HomeVideo GamesAtelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland

Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland

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I still look back fondly at the Atelier Iris line of games which were produced for the PlayStation 2, which delivered what I considered a strong balance between active storytelling and RPG-esque fighting, effectively bundled with the synthesis systems that Gust have been renown for since first launching Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg back in 1997. Despite the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, when Atelier Rorona was released as the first of many PlayStation 3 instalments in the series, it failed to maintain the balance from earlier games. Dominated by an emphasis on synthesis over battling, Atelier Rorona also suffered from some not-so-great ideas such as an over-simplified battle system and providing very restrictive time limits to complete tasks. The next four instalments since then (Totori, Meruru, Ayesha and Escha & Logy), while retaining a similar structural concepts, have attempted to run away from the limitations imposed by Rorona through means such as providing less restrictive deadlines.

While Atelier Totori and Meruru were ported over to the PlayStation Vita as enhanced “Plus” editions without too much work required on them, despite being chronologically first in the “Alchemists of Arland” trilogy, Atelier Rorona was going to need much work on it to meet the same standard that would warrant a re-release. GUST and Koei Tecmo have therefore decided to greatly enhance the game and re-release it as Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland on both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita platforms. Do these improvements warrant giving Atelier Rorona a second shot? Read on to find out!

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Storyline

The core plot of Atelier Rorona Plus has not changed much from its earlier release. You take control of young trainee alchemist Rorolina “Rorona” Frixell, who due to events during her childhood is now indebted to the highly skilled alchemist Astrid Zexis. While learning little in the way of alchemy during her time with Astrid, with the prospect of her workshop being closed down (and forced to leave town with Astrid due to her debt), she is coerced into performing seasonal tasks for the Palace. Should she fail any one of the tasks provided to her over three years, the workshop will be turned into an industrial complex.

Unlike later games, there isn’t much in terms of a storyline in Atelier Rorona, with a majority of the main plot coming down to performing these tasks. Outside of the saving the workshop there are a number of side events and the usual assortment of character events which can lead to a variety of different endings depending on your relationships with each particular character and performance in the other tasks. While it may be the least enjoyable out of all current PS3 Atelier games, there are many new events to entice returning players and newcomers alike, with a chapter surrounding a time-travelling Totooria “Totori” Helmold and Merurulince “Meruru” Rede Arls only sweetening the deal.

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Design / Music / Voice Acting

While some aspects such as the CG Artwork have remained consistently fantastic across all PS3 instalments in the Atelier series, and kudos must be given to Mel Kishida in that respect, it is hard to deny that Atelier Rorona featured some pretty average character designs in comparison to later releases.The visual designs and quality across the board have been greatly increased in Atelier Rorona Plus to meet the standards set by Atelier Totori/Meruru. Character models are now much more detailed, providing more emotion and realism than before. All the returning environment designs also look more aesthetically appealing, with a couple of the field areas being expanded upon to feel less claustrophobic.

The soundtrack from the original game is retained, however also includes a number of new and remixed tracks for some of the more prominent songs. But more importantly, while there was no DLC content released for the original game, Gust have also decided to include an expansive library of additional music from various games to set as your workshop theme, battle theme, town theme etc. Enjoy “Alchemist Girl Meruru’s Song” from Atelier Meruru and want to use it as an instrumental battle theme? Go right ahead! The assortment of musical tracks is in comparison to previous releases which kept the music locked as part on on-disc DLC.

Atelier Rorona Plus also retains the original English voice cast that Nippon Ichi Software America commissioned for their original release in addition to the Japanese dub. The (English) voice acting is overall of a high standard and features big-names in the industry including Michelle Ruff and Liam O’Brien. Unfortunately however as with most other releases, the game is only partly dubbed.

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Gameplay

Like all other Atelier games on the PS3, Atelier Rorona Plus is heavily time oriented. This time around the entire game revolves around sections of approximately 90 days, with each section having a different task with certain synthesis / collection requirements. These requirements require you to synthesize the required items and then trade them in, with a star ranking determined by the quality of the items and how many your provide. Completing these tasks adequately is vital to continuing the game, while failing a single one will lead to a ‘Game Over’ and performing exceptionally is key to unlocking some of the better endings. None of these tasks are very challenging to receive a passing grade on provided you satisfactorily balance your time gathering items, travelling across Arland and staying in the workshop synthesizing items. But with the strict time limits and the fact that almost every action docks hours and days from your remaining time… trying to achieve a better than average performance on each of the tasks can become more strenuous than enjoyable (In my case, even when it is obvious I would meet the deadline).

Featuring a system similar to the one used in Atelier Escha & Logy, there are also smaller missions each season such as “Synthesize X number of times” or “Defeat Y” which provide you with not only tickets that can be traded in for bonus goodies but a stamp. These stamps can are placed on one square in a 3×3, with additional goodies and perks available for making a row. It was a simple yet effective implementation to encourage players to experience everything Atelier Rorona Plus has to offer, although it some cases it might seem like penalizing struggling players with some of the perks being stat boosts and better items.

Synthesizing should feel familiar to anyone who has played an earlier Atelier game. The main goal of synthesis is once again to combine multiple reagents (items) together in order to form a better one, comprised of not only the inherent traits of the produced item, but further enhanced by the traits added by the other items. Balancing the quality of such items against quantity and time restrictions is one of the key challenges faced in the game, especially since healing and attack items are also vital for use on the field. Excess items can also be used to fulfill counter quests and requests made by friends, improving Rorona’s reputation and friendship with her party members respectively which are vital for most endings.

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One of the biggest improvements in Atelier Rorona Plus is the battle system, which originally suffered from an odd decision to merge HP and MP bars which made it a real hassle to use skills at the lower levels. Featuring simple turn-based mechanics, players attack one at a time through a mix of standard attacks and special attacks unique to each character. While there are still limitations such as Rorona being the only character able to use items in battle, you will not be starved of options when deciding which character should join your party – with an extra four party members exclusive to this re-release. Other features such as special attacks for each character and the standard assist defence/attack options provide a simple yet effective battle system that has no notable issues.

Final Words on Atelier Rorona Plus

With visual improvements, new playable characters, enhanced item synthesis, an improved battle system and more, it is crystal clear that Gust put a lot of work into bringing Atelier Rorona Plus up to the standard of its successors. For the most part they succeeded as well, and while the time restrictions may still turn off or otherwise stress out some players, there are a plentiful supply of events to encounter and very rarely are you left without anything to do.

This review was based on the PlayStation 3 edition of Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland. Thanks go to Mindscape for providing a review copy of this title.

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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