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The Atelier series is a series of JRPGs developed by Gust, with a heavy emphasis on addicting crafting systems built around creating game-breaking items and equipment to kill enemies with to gather more materials to craft more things. They’re fun. If you want to jump into the series, I’d recommend starting with either Atelier Rorona Plus (PS3/Vita) or Atelier Ayesha. (PS3/Vita). Both are the start of two different trilogies (the Arland trilogy and the Dusk trilogy respectively) and are pretty good, modern games. Generally, most people (myself included), consider the Dusk trilogy to be stronger. An important thing to know is that while Rorona Plus is a remake, the rest of the Plus titles are the same game, just on the Vita and with the DLC bundled in. Anyway, here’s a bunch of stuff about the older games stolen from the last thread we had: THE HISTORY - PLAYSTATION - Japan only  The Atelier series got its start on the Playstation in 1997 with the release of Atelier Marie ~The Alchemist of Salburg~ and would another see releases on the Playstation as part of the "Salburg" with the entries Atelier Elie released in 1998 At that point, the series made the jump to the PS2, and even though JRPG's had become a booming market here, we still didn't see any of the series jump ship to North American shores for the next couple of entries. THE HISTORY - PLAYSTATION 2 - Japan only  2001 would see the release of the first PS2 entry in Japan with Atelier Lilie ~The Alchemist of Salburg 3~ released in 2001, which would mark the end of the Atelier series "Salburg" entries. Gust would then go on to create more Ps2 entries into the series, but they still would not hit American shores. Atelier Judie ~The Alchemist of Gramnad~ and Atelier Violet ~The Alchemist of Gramnad 2~ came out in 2002 and 2003 and mark the "Gramnad" series of games. Hermina and Culus ~Atelier Lilie Another Story~ was a side story in the series that got released for the Ps2 in 2001 and there were also 3 side games made for the Game Boy Advance, Dreamcast and Wonderswan which all came out between 2001-2003 THE GAMES - PLAYSTATION 2 - The Atelier Iris series Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana  Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana opening Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana arrived in North America on the Ps2 June 28th, 2005 (It's almost been out for 7 years now!) and was the start of the Atelier series in North America. The first game starred protagonist Klein Kiesling as an alchemist travelling the world. Despite being on the Ps2, the Atelier games used sprite work like various other NIS related works, and for character portraits used the popular manga/anime style that games like the Persona series used for portaits. The game also introduced the JRPG audience to a basic idea of the Atelier series use of Alchemy although the importance of it wouldn't be as pronounced as in later games. In Atelier Iris you are able to make weapons, armour, healing items, and attacks items to use in battle. Atelier Iris was more suited for the JRPG crowd used to more traditional style of JRPG's instead of the future games to come, as the game had a story and plot that focused on the more traditional "save the world" story that most were familiar with. It had a very basic world map that you could travel, and you would go into areas that you could explore. The combat was also a familar turn based system, but had a focus on party placement. While the game wasn't a huge smash success, it was something for the older crowd who had grown up with SNES RPG's who were looking for a series that was more about being simple and charming than trying to push an epic story and graphics, and was able to establish the series foothold in North America. Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny  Atelier Iris 3: Opening Movie A year later would see the release of the 2nd Atelier Iris game "The Azoth of Destiny" which was a prequel to the original Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana game. This release would see 2 playable characters with protagonist Felt Blanchimont (pictured on the cover) and childhood friend Viese Blanchimont. Gameplay wise, the game follows what the Atelier series seems to do with most of its games. It keeps the core concept from the first game in tact while trying to improve or change things to make for a similar,ultimately different and better game with the changes made. Azoth of Destiny changed up the battle system from the first game and tried to improve upon it. Having a turn bar to show the order your party attacks in, had a shared SP (Skill Points) system that was shared among the party and had different forms of attacks. When walking on the field map, you would get into random battles, but fighting enough random battles would deplete the "monster bar" in the area and you would be battle free. Alchemy worked mostly the same way the first game did. Except with 2 main characters, it went a bit differently. Felt collects alchemical recipes; Viese creates them. Some alchemical recipies would be needed in order to proceed through certain areas in the game (needing a bomb to get past somewhere for example) Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm  Atelier Iris 3 Opening Movie The last of the Atelier Iris games, Grand Phantasm was released in the US to a lukewarm fanfare mid-2007. It wasn't that the game was poor so much as it felt rushed, marrying several concepts from the Atelier Iris series and the soon-to-be-released Mana Khemia without providing enough in the way of game to actually take them anywhere. While the crafting remained more or less intact and the battle system was upgraded to an early version of Mana Khemia's superior timebar system, AI3 differs from the other Iris games by having a seriously lacklustre plotline. Instead, the game was almost entirely given over to grinding your Raider rank via repetitive fetch questing in repetitive dungeons, and is liable to be a bit of a drag unless you're a seriously diehard fan of the series. THE GAMES - PLAYSTATION 2 - MANA KHEMIA SERIES   Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis & Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy The spiritual successors to the Iris series, the Mana Khemia games succeed where AI3 failed by managing to combine a traditional JRPG plotline and cast with an improved battle system, an enlarged alchemy system, and a few organization and alchemy puzzles thrown in to boot. Both games work in pretty much the same fashion, being divided into a series of terms. Each term, you'll need to get your character a required number of course credits - you've got to make sure you're done with your electives, after all. These might range from trying to alchemize a specific quality onto an item, defeating a number of monsters, or harvesting enough in the way of ingredients; the better you do, the more credits you get. Get enough credits, and you're free to spend the rest of the term completing odd jobs, pursuing sidequests from your party members, or just lazing around passing the time. At the end of each term there'll be a burst of heavy plot, and it's off to the next. Alchemy is complex without being overbearing, full of little tricks you can pull to finetune your results based on which party members you have helping you out. You're even encouraged to experiment: the stat system's uniquely based off of how good an alchemist you are, with level-based statups removed entirely in favour of boosts for creating certain items. The range of different objectives when in classrooms helps keep the game fresh, while party members are often genuinely funny or capable of providing a surprising amount of depth. Yes, even the alien. Add in one of the most involved and fun battle systems the series has ever seen and a dash of time management and delegation on the side and you have a seriously enthralling game or two. Don't get the PSP version. THE GAMES - NINTENDO DS: The Forgotten and Atelier Annie The Atelier series also made the jump to the Nintendo DS. North America never got the first in the DS series which was the game Atelier Lise ~The Alchemist of Ordre~ due to various reasons (reported: buggy as complete poo poo when first released) and instead North America got its first and only DS entry to the Atelier series with the release of Atelier Annie: The Alchemist of Sera Island. There was another game released afterwords but Annie was the first and for now, the last Atelier game to see a handheld release on North American shores. Atelier Annie: The Alchemist of Sera Island  U.S Trailer Atelier Annie was released on the Nintendo DS in North America on October 27th, 2009. Atelier Annie could be seen as a "prototype" for what North American audiences would be in for when the Ps3 Atelier series hit our shores but what Japanese audiences had already been exposed with the earlier games which followed the same format. Atelier Annine, unlike the Ps2 games that North American fans were familiar with was more of just a resort simulator where you had to gather items, make things, and make the island you were left on more popular. Starring the first female protagonist that North American audiences would play as instead of more stereotypical JRPG lead males that the Iris series had going for it. The plot/story also shifted in the dramatic where instead of the more serious leanings the Iris series had, Annie was a game that was purely humourous about its setting. Annie gets sent to Sera Island because she's lazy, has bad habits and her only dream in life is to have a rich guy marry her so she can become a trophy wife (What a role model for girls everwhere! Give Annie a hand!), so in order for her to get off her butt, Annie's grandfather has her her bed picked up and ships her off while she's sleeping to Sera Island where she will be trained to become an Alchemist and end her lazy, lack of ambition life. The goal of the game is to simply meet the requirements of what the game asks of you at certain periods such as "I need 3 bombs for a celebration!" and getting graded on quality. The battle system was also extremely simplified and while you had multiple party members you could take into battle. You didn't have them all in one party. They would be scattered around and if you wanted someone specific, you would need to drop them and pick up someone else. THE GAMES - PLAYSTATION 3/PS VITA: The Arland Series and Upcoming Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland  Opening Movie The first of the PS3 "Arland" trilogy of Atelier games, Atelier Rorona was the first out of the gate, released in Japan in 2009, in North America in 2010, and re-released as Atelier Rorona Plus in 2014. Atelier Rorona was Gust's first Ps3 game and is the one that definitely shows it flaws compared to the later releases. It's also the first game that switched from the sprite work that Gust once did and brought the series to 3D, and so Rorona shows all the trouble that Gust had in working with 3D models for the first time. The Rorona Plus updates a lot of the game’s mechanics, and is generally a pretty good game, unlike the original Rorona. Following the glimpse of what the Atelier series would hold for North American audiences with Atelier Annie, Atelier Rorona brought the same concept to the Ps3 except bigger in every regard. No saving the world from some sort of terrible evil, female protagonist, and a goofy story with ridiculous plot. Atelier Rorona is all about how Rorona is an apprentice of a very skilled Alchemist named Astrid. However, Astrid has been ignoring her work for quite a while and so the king decrees that the alchemist workshop must complete a set of tasks in order to stay in Arland, or they will have to move out. Astrid not wanting to do any work, dumps saving the workshop on plucky protagonist Rorona's hands. The game has quite a marked difference from the Playstation 2 games as the core gameplay is all about gathering ingredients and making high quality items, and battling second. In Atelier Rorona, you have a fixed amount of time to do each task (12 tasks in total, I believe, spread over a period of 3 years) and if you fail, the game ends. Usually the challenges are pretty simple to do the minimal, but getting the best quality is a bit more work. One thing you have to worry about, especially in Rorona, is that almost EVERYTHING you do takes time. Travelling to other locations, fighting monsters, gathering materials, and doing alchemy. All of these take time and you have to decide how you want to spend the time you're given. As various people will want you to do very small quests (get me X, kill X monster) so you can earn money. Rorona, is ultimately the worst game when it came to time management as the constant requests you needed to complete had you on a tight leash and it never felt like you could do things at your own leisure. The battle system was also incredibly simple, where there was very, very little variation in things, and the levelling curve wasn't as nice as the future games would be so the game seemed to dissuade you from combat (perhaps that was just my experience though, as far as combat is concerned). Once again, your party consisted of only 3 people, including Rorona. The 2 others would be found around town and you had to recruit them for your party. There was also friendship points with them as well, where you could get them things and they would become better acquainted with you, and this was key to unlocking events and game specific endings. Another change from the Ps2 games as you just guessed, is that with the more laid back plot, the game has various endings depending on how you play, get a certain amount of gold, you get a gold ending. Get 100% friendship and do all someone's quests? Get an ending specific to them. The game also features a new game + so doings things a second run becomes a lot easier. Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland  Opening movie The second of the Ps3 Arland trilogy of Atelier games, Atelier Totori took what Atelier Rorona did and improved on a lot of things. The first big change was instead of having a whole lot specific goals you needed to meet in a short period, you were given more time and you just had to make sure you met certain goals for the game to proceed. The game had a lot fewer chances for a strict game over than Totori did. The game looks a bit better, and the characters were a fair bit better as well (in my opinion). Atelier Totori makes enough improvements and changes to Rorona so that while it's very similar in a lot of regards, it feels better in almost every regard. Reviewers agreed and the series almost scored a full 10 points above Rorona, as it currently sits with a score of 74 at Metacritic. Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland  Opening Movie The third of the Ps3 Arland trilogy of Atelier games. Meruru is similar in tone to the previous 2 games. If you've played them, you know what you're mostly in for. Meruru doesn't just reuse everything from Atelier Totori however, it changes up the overal system of the game once again, where instead of just trying to meet small intermittent goals in Rorona, or just meet a bunch of major goals by doing a lot of job board requests for people like Totori, Meruru has you developing the kingdom through specific goals and spending points you earn by making those goals on things for your kingdom. The more requests you do, the more your kingdom grows and more buildings you can get that will help your adventuring. Building a training school will get you more experience, buidling a marketplace will help the stock that the people in your markets will carry, and other various options. Dusk Series (PS3/Vita) Atelier Ayesha: Alchemist of Dusk  The start of a new trilogy, Atelier Ayesha abandons the setting of the Arland games, instead taking place in a new world in the throes of decline, littered with ruins of a once great civilization where alchemy was commonplace. Tonally the Dusk series are somewhat more low key than the Arland series, although still mainly focused on slice of life character interactions than epic storylines. They also don't really have any fanservice, if that was something that bothered you about the other titles. Ayesha specifically follows the titular Ayesha, as she searches for her missing sister Nio. Mechanically the structure is similar to that of the Arland games, although the Alchemy system has been changed somewhat. So far, Ayesha Plus is the only Plus version of a Dusk title to be released and localized. Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky:  It’s name is a terrible pun. Letting you choose which of the two protagonists you want to play as, Escha & Logy also further refines the series’ alchemy system, improves the combat immensely, and makes it so that items replenish whenever you return to the Atelier, preventing you from needing to make new items as you use them. It’s a really good game. Atelier Shallie: Alchemist of the Dusk Sea:  The most recent entry in the series. Like Escha & Logy, you can choose to follow one of two protagonists, this time both named Shallie. Also there's no more time limit. Shallie is supposedly a quality game, but right now it has a game-breaking bug that completely prevents you from using a character progression mechanic that opens up around level 40, gradually rendering the game unwinnable. Tecmo-Koei is aware, but apparently “This has no serious effect on the player experience” Welp. Probably PR speak, but if you’ve yet to buy the game I’d wait for a patch. ------------- You can also discuss other Gust games here, like enduring classic Ar Tonelico Qoga. Cake Attack fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Mar 16, 2015 |
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Mar 16, 2015 00:57
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should probably mention that the dust games are also way more low-key in regards to fanservice, too
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Mar 16, 2015 00:59
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I'm halfway through Year 4 in Meruru and I'm having a way breezier time playing Meruru than my playthroughs of Rorona and Totori. I'm not falling behind with my development duties and I'm not getting blindsided by tough enemies like what happened in Totori. I might just beat it the first time around! :iamafag:
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Mar 16, 2015 01:16
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These games are all incredibly fun if you're a fan of breaking systems over your knee. Most of them are pretty easy and with only a minimal amount of effort and comprehension of the alchemy system can be broken into tiny little bits. Lots of fun, too bad about all these cutscenes getting in the way of me making ridiculously overpowered items. Currently playing through Eschatology, seems like I'm always a game behind in these, though given the news about Shallie this is probably a good thing.
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Mar 16, 2015 01:34
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lol
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Mar 16, 2015 01:38
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imagine reading every word in the OP
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Mar 16, 2015 01:40
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i sure didn't
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Mar 16, 2015 01:40
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Please play the dusk trilogy, they are all excellent games. I tried meruru when it came out and it really didn't do anything for me but I bought Escha and Logy on a psn flash sale and it ruled my life for a week.
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Mar 16, 2015 01:40
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Mr. Sunabouzu posted:Please play the dusk trilogy, they are all excellent games. I tried meruru when it came out and it really didn't do anything for me but I bought Escha and Logy on a psn flash sale and it ruled my life for a week. English please
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Mar 16, 2015 01:41
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Is Escha & Logy coming to Vita like a lot of the others seem to be? I'd shied away from the Atelier series for a while because it looked a little too... moe for my tastes, but it seems I might've been missing out on some fun JRPGs and I like what I've seen of Escha & Logy. Unfortunately, I'm working with a PS4 and a Vita here, so I don't have a way to play it unless it gets a "Plus" version for Vita.
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Mar 16, 2015 01:42
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Harrow posted:Is Escha & Logy coming to Vita like a lot of the others seem to be? I'd shied away from the Atelier series for a while because it looked a little too... moe for my tastes, but it seems I might've been missing out on some fun JRPGs and I like what I've seen of Escha & Logy. Unfortunately, I'm working with a PS4 and a Vita here, so I don't have a way to play it unless it gets a "Plus" version for Vita. yeah probably
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Mar 16, 2015 01:43
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By the way good job not even bothering to edit the Meruru blurb to no longer mention it as being the newest game in the series, A+ OP writing skills right here.
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Mar 16, 2015 01:45
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Harrow posted:Is Escha & Logy coming to Vita like a lot of the others seem to be? I'd shied away from the Atelier series for a while because it looked a little too... moe for my tastes, but it seems I might've been missing out on some fun JRPGs and I like what I've seen of Escha & Logy. Unfortunately, I'm working with a PS4 and a Vita here, so I don't have a way to play it unless it gets a "Plus" version for Vita. escha and logy is coming to vita, no word on a us release of the port yet though but itll probably happen
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Mar 16, 2015 01:46
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Cool. Once I'm "done" with Bloodborne maybe I'll grab Ayesha on Vita. That's the first of the Dusk trilogy, right?
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Mar 16, 2015 01:47
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yes, as the giant op says
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Mar 16, 2015 01:48
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man i copied that because i didn't want to do work, now i need to edit it?
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Mar 16, 2015 01:49
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Cake Attack posted:man i copied that because i didn't want to do work, now i need to edit it? you've done the requisite amount of work required/performed on the average atelier localization. I say leave it.
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Mar 16, 2015 01:50
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Baltazar Robotnik posted:you've done the requisite amount of work required/performed on the average atelier localization. I say leave it.
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Mar 16, 2015 01:53
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Baltazar Robotnik posted:you've done the requisite amount of work required/performed on the average atelier localization. I say leave it. The thread doesn't crash my browser so I'd say he's done more than enough.
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Mar 16, 2015 01:53
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Levantine posted:The thread doesn't crash my browser so I'd say he's done more than enough.
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Mar 16, 2015 01:53
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i've decided this is not a problem that has a serious effect on the forums poster experience
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Mar 16, 2015 01:54
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Every body post thier fav Altelierer
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Mar 16, 2015 01:55
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Mar 16, 2015 01:55
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I really like some of the music in these games  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDc96BpTN_s
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Mar 16, 2015 02:12
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Are any of these not poo poo that anybody not a creepy basement-dwelling pasty obsessives for whom lots of images of half-clothed twelve year old cartoon girls is the primary draw would actually enjoy(see above posts)?
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Mar 16, 2015 02:13
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The Insect Court posted:Are any of these not poo poo that anybody not a creepy basement-dwelling pasty obsessives for whom lots of images of half-clothed twelve year old cartoon girls is the primary draw would actually enjoy(see above posts)? Most of them are, or at least they're genuinely tamer than stuff like the Persona games or even recent Final Fantasy titles. In terms of having the sheer amount of not-even-potentially-creepy stuff though, Escha & Logy is pretty much entirely free of that stuff. (And has an E10+ rating instead of a T rating because of it.) In general E&L is probably the overall most accessible game from the PS2 collection in all degrees.
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Mar 16, 2015 02:15
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Endorph posted:should probably mention that the dust games are also way more low-key in regards to fanservice, too Shallie has an extended swimsuit scene, FWIW. Which disappointing doesn't repeat the glory that was Meruru's hot spring scene: http://lparchive.org/Atelier-Arland-Trilogy/Update%20122/
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Mar 16, 2015 02:16
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The OP is pretty much worthless. Anyone interested in an encyclopaedic history of the series already knows it. Open with the games a new player might be interested in and why, then round it out with the rest of the Atelier games available on PS3/Vita. That's my contribution to this stellar thread, thanks for reading it.
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Mar 16, 2015 02:37
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Did anyone pre order through Amazon and get a bonus or something for Shallie? I read something about extra music packs, but my box didn't have a code in it. Also, game owns but I'm dreading reaching the point where I'm forced to stop and wait for the patch.
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Mar 16, 2015 03:11
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There's an "Atelier Shallie with Bonus" entry on the online store. The actual downloads aren't in the shop right now, but in the downloads list. Fun fact: The 2 bonus packs generate 3 menu entries (2 for pack 1, 1 for pack 2)
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Mar 16, 2015 03:36
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Erg posted:Did anyone pre order through Amazon and get a bonus or something for Shallie? I read something about extra music packs, but my box didn't have a code in it. I bought the Limited Edition from NIS America and it didn't come with any DLC codes, either.
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Mar 16, 2015 04:06
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I'm probably gonna finish P4G soon so thanks for this thread. But I still don't know whether I should get Rorona Plus or Ayesha.
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Mar 16, 2015 04:12
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I bought Ayesha Plus on vita but haven't started yet because I have so many RPGs unfinished. Maybe it's time to dive in anyway.
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Mar 16, 2015 04:18
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Started with Iris and have been in love with the series since. How are hands-on with Shallie? I haven't picked it up yet.
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Mar 16, 2015 04:32
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Crimson Harvest posted:I'm probably gonna finish P4G soon so thanks for this thread. But I still don't know whether I should get Rorona Plus or Ayesha. I'd say get Ayesha. It's just kind of a better game.
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Mar 16, 2015 04:41
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I loving love kawaii anime games
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Mar 16, 2015 04:47
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^same I can't even get creeped out when its cute enough.
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Mar 16, 2015 05:15
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i didn't read the op. you wanna post like, screenshots of the game, instead of gay anime box art?
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Mar 16, 2015 05:19
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Black Baby Goku posted:imagine reading every word in the OP i loving cant imagine it
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Mar 16, 2015 05:20
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TEDIOUS ALCHEMY APOTHEOSIS: INITIATED   Fittingly for once, Distilled Water is the single most essential ingredient in the insane spreadsheet ordeal that is Atelier Shallie. In E&L it was making thousands upon thousands of sacks of clay, then turning them into refined metal cubes, then turning those cubes back into clay, forever. Shallie's alchemy system is great, maybe the best the series has ever been. It's like a puzzle, and you're shuffling ingredients and skills around looking for the exact combination that gets one bar high enough and others slightly less high, and everything has to be exactly right before you confirm the synthesis. It's an improvement over the juggling of bars in E&L where all you really had to do was spam Duplication and it guaranteed maxed-out elements in every combine if you were willing to slog through the loop over and over. There's also a few really difficult items to make since it's hard to get things onto the specific ingredients demanded. Farming high-end properties should probably wait until the DLC dungeon comes out though, since the highest difficulty level that comes with it guarantees that enemies drop everything on their loot table at the highest possible property level, plus there's some insanely good accessories in a recipe book in the DLC dungeon. Also you can harvest Dunkelheits for days in there.
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Mar 16, 2015 05:25
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