Stuffy Day, Stuffy Night.

[leene_chan]

Springtime is Allergy Time! I always get the sniffles when the pollen count is high. My allergies have never been severe enough to warrant taking prescription medication, but...I could really use a cup of tea! Too bad I've already had four today!

Since I finished Lilie and gave Rorona the middle finger for the near future, I decided to indulge myself and play more of my favorite Atelier games. First I played Elie, with the intention of earning the True Ending (I got the Meister Rank Ending the first time). I printed out a forty page FAQ, played hard for a week and FAILED. I got the Meister Rank Ending again. =_= I fulfilled all the requirements except having my Alchemy Level at 45. It was at 43... It is so hard to get your Alchemy Level up in that game, because Elie tires very easily! I probably wasted too much time trying to build up her Affection Points with Marie. I still enjoyed playing the game, but I was disappointed in the end. They really make it difficult for you to see the extras in Elie. I was playing the PS2 port, and they don't even let you save the still pictures and movies in an archive at the end like in the other games. Oh well, the original game did come out in 1998, after all...

Then I replayed Atelier Violet (Violate, if you must) with the intention of earning the True Ending. I played the game twice before; first I got the Normal Ending, then I got the Teacher Ending. This time, I succeeded in earning the best ending. ^o^ I figured out how to cheat the system by making a highest quality Air Drop and Cheesecake and registering them at the shop in Karotte Village (once I reached Town Level). I just kept buying them back in groups of ten and reselling them in my shop, along with the free wine I picked up from Clarissa (the giant wine barrel in the second town) that I allowed to age to perfection over the course of 6 months. The requirements for the True Ending a.k.a. the Vio Runs Off Into The Sunset With Eisel Ending are to have your shop at level 18 (mine was maxed out at level 20), your Alchemy Level and Adventurer Level at 40 or higher, your Affection Points with Eisel maxed out, and your Popularity at each town at 95 percent or higher (mine was at 100). Phew! Maybe I really did cheat. Or did I just strategize? That game has quite the learning curve, but I finished it thinking that maybe it really is the best one of the series. It has the best soundtrack, and because you can actually run around in the gathering areas and dungeons, it never gets boring.

I won the first two auctions but in the end, Rodefried earned the most money. One time I auctioned off a highest quality Aroma Bottle only to be outsmarted by bitchy rich girl Bridget, who auctioned off her house for 20,000 col. o_o

So now, I rank the Atelier games I've played in this order: Violet>Lilie>Elie>Marie>>>>>>>>Rorona>Annie>Judie.

I haven't finished those last three games. I think they all suck.

Comments

[cortarr.livejournal.com]

Where does Atelier Iris fit in all this? I read they are unlike what came before and after them! I also like the name Atelier Violate but no one else may want to buy a game that is already telling the owner they are going to be thrown to the lions! I do admire your long term love to this series, right now I can't think out any I'm really that into, unless you count non video games. I'm in love with Moomin much

[leene-chan.livejournal.com]

Atelier Iris was Gust's attempt at making a mainstream RPG with elements of the Atelier series, with more of an emphasis on battles and story (though it is an SNES-grade story) as opposed to item creation and simulation. The main character in each of the three Iris games is male, probably to make it appeal to a wider audience.

I'm only familiar with the first Iris game. I guess it's all right, if you aren't expecting much. The problem is that Gust games have always had not-so-great graphics and battle systems. That's fine for a niche game, but when they try to make a more traditional RPG those flaws really pose a problem!

The traditional Atelier games, with the exception of Judie (which was its fatal flaw) all have time limits. You have to accomplish as much as you can within a fixed period, and the events you trigger and the ending you earn depends on what you do. I love games with time limits because the extra pressure makes it so that you never get bored. You can accomplish a lot even within 30 minutes of gameplay! It's easy to get addicted to that kind of game, at least for me.

There's nothing wrong with loving Moomin! ^_^ In spite of its weirdness and cranky characters, there's such a peaceful, natural atmosphere to the series. Just thinking about it can put you in a serene mood, I think.