Current Events > The Atelier games are really addicting!

(+) Yeah! (+)

No I'm not talking about Thighza, I started with Rorona. I've played four so far (the original Arland trilogy + Ayesha) and I totally get how appealing they are. Lovely art design, awesome music, fun cast and dialogue and a pretty comfy SoL atmosphere. Even the post apocalyptic Ayesha still has the comfy SoL vibe lol. The alchemy systems are often addicting as well though I wasn't too fond of Ayesha's.

Mainly I'm excited to get to Lulua and Sophie 2, I hear those are the best.

I'm a big fan of Ryza's thighs but the game itself was boring. I especially didn't care for the alchemy system in it compared to others.

I've only ever played Ryza, I hear the other ones have time limits? Sorta? Kinda? And I'm usually not a fan of games like that, with the Persona series being the exception. But maybe that's only certain ones. Idk.

I really liked Ryza though and wanna play more. But they almost never go on sale. Ryza 2 IS on sale right now though, and I REALLY want it, but it's still 30 bucks and I only have about 20 on my Steam account. Life sucks.

I played the Arland trilogy on Vita and loved them. Then I forgot about the series until Ryza. Ryza is such a marked improvement, but I haven't tried any others.

Leanaunfurled posted...

Thighza,

Nothing wrong with being a little bit THICC.

I'm sure you know plenty of women who are a bit THICC who can appreciate a main character with similar traits.

The main heroine doesn't always have to be a waffer thin waifu.

Correct, Atelier is great. :3

I kind of wish there was another series that did a crafting system even half as fun as theirs. Yeah it would have to be another crafting-focused game, but it would still be nice. Though wait until you get to Sophie, the alchemy Tetris system is pretty wild and is the start of the alchemy system going overboard in terms of how unique it can be versus other series'. If you are up for it, look into the Mana Khemia games as if you're fine with going all the way back to the Arland games then there isn't any real major issues going back to the Mana Khemia games in terms of QoL. While they can be a bit pricy they are probably the strongest in terms of the original games with a time crunch (that isn't just cruel if you want to 100% like Rorona).

MarbyIsBack posted...

I've only ever played Ryza, I hear the other ones have time limits? Sorta? Kinda? And I'm usually not a fan of games like that, with the Persona series being the exception. But maybe that's only certain ones. Idk.

I really liked Ryza though and wanna play more. But they almost never go on sale. Ryza 2 IS on sale right now though, and I REALLY want it, but it's still 30 bucks and I only have about 20 on my Steam account. Life sucks.

At this point most of them do not. They've mostly gone away from them after the Dusk Trilogy so if you start with Sophie you are basically golden. Any time limits that are after that are somewhat closer to Ryza's where they only really exist for specific things minus Firis, which has a funky time system that is kind of the most bleh that the series has ever had (it is so lenient as to basically not exist, but its existence makes you fret over it while that portion of the game is going on).

I have heard Ryza is a bit bland in the alchemy system and side cast areas, but I'll keep an open mind when I start it. Plus I hear 2 is better and the trailer I saw for 3 looked fun.

MarbyIsBack posted...

I've only ever played Ryza, I hear the other ones have time limits? Sorta? Kinda? And I'm usually not a fan of games like that, with the Persona series being the exception. But maybe that's only certain ones. Idk.

I really liked Ryza though and wanna play more. But they almost never go on sale. Ryza 2 IS on sale right now though, and I REALLY want it, but it's still 30 bucks and I only have about 20 on my Steam account. Life sucks.

Ellis answered pretty well but it's understandable, I see a lot how stressed others get over time limits. I'm better with the more "open" ones like Totori and Ayesha have, as opposed to sliced up into timed chunks like Rorona does it.

Kamen_Rider_Blade posted...

Nothing wrong with being a little bit THICC.

Oh I agree, the nickname wasn't meant to disparage. Ryza herself is cute and I think I'll like her.

ellis123 posted...

If you are up for it, look into the Mana Khemia games as if you're fine with going all the way back to the Arland games then there isn't any real major issues going back to the Mana Khemia games in terms of QoL.

Yes!! After Dusk, I plan on trying out Iris 1-3 and Mana Khemia. I'm especially excited for MK. I already tried Marie and while I didn't mind the age on it, it was kinda hard? I kept getting thrashed even after I did my best to update equipment, so I just gave up.

MarbyIsBack posted...

I've only ever played Ryza, I hear the other ones have time limits?

arland trilogy have time limits
dusk trilogy have time limits
mysterious saga doesn't. except for firis

there's guides to help to get the plat it's not as bad as one thinks.

Leanaunfurled posted...

Yes!! After Dusk, I plan on trying out Iris 1-3 and Mana Khemia. I'm especially excited for MK. I already tried Marie and while I didn't mind the age on it, it was kinda hard? I kept getting thrashed even after I did my best to update equipment, so I just gave up.

Iris is kind of its own thing, so I don't know if I would really recommend it when viewing it from the series as a whole. It has the least amount of emphasis on crafting and is also just a normal RPG. Yeah they are fun, but veeery different. Mana Khemia is different, yes, but it's mostly just in the "it's the Persona version of Atelier" way than it's an entirely different genre.

And when you go pre-Iris the games are just funky. Like, there are ways to cheese them that make them easy but if you're not doing the cheese they become really annoying to play. I can't say that I really recommend them even if you're fine with older games.

Firis was trash and I regretted my purchase the same day.

meestermj posted...

Firis was trash

:(.

Sophie got me into Atelier, and the series quickly became my new favourite of all time

Really glad that the games are getting more recognition these days

The only one I've played was Totori. Liked it a lot.

Only played Atelier Iris 1-3. I remember them being fun, and I remember somebody shouting Barrel. Looking for a clip, it was more widespread than I thought.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKiC1im1Ixc

ellis123 posted... Iris is kind of its own thing, so I don't know if I would really recommend it when viewing it from the series as a whole. It has the least amount of emphasis on crafting and is also just a normal RPG. Yeah they are fun, but veeery different. Mana Khemia is different, yes, but it's mostly just in the "it's the Persona version of Atelier" way than it's an entirely different genre.

And when you go pre-Iris the games are just funky. Like, there are ways to cheese them that make them easy but if you're not doing the cheese they become really annoying to play. I can't say that I really recommend them even if you're fine with older games.

Oh I know. But I also plan on playing Nelke (I know how different it is) so I want to give all the games it's repping a shot. If I don't like them, like Marie, at least I tried! :)

meestermj posted...

Firis was trash and I regretted my purchase the same day.

But she's so cute. I have heard the alchemy is grindy, though.

DarkRoast posted...

The only one I've played was Totori. Liked it a lot.

Totori is still my favorite so far out of the four I've played.

loafy013 posted...

Only played Atelier Iris 1-3. I remember them being fun, and I remember somebody shouting Barrel. Looking for a clip, it was more widespread than I thought.

I remember Totori doing this in my playthrough and I was so confused. It all makes sense now that it's a recurring thing lol.

Really dig all the Thighza figures that came out recently

loafy013 posted...

Only played Atelier Iris 1-3. I remember them being fun, and I remember somebody shouting Barrel. Looking for a clip, it was more widespread than I thought.

Lol, barrel is one of the series' longest running gags ("Puni" is the other one that comes to mind). They won't let it die. :V

Leanaunfurled posted...

Oh I know. But I also plan on playing Nelke (I know how different it is) so I want to give all the games it's repping a shot. If I don't like them, like Marie, at least I tried! :)

Fair enough.

Leanaunfurled posted...

But she's so cute. I have heard the alchemy is grindy, though.

It's not exactly any more grindy than the other games pre-Ryza. It just has a lot of funk + did some things that pissed people off.

kingdrake2 posted...

:(.

Nothing wrong with her character, I was just pissed it took 2 hours to get my first combat and alchemy experience.
2 hours to experience the biggest aspects of the game.
And when I did, iy felt very mid.

Always nice to see you emerge from hiding. Sophie 2 is half off at GameStop if you an find it in stores. Also may be random but have you played Bayonetta 1 yet?

I played the dusk trilogy and most of the mysterious trilogy. Love Sophie, shes my fave.

i've only played the first trilogy (arland?). all fantastic games. i think totori was my favorite but rorona was also great.

i haven't been compelled to try anything new, but that trilogy is definitely awesome. exceeded my expectations for sure.

The games look interesting, but I find RPGs that have their entire gameplay loop based around farming items to synth into other items to be dreadful.

Alucard188 posted...

The games look interesting, but I find RPGs that have their entire gameplay loop based around farming items to synth into other items to be dreadful.

They seem more interesting than they are. They're actually boring and easy with dumb anime tropes everywhere. I had more fun with the weird town builder than the main games and that one was mediocre at best

Theyre really good!

Every time I think im done with the series they manage to pull me back in somehow. They'll revisit a character that I loved and im instantly back in it again.

Also I really didnt like Firis, but I think its because I fundamentally did not understand the concept of open world + time limit. And like, once you pass the alchemy exam youve technically beat the game? But theres ton of other stuff to do after that?

I really enjoyed Ryza, but Ryza and some of the other character designs where really jarring. I don't mind a bit of fanservice; I've played plenty of JRPGs, but Ryza's thighs are like overripe tomatoes about to explode. It looks actively painful. >.>

I want to play more of the games. I liked the little bit of Sophie I played, and I've got the rest of the Mysterious games. But I've gotten caught up in Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina and Pokemon's just around the corner. After those I'll probably take on some Kiseki games, hard to find time for everything I want to play.

Just do what I do, @Uta - ignore all releases and just play whatever you want. I played through the FFPRs at the start of the year, played Elden Ring for 3 months straight, played XC3 to completion, played through the Baldur's Gate series, and now am playing Divinity Original Sin.

Alucard188 posted...

ignore all releases and just play whatever you want.

It's a priority list for me. It just so happens new releases tend to be high up on the list. Not much point in playing a game like Pokemon if all my friends have moved on. After that the Kiseki games are up next since once Zero comes out I want to marathon straight through to Cold Steel IV. After that I can probably look at the Atelier series again, if nothing more excited has come along.

I like the games, they're just not the highest on my priority list. FWIW, the atelier games are slightly like a puzzle game mixed with an RPG. The crafting isn't something like minecraft or whatever, depending on the game you're playing pseudo tetris trying to stack multipliers as high as they can go or slotting materials into nodes to unlock effects. Ryza's system is drastically simplified but I still found it fun, especially since the game had no time constraints so there was no stress.

Though having played Lobotomy Corporation and Potionomics I think a small bit of stress can be managed, lol.

Makeveli_lives posted...

Always nice to see you emerge from hiding. Sophie 2 is half off at GameStop if you an find it in stores. Also may be random but have you played Bayonetta 1 yet?

I've actually been active more than usual lately, just been hunkered down in the Genshin General lol. I tried Bayo 1 a number of years ago but the style of humor wasn't for me

I've only ever dabbled in Atelier Iris and Mana Khemia, which I'm somewhat positive don't really count. Which one of these would y'all recommend for my first "real" Atelier game? Bearing in mind that I'm currently stuck with a potato laptop and I don't want to play anything too fanservicey. PS4 and Switch are basically what I have to work with.

What are your thoughts on time limits? I eased into Rorona pretty well, for an entry that has them. It does have some fan service in the form of her alchemy teacher though, with those girl on girl sexual harassment jokes. I know a lot of people don't mind them, but for me at least they're brief enough I just rolled my eyes and continued on.

For ones without a time limit, I see a lot of people recommending either Sophie or Ryza.

Also is your name a LOGH one? I loved the OVA.

the arland trilogy (well technically a..quadology? cuz of lulua) is what i started with then went to dusk trilogy enjoyed the hell out of em after gettign past the initial weirdness as i also only ever played iris 1-3 and khemia 1-2 b4 them

Leanaunfurled posted...

What are your thoughts on time limits? I eased into Rorona pretty well, for an entry that has them. It does have some fan service in the form of her alchemy teacher though, with those girl on girl sexual harassment jokes. I know a lot of people don't mind them, but for me at least they're brief enough I just rolled my eyes and continued on.

For ones without a time limit, I see a lot of people recommending either Sophie or Ryza.

Also is your name a LOGH one? I loved the OVA.

I'm cool with time limits as long as time only progresses as you do stuff, like in Persona and, well, Mana Khemia technically. It's mostly persistent time limits like in Majora's Mask that stress me out too much. Although I have been playing Rune Factory 5 a lot lately, and that one has a persistent timer, but it's a slow enough timer that I generally have plenty of time to do everything I want to do each day, so that feels chill enough I guess.

And yes it is, the OVA is my favorite anime of all time actually! Kircheis is lowkey one of my favorite characters in the series even though he's mostly remembered for the "if only he was still alive" meme. Yang will always be my actual favorite though, that man was so fucking based when he wanted to be.

Ive been wanting to try these for years, but they never get cheap enough on steam for me to bite

Kircheis posted... I'm cool with time limits as long as time only progresses as you do stuff, like in Persona and, well, Mana Khemia technically. It's mostly persistent time limits like in Majora's Mask that stress me out too much. Although I have been playing Rune Factory 5 a lot lately, and that one has a persistent timer, but it's a slow enough timer that I generally have plenty of time to do everything I want to do each day, so that feels chill enough I guess.

And yes it is, the OVA is my favorite anime of all time actually! Kircheis is lowkey one of my favorite characters in the series even though he's mostly remembered for the "if only he was still alive" meme. Yang will always be my actual favorite though, that man was so fucking based when he wanted to be.

Man, I also loved Rune Factory 4 and 5. It helps that those games have a time limit but not a hard one. More just a general day cycle you have to learn to keep up with, but unlike earlier Atelier games, there's no bad ending if you drag your feet. Atelier does have a system that time only moves as you do certain actions, at least. Moving between locations outside the town, gathering, and while doing alchemy. But then as games progress there are items you can make to cut down on time, like special travel boots and gathering gloves, warping items, etc.

And nice, I was hoping it was LOGH! I watched it for the first time a couple years back and right now I'm checking out the remake. It's nowhere as bad as I was led to believe, but I'd still recommend the original first. Fellow Yang lover. <3 I'm tempted to say he's my favorite fictional character, period.

solosnake posted...

Ive been wanting to try these for years, but they never get cheap enough on steam for me to bite

I know how you feel, Gust seems like they're on the stingy side with sales, even with their dusty old titles. D: Maybe you'll find a good deal with the upcoming holidays.

make sure ur getting the DX trilogies if u go w/ the arland and dusk games they're on the pricier side (i wanna say 80-90$ off sale) but it's 3 games so..

Leanaunfurled posted...

Man, I also loved Rune Factory 4 and 5. It helps that those games have a time limit but not a hard one. More just a general day cycle you have to learn to keep up with, but unlike earlier Atelier games, there's no bad ending if you drag your feet. Atelier does have a system that time only moves as you do certain actions, at least. Moving between locations outside the town, gathering, and while doing alchemy. But then as games progress there are items you can make to cut down on time, like special travel boots and gathering gloves, warping items, etc.

The Atelier games seem like they'll be right up my alley then!

5 is my first Rune Factory game, I already wanted to play it just because I caught the waifu bug, but the opening went so unexpectedly hard that I was immediately hooked before I even started playing. That opening has no business being as good as it is!

Divinehero posted...

make sure ur getting the DX trilogies if u go w/ the arland and dusk games they're on the pricier side (i wanna say 80-90$ off sale) but it's 3 games so..

Agreed, definitely. They're touched up too and include the playable characters that were DLC in previous versions.

Kircheis posted...

The Atelier games seem like they'll be right up my alley then!

5 is my first Rune Factory game, I already wanted to play it just because I caught the waifu bug, but the opening went so unexpectedly hard that I was immediately hooked before I even started playing. That opening has no business being as good as it is!

4 was my first, still only played that and 5 so I'm looking forward to the Special version of 3 they're doing. 5 got some flak for how big its town is and cast but personally I loved both of those things. I think the bachelorettes and bachelors were way better than 4's, too, imo. If you're enjoying the farming element of 5 though you should keep an eye on Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley. The genre has a lot going for it--I grew up on it so I gush over it easily lol.

Leanaunfurled posted...

4 was my first, still only played that and 5 so I'm looking forward to the Special version of 3 they're doing. 5 got some flak for how big its town is and cast but personally I loved both of those things. I think the bachelorettes and bachelors were way better than 4's, too, imo. If you're enjoying the farming element of 5 though you should keep an eye on Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley. The genre has a lot going for it--I grew up on it so I gush over it easily lol.

I bought Trio of Towns when it was on sale a while back, also for waifu related reasons, but I haven't played as much as I wanted to. Should probably get back into that one. And I did try Stardew Valley a while back, but my laptop hasn't been able to get past the prologue ever since it updated to 64-bit, and I don't want to play it without mods, so unfortunately I'm gonna have to skip that one for now. My next priority after the 3DS eshop closes will be to save up for a cheapish gaming laptop for light-to-medium gaming, so definitely gonna give Stardew Valley another try once I have something that can run it! ;_;

Kircheis posted...

I bought Trio of Towns when it was on sale a while back, also for waifu related reasons, but I haven't played as much as I wanted to. Should probably get back into that one. And I did try Stardew Valley a while back, but my laptop hasn't been able to get past the prologue ever since it updated to 64-bit, and I don't want to play it without mods, so unfortunately I'm gonna have to skip that one for now. My next priority after the 3DS eshop closes will be to save up for a cheapish gaming laptop for light-to-medium gaming, so definitely gonna give Stardew Valley another try once I have something that can run it! ;_;

You automatically have a good taste detector, Trio of Towns is my favorite of the genre. :P if you happen to post anything about it whenever you get to it try to remember to toss an @.
Stinks to hear about the laptop situation though, but it'll feel really nice getting that upgrade in the future!

Ive never played this series, I heard theres multiple good games to start on but there doesnt seem to be a clear consensus. I dont care about a time limit
what would you suggest?

I think the Dusk trilogy is the best by far.

personally i'd say start w/ the arland games tho keep in mind lulua despite bein part of the same set is a good bit newer

Wish they'd add more of these games to PS+, or put the others on sale for a decent bundle price.

Kloe_Rinz posted...

Ive never played this series, I heard theres multiple good games to start on but there doesnt seem to be a clear consensus. I dont care about a time limit
what would you suggest?

I'd pick Rorona as a starting point, in that case. I feel it's a classic and not stressful if you don't go for true ending type stuff, which you'd need a guide for.

the atelier games (or atl east from arland on) tend to have some damn good music in spots examples being astral blader from meruru or fulcrum from escha&logy... granted gust has an amazing music team in general

Divinehero posted...

the atelier games (or atl east from arland on) tend to have some damn good music in spots examples being astral blader from meruru or fulcrum from escha&logy... granted gust has an amazing music team in general

The dusk trilogy had some FANTASTIC music. Hell, the world map music in Ayesha was so good not to mention the opening songs for all 3 of them

Ayesha has been my favorite one so far. Escha and Logy has been a disappointment so far unfortunately.

How good is the final boss theme from that game? I love how it takes that motif from the first scene of the game with the dusty, sad melody, and just blows it wide fucking open with a choir and an orchestra and an electric guitar.

I've listened to some tracks from the Iris and MK games and the ost seems just at good there, too! I've been loving all the music.

MrMallard posted...

Ayesha has been my favorite one so far. Escha and Logy has been a disappointment so far unfortunately.

How good is the final boss theme from that game? I love how it takes that motif from the first scene of the game with the dusty, sad melody, and just blows it wide fucking open with a choir and an orchestra and an electric guitar.

Maria is a standout track and might be one of my favorite final boss tracks in general, not just Atelier.