Not a mindblowing game, but certainly a delightful one.
Combines the snappy pacing and tight balance of the Fushigi series with the more standard/linear storytelling style of Ryza, and the end result is a well-rounded JRPG experience. While I personally would have liked more character/town events, the game is already quite long by Atelier standards -- it took me 55 hours to complete, playing mostly on Very Hard -- and it likely would have been difficult to realize the sheer volume of events seen in Lydie & Suelle. Ultimately the story is surprisingly effective at what it wants to do, even if there are some elements that could be fleshed out a bit more. And they brought back character commentary on every entry in the encyclopedia, so I can't complain too much!
One thing I'd like to praise specifically is the field/dungeon map design. While the maps aren't DRPG levels of complexity or anything, they do require some effort to navigate and use gimmicks in ways that don't feel like pure busywork. I also enjoyed the sort of... Metroidvania-esque progression the game has going on with the weather system; as you unlock new forms of weather manipulation, more of the game world opens up, and exploring the new areas available to you is always worth it. The landmark feature works to provide an extra push to encourage players to comb through the world as well.
One thing I was worried about before release was the soundtrack -- I consider the original Atelier Sophie to have one of the greatest soundtracks in all of gaming, so the sequel had some big shoes to fill, especially since Asano wasn't returning and Yano only contributed a single piece of BGM. I ended up being pleasantly surprised, though, mostly thanks to Yanagawa's efforts. Achiwa's tracks are the standard Achiwa stuff, for better or worse, but Yanagawa really evoked the joy and wonderment I associate with Atelier, something lacking even in his own tracks for Ryza 1/2. Of particular note are the themes where he made use of Shimotsuki's chanting for backing vocals; they elicit a je ne sais quoi you just can't find outside of Gust games. Overall, I'm satisfied with the soundtrack; thank you, Yanagawa.
On the audio front, the voice cast in Sophie 2 is also worth mentioning. Iguchi Yuka, Yuuki Aoi, Takahashi Rie, Ueda Reina, Numakura Manami... it's stacked with big names, and they all deliver performances to live up to their reputations. I'm particularly fond of Takahashi Rie's performance as Ramizel; she really brings the character to life and infuses every line with personality. The return of seiyuu commentary (it's even fully transcribed this time) and full voice acting are also to be celebrated. I don't think Gust has actually made a fully voiced game since Lydie & Suelle, and I didn't quite realize how much I missed this element of the Fushigi series until experiencing it again in Sophie 2.
Overall a very solid entry in the Atelier series. Personally, I enjoyed it more than either Ryza game, but I think it incorporated some of their DNA in an intelligent way. Gust is on a roll recently and I'm excited to see where they go from here.
Combines the snappy pacing and tight balance of the Fushigi series with the more standard/linear storytelling style of Ryza, and the end result is a well-rounded JRPG experience. While I personally would have liked more character/town events, the game is already quite long by Atelier standards -- it took me 55 hours to complete, playing mostly on Very Hard -- and it likely would have been difficult to realize the sheer volume of events seen in Lydie & Suelle. Ultimately the story is surprisingly effective at what it wants to do, even if there are some elements that could be fleshed out a bit more. And they brought back character commentary on every entry in the encyclopedia, so I can't complain too much!
One thing I'd like to praise specifically is the field/dungeon map design. While the maps aren't DRPG levels of complexity or anything, they do require some effort to navigate and use gimmicks in ways that don't feel like pure busywork. I also enjoyed the sort of... Metroidvania-esque progression the game has going on with the weather system; as you unlock new forms of weather manipulation, more of the game world opens up, and exploring the new areas available to you is always worth it. The landmark feature works to provide an extra push to encourage players to comb through the world as well.
One thing I was worried about before release was the soundtrack -- I consider the original Atelier Sophie to have one of the greatest soundtracks in all of gaming, so the sequel had some big shoes to fill, especially since Asano wasn't returning and Yano only contributed a single piece of BGM. I ended up being pleasantly surprised, though, mostly thanks to Yanagawa's efforts. Achiwa's tracks are the standard Achiwa stuff, for better or worse, but Yanagawa really evoked the joy and wonderment I associate with Atelier, something lacking even in his own tracks for Ryza 1/2. Of particular note are the themes where he made use of Shimotsuki's chanting for backing vocals; they elicit a je ne sais quoi you just can't find outside of Gust games. Overall, I'm satisfied with the soundtrack; thank you, Yanagawa.
On the audio front, the voice cast in Sophie 2 is also worth mentioning. Iguchi Yuka, Yuuki Aoi, Takahashi Rie, Ueda Reina, Numakura Manami... it's stacked with big names, and they all deliver performances to live up to their reputations. I'm particularly fond of Takahashi Rie's performance as Ramizel; she really brings the character to life and infuses every line with personality. The return of seiyuu commentary (it's even fully transcribed this time) and full voice acting are also to be celebrated. I don't think Gust has actually made a fully voiced game since Lydie & Suelle, and I didn't quite realize how much I missed this element of the Fushigi series until experiencing it again in Sophie 2.
Overall a very solid entry in the Atelier series. Personally, I enjoyed it more than either Ryza game, but I think it incorporated some of their DNA in an intelligent way. Gust is on a roll recently and I'm excited to see where they go from here.