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Atelier Meruru |OT| of Atelier Chronicles: My Life as a Princess
- Thread starter RurouniZel
- Start date
dakkumauji
Member
All my envy at those who already got it while I'm still waiting for confirmation about shipping.
I do gotta say the box looks so nice this time around. Like it's an actual box instead of a fatter PS3 case.
I do gotta say the box looks so nice this time around. Like it's an actual box instead of a fatter PS3 case.
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
It's a JRPG where you play a heroine who makes items and accomplishes missions as such. It's predecessor, Atelier Totori was fantastic, and I've just started this one and so far it's great too. ^_^
EDIT: There's also an in-game time mechanic to everything, so everything you do takes a certain number of "days", and assignments have deadlines. It's a divisive issue at times, people like me love how it forces us to make meaningful decisions about which assignments to take and which to not take, while others find it stressful. ^_^
These games are made for you, I'm shocked you havent played them!
archnemesis
Member
This is actually something that is more or less removed in this game. The only deadlines I've seen is for the population goals in the main story quest.
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
Ah okay, so there's even less this time around? Good to know.
EDIT: Barrel is in, at least in the Japanese language setting. ^^
Whew. Game saved.
Oy. Worthless!
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
Been playing for the last 4 hours or so. As archnemesis said, the deadline thing is for the most part completely removed beyond the development deadlines, so it's even more lax than Totori was in that department so far. Also, flags seem to be easier to trigger.
Adding the IGN review to the OP, they didn't like it much.
IGN - 6/10
http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/24/atelier-meruru-the-apprentice-of-arland-review
Adding the IGN review to the OP, they didn't like it much.
IGN - 6/10
http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/24/atelier-meruru-the-apprentice-of-arland-review
IGN said:
What do you think of his opinion of the population goals so far? Does it really feel as restrictive as he describes?
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
I disagree that it's "restrictive". I would agree that it's more focused in that it gives you some very clear goals and tells you how to achieve them, but you have to do things like gather and fight monsters and heal allies etc. in order to get the development points necessary, at which point you can chose what to develop. They do open up slowly so far, but I'm still only in the first real arc as it were, so it's hard for me to really say 100%.
there's some desktop wallpapers for it in the members section of the nisa website, it looks like.
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
Filly: Much funnier in Meruru than Totori. XD
I just finished the game, got the shitty ending since I didn't complete everything
In my opinion this is the best of the 3 games, but I hope Ayesha doesn't have time/schedule limits, I prefer to play rpgs at my own pace instead of trying to meet deadlines and not being able to do whatever I want to do.
In respect of the New Game +, what is it carried over? Seems like only the items that are equipped by all the characters are carried over, everything else was just as normal, no money, level 1, no items in the container.
So now I'm back to a previous save to craft all my S rank items into equipment to gear up all the characters before starting a new playthrough.
Missed the Time Lithograph to make Potion of Youth, rank IX, and some things from Velus and Modis
In my opinion this is the best of the 3 games, but I hope Ayesha doesn't have time/schedule limits, I prefer to play rpgs at my own pace instead of trying to meet deadlines and not being able to do whatever I want to do.
In respect of the New Game +, what is it carried over? Seems like only the items that are equipped by all the characters are carried over, everything else was just as normal, no money, level 1, no items in the container.
So now I'm back to a previous save to craft all my S rank items into equipment to gear up all the characters before starting a new playthrough.
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
According to the reviews I've read, it's just your equipped... er, equipment that carries over. No money like in Rorona or Totori. Tis a shame, I liked carrying over my money by selling every last item I had on the last day before the end of the game. >>;
EDIT: I'm about a year into the game now. For anyone who hasn't gotten the Atelier Totori True Ending, or anyone who was even interested in playing Atelier Totori at some point, this game DOES SPOIL that ending. Just a warning.
The good thing is with the Meruru's special equipment, you can start with the large basket, running shoes, etc. So although you lose the money and items, the time wasted will be greatly reduced if you manage to craft the higher quality items for the second playthrough.
I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive :/
This is definitely good news to me. Hopefully this means i can platinum Meruru without using a guide this time
This is definitely good news to me. Hopefully this means i can platinum Meruru without using a guide this time
The Grim Heaper
Member
Yay, I finally got my shipping confirmation!
Same. Don't know when it will get here, USPS tracking number doesn't work.
Not like I care either way, I still have to finish Totori and I won't have any time to play it for the next week at least.
Sorry for using this as the Atelier general thread, but the games don't exactly have a huge audience on these boards, and I don't want to create a LTTP thread for Totori.
I am a couple of hours into Totori. I have my first three party members and have unlocked 3 areas where I can battle monsters collect alchemy stuff. I have gone back and forth between these areas and the town a few times now without triggering any story progression. How does story progression work? Is it expecting me to do something (like finish x number of requests) or is it based more closely to the calendar? There's not much to do right now other than grind items/exp in those three areas. I don't have access to any alchemy recipes beyond the first three.
So far the game is as cutesy as I thought it would be based on the art, but I like the main character and was surprised that her English Voice Acting was decent. The glimpse that I have gotten of Rorona makes me think that I would not have liked her as a lead character, at least with the voice actress they chose. The other characters are ok so far. The game has a good sense of humor, although the obsession with barrels must be a long running joke that is over my head.
Looking forward to seeing the alchemy system open up more.
I am a couple of hours into Totori. I have my first three party members and have unlocked 3 areas where I can battle monsters collect alchemy stuff. I have gone back and forth between these areas and the town a few times now without triggering any story progression. How does story progression work? Is it expecting me to do something (like finish x number of requests) or is it based more closely to the calendar? There's not much to do right now other than grind items/exp in those three areas. I don't have access to any alchemy recipes beyond the first three.
So far the game is as cutesy as I thought it would be based on the art, but I like the main character and was surprised that her English Voice Acting was decent. The glimpse that I have gotten of Rorona makes me think that I would not have liked her as a lead character, at least with the voice actress they chose. The other characters are ok so far. The game has a good sense of humor, although the obsession with barrels must be a long running joke that is over my head.
Looking forward to seeing the alchemy system open up more.
I spend time just doing front quests, raising friendship levels and adventure/alchemy levels. Rorona has more direction in that you need to do assignments every few months. But here, you just get License Points for fighting, quests, alchemy, etc.
You're still early in the game, so I don't think you've got a License yet though. That comes a few months in if I remember right.
You just want to get a certain rank before a certain date. So like... just check in with Cordelia in Arland once in a while to rank up. The thing that drove me forward in Totori was character stuff really.
It's pretty open what you do with your time.
EDIT: I don't think that really answers anything... I'm terrible. Sorry.
There isn't that much in terms of story progression. At least for me - it's all about the characters and progression in terms of them and their individual stories.
Sounds like you're still stuck in the tutorial/prologue. Don't worry, after a certain amount of time, things will open up very quickly.
Mine will probably be arriving sometime next week.
For those of you who got to play Meruru already: how are u guys liking the game so far, compared to Rorona and Totori?
I don't really trust ign reviews, but the guy who reviewed Meruru was the same guy who reviewed Totori(and gave higher score), so I am just a little bit worried that Meruru might be not as good as Totori (which I thought was a lot better than Rorona)
For those of you who got to play Meruru already: how are u guys liking the game so far, compared to Rorona and Totori?
I don't really trust ign reviews, but the guy who reviewed Meruru was the same guy who reviewed Totori(and gave higher score), so I am just a little bit worried that Meruru might be not as good as Totori (which I thought was a lot better than Rorona)
I loved Totori, and I think Meruru is just as good. I didn't like loli Rorona tho, what a shame the writers thought it was a good idea to make her a kid instead of making her on her thirties.
I don't normally read reviews (only read from people I care about - like shidoshi) so I have no idea what the IGN reviewers complaints are, but I feel Meruru is the best of the three.
I don't think the age thing is really a big deal. I'm not sure why people care what "age" Rorona is. It's not like she spends the entire game acting like a totally different person than what she has been in the last two. I think child Rorona is really cute.
archnemesis
Member
Going into year three I already have 30,000+ population, so I think I'm going to focus on synthesizing every item and trying to reach level 50. I've just unlocked a lot of development quest, so I might be able to afford the last few expansions if I plan carefully.
Who are everyone's favorite support characters? I'm currently using Esty and Gino.
Who are everyone's favorite support characters? I'm currently using Esty and Gino.
Do they explain why she's a kid now? Like, she messed up a potion or something?
archnemesis
Member
Yes, there is a perfectly good explanation for it and it doesn't feel out of place at all.
Astrid used a potion of youth on herself and Rorona, but the potion turned out to be a bit more potent than expected.
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
Esty and Mimi for me. Esty = awesome! And Mimi just because I like her. :3
graywolf323
Member
got my shipping notification from NISA late last night as well, hopefully it went out Saturday and isn't sitting around a warehouse waiting for pickup on Tuesday
For me, it's the "we want to keep her being cute, rather than let her mature as a character, so let's find a way to keep her young and moe!" That just utterly rubs me the wrong way. Sure, I may be taking that whole aspect way more seriously than it was meant to be taken, but it did bother me.
As of Meruru, Rorona is the teacher of your teacher—come on! Let her have some actual dignity and character growth! You don't need to have a whole cast of uguuu-faces, especially when they're a character who should be allowed to grow out of that by this point.
As expected, I ended up playing Meruru for most of the day... Almost in Year 2 already! But it's so much fun. I'm really enjoying myself, as expected. <3
I'm not using a guide of any sort, but I feel like I'm doing rather well for a blind run. I'm already about level 20 in Alchemy level and ~25 in Adventurer level! It's so hard to choose who I want in my party though, I love everyone!
I'm not using a guide of any sort, but I feel like I'm doing rather well for a blind run. I'm already about level 20 in Alchemy level and ~25 in Adventurer level! It's so hard to choose who I want in my party though, I love everyone!
I understand I think.
Based on your magazine days, podcasts, and (dormant?) site, you're pretty deep into Japanese culture where stuff like you're describing has really taken over a lot of the entertainment industry lately (games and anime at least). So from that perspective, I can see how it's frustrating and worrying to see yet another example of such trends.
I wouldn't say I like the way things have gone, but it doesn't bother me. When I say it's not a big deal, I'm probably not thinking about the more common opinion by "outsiders". As I said in a previous post, I recognize I don't at all have the "normal girl" perspective. I need to remember to keep that in mind when I talk about these things. I mean, I'm a niche on a hardcore gaming forum.
This is clearly a big deal to some people, and it's completely valid that it is.
So I retract my previous post saying it's not a big deal.
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
Welp, I'm definitely not getting a good ending on this first playthrough, I'm just gonna focus on trying to make all the best equipment I can (and equipping the characters with them) before the end hits.
I didn't mind Rorona as much as I thought I would because it reminded me of how she appeared during battles in her own game. Almost like an homage to how far they've come from a graphics standpoint. I'm sure that the actual justification was probably closer to what you describe, but that's how I saw it.
Because I like the premise? Because I enjoy the idea of games that actually reward creativity above killing stuff? Because I like the character designs, just not the way certain characters are treated? Because I like a lot of what the game has to offer, I just get really bothered by certain elements?
Again, we're talking the teacher of your teacher. By nature of the time it would take for that progression to happen, Rorona should be due more than being a token loli.
I just find it weird that you seem to be so against my suggestion that toning down the pandering a bit and making the games more accessibly to more people. I'm not looking to ruin what this franchise is about, because frankly, it isn't about that. It does server (to me) as an example of the moe-fication of Japan, and it bothers me to see elements like those in games that could be great examples of games with strong, respectable heroines.
I love that the next game seems to be skewing to an older main female. Maybe just slightly older, but still older.
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
Well, I just beat it for the first time. I got what I guess could be considered a "standard" ending of sorts. I'll write a bigger review of it once I've done a few more routes and gotten some more events and hopefully the best ending eventually, but at the moment I'd say Meruru and Totori are very close and I love both of them, but I give Totori a slight edge for what amounts to personal reasons (I personally feel the Totori cast is stronger than the Meruru cast, and I mean the characters exclusive to each, not counting cross over characters). But still, awesome game, can't wait to see how the 2nd playthrough goes! ^_^
Don't you still need to beat the first two games though?!
To be fair, Meruru only really gets like, 4 new characters (not counting Meruru). Everyone else is from Rorona or Totori! And only two of the new characters are playable by default! Also I don't think the characters really count as "crossover" ones when they're from the same set of games in the series~ /nitpickyRurouniZel said:
Don't drag logic into this.
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
True enough, true enough. ^^; Also, for the curious, on a 2nd playthrough you can hit the Circle button to make text go faster.
I was joking, lighten up.
Also this. The whole draw of Rorona in Totori is that despite the status she achieved after the events of Rorona she is still the air-headed dolt she always was. She was never at any point a strong, respectable heroine and the notion that Gust robbed us of one with the decisions they made in Meruru is laughable at best.
I thought Rorona was a pretty good "heroine". She's funny and lovable and isn't written any less respectably than Sterk or Gino or any of the male characters.
I really don't need my video game heroines to be like Mass Effect Commander Shepherd or Uncharted Elena. In fact, I hate characters like that. Almost all characters that people bring up as "strong female leads" are characters I dislike. I'm totally fine with girls being girly. If a character is written such that she could be replaced with a male character with little to no change, I find that to be a bad female character.
This is a generalization, but I feel men are way more worried about having strong female leads in video games than girl gamers are. But I don't know many others, so... I guess as a disclaimer, this is all just my opinion and I could just have weird opinions.
I really don't need my video game heroines to be like Mass Effect Commander Shepherd or Uncharted Elena. In fact, I hate characters like that. Almost all characters that people bring up as "strong female leads" are characters I dislike. I'm totally fine with girls being girly. If a character is written such that she could be replaced with a male character with little to no change, I find that to be a bad female character.
This is a generalization, but I feel men are way more worried about having strong female leads in video games than girl gamers are. But I don't know many others, so... I guess as a disclaimer, this is all just my opinion and I could just have weird opinions.