Line #7 VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland


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8	''Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland'' is the eleventh (or the sixteenth, depending on how you number them) game in Gust's well-known ''VideoGame/AtelierSeries'' and the first of the lot to sport 3D graphics. Like many ''Atelier'' games, it can be described as one-part {{JRPG}}, one-part TimeManagementGame and three-parts ItemCrafting with a dollop of {{Moe}} for flavour.
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10	''Atelier Rorona'' tells the story of a young lady named Rorolina Frixell (just call her Rorona), an apprentice alchemist who lives in the capital of the Arland Kingdom. One day, a knight delivers a message from the government: due to the recent advancements in [[SteamPunk steam technology]], they will no longer support the art of alchemy and have made plans to shut her workshop down. The only way that Rorona can change their mind is by carrying out a series of tasks over the next three years designed to prove that alchemy can still be relevant in modern day life. With her alchemy teacher being too lazy and apathetic to care, it falls to Rorona to develop her alchemy skills and save her workshop from closure.
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12	The game has three sequels, which (together with this game) make up the "Arland series": ''VideoGame/AtelierTotoriTheAdventurerOfArland'', ''VideoGame/AtelierMeruruTheApprenticeOfArland'', and ''VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland''. A remake titled ''New Atelier Rorona'' (''Atelier Rorona Plus'' overseas) for Platform/PlaystationVita and the [=PS3=] features completely redone graphics and game system, new costumes for Rorona, and post-game content. Another rerelease, ''Atelier Rorona DX'', was released on September 20, 2018 in Japan and December 4, 2018 in North America as part of the ''Atelier Arland Series Deluxe Pack'' for Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/NintendoSwitch, and Platform/{{Steam}}.
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14	You may find the game's proud old (Japanese) blog [[http://atelier-ps3.jp/rorona/d-blog/index.htm here]].
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16	----
17	!!This game contains examples of:
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19	* AgeLift: Rorona, Cordelia, Iksel, Sterk, Tantris, and Lionela are all three years older than in the original Japanese release.
20	* BadassAdorable: Rorona, Cordelia, Lionela, and Hom (both of them) are the primary examples.
21	* BadassCape: In blue and green flavors for Gio and Sterk, respectively. Gio's may qualify as more of a BadassLongcoat, however.
22	* {{BFS}}: Sterk's weapon-type of choice is a Scots-style claymore; these usually aren't ''quite'' as ridiculously huge as many examples in other games, but he does still favor weapons that are typically equal to his own height. This carries forward into both ''Totori'' and ''Meruru'', and in ''Totori'' he also uses halberds at times.
23	* BrainBleach: This is more or less Rorona's reaction upon finding out how homonculi are made.
24	* CallForward: ''Atelier Rorona Plus'', which was made after the end of the Arland series, added a cutscene with Cordelia that reveals the original just how the Adventurer's Guild from ''VideoGame/AtelierTotori'' was conceptualized ([[spoiler: Rorona gave the idea to Cordelia]]) and even indirectly mentions [[spoiler: Gisela Helmold, Totori and Ceci's mother,]] the troublemaking adventurer from the same game, even if that adventurer wasn't name-dropped.
25	* CastFromHitPoints: All special attacks are like this in the original game.
26	* ChefOfIron: Iksel.
27	* ContinuityCameo: Pamela, a recurring character in the Atelier series, is in this game too.
28	* CookingDuel: Rorona vs. Iksel, as part of Iksel's character events.
29	* DidntThinkThisThrough: The seventh assignment takes place during the month of summer, and has you making Ice Bombs and Spring Cups to help people get through the summer heat. But since an assignment takes place over three months, it's already fall by the time of the evaluation. Sterk promises not to mess up like that again with your assignment tasks.
30	* TheDitz: Rorona.
31	* DubNameChange: In an inversion of CleanDubName, Esty's name was changed from Esty Erhard (JP) to [[PunnyName Esty Dee]] (everywhere else).
32	* ElegantGothicLolita: Practically every main female character ''in the game'', with the possible exceptions of Astrid (who is rather too old to actually fall under the "lolita" banner) and Lionela (who is basically a street tramp).
33	* ElementalTiers: The absolute strongest item, [[NukeEm Tera Bomb]] is Fire-elemental.
34	* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:See YouWatchTooMuchX entry below, then guess what Sterk does in his final event.]]
35	* FriendToAllLivingThings: Tantris's introduction is a reference, and possibly a subversion since he's almost entirely unlike the average example of the trope.
36	* GameplayAndStorySegregation: The UpdatedRerelease allows you to choose which one of the MultipleEndings you want to take. Some of these endings involve Rorona either failing to make her Atelier popular, or focusing too much on popularity without improving her alchemy skills. You may pick one of these endings even if you have the skill and/or popularity to get a better ending, so you can run a successful Atelier and still choose an ending where you go out of business; this can especially happen if said "bad" ending involves a character you like.
37	* GorgeousPeriodDress: Based off UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain. Not exactly accurate, but all the guys look dapper, and the girls are usually fantastically well-dressed.
38	* HyperactiveMetabolism: Food and drinks can be consumed instantly as healing items. Also Iksel, who essentially feeds a party member a full meal in a matter of seconds as a healing ability.
39	* IdleAnimation: Rorona yawns if she's not moved for a little while.
40	* ImprobableWeaponUser: Half of the game's playable characters manage to avoid this, using swords, staves, knuckles and the like. The other half?... let's see, Lionela fights with ''puppets'', Iksel uses a ''frying pan'', and Gio is awesome enough to use a ''cane that doubles as a sword''. That fills out the quota nicely.
41	* IsItSomethingYouEat: Rorona's reaction to creating a Ruby Prism? It would make a good pie filling.
42	* ItemCrafting: It's an Atelier game, so the core mechanic returns. ''Rorona'' uses a system somewhat similar to that found in ''Atelier Violet'' but modified for ease-of-use.
43	* LikesOlderWomen: A [[GenderInvertedTrope gender inverted]] example. Cordelia is very taken by the 48-year-old Gio. To his credit, ''he'' finds this somewhat discomforting.
44	* LostTechnology: The game opens up with a backstory of Arland containing ruins of advanced technology that was left behind by an ancient civilization. They were excavated and reversed-engineered by a mysterious traveler who showed the people of Arland how the tech worked, which in turn made their daily lives easier. This doesn't get explored in much depth in this game, but returns as a major plot point in ''Atelier Lulua''.
45	* LowFantasy: The only "standard" elements of low fantasy missing are the "grittiness" and the low magic[[note]]Rorona is a mage with LightEmUp powers[[/note]]. ''Atelier Rorona'' is as non-epic as a videogame can get, the setting is dominated completely by humanity, the "alchemy" is based on scientific principles, and the setting of the game is tightly confined to Arland City and its environs within no more than a week or two's march. This game brought the ''Atelier'' series back to its low fantasy roots in full.
46	* MayDecemberRomance: Depending on whether you go for his route, as Gio is 46 years old, as compared to Rorona who is 17 (14 in the original JP version). Similarly, Cordelia is also interested in him.
47	* MistakenForCheating: Happens to Rorona's father when Hom introduces him/herself as Rorona's brother/sister.
48	* MultipleEndings: An absolutely mind-cracking number of them; three "base" good ends, plus extra end content for each character if you're on excellent terms with them. Plus the pie ending, plus the "adventurer" ending, and plus a few "bad ends".
49	** True Ending: [[spoiler: Obtained if you received a high amount of stars on your assignments, and had a high popularity level. Rorona will be unable to keep up with the huge amount of orders she receives from the city's populace. Cordelia may take over as the workshop manager to help stem the flow, or Gio may appoint her the royal alchemist so that she can work in peace.]]
50	** Good Ending: [[spoiler: Obtained if you received a low amount of stars on your assignments, but had a high popularity level. Rorona will receive a lot of customers at her workshop due to her popularity, but her low alchemy skills result in her blowing up her assignments on a regular basis. Sterk may move in (!) to help her, or she may close the workshop and work for Iksel's restaurant instead.]]
51	** Normal Ending: [[spoiler: Obtained if you received a high number of stars on your assignments, but not enough popularity level. Rorona will keep the workshop but be unable to turn it into a profitable business because few people come as customers due to her low popularity, and she refuses to do the few that she does get because they aren't challenging (to her high alchemy skills). She therefore leaves on a journey, and either Tantris or Lionela may end up joining her.]]
52	* MyNameIsQuestionMarks: Every character other than Astrid is called ??? before their names are given:
53	** In the opening cutscene, Royal Messenger "???" knocks before entering the shop, but doesn't give his name before his business is concluded and he leaves, and it takes him introducing himself for the ??? to change, instead of the second ??? giving his name as "Sterk":
54	---> '''Sterkenberg:''' I guess I should introduce myself to you, then. My name is Sterkenberg. I'm a knight of this castle.
55	** Rorona is at the Palace Front Desk for the first time, when she meets her second "???", later named as "Senior Esty" and during the conversation, the first ???'s unknown name is discussed because she wants to talk about him to Senior Esty:
56	---> '''Rorona:''' This guy...\
57	Oh no, I forgot to get his name...
58	** When returning to the Workshop for the first time, a ??? shouts at Rorona, and after a HitFlash from the tackle, Cordelia von Feuerbach is named by the game when revealing her appearance:
59	---> '''???:''' What's wrong with you!?\
60	'''Rorona:''' Hmgh!\
61	Ugh...Cory... Don't tackle me like that...\
62	'''Cordelia:''' What? I was just trying to cheer you up, since you looked so sad. You should be thanking me instead.
63	* TheNapoleon: Cordelia
64	* NewGamePlus: After beating the game with a clear save, the player can start a new game with all of the money from the last game. However, at least in the original version, they don't keep any of their gear from before and they don't keep anything from their container or basket, so they still have to gather or buy ingredients.
65	* TheNicknamer: Whenever Rorona hears someone's name she immediately starts brainstorming possible nicknames:
66	--> '''Sterkenberg:''' I guess I should introduce myself to you, then. My name is Sterkenberg. I'm a knight of this castle.\
67	'''Rorona:''' Sterken...berg...?\
68	Sterk...\
69	Ster...\
70	'''Sterkenberg:''' I know it's a bit long.\
71	You can call me...
72	'''Rorona:''' Sterky! Can I call you Sterky?\
73	...Please call me Sterk.\
74	'''Rorona:''' Awww, Sterky is much cuter...\
75	Oh, and my name is Rorona.\
76	Pleased to meet you.
77	* OhCrap: Encounter a bunch of powerful monsters and watch Rorona's face as she sees them.
78	* {{Ojou}}: Cordelia.
79	* ParentalAbandonment: PlayedForLaughs to some extent with Rorona's parents. While Astrid may take good care of Rorona, one has to wonder how her parents can go on so many trips without showing so much concern for her well-being.
80	* PutOnABus: Some characters (such as Sterk) will be temporarily unavailable after their events.
81	* RevisitingTheRoots: The game is intended to be this for the ''VideoGame/AtelierSeries''. After the more standard EasternRPG style of ''Atelier Iris'' and ''Mana Khemia'' games, ''Atelier Rorona'' returns to the simulation, alchemy-based gameplay of the first five games, which were only available in Japan until the release of ''[[VideoGame/AtelierMarieTheAlchemistOfSalburg Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg]]'' in 2023.
82	* RiddleForTheAges: What kind of blackmail does Astrid have over Sterk that allows Rorona to continue even after failing one Assignment, [[ItOnlyWorksOnce but not another]] even if it risks his secret coming to light? Since it's never referenced again in any later games, the world will never know.
83	* SchizoTech: A little bit, and justified by the backstory: the engineers of Arland have begun to comprehend the technology left behind in the ruins of [[{{Precursors}} an ancient civilization]] which dot the kingdom. You can find a few odd bits of high-technology that have been made to work in the city, such as the ''holographic bulletin board'' in the city square.
84	* SchmuckBait: At one point in the game, Hom gives Rorona a bottle, on which surface is written not to open it. This is even lampshaded by [[spoiler:Meredith]] if you follow the warning (which, of course, you really should).
85	* ShownTheirWork: That scene where Rorona [[BrainBleach discovers to her horror]] what [[TooMuchInformation homunculi are supposed to be made from]]? The recipe is based on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus a real-world alchemical text by Paracelsus]].
86	* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Rororina or Roro'''l'''ina? '''Cu'''deria or '''Cor'''deria? '''Y'''ksel or '''I'''ksel? Astrid Zex'''e'''s or Astrid Zex'''i'''s? Tant'''o'''ris or Tantris? And that's just the names!
87	* StreetUrchin: Lionela is a very rare ''female'' example of this trope. She starts the game out as a homeless street performer with only the (relatively ragged) clothes on her back and her puppets for company. [[spoiler: She may or may not also be quite desperately insane as the game opens, as the puppets seem to be fully animated and speak to her and other people, Lionela treats them as separate conscious entities and you might think they are magical or something... and then you realize they don't move or speak when she isn't around.]] It's all a little whitewashed compared to the real [[UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain Victorian]] examples, but it's still there prominently. The player can, of course, decide how much they wish to interact with Lionela and help her out of her situation.
88	* {{Stripperific}}: In a series noted for going back-and-forth on this a little, the characters in this one game are all over the place!
89	** Rorona's skirt is a little... short, and her dress is a bit generous in the chest, but she isn't in a catsuit or anything. Lionela's outfit ''prominently'' displays her ample chest and bares her stomach, although this is part of the ''point''; Lionela is a street performer and is basically a homeless tramp. She's dressed the way she is since that's practically all she could find, and she's not particularly proud of having to dress that way. The [[http://maigo.jp/rorona.html early concepts]] for Rorona's design featured an outfit that was a good deal less "flattering" and somewhat more realistic for a young woman who often has to do some traveling and lab work - and the outfit was then continuously whittled down for sex appeal. They even took away her ''boots'', in the end, in favor of showing more leg. It is worth noting, especially in regard to Rorona's redesign, that her "stripperific" qualities are almost certainly made to appeal to the ''girls'' who might play the game. The whole outfit was made pink, the knee-high adventurer boots with knee guards were replaced with short, stylish boots with lacy, frilly socks, the plunging neckline is, again, on a lacy blouse with a small black ribbon and several cute accessories. Combined with her hobby of baking and generally passive personality, she's obviously not designed to appeal to customers as an ActionGirl.
90	** The rest of the female characters are quite a bit more conservatively dressed - Cordelia and Astrid don't display any skin below the neckline, aside from their hands. Pamela's dress is a bit more flattering, but is of a style that was perfectly common in the 19th century.
91	** And then of course there's the beach scene, which probably requires no further elaboration.
92	* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler:Sterk]] in his final event, which renders him out of commission for 80 days.
93	* TimeManagementGame: Unlike the ''Atelier Iris'' games that were released overseas, this game relies heavily on managing time to not only complete assignments, but also for crafting items, quests and traveling to different locations. Crafting some items alone will take more than two days and if a quest isn't finished in time, the popularity of the player will decrease.
94	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: As noted above, Rorona has a thing for pies (which of course leads to the fans [[PerverseSexualLust making horrible jokes at her expense]]); there's even [[MultipleEndings an ending]] that has her becoming the best pie chef in Arland.
95	** Many of her pies are... not what would normally be considered food. One of them contains [[spoiler: The PhilosophersStone.]]
96	* TricksterMentor: Astrid.
97	* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters:
98	** Done hilariously when Rorona creates the Living Pie. For some reason, she is surprised when it proves unwilling to cooperate with her plan of eating it alive, and decides to [[FoodFight fight back]].
99	** [[AvertedTrope On the other hand]], ArtificialHuman Homhom never displays any inclination of rebelling against [[PurelyAestheticGender his/her]] creator, except where [[CutenessProximity kittens]] are involved.
100	* UnderwaterRuins: Lost City. Like the Deep Sea Ruins in ''VideoGame/ManaKhemia2FallOfAlchemy'', you will need Air Drop to explore it.
101	* UpdatedReRelease: Atelier Rorona Plus (New Atelier Rorona in JP) features new dungeons, items, skills, and new scenarios that weren't featured in the original game, the biggest of these scenarios being [[spoiler: Totori and Meruru time travelling to the present from the third game and meeting present Rorona to ask for her help in going back]] and Esty getting an ending of her own. Oh, and both Esty and Astrid are playable now!
102	* VagueStatValues: Effects are described with general adjectives. For example, the tiers of HP Recovery as described in Details:
103	--> '''XS''': Recovers target's HP by a very small amount.\
104	'''S''': Recovers target's HP by a little.
105	* WarpWhistle: Eventually, the player will be able to create and wholesale a Windrider from one of the recipe books. This item will allow the player to leave a dungeon without taking up the days it would normally take to travel back, which will end up saving a lot of time the player could use for other things.
106	* YouLoseAtZeroTrust: After Lionela first arrives in town, if you don't immediately get her friendship level high enough she will move on to another town and [[PermanentlyMissableContent never return to Arland]].
107	* YouWatchTooMuchX: At one point, Rorona asks Sterk if knights like him do things like [[KnightInShiningArmor saving princess and slaying dragons]], in which he replies that she reads too many fantasy books.

Context VideoGame / AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland