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Atelier Meruru |OT| of Atelier Chronicles: My Life as a Princess

F

frequency

Member
Dark Schala said:
I like Totori's design better than Meruru's too. Actually, out of all three, Totori's is probably my favourite due to dress colour palette. But I think Meruru in general has some better character designs than Totori (which were already fine in general). Like, Gino has a better design here, and Lias isn't bad to look at.

Anyway, I'm enjoying Totori a lot more than I did Rorona. It isn't as strict with regards to time stuff, so I feel like I can get more done in general. Plus the plat seems easier to attain. Wonder if Merururuuuuu is similar in that respect.
Click to expand...

I love Totori's outfit! It's really cute. Actually, everything about Totori is cute.
I completely agree about the character designs too. Most of the outfits are much prettier in Meruru. I also enjoy the music more in Meruru.

I loved Rorona, but I also enjoyed Totori a lot more. It felt so liberating not being tied to a three month schedule to get assignments in. I did have to pay more attention to time though so it took a while to get used to counting the time blocks and making sure I made the most of the day before leaving an area. It was also great that you could raise friendship just adventuring with people (up to 60 if I remember). Constantly checking them for quests in Rorona got to be a little annoying. And all the general playability improvements like handing in requests from the container and stuff.

Rorona to Totori are almost like totally different games. Like a generational leap. Totori to Meruru isn't that drastic.

I have no idea about trophies though. I don't care about them and never pay attention.
 
D

Durante

Member
Talking about trophies, I made it just in time!

trophiesj2kuy.png

(This is the only Platinum trophy I got)
 
Skyfireblaze

Skyfireblaze

Member
Also congratz on the Platinum Trophy! :D My Amazon EU order still sits on the 25th but if it's a actual manufacturing delay I guess I will hit Europe too. :(
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
Skyfireblaze said:
Also congratz on the Platinum Trophy! :D My Amazon EU order still sits on the 25th but if it's a actual manufacturing delay I guess I will hit Europe too. :(
Click to expand...

I don't know what the date for Europe is technically; I just adjusted it to match the dynamic the dates had before (22 and 24 --> 29 and 31) as a guess.
 
Skyfireblaze

Skyfireblaze

Member
RurouniZel said:
I don't know what the date for Europe is technically; I just adjusted it to match the dynamic the dates had before (22 and 24 --> 29 and 31) as a guess.
Click to expand...

Yeah that makes sense. Oh well a single week is not that bad, lets just hope it will stay at this and not get more delays.
 
D

Durante

Member
Awesome that Europe is unaffected. My thought process was that with Diablo 3 I wouldn't mind the few days wait, so I could just get the PAL version, but now it seems that I could even get it earlier than if I had ordered the US one.

Skyfireblaze said:
Thanks for the new info, that makes me kind of wonder what exactly happened with the manufacturing for NA.
Click to expand...
Well, both the disc and cover are different, so it makes sense that something could go wrong for one region but not the other.
 
Skyfireblaze

Skyfireblaze

Member
Yeah now that could be it alright. Maybe the misprint was that all the cover-art ruining information was missing and some lucky people will get a rare clean version. :)

I sent Prinnies to sabotage it!
 
R

Ra1den

Member
I really want to play this and Totori. I completed Atelier Iris not too long ago, and thought it was OK, but would like a better payoff if I'm investing 30+ hours in a game.

How do the Arland games stack up to Iris? Is the story/writing significantly better, or is the crafting at least more fun?
 
R

Ra1den

Member
That's quite an endorsement, guess I must play.

Was just doing some reading and learned that Ken Nakagawa left Gust before Meruru was developed. That's a real downer, I wonder where he will go now. He is my favorite part of the Atelier games.
 
D

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
frequency said:
I love Totori's outfit! It's really cute. Actually, everything about Totori is cute.
I completely agree about the character designs too. Most of the outfits are much prettier in Meruru. I also enjoy the music more in Meruru.

I loved Rorona, but I also enjoyed Totori a lot more. It felt so liberating not being tied to a three month schedule to get assignments in. I did have to pay more attention to time though so it took a while to get used to counting the time blocks and making sure I made the most of the day before leaving an area. It was also great that you could raise friendship just adventuring with people (up to 60 if I remember). Constantly checking them for quests in Rorona got to be a little annoying. And all the general playability improvements like handing in requests from the container and stuff.

Rorona to Totori are almost like totally different games. Like a generational leap. Totori to Meruru isn't that drastic.

I have no idea about trophies though. I don't care about them and never pay attention.
Click to expand...
Is Totori's JP voice better than her English voice? I don't mind her English voice so far, but I'm kinda wondering what she's like in JP. And I hope the outfits in Meruru look good on the screen. The art is kind of small in the OP, so I can't see everything, lol.

Definitely agree that Rorona and Totori are way different. A lot of the mechanics, time management stuff, the container, and other things are way improved in Totori over Rorona. I'd love to try to get the plat in Rorona, but I don't know if I can really go back.

The plat seems easier in this one because you can just keep saves, get whatever you need to get, and then keep going after that. I just do plats in RPGs and some platformers because I end up doing nearly everything already, so it doesn't take much work for the plat. Unless the requirements are crazy and I don't have the patience for them at all.

Durante said:
Talking about trophies, I made it just in time!

trophiesj2kuy.png

(This is the only Platinum trophy I got)
Click to expand...
Congratulations on the plat, and your first plat at that! :D

I should be on my way to it. Hopefully this weekend since it's a long weekend (probably not this weekend).
 
D

Durante

Member
Dark Schala said:
Is Totori's JP voice better than her English voice?
Click to expand...
I haven't played it in English, but Totori's JP voice is the typical high-pitched girly voice you would expect. I don't mind it, but I also don't think it's exceptional.

The reason everyone should play with JP voices is Hagel/Gerhard.
gerharduqjnz.jpg


Fumihiko Tachiki fuck yeah.
 
F

frequency

Member
Dark Schala said:
Is Totori's JP voice better than her English voice?
Click to expand...

Yes. Her Japanese voice is very distinct to me. Maybe one of the most distinct in recent memory. Recently, I've preferred the English vocal tracks in games, but not for Totori.

Maybe not really the actual sound of her voice, but the way she speaks is really endearing.

It is hard for me to describe, especially with my poor English. But the way she cuts some of her words short or trails off or says a word in a kind of hurried way is very cute. I love when she speaks in a pout-y (though not whiny) tone, or speaks "under her breath". The way she asks questions also really gets me. I absolutely adore Totori.

I do not agree that she has a typical voice over (I don't mean to discount Durante - opinions and stuff). She is higher pitched than the English VO, but the performance goes beyond that and she is not at all typical.
I may go as far as to say this is one of my favourite Japanese performances in video games. It's not some super professional thing, but it really fits her character. Her mannerisms are such a perfect match.

I'm playing English localized Totori with Japanese voice overs just for Totori. This is rare for me to do this generation.

But I'm probably over-selling it now and probably not many people will agree. I don't think seen anyone else praise Totori's voice work.
 
D

Durante

Member
LayLa said:
just noticed that Zavvi are touting an exclusive "36 page art book featuring Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland design concepts."
looks the same as the book from the US limited set, not as good as the barrel shirt but hey its something extra.
link to image => http://thehut.pantherssl.com/design-assets/products/10599461/l.jpg
Click to expand...
Yeah, I ordered it at Zavvi because of that. Expecially since it's basically the same price as everywhere else anyway.
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
OP updated with 2 new reviews:

ZT Game Domain - 8.5/10
http://www.ztgd.com/reviews/atelier-meruru-the-apprentice-of-arland/

ZT Game Domain said:
For fans of the series, you will not be disappointed. Almost every character you have known in the trilogy will return, and the new characters you come across are as goofy and loveable as the older ones. For new comers, I would suggest playing the first two games, but Meruru does offer some good back story in the menus for the ones not too familiar with the series. I have to say, JRPG fans should really look into this game. There is enough here to keep players busy for well into the 30 hour mark. The game really can get addicting for players wanting to do “just one more quest.” The trilogy really goes out with a bang with Meruru, and amine fans and JRPG players should not miss out on it.
Click to expand...

RPGamer - 4/5
http://www.rpgamer.com/games/atelier/ameruru/reviews/amerurustrev1.html

RPGamer said:
It's heartbreaking to have to say farewell to the Arland trilogy with Atelier Meruru. It's not easy to say goodbye to a world you've grown so fond over the course of three games. However, Atelier Meruru gives me faith that the Atelier series will continue to grow and mature. Fans of the Arland trilogy will surely adore their experience with Meruru, but for newcomers, this may not be the best place to start if you want to get a feel for the entire world. Still, Meruru is the silver lining at the end of this wonderful trilogy, and it will no doubt bring joy and closure to the long-time fans who stayed along for the journey.
Click to expand...
 
T

Takuya

Banned
NISA really sucks at scheduling with their manufacturers... This is like the 6th time in a row with a delay of some sort?
 
Z

zulux21

Member
Takuya said:
NISA really sucks at scheduling with their manufacturers... This is like the 6th time in a row with a delay of some sort?
Click to expand...

was there a delay on disgaea 3 for the vita... I don't think there was but I also didn't buy it yet.

But yeah outside of the disgaea series they haven't been very good at hitting their release date usually citing manufacturing delays. It's sad but with such a niche product not completely surprising.
 
D

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
I'm pretty sure I'm doing some stuff wrong for Totori (ie: I didn't trigger some events in Year 2 that apparently I should have but I was busy journeying around to do that). But oh well. At least I'm having fun with it. I think it looks quite nice.

I just want to get the game at least done before Meruru. I don't mind if I don't get the plat before Meruru comes out.

Durante said:
The reason everyone should play with JP voices is Hagel/Gerhard.

Fumihiko Tachiki fuck yeah.
Click to expand...
That's mostly what I'm getting out of the JP voices, lol. It's pretty awesome.

frequency said:
Maybe not really the actual sound of her voice, but the way she speaks is really endearing.

It is hard for me to describe, especially with my poor English. But the way she cuts some of her words short or trails off or says a word in a kind of hurried way is very cute. I love when she speaks in a pout-y (though not whiny) tone, or speaks "under her breath". The way she asks questions also really gets me. I absolutely adore Totori.
Click to expand...
Nope, I get what you're saying. She's higher-pitched than the English VA. I think they tried to add a soft-spokenness to the English VA to compensate for the tones from the Japanese voice actress. I think both voices are a good fit for her.
 
K

Kincaido

Got 99 problems and only one of them is a waifu
Yep, got charged as well. Hoping that I somehow get it before Tuesday. So excited to play this!
 
Ichabod

Ichabod

Banned
I'll most likely pass on this one if its like Totori with an automatic stop date. That really turned me off from playing through it a second time. I want to be able to power-level and craft to my hearts content once I've met all my license objectives.
 
P

ponpo

( ≖‿≖)
Ichabod said:
I'll most likely pass on this one if its like Totori with an automatic stop date. That really turned me off from playing through it a second time. I want to be able to power-level and craft to my hearts content once I've met all my license objectives.
Click to expand...

The time limits are even more of a discouraging factor for me than the battles. Ayesha please fix ;_;
 
D

Durante

Member
In Totori the time limits really aren't bad. You can finish the game (not just the normal ending, even the true ending) a year before the game is over.

I like the system mainly because it's so different from everything else out there.
 
P

ponpo

( ≖‿≖)
I guess I enjoy the alchemy but now that I think about it, I'm not sure why I complain about the time limit. Exploring is fun but I really don't like the battle systems of these games so it's not like I want more time to grind battles.
 
T

tiff

Banned
I never even realized there's a time limit in Totori until I saw it mentioned here a while ago. The game was definitely more fun when I thought I had all the time in the world to become a great adventurer :(

edit: yup got charged for Meruru as well.
 
F

frequency

Member
The time aspect is one of my favourite things in the three games. It adds a sense of urgency and progression. It lets the game be what it is and still give you a reason to move forward. If there was no time limit, I'd feel a lot of it was "pointless" and I know I would get bored of just gathering and making things.

Ayesha won't have a time limit, but that's basically a totally different series (like Iris/Mana is different from these Arland games).
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
More than anything, what I love about the time limits is how the game is forcing me to make actual meaningful choices. Not the supposed "morality choice" BS where every choice is either being a saint or a devil, but actual choices about what assignments to take and which to leave behind. Which risks are worth taking and which are better left alone. I find it fun looking at the schedule/deadlines and trying to figure out how to maximize the amount of time I'm given by accomplishing as much as I can in as little time as possible. As I replay the game I find myself getting better at maximizing the game's systems and working out how to get everything done. :D
 
K

kswiston

Member
I used to be a huge JRPG fan (especially in the PS1 era), but have sort of lagged behind the new releases in the past few years. The art in this series has always intrigued me, but I haven't played any of the Alelier games.

What would be the selling points of the series? What are some of the weaknesses? Is the plot a saccharine sweet story of friendship and doing your best, or is there some depth to the world and characters?

I have always been tempted to try one of these games, but I have had a lot of past disappointments with stuff published by NISA.
 
Z

zoku88

Member
kswiston said:
I used to be a huge JRPG fan (especially in the PS1 era), but have sort of lagged behind the new releases in the past few years. The art in this series has always intrigued me, but I haven't played any of the Alelier games.

What would be the selling points of the series? What are some of the weaknesses? Is the plot a saccharine sweet story of friendship and doing your best, or is there some depth to the world and characters?

I have always been tempted to try one of these games, but I have had a lot of past disappointments with stuff published by NISA.
Click to expand...

I think most people tend to play these games because of the charming characters and the alchemy.

At least in Totori, the plot doesn't feature that heavily (less so than Atelier Iris, it feels like.)

Weakness would be battle system, I guess. Besides AT2, I find most of the battle systems to be... ordinary? Not really that fun.
 
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