Hello everyone!
Welp, here is it. My rant about this game. And just to remind you all once more, I DON'T HAVE THE "PLUS VERSION". OF ANY OF THE GAMES. TT-TT
I'm swamped with work, but I did some. SO EH.
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Gameplay:
So, once again, like Atelier Rorona, this is not your standard JRPG.
It follows the base formula with the alchemy, the turn-based battle formula, the FLUFFY ASS MOMENTS and the beautiful environments to enjoy. But... it was all improved. Drastically. How so? Well...
Starting off with the alchemy. In this game, they have basically the same alchemy system, featuring the "put your good ol' stuff in a cauldron, stir, and BOOM", but like I said, they improved it. Oh dear God, I'm going in a circle. For one, it's easier to see. SLIGHTLY AND ONLY SLIGHTLY. The writing on the first game was SO TINY, you were basically squinting to see what the hell was written at times, even if you're like me and have a 50 inch TV (then again, I'm pretty far from my TV, but still). You can also choose your traits, unlike the last game, which made it SO MUCH EASIER TO MAKE WHAT YOU REALLY WANTED TO MAKE. So yeah, plus one for Totori. Also, instead of expanding HP like in the last game, you expand MP, which isn't all that different really. It's not a plus or a minus, it's a "this game does it".
((Here, you can compare it to the other image for the other review))
You can still make your own equipment via alchemy, which I believe I've stated before, makes me REALLY GIDDY.
And the battle system, it was DRASTICALLY IMPROVED. Oh my God, you wouldn't believe it. Once again like I said, it still has a turn-based system (and for all of you saying it's an outdated system, screw you, not all games need real-time). However, in this one, you can tell what character is going next, further adding strategy to your gameplay. Once again, your allies can run and protect your main character. For the character skills now, they expand MP unlike its predecessor. You would think this removes difficulty, but they added on that on contrary to the last game, so I dunno, IT ALL BALANCES OUT YA SEE. I like it though, it's much smoother than the last one.
Once again, LIKE ITS PREDECESSOR, it presents the story via visual novel style. Here, the writing is much bigger, allowing you once again to read it more conveniently. A plus, however, is that you are able to skip the dialogue if you complete the game at least once. :D
Like I said, I like this presentation style, so I REALLY don't mind it.
As for exploration, I enjoyed it quite a fair bit in this game. The graphics got revamped, it is now more PS3 worthy, and some of the areas got me gobsmacked. Sadly, unlike the predecessor, most of the areas don't come with multiple sub-areas, but this is complemented with the drastic increase of areas you can visit, and the size of the areas itself. And free-roaming. IT'S FULLY HERE. AHHHHHHHHH~
And while I didn't mention this in the last review, I WILL NOW SO SHUT UP. In the last game, on the world map, you moved from area to area via a REALLY TINY MAP, that unlocks bit by bit. But I really didn't mind it, to each their own. In this game, however, you get a gigant-o map that unlocks bit by bit, and I like both styles. If it happens to be too long for you, you can speed it up by pressing "X", and it really helps when traveling long distances. So, in conclusion, I like both styles.
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Graphics:
I mean, if you couldn't tell from the previous images, they revamped this as well. Now, the backgrounds and the people are much more refined, and they aren't chibi-fied either. And yes, graphics don't make the game, but... I justify my own damn logic. :T
((Atelier Totori Plus CG, I know. But we all wanted this))
And the CGs in this game are just as good as the previous game. What's better in this game however, is that the in-game visuals somewhat match up to the CG.
Atelier charm. Mmmmmm~
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Music:
I like it~ Man, I say this a lot. It's less... I don't know how to describe it, but it's less classic? I works with the game's atmosphere though, Totori is an airhead, and her theme proves that.
It feels... newer. And I do like it better, but they are both good.
And they know how to transition well between scenes. Check it out though, IF YA DON'T BELIEVE.
Guidance < ... This reminds me of FF9 slightly. Or FF7. Mostly FF9 though.
Try < A boss battle theme later on in the game. :3
Yellow Zone < This is one of the main battle themes, when the fights are not too hard I believe.
Carefree < Oh God, the freaking atmosphere is perfect.
Ophiuchus < I think I put too many battle themes.
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Voice-acting:
We must cross this path, it's a necessity. *takes a deep breath*
It's... fine. Not superb, not horrid... It's... fine...
I mean, the Japanese VAs are really squeaky, that does put me off at times, even if I'm used to it. As for the English VAs, I feel like some don't try, even if the voices fit a lot more. Like really. Both languages have equal levels, so I really don't care for both. I do play in Japanese, but... I switch sometimes. Like I said, very equal.
Once again, the English dub is a partial dub. But eh, it's not horrid. This is much worse in Ayesha, WHEN THE MOUTH MOVES BUT NO SOUNDS COME OUT.
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Story:
This is where Totori really won. Its story builds up REALLY WELL, and is taken a little more seriously than Rorona's, but not too much to shame the "Atelier" name.
The story is of a girl, Totooria Helmold (but everyone calls her "Totori") that wants to become an adventurer like her mother, to follow in her footsteps and to find her mother, as she has gone missing for several years. On her journey, she meets several people who will come to help her along the way, and she also has her own problems to attend to, becoming a full-fledged alchemist and to maintain her adventurer level.
How does it end up? Well, play to find out. ;)
I mean, it's serious at times, it's fluffy at times, the balance is SO PERFECT. And there are multiple endings once again, including that tear-inducing "Rich" ending, and I'm not talking about the sentimental value of it, I'm talking 'bout the tedious-ity of it. :T
And ending requirements? Much better than Rorona. You can pretty much save before the final flag, since it's rather predictable.
And the true ending is so... beaut. :'D
Character-wise, we have some recurring ones like Cordelia, Rorona and Sterk. Then we got some new ones like Mimi, Gino and Ceci. I like ALL OF 'EM. Well, no. I don't REALLY LIKE MARK. Somewhat. I dunno. We could have done without him. Eh. Still, I like the Atelier feel of it, so all is well. :)
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Difficulty:
Well, it's pretty fine. This one actually has a final boss, and he ain't too bad at his job. :)
Throughout the game, I find the difficulty pretty normal. If you screw up, you probably just need better items to make, so go back to your workshop and make more! There are also extra bosses to face, and those are actually pretty challenging ((unless you find some cheap-ass guide online, but I refuse)), so you'll have a nifty time with this one.
There's also no real giant difficulty jump, which is a plus in any game. To initiate a game over, you... wait, is there a game over screen? I know there's a "Bad Ending" one but... I never lost. :P
For those of you who think I sound cocky, in actuality, the first time I played this, I got the bad ending 'cause I missed the game's deadline.
Anyways, it's pretty balanced, so all is cool. :)
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Little extras:
((More Totori Plus screenshots, but it's what I found))
Similarly to its predecessor, it has an extras menu whatever you've obtained in the game. And I really mean everything. In Rorona, I swear that even though I thought I obtained the CG, it wasn't even there. Here though, IT HAD EVERYTHING. To the CGs, to the music, to the character designs, to the staff commentary... heck, it even had the endings you've gotten. NOW THAT'S PRETTY NIFTY AIN'T IT.
Sadly, no mini-games. Like the predecessor, it had in-game events ((I should have called it that at the time)) that only occur once. It's really a shame in my opinion, as I find that the Atelier series could REALLY pull off mini-games.
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Overall:
My rating? 7/10 to 7.5/10. I'm really indecisive.
Now I must admit, it's MUCH, and I mean MUCH BETTER THAN IFFY RORONA, and while I DO like a turn-based battle... I have to agree that the one in this particular game is a BIT dated. At times, you're really spamming the same thing over and over, and they don't have multiple voice clips for it, so you're really just hearing the same thing OVER AND OVER. And even if you DO LOVE THE SOUNDTRACK TO A NINNY... you'll get sick of it.
I personally love the game, and I would recommend it to my friend ((in fact, the other day, I lent my Rorona copy to my friend)) and they REALLY, AND I MEAN REALLY VAMPED IT, but... it's not going too much higher than that. And it's not like the most mind-blowing story in the world, so that won't save it either.
As a game, in my opinion, it deserves that score. Even if I love it. To a ninny.
Alice
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