Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist Of Arland

Atelier Rorona Plus (Japanese title New Atelier Rorona) is a traditional jRPG and another installment of the popular Atelier series. The title, however, is not a completely new installment of the series, but an improved version of Atelier Rorona from 2010, which in the following years received two direct continuations. The creators from the Gust studio expanded the script with new events, introduced a number of graphical improvements, and used the combat and alchemy systems known from the sequels.

Plot

The story in Atelier Rorona Plus hasn't changed in any way - it focuses on Rorolina Frixell, an alchemy adept, called Rorona by her friends. Left by the mentor, the girl has a task to fulfill. She must convince the king that she is able to lead her alchemical workshop. Otherwise, it will get closed. In order to do so, she has to fulfill twelve tasks assigned to her by the ruler.

The narration in the game is presented in a typical way for Japanese games. Static images of characters are accompanied by dialogues read by actors, and the player only sometimes has the ability to influence their course. The choice of dialog options and the number of side tasks performed largely determine which of the many endings we will see.

Mechanics

The gameplay Atelier Rorona Plus is a classic example of the Japanese game development school. We have a clear division into the exploration of the city and its surroundings. In the cities, we talk to the characters and complete quests from them. Enemies are encountered outside the city. After initiating a skirmish, the game takes us to a separate combat screen. The fights themselves are turn-based and last until one of the teams is defeated or escapes. During combat, in addition to regular attacks, we can use special skills and items. The alchemy series, characteristic for this series, is worth a mention. From the items found after the battles, we can create over a hundred unique items, which we will later use in battles. Alchemy is also essential for us to fulfill all the main tasks assigned to us by the king.

Technical aspects

Atelier Rorona Plus introduces a number of minor and major improvements to the graphics. The most important change is the use of completely new 3D character models, as well as a change in the interface, making the game similar in this respect to Atelier Totori and Atelier Meruru.

Last updated on 25 October 2013