Line #34 VideoGame/AtelierFirisTheAlchemistAndTheMysteriousJourney


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_ob7619xszq1uybfgko1_500.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250: Firis with her older sister Lianne (European boxart)]]
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4	''Atelier Firis'' is the eighteenth game in the ''VideoGame/AtelierSeries'' and the second game of the Mysterious sub-series. Firis Mistlud is a young girl who lives with her overprotective parents and doting sister Liane in the underground mining village of Ertona. Firis has never left her home village since birth and obsesses over seeing the world outside but her parents and the village elder forbid it. Firis instead earns her keep by aiding the miners using her unique power to sense priceless ores within ordinary rocks. Then one day a pair of alchemists, Sophie and Plachta, forcibly destroy the entrance gate to the village. Firis is eager to learn of the craft when Sophie demonstrates its power and shows her around her [[BiggerOnTheInside bigger on the inside]] atelier. Firis proves to have an innate talent for the alchemy and immediately latches onto it as a way to finally leave Ertona. After Firis proves her seriousness in learning alchemy to her family and the elder by using it to perform tasks to help the development of Ertona, they grant Firis her wish to journey outside... but under the condition that she has only one year to demonstrate her independence by taking the alchemy exam in Reisenberg and becoming a licensed alchemist. Firis promptly packs her bags and sets off on her [[TitleDrop mysterious journey]] with her sister in tow, eager to prove her capability so she can explore the outside world forever...
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6	''Atelier Firis'' was released in Japan for the Platform/Playstation4 and Platform/PlaystationVita in November 2016, before its global release on both platforms as well as Platform/{{Steam}} in March 2017. On April 22, 2021, the game was released as part of a CompilationRerelease of the ''Mysterious'' trilogy, which also brings the game to the Platform/NintendoSwitch for the first time.
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10	!! Tropes in this game
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12	* AgonyOfTheFeet:
13	** During the exam portion, Edel decides to demonstrate the toughness of a particular puni... by kicking it.
14	--> '''Edel''': As you can see, this is a very tough puni... enough to make my foot hurt.
15	--> '''Firis''': (Wow... That sounded really painful...)
16	** In the post-game, Firis decides to go journeying again and visits her parents to tell them, only for her father Lukas to incorrectly conclude that she's about to tell them she's getting married and try to forbid it because she's too young. After she explains what she's really about, both are fine with it, having honestly expected her to come to them with this a lot sooner. They say that they're fine with her doing whatever she wants...
17	-->'''Lukas''': That is, except for getting married... Owwww! Nicola! Don't step on my foot!
18	* BiggerOnTheInside: Sophie's portable atelier that she gives to Firis as a parting gift. She apparently made it by [[ItMakesSenseInContext "bending space using alchemy."]] The quest to craft the atelier tent previously shown in a free DLC for ''VideoGame/AtelierSophieTheAlchemistOfTheMysteriousBook'' (though that DLC was inexplicably translated and released well after the English release of ''Atelier Firis.'')
19	* BottleCity: More like the Bottle Village of Ertona.
20	* CloudCuckoolander: Ilmeria holds this opinion of Firis. It's mostly due to her seclusion.
21	* ComesGreatResponsibility: After Ilmeria decides [[spoiler:to open an atelier of her own]] and sends a letter to her parents informing them of such, she receives a letter back stating that [[spoiler:alchemy brings great power, so wielding it without purpose would be a foolish thing to do. However, by choosing her own path, she has become a respectable alchemist.]]
22	* DieOrFly: [[spoiler: Firis learns to hear materials when Sophie's dying of an infected injury and she needs to make medicine. She doesn't have access to the atelier, but she does hear a flower who wants to become medicine.]]
23	* {{DLC}}: Adds more costumes and two new playable characters with their own corresponding events and endings.
24	* ExposedToTheElements: In the snowy village of Flocke, Firis will complain about the cold, and a kindly old woman will offer to make her a warmer outfit after a sidequest. The Snow Bright suit you get from this does have a coat, mittens, and a wool hat... but it also has ZettaiRyouiki which leaves part of her thighs exposed. It still gives enough protection to slow down your stamina drain in snowy areas. And outside of the snowfield, Firis doesn't seem to have much of an issue wearing the lighter outfits in her wardrobe.
25	* {{Expy}}:
26	** Drossel is a gender flip expy of [[VideoGame/AtelierSophieTheAlchemistOfTheMysteriousBook Fritz]], except she uses an axe rather than two swords.
27	** Firis shares a lot in common with [[VideoGame/AtelierTotoriTheAdventurerofArland Totori]]. Both want to explore the world, gain a license, and possess a relative that is initially against their leaving home. Both also have a protective CoolBigSis and has their mentor accompanying them on their journey. [[spoiler:Both also end up having to build their own boat to get past some kind of commotion at sea]].
28	* ExtendedGameplay: The credits roll once Firis completes the licensing exam. But that's the ''beginning'' of her story, not the end. After working in Ertona for a while, she leaves on a second journey.
29	* FacePalm: This is a fairly standard gesture for the elder Bernd whenever he's upset or troubled by something.
30	* FetchQuest: It's an ''Atelier'' game, so the whole game is basically one big fetch quest. Sidequests range from "bring me this item" to "go find my missing son."
31	* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the Silent Labyrinth, there's an old mural depicting a flying ship. [[spoiler:Not only do you get the option to build your own flying ship later in the game, but the remains of an earlier flying ship can be found on the floating island]].
32	* TheGift: Firis is able to detect where there are deposits of metal ore, similar to how Sophie eventually gained the ability to hear the wishes of materials or how Oskar can communicate with plants. She uses this skill to act as a sort of spotter for the Ertona's miners. She's also a much more naturally talented alchemist than Sophie, who was an IneptMage before Plachta started teaching her. [[spoiler: Firis can, in fact, defeat Sophie at the license exam.]]
33	* GlobalAirship: Firis can build one, opening the entire world to air travel.
34	* GreatBigLibraryOfEverything: The Institute is trying to become this - they offer rewards to encourage travelers to share what they know of the word from their adventures. Firis can earn some money and items by doing this.
35	* HenpeckedHusband: Bernd. So much so that he has to store a [[HiddenSupplies secret stash]] of money he's given.
36	* ILied: Aurelie, the village elder of Dona, is seemingly a frail old lady who, according to her, can't even walk. So it comes as a great surprised to Firis and Liane when she asks them to meet her at the Divine Tree, then gets up to head there.
37	-->'''Aurelie''': Oh, I lied. I'm not that decrepit yet. Hahahahaha!
38	* InnocentInnuendo: When Firis stumbles on Sophie doing maintenance on Plachta's body, the dialogue is enough to make Firis think that they were having sex.
39	-->'''Plachta:''' Nn...No, Sophie...not there...
40	-->'''Sophie:''' Ah, sorry...I'll be more gentle...
41	-->'''Plachta:''' Yes, please...
42	-->'''Firis:''' H-huh?! W-what are you two doing?!
43	* InsistentTerminology: At one point, when you make a Bomb, Revy appears and asks Firis if the names she uses for the items are one she comes up with on her own. She says that sometimes they are, but sometimes she just uses the old names. He suggests pepping them up a little - for example, the Bomb becoming the "Searing Orb of Crimson Flame." Firis immediately takes to the idea and the scene changes to Liane asking Firis for an Uni Bag and a Zettel, which Firis has now taken to calling the "Fury of the Earth" and the "Blessed Paper of God's Grace."
44	-->'''Liane''': Huh...? Fury of earth...? Blessed... What?
45	-->'''Revy''': Heh heh. Firis and I thought of new names for her items. Aren't they awe inspiring? Epic?
46	-->'''Liane''': Um, sorry. They're too hard to understand now. Could you change them back to their old names?
47	* ItsUpToYou:
48	** Typical of an ''Atelier'' heroine, Firis keeps meeting people who are too lazy, busy or incompetent to do things for themselves, and will ask Firis to do their work for them instead. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by one of the other alchemists, who flatly states that for all their power, alchemists spend most of their time doing chores for other people.
49	** Subverted in the quest to build the ship to go through the waterspout. Firis does a lot of it, but Ilmeria, Ren, and Sophie make the cauldron needed to make the furnace, and Kai actually ''builds'' the ship.
50	* JackOfAllTrades: What alchemists are explicitly said to be.
51	* LazyArtist: All of the returning characters barring Oskar and Sophie retain the same design and model.
52	* LittleSisterHeroine: It may simply be [[BigBrotherInstinct sisterly protectiveness]], but Lia's infatuation with the "cuteness" of her little sister, Firis, can shade into this. She constantly gushes over how adorable Firis is, and much of the Encyclopedia text between the two sisters stresses her attachment (special mention to the Gunade Ring entry, where Lia mistakes the accessory for a wedding ring and ''accepts the proposal'' (although Firis is quick to protest). [[spoiler:The later NotBloodSiblings reveal makes it difficult to imagine the the writers weren't at least [[LampshadeHanging acknowledging]] this trope.]]
53	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Sophie and Plachta seem to have become this since the events of the previous game.
54	* {{Magitek}}: More than most ''Atelier'' protagonists, including Sophie (herself no slouch in this department), Firis makes devices using alchemy that are far more advanced than anything either mundane mechanics or alchemists can make, such as a powered ship [[spoiler: and later a flying ship]]. [[spoiler: In [[VideoGame/AtelierLydieAndSuelleTheAlchemistsAndTheMysteriousPaintings the next game]], humorously, Liane tells Lydie and Suelle tales of devices that Firis has made, and they think Liane is full of it.]]
55	* MasterApprenticeChain: From Plachta, to Sophie, to Firis.
56	* MyBelovedSmother: Firis's mother is very opposed to letting her leave because the world is apparently full of monsters, despite her older daughter going out on hunting trips for several days at a time and still coming back unharmed. She relents after she sees Firis has learned enough alchemy to be able to protect herself. [[spoiler: And when you learn about Liane's true origins, you understand ''why'' Firis' mother is so worried about her daughter's ability to survive outside.]]
57	* MythologyGag: Logy keeps a bust of [[VideoGame/AtelierRorona Hagel]] in his workshop. In addition, busts of Hagel show up throughout the game as collectibles and obstacles. This appears to be {{Foreshadowing}} the appearance of this universe's Hagel [[VideoGame/AtelierLydieAndSuelleTheAlchemistsAndTheMysteriousPaintings in the following game]].
58	* {{Nerf}}: Certain game mechanics:
59	** The alchemy leveling system. Unlike in most ''Atelier'' games, you don't gain the power to add traits simply by leveling up. Instead, you only earn the right to add traits on ''individual items'' by synthesizing them -- forcing you to synthesize each item over and over again in order to get the best ones. Leveling up only gives you access to higher-level recipes. To compensate, creating certain items will level up related items (i.e creating a Yellow Neutralizer will add points to all other neutralizers).
60	** The various forms of teleportation. In exchange for Firis' portable atelier (which negates the need to constantly return to a hub in order to rest and synthesize) and the open world design, items like the Divine Gate (usually accessible via recipe book) have vanished for most of the game. It's easy to fast-travel across individual zones, but this will still cost you the same time and LP as walking there. Backtracking to other areas is extremely clumsy and costs you a lot of precious time, so it's usually more efficient just to keep pressing forwards. [[spoiler:You don't get an effective means of teleportation until ''much'' later in the game -- and only if you do certain quests]]. Also unlike previous games, towns don't stop the clock - fast travelling around a town will still cause time to pass.
61	** Recipe books. The game is ''very'' keen on having you get Firis thinking up recipes for herself by meeting certain targets, so the few recipe books you find will normally contain recipes you already know - they're really just there to provide a safety net if you miss key recipes.
62	* NoSenseOfDirection: Drossel. When Firis is gathering materials in a dark forest Drossel repeatedly bumps into her trying to find a way out. It gets to the point where Firis escorts her out where she then joins the party. As a gag, when she's in your party, if entering a cave she may comment "It may be dark, but I know where we need to go. We need to go... this way."
63	* OlderThanTheyLook: Logy is 28, but looks like someone in their late teens to early twenties. Justified somewhat since his design wasn't updated.
64	* OnlyTheWorthyMayPass: The village elder will only let Firis leave after she proves the usefulness of alchemy.
65	* TheOutsideWorld: Firis has been living in an underground village all her life and yearns to leave and see the world. However, everyone in her village regards the outside world with vague horror. Only the chosen few, like Liane, are permitted to go outside -- and only Firis seems to have any inclination to question this system. She gets her wish but with some conditions. She must pass the license exam within a year and her sister Lianne must go with her. Strangely enough, the reason for this seclusion is rather pragmatic: to preserve the town's Ertonite, which they fear outsiders would over-mine. Trapping their village's population inside is apparently just a side effect (or an attempt to keep the younger generation from leaving).
66	* PaletteSwap: Sophie's design is almost exactly the same, but with different colors and a few minor changes to her dress. She also wears makeup to show she's an adult.
67	* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: A version of Escha from ''[[VideoGame/AtelierEschaAndLogyAlchemistsOfTheDuskSky Atelier Escha & Logy]]'' appears in this game, though here she is a very young girl while this version of Logy is almost 30. They do form a close mentoring relationship and following all of Escha's side quests [[spoiler: eventually shows her learning how to use alchemy.]] Like Logy, she is voiced by the same voice actor as the ''Dusk'' series version of the character in both the Japanese and English language versions of the game.
68	* RunningGag: B-Barrel?... Barrel! You can even decorate the atelier with some.
69	* SecretTestOfCharacter:
70	** In [[spoiler:Dona]] village. [[spoiler:The town elder looks as if she's bullying you into doing her own work, but it's really a test to see if Firis has the ''temperament'' to be an alchemist before she hands over her letter of recommendation. Afterwards, she explains that alchemists are jacks-of-all-trades who get asked for all kinds of favors, and much of the work boils down to doing a bunch of chores]].
71	** And in [[spoiler:Grau-Tal]], [[spoiler:Norbert tests whether you'll accept a "letter of recommendation" without working for it (or even ''reading'' it), then sets you to making a simple Bomb and (ostensibly) fighting a single Puni, to test whether you'll prepare properly for even the "easiest" tasks]].
72	* ShipTease: [[spoiler: Between Firis and Heinz. Completing his quest line includes a proposal of marriage and his ending seems to assume they're romantically paired. Like most of the character endings, however, this is non-canon and Firis is single in the next game with no mention of Heinz.]]
73	* SlidingScaleOfLinearityVsOpenness: 4 or 5 during the game, 6 during the postgame. does have a time limit that makes you follow the main story, but it's a fairly generous one (a year) that gives you plenty of time to explore the world and you can go anywhere you can survive (with a couple of exceptions that require certain items) from the start. After the main quest, [[PlayableEpilogue Firis' second journey]] is about Walking the Earth and deciding what she wants to do with her life, and with whom. Explore the world and do side quests at your leisure.
74	* SoWhatDoWeDoNow: [[spoiler: This is what prompts the PlayableEpilogue. After becoming a licensed alchemist, Firis ''could'' just stay in Ertona and run her atelier, but she misses the outside world and eventually goes on another mysterious journey. The ending to that journey is about what she wants to do with her life long-term.]]
75	* TalkingInYourSleep: Sometimes when using the rest option in the Atelier, Firis will mutter stuff in her sleep such as that she wants to go outside, or saying to her parents that she did well.
76	* ThreesomeSubtext: In the scene where Sophie is doing maintenance on Plachta, Firis asks Sophie to learn how to do it. Plachta nervously says that it's a little embarrassing, but she doesn't mind if it's Firis.
77	* TimedMission: After leaving Ertona you literally have 365 in-game days to get the three letters and take the exam. That's plenty of time to do side-quests, get ''five'' letters of recommendation instead of the required three, and synthesize a lot of items as well. After that, you have unlimited time and the massive post-game opens up.

Context VideoGame / AtelierFirisTheAlchemistAndTheMysteriousJourney