Author Topic: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!  (Read 5318 times)

Ruka

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Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« on: March 18, 2016, 09:17:17 PM »
RIP my wallet. Going to get both LE and Vita versions because I don't own a PS4 and the LE is hella beautiful.



Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISIRkcjdDlA


Jq1790

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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2016, 11:37:12 PM »
One:  This reminds me I need to finish Meruru sometime.

Two:  I don't have a PS4 either and holy crap I want that LE too.
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Ghaleon

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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2016, 03:40:31 AM »
I tried the original Atelier Rorona shortly after playing the @%#%@# out of Reccettear and...I kinda thought Reccettear was better in virtually every way. Granted the combat system was completely different, so you can't really say better per say, but I thought it had a pretty average action-rpg style battle system, while Rorona had a really really bare bones turn based rpg combat style.

I kinda am re-interested in the Atelier series though because it has had more than a few iterations since I last played it, and I never really heard of any of them doing anything to piss fans off, so any potential improvements must have been objectively good right? right?

Basically... is it worth trying the newer atelier games if I was disappointed with rorona? Contrary to what I hear other people who didn't like it voice, the whole timed quest thing didn't bother me (actually I kinda liked it, it made even minor progress/loot beyond what is needed feel sweeter). In fact I don't think anything about the game was bad, it was all pretty decent, but...that's just it. I thought everything was decent and not really anything stood out to hold the game up past decent (for me personally).
« Last Edit: March 19, 2016, 03:44:15 AM by Ghaleon »

Ruka

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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2016, 04:38:52 AM »
Rorona admittedly was an experiment from a 2D era to 3D. It's definitely not what I'd recommend people to start on. Totori, which I started on, was a decent start for me but left me wanting more. Meruru, the last of that trilogy, is a good place to start if you want something that encompasses the essence of what an Atelier game is: exploration, adventure, and of course alchemy. The battles are a bonus. Those are what I would call the Arland series.

The Dusk series, the most recent ones localized, are a bit grittier in terms of subject matter and gameplay and reach a bit into Mana Khemia for inspiration. Ayesha is bit of a prototype in terms of feel, but it's not a bad thing. It gets you started into what the Dusk series is about, more action, a dying world, and a little more complex alchemy than Arland. Escha/Logy expands on the battle aspect while trying something different with carried items and adding another layer to the alchemy. I recommend this as a starter. Shallie, the last of the Dusk series, goes full out Mana Khemia in terms of battle and the fights get harder quickly. The alchemy again gets another layer added to it, but I feel it's familiar enough if you've gone through the Dusk series.

Keep in mind that the soul of Atelier is the item crafting, characters, art, and individual settings. The battles are series/arc specific in terms of style and development. I say that because Sophie seems to have taken a step back and made the battle system simpler compared to Dusk. I just hope there's an element of strategy in it to give it a needed bite that Dusk offered.

In short, yes, do try other Atelier games. Rorona is definitely not a good representative, though its remake does redeem it a little. The series as a whole has gotten much better as time goes by.


Zerviscos

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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2016, 07:21:11 AM »
I'm running out of zeni here, I'm earning up for a Persona 5 and a FFXV CE whenever they come out, AND THIS COMES IN.




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Ionasal kkll Solciel

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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #5 on: March 19, 2016, 08:37:27 AM »
If you ever go back to Rorona, do yourself a favor and play Rorona Plus instead. It updates the battle and alchemy systems to that of Meruru's, and streamlines a bunch of stuff. (Of course, this just makes Totori the odd girl out now, but what can you do?)

Also, MUST GET LE HOLY CRAP.

(Also also, it sounds like Christine Marie Cabanos [Nepgear, Madoka, etc.] is playing the role of Sophie.)
« Last Edit: March 19, 2016, 08:51:04 AM by Ionasal kkll Solciel »
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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #6 on: March 19, 2016, 12:10:54 PM »
If you ever go back to Rorona, do yourself a favor and play Rorona Plus instead. It updates the battle and alchemy systems to that of Meruru's, and streamlines a bunch of stuff. (Of course, this just makes Totori the odd girl out now, but what can you do?)
Played the original Rorona after Totori came out...well atleast, IMO, it wasn't as horrible as the original Neptunia. :V



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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2016, 08:10:26 PM »
I'm waiting for the Plus version to come out because I haven't completely beat Ayesha yet (saved my sister, though!) and haven't even touched Study of Escha.

Hope ♦ Metal

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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #8 on: March 20, 2016, 05:44:36 PM »
The only thing I vaguely know about this series is that the item crafting system is apparently really deep? I only heard a little in a Best Friends Play video, but I don't remember which one. Anyway, I think it could be interesting, but due to being a PC peasant I don't know if any of the games were ported (research is for lazy people), and I want to avoid a repeat of Buying A Game Console To Play One Game, but getting a PS4 might not be so bad because at least then I could play other games like Bloodborne, Destiny (ew FPS aiming with thumbsticks) or even Ys VIII eventually maybe.
« Last Edit: March 24, 2016, 06:44:34 PM by Hope ♦ Metal »

notverycreative

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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #9 on: March 24, 2016, 03:31:23 AM »
Quote
while Rorona had a really really bare bones turn based rpg combat style.
The PS3 Atelier games are alchemy simulators first and RPGs second. I guess "time-management simulator" is first-and-a-half, aside from Shallie. With a side order of FRICKING GORGEOUS.

I'm...not very good at them. I'm really bad at time management and my main experience with the Gust alchemy RPGs was Mana-Khemia and the first two Ar Tonelicos, so I'm not prepared for this sort of thing at all. I'm sure I'd like them more if I sucked less, but the odds of that happening are slim.
I need an option, a reason, and some hope.

Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #10 on: March 24, 2016, 04:00:29 AM »
The PS3 Atelier games are alchemy simulators first and RPGs second. I guess "time-management simulator" is first-and-a-half, aside from Shallie. With a side order of FRICKING GORGEOUS.

I'm...not very good at them. I'm really bad at time management and my main experience with the Gust alchemy RPGs was Mana-Khemia and the first two Ar Tonelicos, so I'm not prepared for this sort of thing at all. I'm sure I'd like them more if I sucked less, but the odds of that happening are slim.
The time management for the newer Atelier games isn't that bad: it's rough at the beginning, especially for the ones with periodic deadlines, but after you get used to the games and create items to help you out it's quite manageable. Ayesha is especially kind about this, as it doesn't have multiple deadlines like the others do.

Jq1790

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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #11 on: March 24, 2016, 05:02:35 AM »
In my replay of Meruru to get a real ending I'm finding the deadlines so far to be actually helpful in that they help me keep a handle on how well I'm doing so I can figure out if I seem to be on the right track with things, I dunno.

So, some of the Ateliers DON'T have deadlines/time limits?  Interesting.  Meruru is my first so I had no idea.
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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #12 on: March 24, 2016, 10:49:36 AM »
So, some of the Ateliers DON'T have deadlines/time limits?  Interesting.  Meruru is my first so I had no idea.
As far as I know all of the Ateliers have time limits. However, what Ayesha doesn't have is the whole "x number of item y is due in z days", it just has "complete the game in three years".

Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #13 on: March 24, 2016, 03:23:23 PM »
The Atelier Iris games don't have time limits.

The Mana Khemia games, while the story does take place over a time period, lets you do farming and synthesis without any time passing(outside of the day/night system where the monsters became a lot more OP at night in the first game), with it only actually passing during story or character quests.


Atelier Shallie doesn't have it either. Not sure whether this one is going to be timed either.

I've only played Mana Khemia 1 (never finished the bonus dungeon), Ayesha (got platinum trophy), and Escha/Logy. I still need to get back to Escha/Logy and finish it someday.

Ionasal kkll Solciel

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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #14 on: March 25, 2016, 07:54:40 AM »
The two DS games (Liese and Annie) were the roughest in terms of timings (in terms of games released after the series' US debut). Even though the scheduling is a lot like Rorona's (Do this in four months, and if you could make it specifically, you can get a larger reward), time constantly passed while you were out in the field, meaning a single map location could take you a literal in-game month to gather everything, go kill a few Puni, and get back to the atelier. Really, Annie was relatively easy in the early game (Punis who could wipe the party easily aside); it was the latter half that became troublesome - with requests like "Kill a Rock Puni, but while you're at it, synthesize a weapon it's weak to, oh, and by the way, the item you need to make that weapon strong against the Puni requires you to be Adventurer Level 20 to find (but we're not telling you that or where it is)," or "Make this one very specific item that requires a bunch of other synthesized items to make, and if you could make more than one, that'd be great."

Really, the time management part only really affected me in Annie, since a good early-game strategy in most other Ateliers is to Gather and kill as much as you can in each map (Meruru in particular emphasizes killing everything, as that's what allows you to access more maps; Ayesha recommends this due to her particular stat progression system), which keeps you flush with materials and Adventure Level; synthesize anything new within your current Alchemy Level (new crafts give you more XP, remaining within your level keeps your success chance at 100%) to not only raise your Alchemy Level, but get a wide variety of items you can use to synthesize into other things; give heavy priority to accessories that can reduce the time spent out on the field or Synthesizing; and keep a ready supply of decent healing and attack items.
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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #15 on: March 25, 2016, 11:03:39 AM »
You make me discover those games. I don't play a lot of japanese RPG, I'm more in the Ultima series of games.

The french name take my attention and the gameplay look interesting.

Else, the collectors edition look pretty and I'm just too weak in face of a pretty box (collector soul).

I'll check the release of this game !

Zerviscos

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Re: Atelier Sophie: Don't do this to me, Gust!
« Reply #16 on: March 25, 2016, 04:26:41 PM »
Sometimes I'm glad some new people doesn't suffer the same fate we, players who played the first few mishaps of most somewhat mediocre companies' jrpgs that transitioned to the 3D era in the PS3.
Then again, I don't think they wouldn't do the same mistakes that make moe jrpgs suffer all the same throughout.



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