RPGs are often known for grand, sweeping, sometimes god-killing stories, but they just as frequently feature much cozier aspects. When the big boss battles aren’t taking center stage, party banter and city-exploring downtime can comprise some of the most memorable aspects of any adventure. While it’s traditionally rare for the more laid-back aspects to actually define an RPG, theAtelierseries, in particular, was focusing on the small things for years before the modern “cozy game” phenomenon picked up steam.
Atelierkicked off in Japan with 1997’sAtelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg, but it didn’t hit the West until eight years and five games later.Atelier Marieset many series staples in place from the start, establishing a gameplay loop that focused on crafting various items through alchemy to sell, use in battle, and hit milestones in Marie’s progress as a budding alchemist. It’s a good game to this day — and theexcellentAtelier Marie Remakeproves it — but it took a surprisingly long time for the franchise to hit its true stride.
Atelier Iris Changed The Game 20 Years Ago
Bringing Alchemy To The United States
The firstAteliergame localized in the West wasAtelier Iris: Eternal Mana, a 2004 PlayStation 2 game that made its way over to the States on July 29, 2025. It’s not especially surprising thatIriswas chosen to make the jump, as it’s a bit more conventional than precedingAteliergames had been. Rather than alchemy serving as the center of affairs, it’s a robust system that supports a more traditional RPG narrative structure, with a large-scale adventure story comparable to most JRPGs.
Even ifAtelier Irisdidn’t shake up the RPG scene, it did secureAtelier’s foothold in the West, which set the stage for a lot more to come.Atelierstuck to the adventure-first model throughout the rest of the PS2 era, followingIriswith two sequels and twoMana Khemiagames that moved to a magic school setting.On PS3, however, the series returned to its rootswithAtelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland, bringing alchemical item crafting back to the forefront and embracing a slice-of-life attitude.
The Atelier Series Just Keeps Getting Better
Regular Releases With Impressive Ambition
By and large,the PS3 era was rough for JRPGs, which struggled to balance the transition to HD with classic genre features like large worlds and explorable building interiors. While a number of classic franchises ended up falling by the wayside,Atelierhit its stride on the PS3. Maintaining its yearly release model,Atelierpumped out two new trilogies that received consistently strong reviews, and distinct character designs and color palettes were able to shine on the hardware.
Atelierstill wasn’t working with the budget of the biggest RPG franchises, but the next generation provided an opportunity forAtelierto step it up once more. In 2017, the PS4 gamesAtelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious BookandAtelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journeyhit Steam, opening up an entirely new audience for the series.2019’sAtelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideoutdelivered a more ambitious scalethan ever before, and an enthusiastic market response allowed it to set the newAtelierstandard.
This generally linear climb doesn’t mean that eachAteliergame is necessarily better than the one before it, andI remain more charmed by the moody art of PS3’sDusktrilogy thanAtelier Ryza’s designs. It’s a series that’s always striving to improve, however, and every new release manages to bring a reasonable balance of familiarity and innovation to the table. Managing to do so while keeping up the pace of yearly releases is an even rarer feat, especially whenflagship JRPG franchises likeDragon QuestandPersonahave slowed to a crawl.
You Can’t Go Wrong With Most Atelier Games
No Shortage Of Places To Start
This consistency also makes it easy to jump into theAtelierseries, as any game available on modern platforms is likely to provide a good time. The biggest thing to know is thatsome of the games corral their open-ended pacing with time limits, setting in-game dates by which players need to accomplish their key goals. These can be fairly generous, but if you want to have a relaxing time without worrying at all about efficiency, you’ll want to stick with one that has no time limit.
FromAtelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Seaonward, almost none of the modern games have time limits, with the exception of a generous time limit to take an exam inAtelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey.
For those fully invested in the idea of a fluffy, slice-of-life experience,Atelier Sophiecan be a good starting point, whileAtelier Ryzamay be a better choice if you want a richer sense of exploration. The recentAtelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Landhas been more contentious, under-delivering on key aspects like alchemy, but its focus on action and open-world roaming could make it an easy entry point.
As for the PS3 games, they can be conveniently picked up in bundles, and you can safely opt for either theArlandorDusktrilogy (or just the first game of either), depending on which appeals to you more.The onlyAteliergame to watch out for isNelke & the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World, a town-building spin-off full of past characters that’s unlikely to appeal to newcomers.
Atelier’s next game on the horizon isAtelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian, which is set to ditch the mobile roots of the precedingReslerianagame. AfterRyzaandYumiashaking things up a bit, the newReslerianamight be more appealing to fans of classic staples like turn-based combat. Regardless, it’s another sign that the series isn’t slowing down any time soon. All these years later,Atelier’s continued momentum still owes something toAtelier Iris’s Western release, and fans of cozy RPGs are likely to be especially thankful.
Atelier
TheAtelierseries is a long-running franchise of role-playing games developed by Gust Corporation since 1997. The games focus on alchemy, item synthesis, and character-driven narratives, often featuring female protagonists. Players gather materials, craft items, and embark on quests in vibrant, fantastical worlds. The series is known for its unique blend of exploration, crafting mechanics, and time management elements.
