Thanks to the invitation of Glorious Tkumo, we interviewed Shunzo Hosoi, the producer of Sophie's Alchemy Workshop 2, and asked him a few questions about the game.
Shunzo Hosoi
Q: With so many titles in the Alchemy Workshop series, why did the team choose to launch a sequel to sophie's Alchemy Workshop?
A: Thanks to the support of the majority of players, the "Alchemy Workshop" series will usher in its 25th anniversary. We have considered what kind of work can fit into the opening of such a memorable year. The "Alchemy Workshop" series is a series that has been moving forward with the majority of players. This time, we also re-examined the social platform response of the works that have been released, online popularity polls, etc. Because the protagonist of "Lysa's Alchemy Workshop ~ The Queen of Constant Darkness and the Secret Hideout ~" was previously activated again, it received a warm response from a large number of players, so he began to consider making the story of Sophie and Prafda.
In addition, Sophie is a fledgling alchemist in Sophie's Alchemy Workshop, an alchemy teacher in Phyllis's Alchemy Workshop, and an extraordinary alchemist in Lidy & Suri's Alchemy Workshop. So in the process, Sophie and Prafda must have experienced a lot of things. If the sequel is also a new work that can depict a story during this period, it will surely surprise and delight the player, so there is this "Sophie's Alchemy Workshop 2".
Q: For those players who have not been exposed to "Sophie's Alchemy Workshop", do you need to do some homework in advance to understand the general plot of the previous game, or can you play this game directly without obstacles?
A: In order to facilitate players who have not touched the previous game to grasp the storyline, we have prepared a selection of "Sophie's Alchemy Workshop" for everyone. Of course, players can play the previous game before the release, or watch this video, even if you have not played the previous game, you can fully enjoy the fun of this game. In addition, the game is more closely related to the prologue, depicting the origin of the "Incredible" series. Sophie and the characters of this game are meeting for the first time, and there is no need to pre-study and there is no problem.
Q: Judging from the information released so far, Sophie and Prafda will be separated for a long time, will we have the opportunity to advance the game from Prafda's point of view during the game flow?
A: In this game, the story will be advanced from the perspective of Sophie.
Q: There is a new character in this game with the same name as "Prafda", why did you design such a character?
A: Because Sophie was already a mature alchemist, she wanted to describe the growth of other characters, so she designed another alchemist. Of course, this is not the only reason for the young girl Prafda to appear. Prafda is a very important character in this game, please be sure to play the game to experience it for yourself.
Q: The only village in the new map is "Loytir", how big is this village?
A: The stage setting of this game is the same size as the stage of Kilhen Bell in Sophie's Alchemy Workshop, but this game constructs more details that Kilgen Bell has not depicted, so it can actually reach a wider range.
Q: Will the Wild Quest section add new moves like Swim and Ride to the characters, like Lysa's Alchemy Workshop 2, allowing players to explore more complex terrain?
A: Unlike the map exploration elements of Lesha's Alchemy Workshop 2, this game uses a weather control system. Although you can't swim in the water or ride monsters, you can change the terrain by manipulating the weather to explore more of the map area.
Q: How effective is Sophie's Alchemy Workshop 2 on the console platform? Many players pay attention to the graphics and frame rate performance of the Switch version that can be played portablely.
A: We will comprehensively consider the processing speed and reading time, and strive to achieve high image quality including light and shadow, expression and other elements, and have the same performance on PS4 and Switch. In addition, we have also made some adjustments with the Switch version, and there is no obvious difference in how to play.
Q: Is there anything you would like to say to the majority of players?
A: Thanks to the support and love of the majority of Chinese players for the "Alchemy Workshop" series, the "Incredible" series has been from "Sophie's Alchemy Workshop" and continued through "Phyllis's Alchemy Workshop" and "Lidy & Suri's Alchemy Workshop" to this year, and finally ushered in the latest work of the series "Sophie's Alchemy Workshop 2" this year, so stay tuned to the "Alchemy Workshop" with different styles from the "Secret" series, which is both nostalgic and full of freshness, as well as the new story of Sophie and Prafda.