The eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth games in Gust’s long-running Atelier series, exploring the lives of three remarkable young women in the far-off kingdom of Arland… and how alchemy comes to change all their lives.
Developer: Gust
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Available on: PS3, Vita, Switch
MegaFeature
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland – A Matter of Time - Atelier arrives in the HD era... and promptly makes a grand return to its traditional structure and style after five games of experimentation.
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland – A New Generation of Alchemy - While Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland marks a return to the structural conventions of early Atelier games, its alchemy system is the most in-depth and complex of the games we've explored so far. So let's take a closer look!
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland – Living the Arlandian Life - While Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland's time-limited nature might make you think it would be more restrictive than past installments, you'd better be ready for an Atelier game with a whole lot of freedom, and important choices to be made about how you're going to play this time around!
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland – Tradition, Modernity and Belief in Oneself - As a rather more non-linear game than its predecessors, Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland's narrative primarily unfolds through a series of character-centric events. What can we learn about the people of Arland from the stories they have to tell?
The Music of Atelier, Vol. 6: Atelier Rorona – The Alchemist of Arland - It's time to crank up the volume and enjoy some selected tracks from another Atelier soundtrack, courtesy of composer Ken Nakagawa. This time around, it's the turn of Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland, a game which really solidified the modern "Atelier sound".
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland – High Impact Sexual Violence? - It's time to begin our exploration of Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland, the twelfth game in the Atelier series -- and ponder how it might have ended up with that notorious R18+ "high impact sexual violence" rating from the Australian Classification Board.
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland – Following the Footsteps - Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland features a structure that is a lot more free and open than its immediate predecessor, giving it a markedly different feel. Let's take a closer look at how the game is put together -- and how you progress.
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland – Beyond the City Walls - One of the biggest strengths of Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland is its worldbuilding. In this part of the Atelier MegaFeature, we take a look at this aspect of the game, and how it makes its protagonist feel like part of something much bigger.
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland – A Journey to Adulthood - Totori's story isn't just one of tracking down her mother. It's also a tale of her growing as a person, and taking those difficult steps from adolescence into adulthood. But she's far from alone on her journey -- even if it is a tad more difficult than most teens face!
The Music of Atelier, Vol. 7: Atelier Totori – The Adventurer of Arland - As we wrap up our time with Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland, it's time once again to celebrate the sterling work of Gust's sound team for their considerable role in creating the distinctive audio-visual aesthetic of the series as a whole -- and the melancholy atmosphere of Totori's adventure.
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland – Building a Legacy - Concluding the Arland trilogy before that pesky Lulua came along and complicated things, Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland builds on the solid foundation of its predecessors to provide a substantial and deep yet accessible challenge for alchemical adventuring enthusiasts.
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland – A Princess’ Work is Never Done - Meruru has a lot of work ahead of her if she wants to grow her kingdom from a tiny hamlet into a bustling city. This being an Atelier game, alchemy, of course, plays a big role in all that process. Let's take a look at the game's core mechanics and how they tie in with the tomboy princess' long-term goals.
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland – Meruru, Warrior Princess - In the Atelier games, holing up in your workshop and crafting huge stockpiles of explosive material is just part of the fun. The other part is when you head out onto the open road and start using those exploding things on the monsters of the realm -- and Meruru has quite a journey ahead of her!
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland – Royal Responsibilities - Like Atelier Totori before it, Atelier Meruru's narrative is one of personal growth and development. Meruru makes many friends over the course of her adventures, and they all have something important to teach her -- both about life in general, and about her responsibilities.
The Music of Atelier, Vol. 8: Atelier Meruru – The Apprentice of Arland - As our time in the kingdom of Arls draws to a close, it's time to once again celebrate the sterling work of Gust's incredible sound team as we enjoy one of the Atelier series' most memorable soundtracks to date.
Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland – A Trilogy of Four - It's time for a whole new adventure in the lands of Arland. Rorona's daughter Lulua takes centre stage as the Atelier series celebrates its twentieth installment with a return to one of its most beloved settings.
Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland – Fourth-Generation Alchemy - As always for the Atelier series, the alchemy mechanics form the backbone of Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland's game systems. Let's take a closer look at how this game blends comfortable familiarity with more recent innovations.
Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland – The Fight For What’s Important - Like with its alchemy mechanics, Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland builds on the good work its predecessors in the Arland series did with combat mechanics, and introduces its own interesting twists on the basic formula. Proper preparation prevents poor performance in this one, for sure.
Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland – Give Me A Reason to Live - Atelier Lulua's narrative concerns our heroine's search to find a reason for living. There are a lot of possible answers to this question, but through the lessons she learns from the people she meets, she eventually comes up with a definitive answer she can commit wholeheartedly to.
The Music of Atelier, Vol. 9: Atelier Lulua – The Scion of Arland - It's time once again to celebrate the magnificent music of the Atelier series and the proud work of Gust's sound team. Let's sit back and enjoy some prime selections from the soundtrack to Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland, the fourth and final Arland game.Cover Game Articles
Atelier Arland: Introduction and History - The Atelier series is one of the most long-running franchises in gaming. Where did it come from?
Atelier Rorona: Arland’s New Beginning - Atelier Rorona was a new beginning for the Atelier series in many ways. Appropriately enough, this is also what its narrative is all about!
Atelier Totori: Arland’s Middle Child - Atelier Totori is a favourite installment in the Arland series for many people, thanks to its adorable heroine, its adventurous spirit and its feeling of a truly "living" world.
Atelier Meruru: Arland Comes Together - Atelier Meruru brought the original Arland trilogy to a close -- and, appropriately enough, is one of the most substantial, satisfying games in the series. You poopyhead!New Game Plus
Other Articles about Atelier Arland Trilogy
The MoeGamer 2019 Awards: Best Girl 2019 - The MoeGamer Awards are a series of “alternative” awards I’ve devised in collaboration with the community to celebrate the sorts of things that never get celebrated in end-of-year roundups! Find out more here — and feel free to leave a suggestion on that post if you have any good ideas! – With the visual novels of the … Continue reading The MoeGamer 2019 Awards: Best Girl 2019 
The MoeGamer 2019 Awards: The “Are You Lost?” Award - The MoeGamer Awards are a series of “alternative” awards I’ve devised in collaboration with the community to celebrate the sorts of things that never get celebrated in end-of-year roundups! Find out more here — and feel free to leave a suggestion on that post if you have any good ideas! — The next award comes courtesy of … Continue reading The MoeGamer 2019 Awards: The “Are You Lost?” Award 
New Game Plus: Iron Giant (Finale) – Atelier Rorona DX #20 - It’s time for the grand finale of our Atelier Rorona DX playthrough! My “ambition” for this particular run has been to achieve the Adventurer ending, which requires you to get Rorona and Cordelia to level 50, then defeat the Iron Giant superboss in the depths of the Orthogalaxen dungeon. Did I pull it off? Well, … Continue reading New Game Plus: Iron Giant (Finale) – Atelier Rorona DX #20 New Game Plus: Pepped Up – Atelier Rorona DX #18 - Rorona’s trials and tribulations will be coming to an end within the next episode or so, but in the meantime there’s still plenty to be getting on with! Specifically, as we’re getting towards the end of the game, I wanted to look at making some top-notch healing items. One of the best things you can … Continue reading New Game Plus: Pepped Up – Atelier Rorona DX #18 New Game Plus: Night’s Domain – Atelier Rorona DX #16 - How tough is our girl Rorona? Only tough enough to fell both a dragon and a demon in a single expedition, that’s how tough! In this week’s installment of our New Game Plus run through Atelier Rorona DX, we find ourselves exploring Night’s Domain, a dungeon at the northernmost tip of Arland that is somewhat… mysterious and … Continue reading New Game Plus: Night’s Domain – Atelier Rorona DX #16 New Game Plus: King and Knight – Atelier Rorona DX #15 - We’re into the third and final year of Rorona’s assignments in our New Game Plus run through Atelier Rorona DX, and some interesting mysteries are starting to be revealed about a bunch of characters. I’m really enjoying this run, as I’m seeing some scenes I’ve never seen before; the additional “free” time I have available … Continue reading New Game Plus: King and Knight – Atelier Rorona DX #15 New Game Plus: Closing Out Year 2 – Atelier Rorona DX #14 - It’s time to wrap up the second year of Rorona’s adventures with the final preparations for the next Annual Festival! Of course, New Game Plus Rorona got all the boring stuff done absolutely ages ago, vastly ahead of schedule as usual, so instead we take some time to continue exploring the Dark Woods and see … Continue reading New Game Plus: Closing Out Year 2 – Atelier Rorona DX #14 New Game Plus: Deep Water and Dark Forests – Atelier Rorona DX #13 - It’s time to check in on Rorona again! This time around, she has her hands not-so-full with preparing for the second Annual Festival of the game. As always, the head start that the New Game Plus bonuses afforded us means we can get the assignment out of the way very quickly, which leaves plenty of … Continue reading New Game Plus: Deep Water and Dark Forests – Atelier Rorona DX #13 New Game Plus: End of Summer – Atelier Rorona DX #12 - Summer’s drawing to a close in Arland just as it’s starting to get nice and warm for springtime here in the UK. Today our brave little alchemist takes on her toughest challenge yet: dealing with a comic misunderstanding involving a gentleman friend and her parents! Oh no! She also does a bit of alchemy and … Continue reading New Game Plus: End of Summer – Atelier Rorona DX #12 New Game Plus: Beat the Heat – Atelier Rorona DX #11 - It’s summer! At least it is in Arland. You know what that means: alchemical solutions to beat the heat! Of course, the astute among you will have already noticed that… oh, let’s leave that as a surprise, shall we? Today’s New Game Plus run continues with more alchemy, more one-hit kills, some boobs on proud … Continue reading New Game Plus: Beat the Heat – Atelier Rorona DX #11 New Game Plus: Mel Kishida Loves Stinky Feet – Atelier Rorona DX #10 - As with Wednesday’s Warriors Wednesday video, I thought I’d make an effort to drop in some vaguely interesting factoids into my video intros. As such, today you will learn that yes, indeed, Atelier Arland character designer Mel Kishida is indeed into stinky feet. But how is this relevant? Umm… Well… Oh, just watch it, will you? (And … Continue reading New Game Plus: Mel Kishida Loves Stinky Feet – Atelier Rorona DX #10 New Game Plus: Vultures-B-Gone – Atelier Rorona DX #9 - Our “second playthrough” adventures in the world of Atelier Rorona DX continue, this time with an important pest control job! It seems the Nearby Forest has been infested with vultures, and Rorona is clearly the right person to get rid of them. At least it’s a distraction from the myriad neuroses and mental scars Astrid … Continue reading New Game Plus: Vultures-B-Gone – Atelier Rorona DX #9 New Game Plus: Ghosts Don’t Have Feet – Atelier Rorona DX #8 - It’s time for our weekly visit to the kingdom of Arland, as our New Game Plus runthrough of Atelier Rorona DX on Nintendo Switch continues! We’re well into the game’s second year now, and all sorts of interesting things are happening. Rorona is still devastatingly overpowered, however; can no-one provide her with a decent fight? … Continue reading New Game Plus: Ghosts Don’t Have Feet – Atelier Rorona DX #8 New Game Plus: Replicating Ancient Tool – Atelier Rorona DX #5 - Get out your ancient tool, boys and girls, because Rorolina Frixell is most certainly going to replicate it good and proper! Yes, in today’s episode of New Game Plus, in which we are presently enjoying a second playthrough of Atelier Rorona DX on Nintendo Switch, we take on the poor overworked girl’s third assignment, which is somewhat … Continue reading New Game Plus: Replicating Ancient Tool – Atelier Rorona DX #5 
Seven Arbitrarily Chosen Things You’re Missing Out On If You’ve Been Operating Under the Mistaken Belief that JRPGs are “Dead” - It seems that every time we get a new Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy or Persona release, we have the same old “we’re having a JRPG renaissance!” discussion. Well, dear reader, with my coverage of Death End Re;Quest on the horizon at the time of writing and plenty more RPGs in our shared futures, I’m here … Continue reading Seven Arbitrarily Chosen Things You’re Missing Out On If You’ve Been Operating Under the Mistaken Belief that JRPGs are “Dead” New Game Plus: Time On Our Hands – Atelier Rorona DX #4 - Whew! Even with the chaotic week I’ve had (including a brief period of complete computer failure last weekend) I managed to get all my usual videos out on time. Go me. As always (well, usually, anyway), Friday plays host to New Game Plus, our weekly exploration of post-game content and New Game Plus modes. Currently, … Continue reading New Game Plus: Time On Our Hands – Atelier Rorona DX #4 New Game Plus: Creating Explosives – Atelier Rorona DX #3 - When returning to a game for a second playthrough, it’s always incredibly satisfying when you manage to complete an objective well ahead of “schedule”. Despite only certain things carrying over to a New Game Plus run in the various incarnations of Atelier Rorona, you can still bash out a lot of the early game content very easily, … Continue reading New Game Plus: Creating Explosives – Atelier Rorona DX #3 New Game Plus: Furaipan Da Yo – Atelier Rorona DX #2 - Our (re)adventures in Atelier Rorona DX continue! Now we’ve finished the first assignment in this New Game Plus run, what’s next? Well, there are plenty of options. Complete some quests, go out exploring, craft some items, make some materials and turn them into weapons and armour, fill out a bingo card, buy some beehives… Hit … Continue reading New Game Plus: Furaipan Da Yo – Atelier Rorona DX #2 New Game Plus: Producing Sundries – Atelier Rorona DX #1 - It’s time for a new series of New Game Plus, in which I take a game I’ve already beaten and explore its postgame content and/or New Game Plus modes. With the Atelier Arland Cover Game feature now done and dusted, that would seem like an ideal time to immediately revisit those games and see what happens on … Continue reading New Game Plus: Producing Sundries – Atelier Rorona DX #1 
Waifu Wednesday: Mimi Houllier von Schwarzlang - Continuing Atelier’s proud tradition of having a number of characters with delightfully flamboyant, somewhat Germanic names, I give to you Mimi Houllier von Schwarzlang. First introduced in Atelier Totori and subsequently explored further in Atelier Meruru, Mimi is a delightful character to be around. She’s also a great example of how the Arland trilogy as a whole makes … Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Mimi Houllier von Schwarzlang 
Waifu Wednesday: Pamela Ibis - One of the earliest “non-human” character types I feel like I developed a bit of a “thing” for was the humble ghost. Aside from occasional arguments with my wife over whether or not they are technically “undead” (they absolutely are), I’ve always found the concept of life beyond death fascinating for a variety of reasons. … Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Pamela Ibis 
Waifu Wednesday: Esty - There’s a lot of hoo-hah about “representation” in games right now from various sources, tending to lead to arguments between people who don’t think it matters and people who think it is more important than absolutely anything in the whole wide world. For the most part, I tend to stay out of these discussions because … Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Esty 
The MoeGamer Podcast: Episode 16 – Welcome to 2019! - Pete and Chris see in 2019 in style with a discussion of their most anticipated games of the coming year. Plus the usual news and "what we've been playing" discussion.
Waifu Wednesday: Cordelia von Feuerbach - We’ll be discussing the titular protagonists of the Atelier Arland trilogy in detail throughout the main Cover Game feature, so I wanted to give a bit of love to some of the secondary characters. And what better place to begin than with the rather grandiosely named Cordelia von Feuerbach: lover of frilly yet practical dresses, … Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Cordelia von Feuerbach 
Atelier Rorona Plus: The Nicest Game You’ll Play This Summer - Ponder, if you will, the most common criticisms of the video games medium as a whole. The things that make people roll their eyes and exasperatedly say “videogames” (with no space); the things that inspire endless op-eds by well-known games journalists that ask that eternal question: why aren’t things any better? Games, these critics say, are worryingly homogeneous; … Continue reading Atelier Rorona Plus: The Nicest Game You’ll Play This Summer Gallery
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland
Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland
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