Forum - View topicThoughts On The Atelier Franchise?
|
|
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
phia_one
Posts: 1663 Location: Pennsylvania |
|
||
|
With the second Ryza game coming out, I've been seriously considering giving this franchise a shot. The idea of playing an JRPG that's mostly slice of life sounds like it could be a nice change of pace. I've been playing Elder Scrolls Online for the last few years and getting kind of burnt out.
|
|||
|
|||
vanfanel
 Posts: 1303 |
|
||
|
My knowledge of the series, oddly enough, is limited to its Japan-only PS1 and PS2 entries, so this may be a very useless reply. The PS1 games "Atelier Marie" and its sequel "Atelier Elie" are really nice, relaxing(*), and relatively short. There's a heavy emphasis on crafting and selling the things you make to people in town. You work to make better and better items, take on crafting jobs from townsfolk, and use the profits to buy books, tools, ingredients, as well as hire others to help in your shop or defend you when you go into the wilderness (You are *weak* and will not last long out there without seasoned adventurers to travel with). Really, these games are in part small-business simulators with a fantasy twist. I put the asterisk on "relaxing" because if you really try to get a good result, you're going to be accepting as many orders as you can manage, and racing all over the place trying to keep up with delivery dates -- it can start to feel hectic if you play that way. You're also on a timer, which can add stress, but the upside is that you can have a whole playthrough over a long weekend, and there are lots of different endings to find. These games are cute as can be, and unlike some later entries, don't go overboard on the fanservice.
"Atelier Lilie" rounds out the "Salburg trilogy" on PS2. This is a prequel to the first two, which is about the founding of the alchemy school that the PS1 heroines will later attend. Two of the instructors are still children in this. Nicer graphics but I didn't like it as well. The PS2's increased capabilities mean there's room for lots more content, and this one felt like it was going on a bit longer than it should. Longer games also means more hesitation when it comes to replays. Fewer replays means fewer endings discovered. There's also a sort of side story game on PS2 called "Hermina and Culus." Hermina is girl (in Lilie) who grows up to be an alchemy teacher (in Marie and Elie). Especially as an adult, she's portrayed as sort of the dark side of alchemy, and loves making homunculi. This game seems to be a story about Hermina as a young girl and a homunculus she creates. I don't know much more than that. The next one is "Atelier Judie." A young alchemist (in a ridiculous outfit) flubs a transformation and transports herself centuries into the future. The game is about crafting an item that can get you back home. This is in the same world as the first trilogy, but in a different country. I haven't discovered if there's a way to get to Salburg, where the first trilogy takes place. Based on the age of a supporting character you run into, this is set during the time between Marie and Elie, meaning Judie lived hundreds of years prior to the original trilogy. Finally, we get "Atelier Viorate" (pronounced "Vee-oh-rah-teh"). This one is about a country girl using alchemy to bring commerce and tourism to her village in the boonies. One of the adventurer escorts you can hire is a grown-up version of a student from Atelier Elie, so they're maintaining it as a single world, at least this far. This one's just alright, though after only one playthrough, there may be all kinds of interesting things I just haven't found yet. Next is the "Atelier Iris" trilogy, of which I've played only a little of the first game. My initial impression is that the crafting-to-JRPGing ratio was tilting a bit much toward the JRPG side of things. I like JRPGS, but that's not what I come to this series for; for me, crafting is the draw. The costumes are getting silly again, too. Also, there's "Mana Khemia" on PS2, which I haven't played yet. I prefer its character designs a bit to those of the Iris trilogy. I think that's about it; I'd need to buy a new console to go further. You're probably wanting info on later games, but I like the series a lot, and wanted to post. |
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group