Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg

Marlone is a student at the Royal School of Sorcery (known simply as “The Academy”) in the city of Salburg. She’s studying to become an alchemist, but her grades are, to put it lightly, not good. Unable to graduate, she is given a special exam: continue her studies while running a shop, and learn to create a high-level item within five years. And so, Marlone is now running the shop, attempting to pass her exam in order to graduate.

Atelier Marie is the first title in the long-running alchemy RPG series from Gust, and establishes many of the features common to the series. Central to the game is researching different items, locating them, and fusing them to create (hopefully) more powerful ones. You can also explore the city and outside, looking for items and training your characters’ fighting abilities in battle. All the while, those five years are slowly ticking away, so you’d better make the most of them.