I'm kind of interested in getting this, but I haven't played an Atelier game in ages. The only thing that makes me leery is the time limit. How exactly does it work? I tend to get nervous about time limits in games, but I didn't find it to be an issue at all when I played Lightning Returns.
This series is so, so, so so so so forgiving in regards to time limits. It's set up in such a way that it takes literal and deliberate effort to fail. There's a very general goal for each time span (every 3 months in Rorona, I think?) that's almost dummy-proof. The actual "meat" of the game is a combination of time out in the field harvesting/battling and staying in town completing tons of small-but-optional secondary objectives. Cutscenes of different varieties fill in the gaps. To be fair, of the 5 titles thusfar on the PS3 Rorona was the most "challenging" (though I use the term very loosely) and the games have gotten even easier since.
There's also the matter of multiple endings and if I recall Rorona is a little more strict in unlocking them all, but you get a "normal" or "good" ending by just completing the main storyline.
Difficulty is also low. Typical JRPG grinding isn't really necessary. Creating specific items with special properties is actually far more challenging and the character development is far more entertaining. The Atelier series is about as casual and easy-going bunch of games you'll find these days that aren't on Nintendo hardware.
I love how in that ending they showed that Totori had been de-aged to 14 by having her go back to her old dress because aside from the outfit change she looks exactly the same at age 24 as she did at age 13.
How DARE you question Astrid's Master Plan!
