@@JRPGJungle I loved the first one! It was my first game in the series. Firis is my personal favourite though, that big open world to explore was so exciting to me.
I find these games perfect to relax with after work so as long as Sophie 2 is as nice and chill as the first one, I'm sure I'll love it :)
They really are so chill and nice! Reminds me that I wanna run around in Firis again someday ^__^
@@JRPGJungle one day I'm going to give Firis DX a playthrough to experience it all over again! But I have Ryza 2 and now Sophie 2 to catch up on first 😅 started Ryza 2 earlier today on PS5, it's absolutely gorgeous and so relaxing.
I have the same feeling about sophie 2.
The cast is so great, i love every characters. Gameplay is really smooth 🤤 to be honest i did use auto alchemy since i didnt want to bother but i regret it now, i missed something there.
Alchemy tetris returns! By far the best alchemy system in the entire series and loads more fun than the original!
I find it really impressive that they change the gameplay this much between titles. I loved the ps2 era games, but got bored with the first 2 ps3 enteries. Having come back with Ryza and now being half way though the Ryza 3, I think I'm probably going to pick this up next year because of the change. Ryza's systems are fun, but after 3 I'm ready for something different.
i love both the first game and second game i only played Atelier Sophie series
So far, this is the most enjoyable JRPG this year. The only thing I would have liked more of was more young Plachta - OG Plachta interactions... but perhaps there will be more in the DLC.
the 2 maps from the blue reflection collab i think was somewhat ok, but still feels like the game could do with some more content.
Love the ending, highly recommended
While I am a bit saddened to see the dub gone, as a sequel to my first Atelier game, it's so far been amazing
Looking forward to playing this once I have some free time (and probably replay Sophie on switch)
Sophie Neuenmuller back making me very happy.
I think it's the first Atelier game I played where I absolutely loved every character, made me really sad to see them go at the end :(
I haven't played Firis, Lydie & Suelle yet, so I'm excited to get into those later to see the continuation of Sophie's story.
This game was everything I hoped a sequel would be especially with young plachta
I wonder if they'll make a Dusk game. Lulua was an Arland game, and Sophie 2 is a Mysterious one. Ryza 3 and a Dusk entries seem logical.
I think so :3 I’d love to see more Dusk series! Ayesha had a lot of mystery in her story between Dusk 1 and 3, there’s reason to do it :3 haha I’d accept any character though!
I loved the story but really struggling with crafting high quality items. And i have spent hours trying to catch the Old Master fish but no matter what i do to level up my fishing rod i can’t unlock it. I think I’ve only got the very last couple of bosses left to fight now but they are really knocking me out fast
I have to be honest. Atelier games just don’t interest me. I just can’t get into their stories. But I’m happy that you like them and that you enjoy them.
I've also only every played 2 PS2
titles, they were strict RPGs and 2D sprite based, these modern entries into the series seem a little meh to me to but i can 100% recommend the PS2 titles
@@darrellbruh1335 you are not the first one to tell me that. I should probably give those some attention.
I've been addicted to this game.
Do you lose out on not playing the first Sophie or the rest of that trilogy? I just got into Ryza and am liking it so far. Also wondering if I should grab the trilogy since it's on sale on PSN right now, or hold off. Great video! :)
No u don't lose much there is story summery of sophie 1 in shopie 2
Besides the current story is stand alone one it doesn't follow the previous one even most of the characters in sophie 2 are totally new
Got the Steam deck, time to get that discounted steam key for this game hahaha
Only played a few hours but I enjoy it more than Sophie 1 or Ryza both of which I lost interest in very quickly. Not to say they are bad, I just have trouble to focus on a game. I haven’t really enjoyed Atelier games as much as I did back I. The Arland and Dusk trilogies but this one I think I might be the first one I finish since the Dusk games. Also I need to mention that Kati is the most beautiful woman in any of the Atelier games. 😍
Can one play it without playing Sophie 1?
I've heard Atelier fans were slightly less warm compared to older Atelier games.
I'm such a mark for Sophie. Anyways, this only proves that the Mysterious Quadrology is vastly greater than Ryza.
Erde Wiege = earth cradle in German (cute name for a world)
It is! I knew it was German (and gave up trying pronounce it in the video 😅) and looked up the individual words, but was so focused on how to say them I didn’t notice it was cool :)) a good name for a world indeed ^__^
Wait, can you understand japanese?
I’m learning :3 I played in English though, the Japanese footage is from an Atelier livestream as I didn’t take footage of the catalyst stuff (I tend to stop taking footage after 10 hours to avoid spoilers and use trailers etc for the rest :3)
@@JRPGJungleAh, nice well thank you for the review and good luck with learning Japanese.
Thank you :))
Barrel 🤓
:D 💖
I thought you already did the review lol
My first video on it was a first impressions, even though I was 20 hours in :3 I wanted to take my time for the review and make sure I’d finished it properly :))
@@JRPGJungle u did a great job !
Thank you :33
Way, way too late of a review.
Hello jungle jrpg. Why people don’t Spohie 2 have a good day bye