I am going to start this off by admitting that I have not played any of the Atelier games. I didn’t even realize they existed and I have somehow managed to miss this RPG series thus far. Maybe it’s because the games focuses more on the alchemy aspect than the battle and explorations, but still it’s a shame I have missed them before now. Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland is my introduction to the series. This also means that I won’t be able to tell you what differences have been changed since Atelier Rorona, but sometimes it’s nice to have a fresh perspective.

When I first started the game, I loved how it looked. Atelier Rorona Plus is a cel-shaded game, which I think fits perfectly for the style of RPG. The characters and areas remind me very much of Dark Cloud, which I was thoroughly addicted to in years past (and I really wish someone would bring back). Everything in Atelier Rorona has a very simple, colorful, and clean design. The graphics aren’t mind-blowing compared to some of the new titles coming out, but they fit the game perfectly.

I love the music as well. To pull off a successful RPG, you need excellent background music. The opening title is an upbeat tune that is quite addictive to sit and listen to and it got stuck in my head for a while. Your daily music in your workshop is cheerful and happy. The music will change based on where you are and what you’re doing and it was all written to fit the tone of the game perfectly.

Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist Of Arland starts off by introducing you to your main character, Rorona, who works at the Atelier (an alchemist’s workshop) for Astrid. One day, a royal messenger shows up and tells her that the shop is to be closed down as ordered by the king. Astrid is supposed to go to the castle and see them about it, but Astrid doesn’t want to and sends Rorona instead. When she gets to the castle, the messenger (whose name is Sterk) tells her that she can save the workshop. She will be given an assignment every three months for the next three years. Provided she completes the assignments, the workshop will be safe at the end of three years. This means that you will have 12 assignments total.

They will be some kind of alchemical assignment and they are timed. You will need to go see Sterk to turn in items and complete assignments, but you can also take side quests by visiting Esty at the front desk of the castle. I highly recommend you check out these side quests. Eventually, Esty will have "friend requests" for you that will help make the townspeople like you (and the workshop) more. Even later, you will get bounty quests. Anyway, Astrid decides to just leave the entire workshop to Rorona and let her deal with it all so that she doesn’t have to. Rorona isn’t really sure she can do it, but what choice does she have? Luckily, she will have friends, even Sterk and Esty, to help her and even fight with her on the way.

You need to learn all about Synthesis. It can be used to make lots of things, but be careful because it takes time and energy and you’re on limited time. You can sleep on the couch to recover energy, but that also takes time. After the basics, you’ll get your first assignment. It’s not very hard to complete the assignments, but I recommend you get them done as soon as you can so you’re free to work on optional things without worry. Just keep on going and eventually you’ll get to the bottom of everything.

My one complaint in Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist Of Arland is that I found it to be a bit too easy most of the time. There are more complex things you can do in battle when you start having the characters use items and support each other, but as a general rule, that was overkill and you could kill the enemies without being hit. Granted, when you have just unlocked a new area, especially if you take in lower level characters, it can be difficult. If you kill off one of your party, they will come back with 1 HP at the end of the battle. If you kill off the entire party, they will automatically return to town. The only thing that you lose is time, but time is precious in Atelier Rorona Plus.

Since the alchemy is more of the focus, it is fitting that it is the more difficult aspect of the game. There are several factors involved here. First, you need to know how to make something, which means you’ll have to learn the recipe. After you do that, you’ve got to find the ingredients. Some recipes just require a type of ingredient rather than a specific item, so you’ve got to figure out what of that type will work the best. Higher quality ingredients are usually better, but some items are just more suited to specific potions. Then you’ve got to worry about the effects that the potions have. These are also tied to the ingredients, so not all ingredients are equal. It’s a balancing act to figure out what to use and when.

Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist Of Arland is a turn-based battle system. The characters all have a speed, so if they’re faster, they will fight quicker than the slower ones. You can tell who is coming up when based on the list on the right side. You can only take three people into battle and one of them is Rorona. This means that you can hire two others to accompany her. Personally, I tried to alternate characters out to keep them leveled pretty evenly. You’re going to want to take Iskel with you at least once to every location just to find out about the foods found there. Esty is quite powerful when you get her. Basically, it’s up to you who you want to use.

While you’re out gathering, you can only take as much as your basket will hold, which is 60 items. You can choose to dump one and replace it with something else if you want. Items that you take with you to battle, like bombs and healing items, are counted in this 60, so the more of those things you take, the less you can gather. Make sure to remember that only your alchemist can use items, so someone like Sterk cannot throw a bomb or heal. Rorona is going to be in charge of all that stuff. Otherwise, the controls are quite easy to use. Just press whatever button is shown on-screen to do what you need.

As I mentioned, I have never played the Atelier games and that is an oversight that I will be remedying from now on. I usually look for something with more battle, but there’s something quite addictive about the simplistic battle and complex creating of alchemy. If you like RPGs, you should definitely check out Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland today!