Atelier Firis goes big on building

If you felt a little feeble in any of the previous Ateliers, with your little magic cauldron and some dinky bottled spells, Atelier Firis should scale things up a bit for travelling parties. And there's a new trailer to boot.

The Synthesis system in Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey features new additions to suit the story's nomadic nature. For example, Mass Synthesis allows Firis to create large items to overcome obstacles in her path, such as building a bridge to cross a river, or a boat to cruise across a lake.

Deciding what to build not only changes the appearance and accessibility of various locations, but can also affect the course of the story! Furthermore, the effectiveness of items can be amplified with the use of special Catalysts, which grant bonuses and provide greater perks to the end result.

Publisher Koei Tecmo also revealed some bonuses available to those who pre-order. Specifically, two costumes give Firis useful bonuses. The Resort Vacation costume increases the chances of finding high quality materials for use in synthesis, whilst the Wonderland outfit decreases the time it takes for synthesis and fast travelling between landmarks!