Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist Of Arland

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I'm not in the habit of writing reviews. But I also don't like petty cheap shots at all. And one "review" of this game on this website does indeed qualify as a petty cheap shot (the one star one obviously). So here I go to act on behalf of a game I genuinely like and also for balancing purposes.

Atelier Rorona is a game that is different from most other games. One of the most obvious ways in which this is true is the story. The story of the game is very sweet and simple. There is no long globe-trotting journey and no grand world-saving scenario. Instead we have a simple slice-of-life story. Obviously whether or not that is a good thing depends on what you're looking for.

Personally I see it as a good thing. The video game market is already filled with long journeys, world-saving scenarios, and big wars and the like so one game that's different is certainly not going to hurt. Now I like to take long journeys, save the world, and discover the mysteries of the universe as much as anyone. But I also find that it's good to take a break from all that stuff every now and then, relax, and delve into something nice and simple.

But while the story is simple one of the things that sets Rorona apart from many other games and really makes it shine is story flexibility. While the story itself is simple the game puts a great deal of emphasis on character interaction and character development. In other words I think it's safe to say that this game is all about the characters. The game gives you the freedom to choose which characters you want to cultivate relationships with and which ones you want to ignore. If you want to you can even build strong relationships with no one or everyone. You do this by gaining friendship points. And this in turn is done by either taking the characters adventuring (you can only do this with the playable characters) or doing jobs for them. Gaining friendship points with different characters and sometimes fulfilling certain requirements unlocks numerous special character events and ultimately character specific endings if you wish it. So there are lots of different ways the story can unfold.

Yes the game has multiple endings. There are four generic or "main" endings: the bad ending, the normal ending, the good ending, and the true ending. But there are also a number of character specific endings with each one requiring the fulfillment of the conditions of one of the generic endings. In addition there are numerous special endings that you can unlock by fulfilling certain conditions. If you would like to know more about the various endings and what you have to do to get them I highly recommend you check out the gamefaqs website.

The gameplay essentially revolves around the concept of time management. Doing some things causes time to pass while doing other things doesn't. The key to doing well is making good use of the time you have before each assignment deadline.

As you might have guessed from the title of the game the story and gameplay are about alchemy (or in gameplay terms item synthesis). Rorona needs to use alchemy to pass tests and save her workshop. It's worth noting that while item requests are a key part of the game (requests from friends, the townspeople, or assignments) you don't necessarily have to synthesize an item to fulfill a job requirement. You can also use items you buy in the shops or find while adventuring. Although sometimes the quality of the item is going to count for something in which case it may be better to synthesize it. Also some items can only be obtained through synthesis. Adventuring and combat are also a core part of the game. Adventuring is generally necessary to fulfill certain requirements and get the best ingredients. The game gives you the freedom to choose whether you want to spend more time adventuring or synthesizing items. And you have two separate level types. Your alchemy level and your adventurer level.

The combat is nicely done in the game. It's classic turn-based combat with some nice touches. There's no ATB (active time battle) system so the game gives you all the time you need before making a move, which of course makes the game more user-friendly. There are no turn meters so the game will simply jump to whoever's turn it is next, which is nice and efficient. There are no MP (magic point) meters and no MP restoring items. Instead the special moves cost a minor amount of HP (Health points). This makes the gameplay simpler and comes in very handy with regard to characters with healing abilities.

This game also has the popular new game plus feature. And all of the money you have at the end of one play through can be transferred to a new one. Only your money gets transferred. This may not seem like much but it's actually more advantageous than it sounds. For example having large amounts of money at the start of a new play-through enables you to buy a large amount of healing items early on which helps you beat stronger monsters which in turn allows you to level up faster. And of course buying ingredients is not a problem either.

The game is nicely balanced. It's not too hard but not too easy either. There are many different gameplay mechanics to work with. And while this may appear a bit overwhelming at first the learning curve of the game is surprisingly minor. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get the hang of the game and there are numerous helpful tutorials provided for you. And the game can indeed be addicting.

But I strongly feel that I must also warn anyone reading this to be wary of the professional reviews in this case. Professional reviews are often (although not always) unfriendly or even hostile toward niches games (or games that only certain kinds of players can get into). And Atelier Rorona is certainly a niche game. IGN's review in this case for example was especially disgusting. That so called review was (and is) petty, ignorant, immature, unfair, and unhelpful. Not very professional at all. So as I said with my Heavy Rain review: Be careful who's opinion you buy.

And of course for me the most important part of the game was the story and characters. The story is pleasant and simple, which I found refreshing. It's also full of characters who are distinctive and interesting. I also found several of them to be likable such as Cordelia and Lionela. One notable exception was Astrid. Although I never really liked her we learn some interesting and important things about her at the end of the game. So even though I didn't like her I did come to understand her at least somewhat, which made it easier for me to accept her for who she was (and is I guess).

There is certainly a lot here for female players to enjoy. For example the main protagonist is female (something relatively uncommon in the world of video games) and so are several significant characters. I also think this game is something any dedicated JRPG fan should try.

So yes, this game is not for everyone. But nevertheless it will likely satisfy those who take to it. In the right hands, this game can provide a wonderful experience.

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As a huge fan of Gust and of the previous entries in the Atelier series, I had high expectations for this game. I am happy to say that the game has completely met them. I've been having so much fun playing this game, getting to know the other people in Arland, and working on harvesting new items to synthesize new things. I have to watch the clock a lot when I play this, because it's easy to just keep saying "oh, one more job" and realize I've been playing for hours. The story scenes are sweet and fun to watch, and I'm especially enjoying Sterk and Lionela.

The combat in this is very basic, and in most gathering areas, the fights are extremely easy. The assist system adds a little more to battles, but it's still simple, traditional turn based play. However, the fighting takes a backseat in this title to item gathering, synthesis, and character interactions. Some of the animations for character's special moves are very cute and fun to watch, which adds a little something to the basic battles.

The backgrounds in Atelier Rorona are stunning, and the cel shaded characters look very nice. I especially like the little touches like the character sprites reacting to the dialogue in the game and the way Rorona's cape flounces out when you have her jump. This title has beautiful music that helps add to the game's warm, inviting atmosphere. I wasn't a huge fan of the English voice-acting, but the Japanese language track is intact, so users are free to choose whatever they prefer.

I'd highly recommend this game to fans of any of the Atelier games, especially Atelier Annie, fans of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory, and fans of visual novels. I'd also suggest this title to those who enjoy some of Gust's other games. Those of you who enjoy JRPGs and are open to something different might also find yourself pleasantly surprised by this title.

I'd like to end this with a tipyou can get water for free at any point in the game selecting "Artisan's Way" on the town map and then walking down around the corner from your workshop to a well. Finding this out made the early stages of the game a lot easier on me.

Buy Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist Of Arland Now

As a huge JRPG fan, I've played a large amount of the JRPGs of this current gaming generation. However, they all seemed to revolve around the premise of saving the world/universe, and eventually I grew bored in the genre. However, Atelier Rorona single-handedly revived my interest in the JRPG genre and has made me very excited for Gust's upcoming game to hit the States, Ar Tonelico Qoga, and has made me hopeful that Rorona sells well enough so that the sequel, Atelier Totori, makes it to the States.

Atelier Rorona is not your typical cliché-filled save the world RPG. Instead, it's a simple game that revolves around an incredibly deep item creation/alchemy system, interaction with the game's colorful characters, and exploring the world while doing quests for the people and your friends. The game's time mechanic makes for very fast-paced and fun, frenetic gameplay, which I've gotten very addicted to. However, if you are looking for a JRPG with a deep combat system, then I would not recommend Atelier Rorona. The game is focused on alchemy, like I said earlier, so the combat system is pretty much your standard turn-based system found in every JRPG. Don't let this deter you from a fantastic game though.

Atelier Rorona also marks the first 3D Atelier game that Gust has made. The cel-shading is very well-done in Rorona, especially the character models. Environments, however, look a little bit bland and blurry sometimes, but you won't notice it too much as you'll be spending a lot of time in your alchemy shop whipping up new items or in the wild gathering materials for that super-awesome item you'll be creating, whether it's a plain pie or even a cannon. Another thing that I really love in Atelier Rorona is the music. Composer Ken Nakamura did a fantastic job in using unusual instruments that gives Rorona's tunes a very "homey" feel to it. You can't help but feel a bit of nostalgia for the good old days of RPGs from the past when you hear the BGM.

If you're looking for something different or a break from the typical save-the-world RPG, or just want to try something new, look no further than Atelier Rorona. With the massive amounts of quests to do and items to create, along with 4 specific game endings and over 30 extra endings based on your friendship with the game's characters, this is one game I'll have in my PS3 disc drive for a long time.

Shameless plug: Buy this so NIS America brings Atelier Totori to the States too! ;-)

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I loved Atelier Iris 1, 2 & 3 on the ps2. (I played Eternal Mana twice to the end.) I enjoyed Mana Khemia 1, and Mana Khemia 2 just a little less. I even managed to get halfway through Ar Tonelico, where the alchemy was a total let down. (the story wasn't all that great either)

Atelier Rorona isn't bad. It's just not challenging. It feels like it was made for children in their early teens, who might enjoy a very linear game, much like you would give a color by numbers to a young child just learning colors and numbers. There isn't much freedom in Atelier Rorona. You get assignments which must be completed in a 90 day time period, plus jobs to do for money, items, and friendship points.

Gameplay: Every thing costs 1-2 days. It wouldn't have been so bad if either the exploration or the alchemy didn't use up days. But you have no freedom to tweak recipes, as most items cost a day at the least, and figuring out which item gives you which effect will have you reloading over and over, since you will run out of time before the assignment/job is due before you get the recipe where you want it. Also, going to a gathering place costs days to get there, then every sub screen costs a certain amount of days to "explore." This can get very frustrating when you have to either go all the way back to town to make an item to advance on the screen (like when you find out you need a bomb to demo a rock in your way), which uses days there and back, or reload and start over, which is a waste of real time.

It's not a bad game, but I'm glad I borrowed it instead of buying it, since I doubt I will be finishing it, and I am certain I will never replay it.

Want Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist Of Arland Discount?

A game made with the only purpose of entertain those who scream for the old days of the ps2, atelier doesnt have the graphics of ffxiii but we get a game that prefer a great experience better than only nice visuals