DHGF: Atelier Meruru turns out to be more than I expected it to be. If you can manage to get past the slow beginning, it ends up becoming quite an addicting game with a fun alchemy and combat system. The town growing simulation is a nice feature that is sure to keep you heavily involved. While at times the dialogue cutscenes do kill the game’s momentum, it isn’t enough to ward you away from your pursuit of your main objective. Despite Atelier Meruru being relatively short, it does warrant multiple playthroughs and offers plenty of content, so you are sure to find something new each time. On top of that you have 30 possible endings, so you can try to improve upon each playthrough with a new incentive each time. Atelier Meruru is the first Japanese RPG that I have played since Dragon Quest 9 that I thoroughly enjoyed and I highly recommend it.
The Mako Reactor says: “Everything you need to know about getting into the Atelier franchise from best place to start to every new release covered on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.”
Excellent article! This franchise is amazing I started around the Vita games and have been playing since. But for the newer releases I have lagged behind in purchasing due to my backlog. This great comprehensive article got my bearings straight thanks!
I always hear good stuff about the Atelier series, but with so many games I didn't feel like actually researching. So this article was a good read, and I may buy Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book in the near future.
Atelier Ryaza is looking like it’s going to be the breakout game for the franchise.
"Gust's Atelier series offers plenty of lighthearted fun so let's see whether Totori or Meruru has the more worthwhile adventure." - A.J. Maciejewski from Video Chums
I enjoyed the story for Totori more but had more fun overall with Meruru. Love them both though.
I prefer Totori I was a bit boring and the only one that didn't hook me out of the 3 Plus versions I played though Totori was really rough on new players unlike Meruru
Lyam writes: - Atelier Arland Trilogy DX is another collection release, but this time, on PlayStation 4. The games with it are Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland, Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland, and Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland, which have all appeared on PlayStation 3, as well as the PlayStation Vita. It’s quite an ongoing franchise with Atelier Rorona is the 11th game in the series and there are more plenty more to come.
I haven't played the Atelier series for quite a while now. Last game I finished was Iris 3, although I didn't really liked it. I love the first one, Eternal Mana. I think I finished Atelier Iris 1 at least three times. I bought Atelier Sophie and played less than 10 hours before I dropped it. Would love to see another game with the Iris level of story telling.