This is my first Atelier game and I had no experience with this sort of games. The game is focust on alchemy or easier said; item creation. It's your task to adventure worl and collect materials while completing the game's given tasks. One of aspects is that you are given an limited time to complete those tasks. This is not a stressful factor but it might take away some exploration time. Besides raising your alchemy level you have your standard level gained from going on adventures. The combat system is your turn based which is a plus for me. Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland is the first game of the series and it's a beautiful world with cheerful characters that I as a newcomer enjoyed. If only it was a little longer because there so much to do and so little time given, mulitple playthrough are recommanded.

It's really an addictive game! There are lots of things to do and time to keep on eye. I really like the task idea: development of a small kingdom through alchemy; it's really rewarding. To be honest I would prefer a more interactive synthesis method, something like Mana Khemia, and the background graphics is poor, but still the game is really enjoyably. Oh, it's the very first game where I use a lots of items in battle! In the other jRPG they have a very marginal role, but this time are a core element in battle strategy! I recommend this game to anyone that enjoyed the others Atelier games (talking also of ps2 games) or like time management, fantasy and/or alchemy!

If you like RPG'S this is for you, it's brilliant. I love the whole story line and the battle style nothing beats a good turn based game.

I really enjoy the game play in Atelier Rorona, although the in game conversations can drag on a bit. Game play is very much like Dragon Quest meets Harry Potter in that very pretty Japanese manga way. The only reason I gave it a 3 star was because it was short. I played it through once, and then restarted it doing things in a slightly different order and visiting different areas. It would have been much better if not for the limited time that you had to complete assignments in, giving you less time to get further in exploring the different areas outside the town. If it wasn't for this and that you had more time to explore the game it would have been a fantastic RPG. But even said this, I have now purchased another Atelier game and will no doubt play it several more times just to see what else there is in the other areas.

Love JRPG games like this one!

Atelier Rorona, is the first game in the Atelier series to make it's leap to the PS3. It still retains the charm of the old games, while having improved graphics and a lot of tweaks overall. The battle system keeps the old turned based system, which I prefer to real time systems, which can easily turn bland if not done properly. Each assignment given has a time limit, but it's unlikely to cause too much problems. It was however, annoying for me because it restricted me from doing certain things. Sometimes, I like to grind my character's levels. But I can't because of this time limit. On the other hand this same system give a lot of freedom in the gameplay compared to other JRPGs. You can choose what you want to do with the time give such as fighting, alchemy or completing quests, and what you choose to do will change the ending, which gives an incentive to play multiple times. If you're a fan of JRPGs it's one worth looking into getting, if not there are better games to introduce you into the genre.

As a newcomer to the Atelier series, I bought the game not knowing what to expect. Fortunately, Atelier Rorona ended up being absolutely fantastic, and scratched that JRPG itch plaguing me for a long time. Fans of older JRPGs will be pleasantly surprised by the turn-based combat and the irresistable charm missing from most modern games. The time limit placed on assignments might be daunting initially, but I enjoyed the need to prioritise and multitask. All in all, the game lasts a good 30-40 hours with alternate endings to encourage multiple playthroughs. In short, if you are in need of a charming and fun RPG to cheer you up, don't hesistate and buy it now. You won't regret it.