VG RE:View - ATELIER RORONA~ALCHEMIST OF ARLAND~

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Release Date: September 28, 2010

MSRP: $49.99 ($59.99 for the premium edition)

Exclusively on: Playstation 3

ESRB: T for Teen; Fantasy Violence; Language; Sexual Themes; Use of Alcohol

GENRE: RPG

Publisher: NIS

Developer: Gust

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~.:Background:.~

     NIS America pumps out another "alchemist-themed" JRPG, boasting 3D models and High Definition Graphics--Atelier Rorona~Alchemist of Arland~

     "Alchemy-Related" games tend to flow similarly (the "Atelier" series, Mana Khemia) within the genre.  At first glance, nothing may seem impressive with a JRPG that looks so similar to others in the market.  What truly makes "Alchemy-games" unique is the necessity placed on "item creation".  "Item Creation" becomes as crucial as leveling up in any other RPG.

     I haven't played all the "alchemy" related games, but it's certainly an easy JRPG to pick up and stay hooked to~

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~.:Main Topic:.~

     Okay, on to the main point of the article: Atelier Rorona.  The Playstation 3 platform is hurting for flagship RPG titles to carry it's weight.  Unfortunately, >.> the wait drags on with releases of wannabe RPGs...or the complete absence of them in the market.  How will NISA's Atelier Rorona fare in the RPG-starving market?  

     Apparently you can buy the game disc itself, buy I only had the option of the premium box, which came with a 32-page full-color art book.

  

Quite the Cast of Characters

.:Aesthetics:. 

     (+)Certainly an impressive upgrade from the 2D models used in the PS2/PSP games.  The developer was none too lazy about it either, fleshing out everything from background to character.  It's great to see a JRPG-developing company avoid copy-pasting it's graphics to a next-gen console (Which Disgaea 3 has done so wonderfully).

Only Rorona can use items

     (+)The theme of the next gen console is "dramatic camera angles"--and in the images above, you can clearly see it's use.

Lionela uses...magical...puppets for combat? lol

     (-) The only downgrade is, perhaps, attack animation.  It's been dulled-downed and feels like it loss a bit of that "action-feel".  I guess you can say that battle is overall...less violent than the previous games.  It's not a deathblow crippling the game (although some may say so), but it's certainly something noticebly different than it's predecessors. 

.:Audio:.

(+) Music is full and rich, much more higher quality than ever.

(+) Voice Acting is great; with options for Japanese Audio and English subtitles.  It especially brings out the humor in scenes such as shown below. Everyone.  I mean everyone...has a thing for the main character...

Everyone wants a piece of the main character~

.:Gameplay:.

   Unfortunately, this is where the game becomes increasingly exclusive to the JRPG element.  Due to it's direction leaning towards the stereotypical "hardcore-grindfest" JRPG's are so well known for, the game may have lost appeal to casual RPG gamers.

(!) The series has changed it's priority from a "combat-alchemy" game to a "alchemy-combat" game.  Comparison?  

     -Mana Khemia, for example, was rooted in exploration and combat.  All the while finding et cetera materials as you journey.  It then became necessary to use the stuff you found to create items/weapons--which aidied in leveling up your character.

     -Atelier Rorona, on the other hand, puts the main focus of gameplay on...well...alchemy.  You collect items, battle enemies for exclusive items...just so you can create more...stuff.

Okay, so...x2 fest to make polish powder...what the heck is "fest"?!

(!) The flow of the game changed quite a bit.  As Rorona, you're basically filling quotas given to you by your boss.  You slave the day away collecting and creating numerous items (sometimes of the same type)--all to do so, in order to save your workshop.  And that's the basic flow of the game.  

At times...the game feels like actual work instead of something made for enjoyment.  You're given a deadline to create a list of items--time is spent to journey to locations, time is spent to move from area-to-area (screen change), time is spend on creating items, etc.  So as a player, you're always looking at the clock.

Once you've completed the quota (which isn't hard to do), you're given another deadline for a new list of items.  Long spurts of routine item making...


.:Last Words:.
It's tough to say how NISA did with Atelier Rorona.  The development team made great advancements such as higher quality graphics and increased use of voiced audio--but also suffered at the simplification of battle.  The change of the game,"core", is split between gamers that wanted the "good 'old gameplay flow" and those that appreciate the "innovation"--more specifically, a game that changed from a combat=alchemy to combat<alchemy.


My advice? Wait for the potential American/Euro. release of it's sequel Atelier Totori.  Which--from first glance, looks to have returned to it's exploration-combat roots.

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.:Score Chart:.

Let's split this in to a range of what type of RPG gamer an individual might be.

So basically, Casual is on the harsh side of the grade scale~

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Casual     - 4.0

   -graphics: 2.5/5

   -audio: 2.5/5

   -gameplay: 1/5

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Moderate - 5.0

   -graphics: 4/5

   -audio: 4/5

   -gameplay: 2.5/5

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Hardcore - 7.0

   -graphics: 4/5

   -audio: 4/5

   -gameplay: 3/5

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The scoring of the game was based on each category's potential interest in the genre, what other games they might be playing (and compare it to this one), etc.

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Images from: Ign.com

Illustration: Kishida Mel

all characters and images copyright GUST CO., LTD. 2009, 2010. All rights reserved. Licensed to and Published by NIS America, inc. Atelier Rorona is a trademark of GUST CO., LTD.