Line #16 VideoGame/AtelierMeruruTheApprenticeOfArland


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Meruru_523.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: ''Even when the curtain rolls down someday, I'll still be a princess''\
3	''But maybe I'd like to try looking out for a bit of a different future again, you know?'']]
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5	->''I'm the princess around here! But... Well, not that I'm complaining, but my life does lack a certain excitement. I'd always dreamed about the big magical world outside the castle walls... and I wanted to see it for myself.''\
6	''And one day I came across something wonderful, that would turn my dream into a reality...''
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8	''Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland'' is the thirteenth mainline entry in Creator/GustCorporation's ''[[VideoGame/AtelierSeries Atelier]]'' series and the third in its "Arland" subseries, released in 2011 for the Platform/PlayStation3. It follows up directly one year after the ending of ''VideoGame/AtelierTotoriTheAdventurerOfArland'' and is the final game in the "Arland trilogy" (but [[TrilogyCreep not the final one in the subseries]]).
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10	The [[MicroMonarchy small kingdom]] of Arls is currently planning a merger with the Arland Republic, and there are tons of development tasks that need to be done before it'll be ready. While all of this is happening, the kingdom's RebelliousPrincess Merurulince Rede Arls ([[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname who would really prefer it if you called her "Meruru"]]) sneaks out of the castle and meets alchemist [[VideoGame/AtelierTotoriTheAdventurerOfArland Totooria "Totori" Helmold]], who had been sent from Arland in order to help with the merger. Meruru is fascinated by alchemy and starts studying under Totori, only to find that [[FantasyForbiddingFather her father is vehemently against it]] and wants her to focus on her royal duties instead. Thus, they strike a compromise: Meruru will need to use her alchemy to develop the kingdom and get it to reach 30,000 people within three years, or else she will be forced to give up on her dreams. Now devoting her alchemy towards helping her subjects, Meruru starts growing into the role of a leader as the end of her kingdom's monarchy draws closer.
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12	The game takes place over five years, with the first three being dedicated to Meruru's goal of increasing the kingdom's population. The general [[TimeManagementGame time management flow]] is a mix between the assignment system used in ''[[VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland Rorona]]'' with the more flexible global time limit from ''[[VideoGame/AtelierTotoriTheAdventurerOfArland Totori]]'', and gameplay builds off both games while adding some extra polish, with features that would become staples in later games such as [[CombatantCooldownSystem wait time]], trait merging, and [[InsertSong vocal insert songs]]. While it was originally planned as the GrandFinale of the Arland subseries (hence its large number of returning characters), director Yoshito Okamura [[https://archive.is/20130501130832/http://mantan-web.jp/2011/07/24/20110723dog00m200009000c.html admitted that the ending didn't really come off like a finale]] and that a future follow-up might be in order; nevertheless, it was still treated as the end of a trilogy with the following game ''[[VideoGame/AtelierAyeshaTheAlchemistOfDusk Ayesha]]'' moving on to an AlternateContinuity, but the suggested follow-up finally came to fruition with ''[[VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland Atelier Lulua]]'' eight years later.
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14	An English version of ''Meruru'' was released in 2012, with the original version of the game being the final ''Atelier'' game to be localized by [[Creator/NipponIchi NIS America]] prior to the switch to Creator/KoeiTecmo taking the reins. An UpdatedRerelease for the Platform/PlaystationVita, ''Atelier Meruru Plus'', was released in 2013, featuring some balance adjustments, added costumes, an UpgradedBoss system, onboarded DLC, and a new GoldenEnding to address one of the most controversial parts of the story. Another release based on ''Plus'', ''Atelier Meruru DX'', was released in 2018 as part of the ''Atelier Arland Series Deluxe Pack'' for Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/NintendoSwitch, and Platform/{{Steam}}, with some minor adjustments and a SequelHook serving as an early teaser for ''[[VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland Lulua]]''.
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16	A novel containing short stories with the characters titled ''Atelier Meruru: The 3 Alchemists'' was released in 2013.
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18	----
19	!!''Atelier Lulua'' contains examples of:
20	* AbsurdlySharpBlade: A gameplay example, regardless of equipped weapon. Sterk's [[ShoutOut Gaia Breaker]] skill copies a slew of action only found in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars''' games, and the camera shows him having cut the enemy sky high before the moon behind him is [[DetonationMoon slashed in half]], exploding in HotBlooded glory.
21	* AffectionateParody: Meruru's [[ExpositoryThemeTune boss battle theme song]], "Alchemy Girl Meruru's Song", is made to resemble a theme that would be dedicated to an early Heisei-era [[{{Toku}} tokusatsu]] hero (with even a vocal version available if you talk to the right NPC). Totori's "Chim Rangers" ensemble is also a parody of the {{Sentai}} genre.
22	* AllYourPowersCombined: The CentralTheme of the game. Meruru goes from only wanting to practice alchemy because she thinks it's fun and cool to coming to understand its main goal of "helping people", becoming a leader who can get everyone to chip in with their own abilities to work together.
23	* AmbidextrousSprite: Like in the two previous games, the 2D dialogue sprites are flipped horizontally when placed on the left side of the screen. This ends up being even more glaring than it was in ''[[VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland Rorona]]'', because Meruru has a [[BadassCape very conspicuous rainbow cape]] that the player will be seeing on the wrong side for much of the game.
24	* AndTheAdventureContinues:
25	** During the finale of the game, Dessier says that he knows this isn't the end, since Arls, now part of the Arland Republic, has a bright future. Meruru expresses a similar sentiment, and the ending the player had achieved will depict what happened after. Notably, it was because of this that the director admitted the ending wasn't really any different from that of the average Atelier game and that it hadn't fulfilled its originally intended role as a GrandFinale.
26	** The DX version, which was released to promote ''[[VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland Lulua]]'', adds a SequelHook that says this almost word-for-word.
27	* AntiFrustrationFeatures: Compared to previous games, the menus have quality-of-life updates that enable players to check for ongoing requests and where to find certain kinds of materials and enemies, making schedule-balancing much more convenient. In particular, the event system will also let events run if the area you're headed to would pass through the area where the event triggers, making it much easier to not accidentally miss them.
28	* ArtisticAge:
29	** The game takes place over five in-universe years, but none of the characters will show any signs of aging. This is par for the course with time-limit Atelier games requiring GameplayAndStorySegregation, but it's notable in the case of ''Meruru'' because of how many events center around the Potion of Youth subplot that's supposed to be messing with everyone's physical ages, and art portraying Meruru after the finale of her game was inconsistent on what she should look like until ''[[VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland Lulua]]'' finally gave her an updated design.
30	** Character designer Mel Kishida admitted that he struggled with designing the characters across the series in a way that would show them aging at the right pace, so Esty (despite all her OldMaid concerns) [[OlderThanTheyLook could still pass for a 20-year-old]] despite being 40, and the similarly-aged Sterk still looks like a PrettyBoy, whereas Gio [[YoungerThanTheyLook looks a lot more grizzled than you'd think]] relative to what he looked like in ''[[VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland Rorona]]''. With all this in mind, Kishida joked that people in Arland probably go through RapidAging somewhere around their fifties.
31	* BishieSparkle: Some characters will sport this after a fight, but the most notable mention goes to Mimi, since hers is accompanied by an offscreen breeze of ''rose petals''. Rufus has his own version with blue petals.
32	* BlindIdiotTranslation: While it's generally not a problem for the game's dialogue, the gameplay text has a noticeably high number of typos and errors throughout the English versions of ''Plus'' and ''DX''. Some of the item effects still reference percentages from the original game when those numbers were rebalanced for ''Plus'', and some are just [[InconsistentDub inconsistently translated versions of the same thing]]. This can cause problems with development, because the game will ask for items with traits that don't exist; for example, in ''Plus'', one item will apparently need the "Well-Crafted" trait, but the actual trait necessary will be what was called "Hand-Crafted" in the original, and another task will ask for an item with "the ultimate trait" that's actually referring to the "Finest Goods" trait from the original version, which absolutely nobody would think of as "the ultimate trait" without some real InsaneTrollLogic.
33	* TheCameo: Since ''Meruru'' was originally conceived of as a GrandFinale, on top of including more returning characters than new ones, it also crams in some cameos in the opening movie and some [=CGs=] just to give them a nod to their role in the subseries.
34	* CallBack: Mimi's character event climax directly references Cordelia's in ''[[VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland Rorona]]'', right down to the [[spoiler:handmade necklace and recipient crying in gratitude]].
35	* CallForward: ''DX'' includes an extra scene taking place right after the "About Time" ending depicting Astrid making a Dragon Hourglass that Totori and Meruru accidentally drop, resulting in them getting thrown into the past. The scene is there to lead into the previously-released Overtime section of ''[[VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland Rorona Plus]]'', which had involved a time-traveling Totori and Meruru meeting Rorona after a mishap with Astrid's Dragon Hourglass.
36	* ChildhoodFriends: [[TwoGirlsAndAGuy Meruru, Keina, and Lias]]. Filly takes the opportunity to imagine a LoveTriangle between them, but they're actually completely neutral with each other.
37	* CombatantCooldownSystem: This was the first game to properly introduce this to the battle system, with "wait time" being applied to items as well. Taking wait time into account when crafting and using items can make or break a battle.
38	* CombinationAttack: After Meruru uses an attack item, her companions can follow-up with attacks, followed by her unleashing the thrown item's hidden power, then followed by one normal combination attack before channeling the thrown item's ''real'' hidden power, maxing such items' use up to three.
39	* CutenessProximity:
40	** Other than the fact that there's not really anything anyone can do about it until Astrid comes up with something, this is the reason Rorona getting stuck as an 8-year-old is considered a low priority for everyone, because they think she's so cute they want to dote on her.
41	** People also tend to have this reaction to the Chims and Homs, although Totori is still the strongest about it.
42	* DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: As with Atelier standard, getting a TotalPartyKill in battle just sends you back to the atelier with some lost items, but by itself, that would still usually be enough to get the player to reload the game so they can get back their lost time. ''Meruru'' adds a decoration that will let you start over at the exact same location anyway, only leaving everyone at 1 health, making it practically trivial.
43	* DenserAndWackier: Not that the previous games weren't already dense and wacky, but ''Meruru'' is noticeably more comedic in tone than any of the other Arland games and arguably most Atelier games as a whole. Even ''[[VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland Rorona]]'', probably the only competitor as to how much BlackComedy there could be, was noticeably less aggressive about ComedicSociopathy and was usually more laid-back or even somber at times. In contrast, much of ''Meruru''[='=]s story devotes itself to putting its cast in absurd situations and watching them bounce off each other, with the ''[[VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland Rorona]]'' characters being subject to significant {{Flanderization}} to match the tone, and the closest thing to a particularly dramatic plotline would be the subplot about Sofra and Airshatter, which is still treated more lightly than what one would find in ''[[VideoGame/AtelierTotoriTheAdventurerOfArland Totori]]'' or ''[[VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland Lulua]]''.
44	* DownloadableContent: In the original version, [[BattleButler Rufus]], Hanna, and [[CuteGhostGirl Pamela]] are paid DLC party members, with a few extra scenes added if you take them to certain map locations. A post-game BonusDungeon, Makina Domain, was also added as free DLC. These were all included by default in the ''Plus'' and ''DX'' versions.
45	* FailedASpotCheck: It was already one thing that most people besides Sterk couldn't recognize "[[PaperThinDisguise Masked G]]" as Gio back in ''[[VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland Rorona]]'', but ''Meruru'' takes it even further by having even Meruru herself not recognize her own "Uncle Gio" despite him even popping up suspiciously right after "Masked G" had just scolded her.
46	* {{Fanservice}}: While the Atelier series (especially the Arland subseries) was no stranger to throwing in a few infamous events here and there or being outlandish about its merch, ''Meruru'' was the game that kicked it up a heavy notch with its events and especially its [=CGs=], including one where Hanna's breasts are only ''barely'' covered by her arm and two [[HotSpringsEpisode hot springs]] events where everyone is depicted naked with minimal amounts of CensorSteam. It was significant enough for the CERO ratings board to force Gust to suspend shipments while it upped its rating from A (all-ages) to B (12+), and in the West, the two hot springs [=CGs=] became so conflated with the reputation of the series that an infamous image calling it "steamy" circulated around for several years to play up how supposedly suggestive Atelier games were, despite the fact that the HotSpringsEpisode isn't exactly a common occurence in it.
47	* {{Flanderization}}: The game exaggerates the ''Rorona'' characters' most well-known traits to the point Sterk is obsessed with knighthood to HotBlooded degrees (compared to his previous characterization treating him as NotSoAboveItAll at most), Esty is perpetually fixated on escaping her OldMaid status, and Astrid is constantly a {{Jerkass}} {{Troll}} to her disciples with fewer HiddenDepths compared to what she showed in ''Rorona''. While some of it can be chalked up to circumstance, most of it is probably due to ''Meruru'' having a DenserAndWackier tone than its predecessors, since ''[[VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland Lulua]]'' giving Sterk a significant CharacterCheck results in ''Meruru'' coming off as an outlier.
48	* FreakyFridayFlip: Rorona gives both Meruru and Keina a "Switching Pie" that swaps their bodies for a time. Meruru takes it in stride. Keina... not so much.
49	* HotSpringsEpisode: One of the ending routes has Meruru stumble upon a hot spring near the volcano and expanding it into a resort that turns into Arls' biggest attraction. A rather {{Fanservice}}-laden scene shows the girls bathing together, while the actual ending of the route [[spoiler:instead focuses on the ''guys'' taking a dip... much to the dismay of Peter, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard who had been pushing for the springs' development in the hopes of getting to ogle women]], only to be condemned to the role of being the men's grunt worker]].
50	* ImprobableWeaponUser: Lias fits this trope for the main reason of being an {{Expy}} of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars''' character Kyosuke Nanbu, as his weapon of choice is a gauntlet-equipped revolver stake. Keina uses a basket carrying sleeping drugs and healing potions, though that fits into ImprovisedWeapon. The basket’s impracticality is commented on by Hagel when the player crafts the Almighty Basket for the first time.
51	* InconsistentDub: The game dials back on the AgeLift of three years that had happened in the NISA English version of ''[[VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland Rorona]]'', referring to everyone with ages accurate relative to the Japanese version.
52	* InsertSong: Beyond its opening and ending, the game features "Cloudy", "Little Crown", and "Alchemy Girl Meruru's Song", used in different contexts within the game. This started a trend of Atelier games regularly featuring similar insert songs up until ''[[VideoGame/AtelierLydieAndSuelleTheAlchemistsAndTheMysteriousPaintings Lydie & Suelle]]''.
53	* ItemCaddy: With both Totori and Rorona being alchemists, the game offers a whole three consecutive protagonist alchemists in a single adventuring party, all of whom can use brought items.
54	* LateArrivalSpoiler: Midway through the game, Totori casually reveals the contents of ''[[VideoGame/AtelierTotoriTheAdventurerOfArland Totori]]''[='=]'s true ending, namely [[spoiler:the fact that Astrid saved Gisela's life]].
55	* MicroMonarchy: Arls is a very small country right next to Arland, which had also been a monarchy until very recently. Dessier and Gio had discussed things and decided it would be better for Arls' future if it joined the Arland Republic, but since they know there's a high chance of opposition, they're hoping to develop the country and increase its population so that the people can be assured Arls will still have influence even after it's absorbed.
56	* TheMovingExperience: When Totori is called back to Arland, Meruru takes this to mean that she's leaving Arls for good and gets very upset and runs off to sulk by herself for three days... after which Totori returns, because it was only supposed to be a short visit (in fact, it was only supposed to have been ''one'' day, but her sister Ceci wouldn't let her leave that quickly). Meruru complains that she should have told her the truth about the trip, but Totori points out that [[OneSideOfTheStory she never gave her the chance]]. Rufus couldn't even clarify things to Meruru because she'd been so busy sulking and refusing to come out that nothing would get through to her.
57	* MultipleEndings: As with the two previous games, the game has a number of different endings, with the one the player gets depending on what factors they've unlocked and an internal ending priority. Compared to previous games being a bit of a GuideDangIt about this, the game does you a bit of a favor in that anytime you get the requirements for an ending, you get a [=MeMemo=] entry with the phrase "I feel like I've uncovered a whole new future for myself!" in RainbowSpeak, making it a little easier to plan your save file around potential ending SaveScumming.
58	** Bad Ending: There are two flavors, obtained by either [[NonStandardGameOver allowing Meruru's popularity to drop to zero at any point]] or failing to reach 30,000 population by the end of the third year. Dessier will end her alchemy studies immediately and condemn Meruru to a boring life in the castle. In the latter case, Meruru will be left with regrets about her alchemy dreams, but in the first case, she won't feel quite as bad because [[WhatTheHellPlayer she did whatever she wanted without worrying about what anyone else thought]]. Both versions (especially the first one) are ludicrously difficult to get without going out of your way to blow up your run, and you won't even get a trophy or record for it.
59	** "Castle Life" (basically the Normal Ending): Obtained if the player succeeds at getting 30,000 population at the end of the third year but doesn't do anything else that would trigger any other endings (something that also probably won't happen unless you've ''really'' been wasting time). [[spoiler:Meruru is allowed to continue as an alchemist, but she finds that nothing much in her life is changing and she still doesn't really know what to do with her life.]]
60	** "Topsy-Turvy": Obtained by getting to 100,000 population without flagging any other ending requirements. [[spoiler:Arls' population gets so big that the administration can't keep up with it, making Meruru so busy she doesn't even have time to do alchemy anymore.]]
61	** "A Rich Nation": Obtained by defeating Airshatter without Gio in the party. [[spoiler:Arls starts to prosper thanks to Airshatter no longer threatening its agriculture. While no longer a princess, Meruru continues working alongside her former palace companions in the hopes of making the "[[RegionalSpeciality Arls apple]]" more famous throughout the world.]]
62	** "Finally, As Planned": Obtained by following all of Astrid's events and eventually creating an improved Potion of Youth. [[spoiler:Totori departs from Arls while Meruru begins her own independent alchemy career for real, becoming famous among the people. One day, when Totori comes to visit, Astrid also arrives with a half-restored 14-year-old Rorona in tow, still with scrambled memories. [[{{Ephebophile}} Astrid considers this to be fine.]]]]
63	** "Now, Go Bravely": Obtained by defeating the lizards at Modis Ruins but failing to defeat Masked G. [[spoiler:Arls continues to be under threat from monsters and foreign invaders, and Meruru leads a battalion with Gino, Lias, and Sterk to defend her country.]]
64	** "Strongest Princess": Obtained by defeating the lizards at Modis Ruins and Masked G. [[spoiler:Meruru becomes famous as both an alchemist and a warrior, defeating monsters left and right alongside Keina, [[TookALevelInBadass who's now wielding an axe in combat]].]]
65	** "Alchemist!" (NewGamePlus only): Obtained by defeating Airshatter with Gio in the party. [[spoiler:Meruru moves into a much bigger atelier of her own, starting a prosperous business in service of the people of Arls alongside all of her friends.]] This is generally treated as the first real "Good Ending" in the game.
66	** "Boy's Bath": Obtained by finishing Peter's quest to finish building the hot springs. [[spoiler:Peter succeeds in getting his hot springs facility made, and it becomes a tourist hit in Arls, but Peter himself doesn't get to enjoy any of it because instead of getting to ogle naked girls, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard he's made into a grunt worker at the facility scrubbing the men's backs]].]]
67	** "Witch's Tea Party": Obtained by making the improved Potion of Youth and the Ice Cascade Bomb (defeating Airshatter isn't necessarily required) and hitting Alchemy Level 50. [[spoiler:Astrid uses her "completed" Potion of Youth to set herself, Rorona, Totori, and Meruru all at age 14, and they all have a tea party together enjoying their alchemy exploits as teachers and students at the same age. [[{{Ephebophile}} Astrid considers this to be the best thing ever.]]]]
68	** "Miss Popular" (NewGamePlus only): Obtained by finishing every character event chain. [[spoiler:Meruru continues her alchemy career, but her [[MagneticHero charismatic personality]] gets everyone to start fighting over her time.]] The fact it had highest ending priority in the original release, was the closest to an OmegaEnding by virtue of having the highest requirements, and tied into the AllYourPowersCombined theme of the game suggests it was intended to be seen as the GoldenEnding until ''Plus'' overrode it.
69	** "[[GoldenEnding About Time]]" (added in ''Plus'' and patched back into the Japanese [=PS3=] version): Obtained by fulfilling all of the requirements for the Witch's Tea Party ending, then having Meruru make an even better Potion of Youth based on the Merulixir. [[spoiler:Dissatisfied with the suspiciously uncertain tone Astrid has about using the Potion of Youth, Meruru pushes for a more concrete solution and makes a deal with her that if Meruru can make a perfect potion, Astrid will get Rorona back to normal, ''properly''. Meruru [[AllYourPowersCombined works together with Totori and Rorona]] to make a potion based on the Merulixir, and Astrid fulfills her promise, restoring Rorona back to normal and getting Astrid to comment on the growth of her successors.]] On top of the ending being given highest priority, ''DX'' and ''[[VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland Lulua]]'' confirm it to be the canon one.
70	* NewGamePlus: Items, levels, money and development don't get carried over in the original version, but equipped items (including development items) do in all versions. Since certain events and endings are locked behind NewGamePlus anyway, it's generally recommended to just do your best in your first playthrough without aiming for a specific ending and make sure to synthesize the best equipment possible, then start a NewGamePlus with your best equipment equipped to everyone.
71	* OldMaid: In and out of universe, both related to the Potion of Youth plot:
72	** In-universe, Astrid’s concern with both herself and Rorona aging relates to not wanting this to happen to either of them (in a way that isn't hinted at all to be exaggerated joking like she usually does). When Esty hears about the potion, she becomes ''obsessed'' with getting some for herself to try and save her self-perceived terrible marriage prospects, since she's now 40 and had been stressing about this since the time of ''[[VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland Rorona]]''.
73	** In real life, Astrid's belief that nobody would want to see Rorona in her thirties [[WriterOnBoard came directly from the devs themselves]], extending all the way into the original version not having a ''single'' ending where she would be anything but young and cute even with damaged memories and a reversal of her hard-earned CharacterDevelopment. Needless to say, fans across the world were ''not'' amused, and the added ''Plus'' ending (now treated as the GoldenEnding) puts her back at her proper age.
74	* PlayingHouse: When Sterk ends up having to entertain the 8-year-old Rorona for a day, he's told that they look like a father and child, something that's ''really'' awkward for him since [[ShipTease he's implied to have been harboring feelings for her as an adult]] and would very obviously prefer her that way. Meruru twists the knife in further by offering to go on a shopping trip with them with herself as the mom, Sterk as the dad, and Rorona as the kid, which makes him so uncomfortable that he hastily declines and flees.
75	* PosthumousCharacter: Meruru apparently is [[YouRemindMeOfX turning out to be just like]] her late aunt Sofra (Sofraneis Yeux Arls), Dessier's younger sister. We don't learn a lot about her except that Meruru apparently resembles her a lot in personality and that Sofra was an alchemist who fought alongside Dessier and Gio as a PowerTrio against Airshatter some time in the past, with her losing her life in the process. Dessier and Gio both miss her dearly and worry that Meruru will go the same way, but Meruru is able to find Sofra's last recipe and finish the job.
76	* ProductionThrowback: In a similar vein to how ''[[VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland Rorona]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/AtelierTotoriTheAdventurerOfArland Totori]]'' heavily invoked ''[[VideoGame/AtelierMarieTheAlchemistOfSalburg Marie]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/AtelierElieTheAlchemistOfSalburg2 Elie]]'', ''Meruru'' heavily invokes ''[[VideoGame/AtelierViorateTheAlchemistOfGramnad2 Viorate]]'', being about an alchemist who has to revitalize her area and grow its population in three years.
77	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: The game is basically about a girl who wants to do something so badly she doesn't even want to be royal anymore. She and Rufus manage to strike a deal that she use her alchemy to work on kingdom development during the last few years she still has royal duties, something that works very well for her because it goes well with alchemy's main goal of helping people.
78	* SealedEvilInACan: Once every hundred years, Airshatter awakens and reduces Arls to a wasteland, leaving it unable to truly grow past its MicroMonarchy status because it destroys everything that had been done in the meantime. Sofra had managed to put it to sleep again right before Meruru was born, but since the job was incomplete, it's appearing again ahead of schedule at weaker strength.
79	* SequelHook: The ''DX'' version adds a scene after the credits with a faint silhouette of a book and "...[[AndTheAdventureContinues and the story continues]]." It serves as a teaser for ''[[VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland Lulua]]'', which hadn't been announced yet at the time of ''DX''[='=]s release.
80	* ShoutOut: Sterk's Gaia Breaker cut-in is one to Thrudgelmir from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars''.
81	* TrueFinalBoss: While you technically don't need to fight a FinalBoss to get a decent ending, defeating Airshatter with Gio in the party on a NewGamePlus is necessary for his character event chain as well as the "A Rich Nation" and "Miss Popular" endings, the latter of which was treated as the GoldenEnding before "About Time" took that status instead. While defeating it isn't required for "About Time", ''[[VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland Lulua]]'' confirms that Meruru defeating Airshatter (with or without Gio) is canonical.
82	* UnwantedAssistance: Meruru doesn't care for her own role as a princess, so it easily annoys or at least bothers her when other people act like they should be catering to her whim because of her title. This especially gets very bothersome for her when Sterk starts going overboard to the point he hovers over her for everything out of paranoia that there ''might'' be an assassin or something.
83	* WakeUpCallBoss: Airshatter without Gio in the party? Not too difficult as long as you've been keeping up with your crafting. Airshatter ''with'' Gio in the party? Let's hope you're prepared.
84	* WhenTreesAttack: The Ent Forest is a moving forest that pops up around Arls, and it'll even move around the world map throughout the game. The forest will only stop moving when Meruru fights its guardian spirit and destroys the crystal responsible for it moving.
85	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility: A late-game plotline involves Meruru becoming strong enough to declare herself to be the "strongest princess". Sterk and Gio are concerned that this will get her to go on a power trip, resulting in Gio confronting her as "Masked G". Meruru losing will give her a humility check, but even if she wins, Sterk will drop by and give her a talking-to, and Meruru will seek out Masked G to talk about the real meaning of strength.
86	* WriterOnBoard: Even for Astrid, the sentiment "being stuck as an eternal child with damaged memory is better than being an OldMaid" is [[TookALevelInJerkass unusually callous]] for her when she'd previously been portrayed as [[EveryoneHasStandards having a minimum amount of human decency]] and genuinely caring about Rorona as her ParentalSubstitute. But while {{Flanderization}} had already been par for the course in the game, this particular issue goes above and beyond to the point [[spoiler:the ending where Astrid turns Rorona into a 14-year-old and even ''prepares more of the defective potion for the other two'' is called "[[ManipulativeBastard Finally, As Planned]]", as if she's outright proud of all of this happening]]. Of course, the actual reason for all of this was that the ''devs'' were making her into their mouthpiece... and it was only after fan backlash when the added "About Time" ending hinted that she ''might'' care a little more than she pretends she does, [[{{Retcon}} retconning]] events so that [[spoiler:her settling for an incomplete potion is portrayed as being at least partially because Meruru didn't push hard enough to have it perfected]].

Context VideoGame / AtelierMeruruTheApprenticeOfArland