Atelier - A Diary

  After "inheriting" my mother's Atelier, I felt pressured. But also I was short of cash so I did a few quests on the side. Then I decided to focus on inventing a stronger bomb to blow a big door. To a point I was left to my own devices, and had to figure it out on my own... almost. I'm not going to tell you what we found behind the door. Never mind that, I'm off to just battling more monsters and crafting more stuff. Nearing 20 hours play, Atelier Lulua got into its own. It is signposted, but also, Lulua has friends everywhere and much stuff to do. Then the signposting suddenly arrows back to the core loop. Unsubtle, perhaps. As an exploration device the Alchemyriddle has not grown on me. As a narrative device, it partakes building a ghost plot where the main character are guided by an invisible hand. The joke is always on Lulua, and that's okay. Unsure whether the game is approaching its mid-way milestone (was that it? If so the Galaxens have been very sile

After some mandatory preparation (fluff about unlocking effects during synthesis) Lulua finally decided she was ready to confront the red dragon with supposedly much higher quality Craft (non elemental bombs).  I was not convinced.  We gave it a shot and got him/her down to 1000/2500 HP before getting barbecued. Time to think more strategically. We put Lulu and Piana in support, and traded offensives for heals in their "infinity slots". But Lulu decided to start at the front anyway, cause Tri-Bloom (some defense buff + slow MP regen; likely 3 turns worth). Although that could have been a react, we got a rough opening with Eva going down in the first round. Initially I replaced her with Piana. Piana functioned as the team's pillar, mainly used to apply a single target defense buff over and over on a rota; after exhausting MP she just replenished (barely) from some orange potion. After a couple of turns noticed physicals did trigger a react, so I just put Aurel at the back

 A lot happened. I visited Arland again, raised my rank to Iron and visited Rorona's Atelier. I met a blacksmith and a cook. Both are familiar with Sensei. There is also a shy girl who handle requests in Arland. So I decided to stick around, improve my alchemy chops, and get battle proven. Yes! I really got fired up, defeated the Griffon at Traveler's Path (x2) and learned how to make ice bombs.  Raised my rank again (now Bronze) in no time! Did get our asses handsomely handed back to ourselves, which prompted a trip back home (cause I needed some medicinal root, not that there's another way to heal except staying in bed). Siss appears lonely; it's true that I don't come back so often. Am I becoming more like Mama? Indeed one kink is bothering me, and my license card echoes the unease: I have been so busy becoming an adventurer, that I spent literally no time looking for Mama. The license points are distributed between 4 categories - exploring, battling, requests an

Spoilers? Totori When the map exploded with new locations. Then, when Totori said "I should go back to Arland" and I indulged in journeying on foot (and the game let me, even though they'd just gallantly restored the carriage feature) so I could (well earned privilege) explore more of the new locations. Shallie - the music, whereupon an itch set in that eventually got me to purchase the game. Sophie   When I realized that things were happening to other characters in the story world, without the PC being the primary agent of change. When I stumbled on a scripted event in a gathering area (just like any other, not marked with a star) When a humble request unlocked a key character. When I got to do whatever I wanted, while waiting for all my craft-pals to ready Plachta's parts. Firis When I almost felt the bivouac mechanic was almost working, and realized I could go anywhere and challenge any boss almost from the get go (although, the game really gives a reason not to, b

After a comical episode involving the Puni Rangers, Lulua's crew have arrived in Arland. Time to renew Rorona's license. Atelier Lulua is definitely in the sweet spot in lots of ways. Playing hard mode (not even sure how I switched... just kind of happened) it quickly consolidated as a laid back journey with as much back and forth as I wish (cause no time limits, and quest boards in every town). So, wait... is it a journey? Or darting around? Lulua occasionally locks in: once in Arland, apparently we have to stay in Arland until we're done with it. In all, I started Atelier Lulua and Atelier Totori almost at the same time. I spent twice as much time with Lulua but, frankly speaking, it is simply a prettier, better produced game. Spending more time with Lulua , I also found time to get bored. In Totori, game time however weightless is such as scarce resource that there is literally no time for that (The thumb sized area maps also don't consistently register bad, because

Picking up wherever I left it, I found myself with a few requests to fulfill and a month to go. I looked up the map. Gathering locations, monsters... taking note of everything, we set out adventuring. Our party got badly mauled by Audras. Back in town, while nobility was recovering, I got back to my cauldron and carefully crafted some items. Items to fulfill requests. Items for battles; healing salves. Also... I nearly got trampled by a giant Audra. Then we set out again. We ventured three maps away from town! Almost a first. With a few days to spare I carefully picked a few more ingredients. Then, back to Gerhart and time to report. At Pamela, I reinvested hard earned Cole into recipe books. In Totori (similar to most Atelier games) requests are somewhat optional and the main reason to bother is Cole. There almost isn't another way to get rich (or, as it stands, eke a meager living and purchase text books. One key difference between Atelier Totori and other Atelier games (since A