40 days in Totori's Life

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 Arland) is the management meta-game. Everything takes time. Few things earn Cole. Party members take days and days to heal if they get beaten.

While requests are optional, upping Totori's adventurer rank is not. There is a significant overlap between these two (with some exceptions, taking up requests will fulfill rank-raising challenges).

This lends peculiar gravitas to slice of life, day-at-at-time, happy go lucky adventuring. But also doesn't make Atelier Totori a hard game. 

Another key difference is that Totori doesn't ordinarily raise story flags. In this regard, how the flags trigge is a little mysterious, but I feel they're just (loosely) speaking a by product of personal growth (and all that this entails).

While this may not end well (as I have no idea where it's headed) it has been, until now, a smooth experience.