Atelier Rorona ~The Alchemist of Arland~ DX
First release in the Arland series. The main character Rorona must save her Atelier from being closed by the Kingdom. Using Synthesis, Exploration, and Battle, gain recognition for the Atelier and save it from being closed. See a variety of endings by obtaining a certain level of recognition in a set time period and by fulfilling certain conditions.
・Save the Atelier by fulfilling requests made by the Kingdom.
Rorona’s goal is to ‘gain recognition from the Kingdom to save her Atelier.’ By clearing the quarterly requests sent to her by the Kingdom for 3 years, Rorona can gain recognition. Earn great recognition by using Synthesis, Exploration, and Battle!
Earn a certain level of recognition in a set period of time from the Kingdom and fulfill certain conditions to see a number of different endings. In addition to Kingdom recognition, popularity in town from fulfilling the requests of the townsfolk also plays an important role in determining the ending that you eventually end up with.
Steam User 1
A game that somehow managed to balance time management, crafting, dating sim style relationship management, JRPG battles and dungeon crawling into one wonderful package. A simple but compelling story that is uplifted by a cast of lovable, well realized and funny characters, each one being given their own time and stages to shine throughout the story.
Steam User 2
I started the Atelier series during the Mystery Arc and played Lulua (Arland) on the PS4. So when I started playing on PC more, I bought the older games that were available at the time on steam, which lead to me starting the Arland Arc with Rorona.
I wasn't sure how I would like the time limit system and I felt like the alchemy system in this game was basic compared to the others I've played at first. However, I came to love it, and I enjoyed how it changed how I played these games. The Atelier series never fails to amaze with mechanics that are familiar yet different. I also recognized some locations I saw in Lulua, I like it when games reuse assets like that, makes Arland seem more real.
If you want to try this game and you are worried about the time limit, don't be. Once year 2 comes around, you are likely not going to feel as pressured anymore.
Steam User 0
A fun little game. Basically go to zones and kill monsters and collect shit and make shit. That's the entire game, but it's fun and has a lot of cute character moments. I think the assignments are overall a bit too easy but it's still a good time. While the actual combat system could be better, I overall had a good time for a chilled JRPG that took around 14-15 hours. A 7/10.
Steam User 0
Atelier Rorona leaves me with mixed feelings in all the best ways.
A little background for me. I played Ryza recently and loved it. I had long been looking towards the Atelier series, contemplating if I wanted to try it but, after Ryza I jumped in nose deep. I decided to buy a bunch of games and try and 100% them. Rorona was the earliest in the series so I started there.
Now I am currently on my second playthrough and working to 100% the game.
My first playthrough was really rough. At first I was lost and constantly worried about the time and not a fan of the crafting. The cute, but simple, art style was charming and kept me going with the ride. Near the middle of the game I got very comfortable and started enjoying it. There were a lot of story events that felt really fun to play through and I began really enjoying the game. Everything changes near the end. Around the last year point I felt like nothing I did was good and I wasn't prepared to handle anything. I was really frustrated that some of the mechanics didn't explain themselves very well and there was practically no information for them online. As I pushed through towards the ending I kind of gave up trying to perfect it at all to the best of my abilities and just finished the game. To my surprise, the ending for the game was amazing. The one I got was extremely simple and extremely satisfying. I enjoyed everything about it, the music, the art, the story, and even the ending credits (Why do new games credits suck so much compared to old games).
After rethinking this whole goal and struggling to beat this game normally I thought about giving up on the 100% for the whole series, but the ending for the game reignited my will to play it all over again. I sat back down in one session that took me maybe 9 hours and got halfway through the game a second time. (My first playthrough was almost 50 hours) I have a burning passion to play it and I don't know why I like it so much.
Breaking things down, the game will be hard at first if your trying to get a good ending and hit every objective. It will be frustrating and it WILL punish you for careless decisions but, over all it's a good time.
My score for the game is a solid 7.5/10
It's missing some polish and I feel like some of the items are a little too boring. (I haven't played overtime yet though)
Would I recommend this to someone? Yeah as long as they don't mind a bit of a challenge.
Steam User 0
Yes. Absolutely one hundred percent YES! That's the short version.
I've been working my way through the Atelier series a bit backwards, starting with Ryza, going into the Mysterious trilogy (plus Sophie 2) and now picked up the Arland trilogy during the Winter Sale. I was extremely nervous going in since I'd heard the Arland games use a time limit mechanic, and that wasn't much of a thing in the Atelier games I'd played before. So what happened during that first play session? I fell head over heels for this games design. Everything from the characters, the environments, the systems...they all just clicked. I feel dumb for holding off on the Arland games for so long now because I might have just found one of my new favorites of all time. And best of all? I managed to get one of the True Endings on my first run without a guide.
So yes, time limits. You get essentially 3 years to prove your Atelier is worth keeping open, and the castle will assign 12 tasks to determine this (basically 3 months per task). This is daunting at first, but once you realize how simple it is to actually complete, 9 times out of 10 your finish within your first week and spend the rest of the time doing whatever you want. It's an insanely good gameplay loop. One problem I ran into with the other Atelier games was I could never stay on task, and over-crafted all of my gear. This game keeps you focused, so I had to come up with alternative solutions to problems I hadn't had before.
If I had to pick out some negatives, the game does a poor job of explaining the synthesis mechanics to you. It wasn't until year 3 that I figured out item effects are tied to the material Quality and Level, not just one or the other. After you figure that out, its just a matter of getting high quality/high level materials in the time you're given. (Hint: Seeds are AMAZING when crafted right.)
I could gush about my time forever honestly, but I'll leave it brief. Totori is next on my list and I do know it's infamous for being more strict with not as many QoL features, so my mileage may vary there. But if anything, I know I'll always have this gem to come back to. Still got a ton of endings to unlock...and I haven't even tried Overtime yet...though I'm probably vastly under prepared for that.
Steam User 0
From playing Atelier Ryza 2 to playing this, the time limit system is brutal, but I'm still able to get through the story comfortably.
Steam User 2
12/10- cringe rating system everyone uses now days
This game is fun slice of life and has a lot of heart. My only complaint was the near stress inducing timer