Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg[a] is a 1997 role-playing video game developed and published by Gust.

The first entry in the Atelier series, it originally released for the PlayStation, then received ports and enhanced versions on other platforms.

Following the efforts of alchemist-in-training Marie to pass an exam within five years, the gameplay focuses on exploring for materials to create alchemical recipes, and completing story missions and requests within the in-game time limit.

Atelier Marie began development in 1996, with creator and designer Shinichi Yoshiike wanting a light-hearted fantasy.

Reception of the game has been generally positive, with commentary focusing on its non-standard gameplay compared to other titles of its time.

Despite her eagerness and genuine passion for alchemy, Marie is the worst student enrolled, continually failing her exams due to her clumsiness while synthesizing.

Her instructor Ingrid allows Marie one final chance to graduate, gives her a workshop of her own in Salburg.

Due to the growing number of RPGs on the PlayStation, the concept of alchemy and synthesis was added to distinguish it from other titles at the time.

[10] The narrative tone was inspired by Yoshiike's liking for children's fantasy and classic novels including Anne of Green Gables.

Ohse was involved from an early stage, with Yoshiike wanting to create a game with her art from the outset.

[12] The setting of Salburg was based on Medieval Germany, with Ohse travelling to the region to study a castle which she replicated in a piece of cutscene art.

A digital deluxe edition came with additional items and a translated port of the PS2 remake of Atelier Marie.

[26] The game was made easier by adjusting gathering and battle statistics, and introduced new social events triggered during the five year time limit.

[7] The "indefinite mode" was added as an accommodation to newer players, who were used to the more lax time mechanics of later Atelier titles.

[7] The character designs were redrawn by artist Benitama,[29] and the music was arranged for the remake by Kumi Tanioka.

[33][34] In a later review of the Plus version, Famitsu noted the high degree of player freedom and the fun in collecting and creating items.

[1] In an article on a later entry in the series, Eric L. Patterson of Play Magazine said the original game looked interesting, feeling that its unusual style and presentation kept it exclusive to Japan.

[30][31][32] Famitsu praised the updates to its playability, but noted some archaic elements in its design and character writing that showed the game's original age.

[37] Nintendo World Report's Allyson Cygan disliked the redesigned minigames and felt the time limit would frustrate new players, but otherwise gave praise to the remake both for its revamped presentation and core gameplay.

[35] RPGFan's Des Miller noted the potential issues players might have with its older mechanics, and felt the combat and gathering systems were weak points, but otherwise praised the remake's updates.

[51] After Ellie, Yoshiike felt he had exhausted the series, but was encouraged to carry on by fan requests, using the new platform to experiment with new and expanded systems.

[59][60] A follow-up to the WonderSwan title co-developed by Gust and Banpresto, Marie, Ellie & Annis, was released for the Game Boy Advance on January 24, 2003.

[61][62] Characters from the Salburg series were later featured in the 2019 spin-off title Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World.

[10] Marie would be featured alongside other Gust series characters in the 2008 RPG Cross Edge, developed by Idea Factory.