History VideoGame / AtelierMeruruTheApprenticeOfArland

* NewGamePlus: Items, levels, and development don't get carried over, but money and equipped items (including development items equipped to Meruru) do. Furthermore, it's only really practical to get most endies for Trophies in New Game Plus. Therefore, you should really just do your best in your first playthrough and make sure to synthesize the best equipment possible, then start a New Game Plus with this equipment equipped to everyone. Also, Gio's later events are only accessible in New Game Plus as he isn’t recruitable until the plus playthrough.

''Atelier Meruru'' is the third game of the Arland series of ''VideoGame/AtelierSeries'' games on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, released in 2011 in Japan and America in 2012. It is a direct sequel to ''VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland'' and ''VideoGame/AtelierTotoriTheAdventurerOfArland'' before it, and (like many an Atelier game), can be described as one-part {{JRPG}}, one-part TimeManagementGame and three-parts ItemCrafting with a dollop of {{Moe}} for flavour.

An UpdatedRerelease of the game titled ''Atelier Meruru Plus: The Alchemist of Arland 3'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita released March 20, 2013 in Japan, with Regular and Premium editions available. The regular version was also released internationally on PSN in October 2013. Another rerelease, ''Atelier Meruru 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 UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}. It is followed by ''VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland'', released in 2019.

* NewGamePlus: Items, money and development don't get carried over, but equipped items do. Furthermore, it's only really practical to get most endies for Trophies in New Game Plus. Therefore, you should really just do your best in your first playthrough and make sure to synthesize the best equipment possible, then start a New Game Plus with this equipment equipped to everyone. Also, Gio's later events are only accessible in New Game Plus as he isn’t recruitable until the plus playthrough.

* BlindIdiotTranslation: While the overall game is very polished, the text has a noticeably high number of typos and errors throughout in the English version. Some of the item effects in the Plus and DX versions are also incorrect as they still reference percentages from the vanilla game before it was rebalanced for Plus and DX. Aside from that, the writers clearly forgot that several characters in the previous two games had their ages raised in the English versions, leading to references to Rorona being 14 in the original game and Sterk still being in his 30s in this game (he should be over 40 using the ages from the first two Arland localizations.)

* PrettyPrincessPowerhouse: She is a lovely girl with CutenessProximity and long hair, and she is also an alchemist dedicated to improving her kingdom using her ability to synthesize items. Although she's not the strongest fighter in terms of pure martial ability, she more than makes up for it by crafting items to use in combat which include extremely powerful bombs, magical weapons, and a FantasticNuke shaped like a mushroom. The ingredients for these are items are found at the source. Need dragon scales? She goes to kill a dragon personally, no delegating to guards. One of the titles she can earn is "The Strongest Princess". Last but not least, she's the only ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'' protagonist with her own [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXoXtF8_YMQ battle theme song]]!

''Atelier Meruru'' is the third game of the Arland series of ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'' games on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, released in 2011 in Japan and America in 2012. It is a direct sequel to ''VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland'' and ''VideoGame/AtelierTotoriTheAdventurerOfArland'' before it, and (like many an Atelier game), can be described as one-part {{JRPG}}, one-part TimeManagementGame and three-parts ItemCrafting with a dollop of {{Moe}} for flavour.

** Meruru's ExpositoryThemeTune, "Alchemy Girl Meruru", sounds ''exactly'' like it belongs in a show like ''{{LightNovel/Slayers}}''.

* ChristmasCake: In and out of universe, both related to the Potion of Youth plot.
** In universe, Astrid’s concern with both herself and Rorona aging relates to not wanting this to happen to either of them for purely selfish reasons. When Esty discovers the Potion’s existence she becomes extremely obsessed with getting some for herself to try and save her terrible marriage prospects as she’s already forty by the time this game starts.
** Out of universe, the devs blatantly admitted that the plotline exists at all because they didn’t want to imagine Rorona in her thirties [[spoiler: extending all the way into the original version only having endings where Rorona was turned into an eternal 14-year-old so she would still only be depicted as young and cute.]] Negative fan reaction across the world led to the addition of the "It’s About Time Ending" for Plus and notably the two extra movies add in DX to to explain the storyline of ''Rorona Plus'''s Overtime year also make sure to let you know that Rorona is once more an ''adult''.

* {{Gainaxing}}: With the speed Hanna's breasts jiggle in battle, if they broke free of her body they'd be able to travel the world.

* PrettyPrincessPowerhouse: She is a lovely girl with CutenessProximity and RapunzelHair, and she is also an alchemist dedicated to improving her kingdom using her ability to synthesize items. Although she's not the strongest fighter in terms of pure martial ability, she more than makes up for it by crafting items to use in combat which include extremely powerful bombs, magical weapons, and a FantasticNuke shaped like a mushroom. The ingredients for these are items are found at the source. Need dragon scales? She goes to kill a dragon personally, no delegating to guards. One of the titles she can earn is "The Strongest Princess". Last but not least, she's the only ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'' protagonist with her own [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXoXtF8_YMQ battle theme song]]!
* RapunzelHair: Meruru's hair is incredibly long.

* {{Gainaxing}}: With the kind of mobility Hanna's breasts have in battle, if they broke free of her body they'd be able to travel the world.

%%* GenkiGirl: Meruru, pretty much.
%%** Hanna too.

%%* {{Meido}}: Again, Keina

* ModestyShorts: Meruru wears bloomers under her skirt, thus allowing her to move around freely without having to worry about PantyShots. It's taken to the point that all of her costumes (except her Totori costume, which comes with a leotard) include bloomers underneath.

* ModestyShorts: Meruru wears bloomers under her DangerouslyShortSkirt, thus allowing her to move around freely without having to worry about PantyShots. It's taken to the point that all of her costumes (except her Totori costume, which comes with a leotard) include bloomers underneath.

* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: At the ending of Mimi's storyarc, she and Totori have shades of this.

An UpdatedRerelease of the game titled ''Atelier Meruru Plus: The Alchemist of Arland 3'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita released March 20, 2013 in Japan, with Regular and Premium editions available. The regular version was also released internationally on PSN in October 2013. Another rerelease, ''Atelier Meruru 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 UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}. It is followed by ''VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland'', set for release in 2019.

** ''Atelier Meruru Plus'' for [=PlayStation=] Vita, which comes with all the DLC included, adds a dressing room for Meruru, Totori, and Rorona, a series of superbosses for Makina Domain, new endgame recipes needed to beat the super bosses, and a new ending.

%% * TheAce: Rufus

** Out of universe, the devs blatantly admitted that the plotline exists at all because they didn’t want to imagine Rorona in her thirties. Negative fan reaction across the world led to the addition of the “It’s About Time Ending” for Plus and notably the two extra movies add in DX to explain overtime mode indicate that Rorona is an adult again.

** ''Atelier Meruru Plus'' for [=PlayStation=] Vita, which comes with all the DLC included, adds a dressing room for Meruru, Totori, and Rorona, and a new ending.
** ''Atelier Meruru DX'', for [=PS4=], Nintendo Switch, and Steam, part of the Atelier Arland Deluxe Pack, which comes with all of the improvements in ''Plus'' and enhances the graphics slightly.

** Out of universe, the devs blatantly admitted that the plotline exists at all because they didn’t want to imagine Rorona in her thirties.

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: A gameplay example, regardless of equipped weapon. [[spoiler:Sterk's [[ShoutOut Gaia Break]] 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 slashed in half, exploding in HotBlooded glory.]]

* AndTheAdventureContinues: At the end of the game, before the credits, Dessier says that he knows this isn't the end, but the beginning, as Arls, now part of the Arland Republic, has a bright future. Meruru expresses a similar sentiment [[spoiler:and then you get to see a bit of how her adventures continue, based on which ending you qualified for.]]

* DownloadableContent: [[BattleButler Rufus]], Hanna and [[CuteGhostGirl Pamela]] are downloadable as party members for a price each. A post-game BonusDungeon can be downloaded for free, while a set of remixed BGM from nearly ''every previous game in the franchise'') can be downloaded and set to play during certain events in place of the standard OST, for a price.

* HeroWorshipper: Meruru absolutely adores Totori and really looks up to her.

* ImprobableWeaponUser: Lias Falken fits this trope for the main reason of [[ShoutOut shouting out]] ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars''' Kyosuke Nanbu, as his weapon of choice is a gauntlet-equipped revolver stake. Keina Swaya uses a basket carrying sleeping drugs and healing potions, though that fits into ImprovisedWeapon.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: A number of things, but perhaps the biggest is that [[spoiler:Totori reveals to Meruru what happened to her mother, Gisela, the truth of which is something that is only revealed in ''Atelier Totori'' if you earned the game's True Ending.]]

* {{Meido}}: Again, Keina
* ModestyShorts: Meruru wears bloomers under her DangerouslyShortSkirt, thus allowing her to move around freely without having to worry about PantyShots. It's taken to the point that all of her costumes (except her Totori costume, which comes with a leotard) include bloomers underneath.

* NewGamePlus: Items, money and development don't get carried over, but equipped items do. Furthermore, it's only really practical to get most endies for Trophies in New Game Plus. Therefore, you should really just do your best in your first playthrough and make sure to synthesize the best equipment possible, then start a New Game Plus with this equipment equipped to everyone. Also, Gio's later events are only accessible in New Game Plus and [[spoiler:he can only join your party in New Game Plus.]]

* HairDecorations: Nearly all of the girls wear one.

* EverythingIsBetterWithPrincesses: Oh, everything will certainly get better with Meruru's newfound life goal of alchemy. [[spoiler:Should everything get to the point of 'Best', the people will erect a statue of HER in honor.]]

* UpdatedRerelease: Scheduled for Japan on March 20, 2013 for [=PlayStation=] Vita, and released later that year elsewhere. It will be available in Regular and Premium editions (in Japan). It will feature new bosses and costumes.