I figured we'd have a general Atelier discussion thread. Nice nobody seems to have made one as of yet I have some. . .pretty strong feelings about Escha and Logy that aren't entirely appropriate for an OP, so, anyone else playing? How are you enjoying it?
Anyhow, I just started playing and am really surprised by it. I thought I knew what to expect after playing Ayesha but I was mistaken it seems. My initial thoughts... THE GOOD: -I think Logy makes a great MC. -Beautiful characters that somewhat escape cliche' archetypical roles more so then past titles. This is debatable but I really didn't feel Ayesha's cast too memorable outside a few whom I REALLY liked (namely Marion and Keithgriff) -The world is much more "Dusk" appropriate if you ask me. The departure in tone and style from Ayesha to E&L fits the dying world description far better. -The music is very much of a different "tune" in this title. More jazzy and energetic (so far). It is a subjective matter but I'm fond of it. -Menu surfing/alchemy, though complex, is streamlined in a fashion thats makes it so hell-a-accessible and even better then Ayesha. I didn't think that was possible as, in Ayesha, I was able to craft at warp 9 with wild abandon by the end of the game but they pulled it off. -Wilbell is back.... I like Wilbell. -Smashing barrels with Logy in the fields feels good. LoL THE NOT SO GOOD: -The freakin' camera SUCKS!! With a capital SUCK. It is simply too herky-jerky. I feel like this is a result of lazy production... I don't see why they couldn't smooth this out a bit. In fact in doesn't end with the camera... character movement feels a wee bit floaty and the general product just feels rough around the edges. I can't help but feel there was yet some much needed tweaking and polish before this was released. -The characters are graphically TOO over the top for the simplicity of the environments. They are rendered complex and beautiful to a point that they look almost out of place at times. - The tutorials make things seem far more complex then they actually are. I can see how the first 2 hours could really intimidate someone and make them feel there is a great deal to wrap there mind around when in practice it all proves far more simple. THE "I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO MAKE OF IT" - Why is Linca's personality so different? - Does Marion come across as younger and less mature to anyone else...?? - A subjective matter but I can't stand Escha's tail. That is all I can really say until I put more hours in. Don't however misread my criticism as harsh. In truth I am really enticed thus far and appreciating E&L a great deal more then Ayesha which is really saying something because I thoroughly enjoyed Ayesha.
I have both similar and differing thoughts and I think on the dislike we're very similar. Particularly about the tutuorials. I eventually started ignoring them, despite being one of those "always read the tutorial" types. tl;dr It's my least favorite game in the series outside of Judie. For the record, Violet and Ayesha are my favorite games in the series, and Annie is my favorite heroine. The characters are definitely a bit over-the-top for the setting, which favors more down-to-earth characters. Gust just went way too far here. I dislike Escha quite thoroughly. Her constant blushing, even while attacking, is really starting to grate on me. In the end, I also think what they did to the the setting is horrible. Well, it's better than dull Meruru's, but weaker than pretty much anything released after Iris 3. Totally a huge step downward from Ayesha's in every way, which hit every note as "right" with me. It doesn't help that they actually blatantly, outright, 100% reuse two of Ayesha's most prominently atmospheric areas: the first ruin stage with Nio's grave and the final dungeon area. I was pretty horrified at that, given how incredible Ayesha's final dungeon was. After Ayesha's huge variety in music, such as battle and world map themes changing based on region, they went back to the more limited themes, most of which aren't particularly good. Two of the battle themes are okay, namely that one particular nasal chant used for a boss about halfway through the game and the lighter remix of "Yesterday's Foes are Today's Ingredients." Most of the dungeon themes are okay, nothing standout other than one or two dungeons later in the game. I think this is one of Gust's worse soundtracks in a while, but maybe my opinion will change after I listen to it outside the game. Finally, the biggest complaint: What they tried to do to the time system does not work. They tried to merge the Marie/Elie/Lily/etc style with what they did in Totori/Meruru/Ayesha. The problem is that by attempting to do so they've taken away everything decent out of both systems. The earlier games were amazing because of stricter organization and time management. It's what drew me in. Then Totori/Meruru/Ayesha worked because you're given open freedom to do what you like. This game has neither. And, to make matters worse, they actually extended the traditional assignment time while making assignments easier. None of the assignments take more than 10 in-game days, out of 120 given, sometimes even fewer, and none are really hard, either. There's no putting specific traits on items, or requiring a certain quality, here, just making an item with materials you undoubtedly already have or exploring a 4 screen linear dungeon. Those are only for a few rare side-objectives. Time management is non-existent and even fulfilling all of the minor goals is not particularly difficult. but then exploration is also non-existent because there are fewer areas and they are all unlocked in a linear fashion like what is normal for the series.
There are two trilogies on the PS3. The breakdown is like this: 1-3 "Alchemists of Salburg" 1. Marie 2. Elie 3. Lilie 4-5 "Alchemists of Gramnad" 4. Judie 5. Viorate (Violet) 6-8 "Iris / Eternal ManaTrilogy" 6. Iris 7. Iris 2 8. Grand Phantasm 9-10 "Mana Khemia" 9. MK1 10. MK2 11-13 "Alchemists of Arland" 11. Rorona 12. Totori 13. Meruru 14-16 "Alchemists of Dusk/Twilight" 14. Ayesha 15. Escha/Logy 16. Sharry
