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Atelier Community Thread: Punis, Barrels, and Alchemy! Oh my!
- Thread starter chrominance
- Start date
OP
OP
Here's a random smattering of not-too-spoiler-y things you only see post-exam:
- fast travel options (TWO of them!)
- the ability to refill your bomb uses
- every party member's sidequests, plus more sidequests from the licensed alchemists and other side characters
- several dungeons and optional boss fights, some of which have stories attached to them, many of which require specific items to access
- YOU CAN'T EVEN MAKE A PHILOSOPHER'S STONE UNTIL WELL AFTER THE EXAM like c'mon that's an Atelier staple, in hindsight I should've seen that as an obvious clue that the exam isn't even close to the end of the game
In general, your characterization of Firis's post-exam section is correct: 95% of the character stuff is after the exam, when Firis doesn't have to rush to meet any deadlines and can just go on normal alchemy adventures with her pals like in most other Atelier games. My opinion of Firis was a lot more negative before I hit all the post-exam stuff, tbh.
I don't remember how you start working on all that stuff, but I would start by going back and talking to some of the key NPCs in the game, like your parents, the alchemists you got letters of recommendation from, people in Riesenberg, etc. And if all else fails, just start trying to find better ingredients so you can make better equipment and weapons so you can think about taking on optional bosses. That should naturally start levelling up your friendships and triggering events with your party members.
I'm more excited for the Dusk re-release than anything they've announced in the past couple years.
Although, Ryza does look fun, that'll be one to wait for a price drop.
Although, Ryza does look fun, that'll be one to wait for a price drop.
OP
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"Ryze-a the Alchemist"
it's not even as funny as "Arland Is Your Land"
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i wish I could take credit! It's from a random cartoon someone from NISA drew back when Rorona first released, I think.
which of the arland series is generally viewed as the best? kinda wanna get one with them on sale right now but no interest in getting more than one
Of the original trilogy, Totori is generally considered the best.
If you include Lulua though (the 4th game, released this year), I'd say Lulua.
I'm playing my first Atelier game. rorona. things are going pretty well so far--I'm on the third month
do all characters wind up the same if you build them up, or are there ceilings for earlier characters like Cordelia? Not sure if I should be switching out companions or just sticking to the newest ones on difficult maps
do all characters wind up the same if you build them up, or are there ceilings for earlier characters like Cordelia? Not sure if I should be switching out companions or just sticking to the newest ones on difficult maps
OP
OP
Quick heads-up: Atelier Lulua is 40% off on Steam for the next 38 hours. That's a pretty good discount given it was only released this summer (and given that Atelier games tend to have terrible discounts on PC, thanks Koei Tecmo). Dunno if it'll get better sales during the Steam Black Friday/Holiday sales but I kind of doubt it.
Do you just mean in terms of how good they are in battle? There's no real ceiling except for the level cap, if there is one. I honestly don't remember if Rorona has one or what it is. Otherwise, no, you can use Cordelia all the way to the end of the game if you want. The weapons, armor and accessories you make for your party members will be more important anyways, so if there's a party member you want to make viable usually all you need to do is make them a new set of gear.
The main reason to switch out companions in Rorona is friendship; being in your party raises a character's friendship level with you, and once they hit 100 it's more advantageous to swap them out for someone who hasn't maxed their friendship out yet. This is, of course, assuming you're trying to get all the character endings; if you don't care about any of that and just want to take the critical path, it doesn't really matter.
Do you just mean in terms of how good they are in battle? There's no real ceiling except for the level cap, if there is one. I honestly don't remember if Rorona has one or what it is. Otherwise, no, you can use Cordelia all the way to the end of the game if you want. The weapons, armor and accessories you make for your party members will be more important anyways, so if there's a party member you want to make viable usually all you need to do is make them a new set of gear.
The main reason to switch out companions in Rorona is friendship; being in your party raises a character's friendship level with you, and once they hit 100 it's more advantageous to swap them out for someone who hasn't maxed their friendship out yet. This is, of course, assuming you're trying to get all the character endings; if you don't care about any of that and just want to take the critical path, it doesn't really matter.
Oh ok, got it, thanks. I worried that because of the different hiring expenses there might be gameplay implications beyond the knight being over leveled when you first get him.
Not sure how far I'll get with everybody's friendships. It's hard to be great at this on first play through
Seems like a fun, charming game. Not sure why I waited so long to try one
Not sure how far I'll get with everybody's friendships. It's hard to be great at this on first play through
Seems like a fun, charming game. Not sure why I waited so long to try one
OP
OP
Oh, right. No, there aren't really any implications to how much it costs to hire anyone, except near the beginning of the game where money is tighter and the costs more accurately reflect each companion's abilities (i.e. Sterk, as you've already discovered). But further into the game it becomes easier to pick whoever you want and the system encourages you to rotate party members because of the friendship stuff.
And yeah, if your first run of an Atelier game is anything like mine (OG Rorona for me), you definitely won't 100% everything or get all the character endings. Don't sweat it, it's still tons of fun if you don't. And if you're interested, that's what New Game Plus is for! The Atelier games (specifically the Arland and Dusk trilogies) are fantastic for NG+, because in addition to having better gear from your previous playthrough, you can see all the places in the schedule where you can do things way quicker just because now you know all the game mechanics and where to get the best stuff.
I have a question about DLC for Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists:
How do i buy the listed DLCs above on Steam?
Code:
The following bonuses will be downloadable for free until 4/23/2019:
- "Town Building 5-Item Set"
The following content is included:
- Gust 25th Anniversary BGM Pack 1
- Gust 25th Anniversary BGM Pack 2
- Additional Resident "Gust-chan"
- Atelier 20th Anniversary Appreciation House
- Mysterious Alchemist Statue
Some of them will be released at a later date.
Good question, might be worth contacting Koei Tecmo support about it, or on twitter.
I enjoyed Rorona a lot, like loved it, so I picked up Totori (both on PS4)
Really feels like a drag. The interfaces feel inferior, everything wastes a lot of time, every hunting job is for monsters 8 days away. I never found the time limits in Rorona to be oppressive, but its too easy to spend time getting nothing done.
Feels like the friendship triggers require you to come home all the time. I'm really surprised after liking Rorona so much
Are the other Arland games more like this or Rorona? I'll finish this one, but I'm pretty sure I'm not interested in more of this
Really feels like a drag. The interfaces feel inferior, everything wastes a lot of time, every hunting job is for monsters 8 days away. I never found the time limits in Rorona to be oppressive, but its too easy to spend time getting nothing done.
Feels like the friendship triggers require you to come home all the time. I'm really surprised after liking Rorona so much
Are the other Arland games more like this or Rorona? I'll finish this one, but I'm pretty sure I'm not interested in more of this
Totori and Meruru (the arland trilogy) definitely are similar to Rorona but very much improve the overall pacing and feel of the gameplay and triggers. The time limits are nowhere near as strict.
I dunno, maybe I'll change my mind after I beat it, but maybe Totori seems more free because the deadline is three years away. Yeah, you always have a deadline in Rorona, but the reality is that assignments in Rorona take around 30 days, which leaves something like eight months a year to focus on friends and side stuff.
Because of the way Totori works, it feels like you never have time to stockpile stuff you don't need yet, or collect things just in case. Even the fights take time. If I go someplace new and there's nothing there I want, it feels like I wasted a bunch of days
Maybe I'm missing something obvious but this feels much more constrained despite the different deadline
ps is there a way to open the ominous chest where you meet marc?
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OP
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There have been a few reports of the Dusk DX trilogy getting an Asian physical release for Switch, and it's supposed to get the English dub/sub in addition to Japanese. Play-Asia has it online, or if you'd rather avoid Play-Asia for various reasons, VideoGamesPlus also has it up (ONLY USE PAYPAL WITH VGP, DO NOT USE A CREDIT CARD). Both sites have similar descriptions and say that all three games are available on a single card.
It's not being released until December 25th so we won't have first-hand reports on this until at least then. It's possible the reports of English language features are either false or overstated, as the only sources I can find for it so far are Play-Asia and VGP. I also haven't seen any signs of a PS4 version, in case that's a consideration.
It's not being released until December 25th so we won't have first-hand reports on this until at least then. It's possible the reports of English language features are either false or overstated, as the only sources I can find for it so far are Play-Asia and VGP. I also haven't seen any signs of a PS4 version, in case that's a consideration.
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In a bizarre twist, the Atelier game I ended up putting on my GOTY ballot... is Nelke.
Ryza was decent but maybe my least favourite start to a trilogy despite some obvious improvements in key areas like graphics and story/characters. Lulua was a nice mix of Arland and Mysterious mechanics, but somehow seeing all the Arland characters a decade later wasn't as fun as I'd hoped, and everything gets sidetracked in the end by a focus on a character I didn't really care for. Nelke, on the other hand, was the game I had the lowest expectations for and thus was the biggest surprise when it turned out to be good. Having all the alchemists riff off each other was great, and I loved the supply chain management aspects of the game.
Alright, now that I've posted my wrong opinion, I'd love to hear what y'all thought of the Year of Many Ateliers.
Ryza was decent but maybe my least favourite start to a trilogy despite some obvious improvements in key areas like graphics and story/characters. Lulua was a nice mix of Arland and Mysterious mechanics, but somehow seeing all the Arland characters a decade later wasn't as fun as I'd hoped, and everything gets sidetracked in the end by a focus on a character I didn't really care for. Nelke, on the other hand, was the game I had the lowest expectations for and thus was the biggest surprise when it turned out to be good. Having all the alchemists riff off each other was great, and I loved the supply chain management aspects of the game.
Alright, now that I've posted my wrong opinion, I'd love to hear what y'all thought of the Year of Many Ateliers.
I'm considering importing the Switch collection of the Dusk Trilogy, but I'm a little wary.
Are there any impressions of the Switch verion yet?
Its also concerning that they are cramming three games onto one cart, what size of cart are they using I wonder.
Are there any impressions of the Switch verion yet?
Its also concerning that they are cramming three games onto one cart, what size of cart are they using I wonder.
OP
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The Switch version came out yesterday in Asia, and so far I haven't seen anyone mention that they bought it digitally. Apparently all three games are on one cart but the DLC is a separate download (but included in the price, so no extra cost). DLC is redeemed via the US eShop store, which is... weird? Unless Nintendo either doesn't have a regional eShop store for the rest of Asia or decided it would be easier to use the US for everything instead of having separate SKUs for each region (I've never bought an Asia region game so maybe this is standard practice).
I'm also curious, as I've already pre-ordered a copy via VGP. Mainly I want proof that there are definitely English dubs/subs in the Asian version.
The beginning of each trilogy is the best place to start, so Rorona/Ayesha/Sophie/Ryza
Ryza is the newest one and is extremely solid but personally I always recommend starting with Rorona
Yeah I've got no experience in 'Asia' versions of Switch games.
I know the Japanese version doesnt have English text. But general Asia versions are different.
My personal recommendation is the Dusk trilogy which is my favorite (so Atelier Ayesha). But Rorona's a solid place to start.
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A couple of sources, including both PlayAsia and VGP, mention that the Asia version is supposed to come with English subs/dubs. I have no reason not to believe them, especially as Asian releases for other games have also included English, but I'm a bit paranoid.
If you're playing specifically on PC you'll have access to every modern-era (PS3 and beyond) game in January when the Dusk trilogy releases. I agree that any of the beginning games of the trilogies will work (Rorona DX, Ayesha DX, Sophie, Ryza). Sophie's good if you're not sure about the time management aspect. Rorona's good if you want to see where it started (sort of), and if you like the idea of a sillier atmosphere with a more colourful cast of characters. Ayesha's my personal favourite and the one I would recommend; it's lighter on the time management but it's still an important part of the game, and the atmosphere is more serious and closer to my liking. Plus it has the best character designs because Hidari is awesome. Ryza's good if you want to jump in with the latest game, plus it seems to be generally well received. Also no time management here.
All are quality picks, so really just pick the one that speaks the most to you personally and go from there.
I'm probably going to buy Atelier Escha but paying 40€ for a PS3 game is really expensive when other remastered game are way cheaper.
OP
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Everything I've seen suggests yes, at least in Asia. Japan has PS4 physical versions of everything (trilogy and the individual games) but those don't include English options, as far as I'm aware.
So I'm like 25 hours into my first Atelier game, and I think I need to take a break from it for awhile. Just struggling to stay interested with the environments and everything feeling so similar everywhere I go. It just is starting to feel like I'm doing the same thing over and over again heh. I've kind of been struggling with the game, which is a shame because I really wanted to like it more.
Atelier Sophie is the game I started btw.
Atelier Sophie is the game I started btw.
I think it's a great place to start.
But it can also get long if you don't really know what to do.
I've been figuring it out and I feel like I've made good progress. It's more every area basically looks the same, there is so little variety in the game to this point. Crafting is starting to get that way too as I'm just making slightly stronger versions of stuff I already have etc. Their is essentially no story to be seen (just a bare bones one really) which I expected, so that wasn't a surprise.
I think I'm just getting bored with it. There isn't enough variety to keep me wanting to play for 30-40 hours at this point. But I'm gonna try and stick it out!
Ah yeah that's fair. To be honest, most Atelier games have that issue (linked to budget sadly).
Don't force yourself through it, maybe taking a break with another game and continuing later can help, I do that often myself :p
Does the Atelier Dusk Trilogy add anything over the Vita DX releases of the game?
Alternatively, is there anything missing?
Alternatively, is there anything missing?
Only thing missing afaik is the battle transition screen due to an issue with the engine used that was never fixed on modern platforms.
I asked here specifically because the promotional materials say "a large number of DLC" instead of something like "all prior DLC" which seemed odd.
Dusk DX adds in fast forward and run, though I'm not sure if that's in the vita versions. As for a large number of DLC, I think anything that was licensed/cross-promo may not be in and likely some music tracks. I don't think it'll be anything substantial missing.