Atelier Shallie

And another cute Atelier game!

As Escha&Logy, this game has 2 protagonists to choose from with very different personality. I choose Shallotte and I had a lot of fun, the other Shallie seems more of the "innocent" kind, I didn't try it for enough time.

It has been a long time since the last time I played an Atelier game and I noticed that alchemy has really evolved a lot, there are a lot of variables to play with that makes the item creation very entertaining.

I started playing this game because they removed the time limit factor, now I can choose when to advance into the next chapter giving infinite time to explore everything I want to. Of course some players may prefer the time limit setting and I think it should have stayed that way because we already have lots of games without time limit ;)

The combat system is turn-based with an use of turns similar to FFX and Lost Oddyssey where the order depends on the skill used and can also be pushed/canceled with the right skills. Also the game has an original way to use the party members on the reserve that makes the battles very dynamic and fun. A game with this battle system, the right budget and thematic, would be a masterpiece (I mean, an Atelier game is not very commercial).

Graphically looks okay and has a few technical issues but nothing unplayable. The music is very good, a few songs have entered into my favorites list ;), the voices are okay too.

The story is good enough though the chapters pacing is a bit weird, some chapters are very long and others extremelly short or irrelevant.

Did I like it? Yes.
I think you will like it if you:
- Don't hate "light" jrpgs

I rate my experience with a 7 out of 10.

Atelier Rorona

Atelier Rorona is the less epic rpg I've played, I controlled an alchemy shop apprentice that needed to fullfill some requests in order to maintain the shop open.

Obviously these alchemy requests required to gather materials, which can be done by buying them and also getting them from treasures or monsters that can be found on dungeons.

To explore the dungeons Rorona can team up with 2 other characters to choose from a few that are recruited through the story or by doing some optional content. Combat is the usual turn based system with a correct character evolution, no surprises here.

All the exploring, combats and alchemy is pretty fun and well done, I think it will entertain anyone looking for a light jrpg experience.

The main story is fun with a few memorable characters that "emanate" cuteness everywhere, it is short but there's a lot of optional content to do that multiplies its duration.

The graphical, musical style and story development are nothing special but I would define everything on this game as "cute".

Did I like it? Yes
I think you will like it if you:
- Don't need an epic story
- Are manly enough to have fun playing as a little girl

I rate my experience with a 6 out of 10.