Atelier Totori: TAoA Review (PS3) - PAGE 1

In 2010, PlayStation 3 owners were introduced to Gust’s Arland series with Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland, a flawed but enjoyable RPG made worth playing by its item synthesis system. Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland, the direct sequel to Atelier Rorona, takes players once again through the lands of Arland, but this repeat visit is much more enjoyable than the first trip, as Totori addresses several issues found in Rorona.

Atelier Totori takes places five years after the events of Atelier Rorona, putting the spotlight on a new alchemist-in-training named Totori. By pure chance, Totori has become the pupil of Atelier Rorona’s titular heroine, though Totori isn’t too confident with her alchemy skills due to some failed synthesis attempts on her part.

Despite her shortcomings, Totori is determined to hone her alchemy skills as it would enable her to earn an adventurer license so she can travel and track down her lost mother Gisela, one of Arland's most famous adventurers who is believed to be dead. Over the course of five years, Totori will do whatever it takes to become a skilled adventurer, master alchemy, and discover the true fate of Gisela.

Strict Work Schedule

Like the previous Atelier game, you must explore all over Arland to find alchemy ingredients, synthesize your ingredients into a new item, and present your creations on time to improve your adventurer status. What’s this “on time” business all about? While you’re going about exploring, harvesting, and synthesizing, your actions move an in-game timer forward so you can’t dawdle in your jobs. Further complicating matters is the fact that Totori frequently needs to take some days off to recover her stamina as she’ll need enough energy to attempt alchemy synthesis or she’ll end up botching the process. Sounds like a pain, but it really isn't.  Newcomers will quickly get used to this seemingly complicated routine while returning players should feel right at home.

A neat aspect of alchemy synthesis is the ability to add a “modifier” ingredient. Players must follow recipes they’ve found or received to make a particular item, but you’re always given the chance to mix in an extra ingredient to add all sorts of effects to the concoction. You could make a healing item recover a little more HP than usual or, say, make a plain ol’ explosive deal out status ailments. Unfortunately, most items do decrease in quality over time and eventually expire, so you can't horde your creations.

A Better Quest

For those of you coming in from Atelier Rorona, you’ll notice Atelier Totori has improved on exploring zones and battles. Areas now consist of wide open fields instead of the linear paths found in Rorona, with plenty of harvesting nodes waiting to be discovered. Unlike Rorona, Totori will also require you to do a little platforming on the side instead of just running around on flat terrains all the time, effectively breaking up the gameplay with some added variety.

Totori’s battles are still basic turn-based affairs like in Rorona, though fights are much more manageable this time around. First off, character skills now use up Magic Points instead of HP, which makes a lot more sense, honestly. Another improvement is no longer having to pay party members to come along with you, thus easing some of the strain on your wallet.

Unfortunately, Gust has decided to once again restrict item usage to the main character, which makes fights harder than they need to be. Is it really that hard for your partners to carry and use items?

If you were put off by the visuals and cast of Atelier Rorona, you’ll be pleased to know Atelier Totori is easy on the eyes and ears. Totori ditches the toony "chibi" style 3D characters in favor of some better proportioned ones. Totori’s English dubbing is also a bit better than Rorona’s, though the Japanese voice option is still there, in case you prefer the original voice work.  Despite these improvements, the animations still appear clunky and rough at times, most notably during battles.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Atelier Totori plays identically to Atelier Rorona, but Totori improves on many of Rorona's gameplay features, making the experience more enjoyable this time around. Item synthesis is as versatile as ever and the battles are easier to manage, though you'll still encounter a fair number of challenges. If you liked the premise of Rorona but didn't quite get into the game, give Totori a try and see if the refined game mechanics change your mind.