Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book › Features

The Complete Beginner's Guide to the Atelier Games – Best Entry Point, Recommended Series Play Order, & More

by Mikhail Madnani on 19 March, 2025

With Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land  having finally launched worldwide as the newest mainline entry in the series, the recent popularity of the Ryza games, and Gust bringing so many Atelier games to modern platforms, there has never been a better time to get into this excellent RPG franchise. If you're a newcomer wondering what the best entry point is, whether to play the Atelier games in release order, what the deal is with the direct sequels, remakes, and more, I aim to help you find the best game for you to get as your gateway into the series depending on your preferred platform. 

It can be overwhelming for an outsider looking into this series with so many games in recent years. This beginner's guide to the Atelier series in 2025 will cover what you need to know about the games on modern platforms, multiple entry point options, and more.

What makes the Atelier series of games worth playing?

Gust’s Atelier games are quite different when compared to the many other JRPGs out there. Instead of a heavy narrative or combat focus, the Atelier games are about synthesis, slice of life moments, exploration, interactions, and more. Crafting is obviously a huge part of the series, but what drew me to Atelier after I dipped my toes in with Atelier Escha & Logy on PS Vita (as you can see in the photo above), was how relaxing they were to play, the gorgeous art, and sublime music.

Back when I got into the series, it was a PlayStation-centric franchise with PS3 games and PS Vita ports. When the PS4 debuted, we saw Atelier Sophie, a fantastic entry point back then, hit PS3, PS4, and PS Vita in Japan before I played it on PS4 and PS Vita. Since then, the series grew to getting PC releases, Nintendo Switch ports, and has become a worldwide multi-platform franchise now with the newest game finally seeing the debut of Atelier on Xbox.

If you've been reading our interviews with Gust over the years, you know how we've been asking about Xbox ports for many years so it was great to finally see that happen with an entry that is inspired by Halo.

What is the deal with the Atelier trilogies?

If you're a newcomer or got into Atelier with Ryza, you should know that the Atelier games usually operate within a trilogy framework in a way. This allows for a fresh start every few years that sees Gust build on the base for a few games before moving onto a completely different setting. We had some exceptions that I will cover below with Atelier Lulua and Atelier Sophie 2, but Gust usually works with an Atelier subseries 3 games at a time. When looking at the series on modern platforms, the full trilogies available are: Arland, Dusk, Mysterious, and Secret. Usually starting with the first game in each of these is a good idea, but there are a few game mechanics to keep in mind. Before that, let's cover the games (current versions) included in these and what platforms they are available on:

The Atelier Arland Trilogy

  • Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland - PS4, Switch, PC as a DX versions
  • Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland - PS4, Switch, PC as a DX versions
  • Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland - PS4, Switch, PC as a DX versions
  • Bonus fourth game: Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland - PS4, Switch, PC

The Atelier Dusk Trilogy

  • Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk - PS4, Switch, PC as a DX versions
  • Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky - PS4, Switch, PC as a DX versions
  • Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea - PS4, Switch, PC as a DX versions

The Atelier Mysterious Trilogy

  • Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book - PS4, Switch, PC as a DX versions
  • Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey - PS4, Switch, PC as a DX versions
  • Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings - PS4, Switch, PC as a DX versions
  • Bonus sequel to Sophie: Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream - PS4, Switch, PC

The Atelier Secret Trilogy

  • Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout - PS4, Switch, PC
  • Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy - PS5, PS4, Switch, PC
  • Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key - PS5, PS4, Switch, PC

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land - PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC

Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg - PS5, PS4, Switch, PC as a remake.

Note: A lot of the older titles are also on PS3, PS Vita and a few games saw DX versions replace the originals on PS4, PC, and Switch. The Arland and Mysterious trilogies also had newer games added like Lulua in the case of the former as the fourth part of that subseries and Sophie 2 takes place in between Sophie and Firis. 

What is the difference between Atelier games and the DX versions?

The DX versions were a way for Gust to include most of the original game's DLC, some quality of life features, some bonus content, and more to bring older titles to modern platforms including PC. While some of them had a few issues at launch, the current versions are the best and most accessible versions of these classics. Do not bother with the old versions unless you already own them and would rather play something you own as opposed to spending more money on a franchise you aren't sure about fully yet.

What is the best entry point into the Atelier series of games?

The short answer to this is either Yumia, Ryza, or Sophie DX as they all have less stressful mechanics, have simplified synthesis, or more accessibility options in the case of Ryza and Yumia. The long answer is a bit involved: 

Before getting into the best entry point per platform, I want to explain my reasoning for the games chosen. Having played every game on every platform to test out the ports as well, I've taken technical issues also into account here. If you want to start at the absolute beginning, Atelier Marie Remake is available on PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo Switch. If you are brand-new to the series, I recommend the newer entry points (Ryza and Yumia), but the classic ones might be more appealing if you're after less of an exploration focus. 

Which is the best Atelier game to start with on Nintendo Switch?

On Nintendo Switch, the two best options are Atelier Ryza and Atelier Sophie DX. Atelier Sophie DX is a good middle ground between the older and newer games. While Atelier Yumia is also an option, I've not included it here because it isn't a great experience on Switch. While Atelier Lydie & Suelle was the first game in the series to hit Switch, I don't recommend starting with it because there are much better entry points offering higher quality experiences right now.

Which is the best Atelier game to start with on Steam and PC?

On Steam, there are multiple great options but the best of the lot are Atelier Ryza, Atelier Yumia, and Atelier Sophie DX. Go with any of those.

Which is the best Atelier game to start with on PS5?

On PS5, Atelier Yumia or any of the PS4 games below via backward compatibility are great entry points into the Atelier games.

Note: If you do plan on playing the full series on PS5, there's one thing to keep in mind about the PS4 and PS5 versions. Atelier Ryza 2's PS5 upgrade is quite lacking and I don't recommend it with how unstable the frame rate is. Thankfully Atelier Ryza 3 and Yumia are excellent on PS5. 

Which is the best Atelier game to start with on Xbox?

On Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, you only have one option right now: Atelier Yumia. It helps that Atelier Yumia is a fantastic entry point. I hope this leads to more Atelier games coming to Xbox beginning with the Ryza games.

Which is the best Atelier game to start with on PS4?

On PS4, Atelier Ryza or Atelier Sophie DX are great options. Atelier Sophie DX is a good middle ground between the older and newer games.

Which is the best Atelier game to start with on PS Vita?

This isn't really a modern platform, and while I don't recommend playing any of the Atelier games on it if you have access to a more modern platform, this is how I got into the series and I just wanted to make a note of how Atelier Escha & Logy being the second game in the Dusk trilogy was still a good enough entry point for me. Without it, I would not have played nearly 20 games across multiple platforms and versions over the years. Atelier Escha & Logy also has a very lenient time limit compared to the ones with a more strict limit. I also want to stress that the Atelier games all have technical issues on Vita compared to how they play on newer hardware. Even the Dusk games that I loved back then are not really great experiences with how well they play on newer systems. 

The best older entry point in Atelier games

If you already own some of the older games or would rather sample the series before it became so popular, you have a few options: Atelier Rorona DX,Atelier Ayesha DX, or Atelier Escha & Logy DX.

The worst entry points into the Atelier games

While these aren't terrible games on paper, Nelke, Atelier Lulua, and Atelier Firis are not great entry points. Atelier Lulua relies on prior knowledge of the Arland trilogy and isn't really the best showing for the series in general. Nelke is not a good showcase of the series since its gameplay focus is in town building and it is more of a fanservice experience built for those who have played all the other games. Atelier Firis remains my least favorite game in the series and I'd have likely never played more Atelier games if this was the first taste I had of it. It feels like a mishmash of different ideas that aren't fully developed with technical issues. 

What order should you play the Atelier games? 

The ideal way is to begin with the first game in a subseries or a trilogy and move forward. If the vibe of the Arland or Secret series appeals to you, start with Atelier Rorona DX or Atelier Ryza. While you can start with Ryza 2 or even Sophie 2 thanks to how the game handles backstory or introduces characters, they aren't the ideal entry points. I have gotten a friend into the series through Sophie 2 who went on to play 6 other games since. 

If you start with Atelier Rorona, I recommend going to Totori and then Meruru. You can get to Lulua after finishing all three. The Dusk trilogy you can start with either Ayesha or Escha & Logy, but I don't recommend starting with Shallie if you care about how an overarching narrative plays out and want all the context possible. 

Looking at the Mysterious trilogy is easier. I actually just recommend playing Sophie and then Sophie 2. Firis and Lydie & Suelle are my least favorite games in the series by far while Sophie 2 is in my top 3 Atelier games right now.  

The Ryza trilogy is by far the most accessible and easiest to get into with no time limits and generally having the most approachable alchemy, combat, and best visuals until Yumia. Koei Tecmo has also gone back and patched all three games a few times since launch making them very polished experiences even on portable PC handhelds and the first two games are excellent on Nintendo Switch. Ryza 3 is where the Switch isn't an ideal experience.

As for Atelier Yumia, I covered the console versions here and the PC port here. I would say the PC version on modern hardware and the PS5 version are by far the best experiences. I ended up liking it most on PS5 with how polished it was and thanks to the DualSense features added. This one has a demo so I recommend trying it out to see how you find the performance (once you reach the open world) on the platform you are considering buying it on.

The future of the Atelier games

We likely will get another Yumia game, but I hope Koei Tecmo and Gust also work on bringing prior games to Xbox consoles and remaking some of the other games not available on modern platforms. Like I said in the beginning of this article, it has never been a better time to get into the amazing Atelier series of games with so many options on modern platforms and more to come in the future.