Atelier Totori - An adventurer at last!

 Right after getting my adventurer license, I returned to find some requests expiring. Time to get to work!

Dropped a request. Moved out without on-boarding pals and got a good beating (but made out safely). Then completed 3 or 4 quests within an hour. The map expanded tremendously but didn't find time to explore (also, weary of encounters). Visiting the shop, realized I didn't have to drop the rock salt quest after all. Oh, and Rorona visited while I was away, and dropped me a recipe book. Bombs! Bombs are the frontier.

Being busy, and having no need for one, I did not make a bomb.

Time management is not doing

Just an hour on the clock but this fourth session (3 hours in at the start) has been eventful with 3-5 cut-scenes filling about 50% of play time.

Definitely checking my schedule now, because:

  • Aside from requests, need to up adventuring rank. 
  • A larger map means both longer travel (2 days to nearest) and opportunities for optimizing.
Overall "actual play" has been straightforward. Choice was around dropping or postponing requests, not goofing, not exploring, not experimenting. 

But this has been a well storied experience and the time management constraint also means not worrying one bit about a main storyline (there isn't one in sight. Need up adventuring rank, period).

As with other atelier games (Sophie, Firis come to mind immediately) resource management paces exploration. Or rather it is now begging exploration - be it of alchemy (good cooking takes time) or the map.

Soft gating exploration using resources feels organic. The resource management problem also distracts from lesser aspects of the game (small, repetitive maps, simple graphics). However deadlines are not needed to soft-gate, nor do they compliment a chill experience.

As a result, every one except Totori are coming across as laid back...

I did mention "simple graphics" but although the 3D is simple, visuals in Totori feel fresh in 2022, and the art really makes good of technical and budget constraints.

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