Something went wrong. Try again later
    Follow

    Atelier Rorona: Alchemist of Arland

    Game » consists of 7 releases. Released Jun 25, 2009

    The eleventh installment of the Atelier series and first of the Arland trilogy. Rorona has taken up the task to keep the alchemist workshop from closing by completing assignments issued by the Arland Kingdom.

    Short summary describing this game.

    Atelier Rorona: Alchemist of Arland last edited by Bowl-of-Lentils on 08/29/19 05:21PM View full history

    Story

    Rorolina Frixell is a young alchemist who helped the Arland Kingdom utilize the ancient machines that were on the land they settled in. The kingdom prospered with the use of the machines and allowed Rorona and her master, Astrid Zexis, to run an alchemist workshop in the kingdom. Years passed and the alchemist workshop has seen dwindling business. Sterkenburg Cranach, an Arland knight, delivers the news to Rorona that the kingdom plans to close down the alchemist workshop if she fails to complete assignments by the deadline. Upon receiving the news, Astrid hands ownership of the workshop and assignment duties over to Rorona in hopes that she can grow into a great alchemist.

    Characters

    Rorolina Frixell

    No Caption Provided

    The main protagonist of the game. She along with Astrid were awarded to run an alchemist shop in Arland after showing the kingdom how to utilize the machines on their land which led to its current prosperity. However, she was given the task to keep the alchemist workshop from closing after receiving the news that the kingdom plans to shut down the workshop and Astrid transfers ownership of the shop over to her. Rorona constantly shows her clumsiness in conversation as she never truly picks up the true meanings behind what was being discussed as well in some of her actions.

    Astrid Zexis

    No Caption Provided

    Rorona's alchemist master. Astrid assisted Rorona in helping her parents recover with their ailments and took her in as her pupil after seeing that she had potential of being a great alchemist. However, Astrid's laziness led to the workshop losing business and reputation in Arland and is threatened of being shut down. In reaction to the news, she hands ownership of the workshop to Rorona in hopes that she can handle the tribulations of keeping the shop running.

    Cordelia von Feuerbach

    No Caption Provided

    Cordelia is childhood friends with Rorona and hails from a wealthy family in Arland. She often scolds Rorona for her constant clumsiness. Cory is also very self-conscious regarding her height, as she gets picked on from time-to-time for being so short.

    Sterkenburg Cranach

    No Caption Provided

    Sterkenburg is a knight of the Arland Kingdom who constantly works to maintain the prosperity of the kingdom. He delivers the kingdom assignments to Rorona at the start of the term and also assists her on her travels outside of Arland, even though he was assigned by Meredith to see the workshop's closure. Sterk constantly holds a serious attitude and seems to be constantly busy with work.

    Iksel Jahnn

    No Caption Provided

    Iksel is supposedly a cook-in-training at the Sunrise Cafe, but is currently handling all operations of the cafe's business. He carries a carefree attitude and often feeds Rorona whenever she visits him in the cafe.

    Tantris

    No Caption Provided

    Tantris is a wandering musician who used to reside in Arland. He gushes over Rorona when they first meet and constantly pesters her with numerous advances. Tantris is also the son of Meredith Alcock.

    Gio

    No Caption Provided

    Gio is a self-proclaimed retiree of Arland. He acts polite, but has a skewed view of decency and is stubborn whenever he sets his mind on something. Gio hones his sword skills by fighting monsters outside of Arland.

    Lionela Heinze

    No Caption Provided

    Lionela is a travelling puppeteer who constantly performs her puppet show throughout the land with her talking puppets, Aranya and Horoholo. Lionela is very shy and constantly stammers in conversation with people.

    Pamela Ibis

    No Caption Provided

    Pamela is a ghost awoken from her slumber when Rorona took the teddy bear that she was sleeping in back to her workshop from the Catacombs. After getting bored of milling inside the workshop, Astrid retains property nearby and tells Pamela to run a shop to keep her busy.

    Hom

    No Caption Provided

    Hom is a homunculus created by Astrid after she inquires Rorona if she would've been happier with a sibling. Hom serves to assist Rorona in gathering ingredients and synthesizing. Hom shows no emotions but will throw a fit if he/she is not given work. Always refers Rorona as "Master" and Astrid as "Grand Master."

    Hagel Boldness

    No Caption Provided

    Hagel is the owner of Beefy's Weapon Shop who is highly energetic and is open and accepting to everyone he meets. He prefers to be called by his nickname "Pops", as he gets very agitated whenever someone refers to his last name. Hagel can craft weapons and clothes and can decompose weapons and clothes to their main ingredients.

    Tiffani Hildebrand

    No Caption Provided

    Tiffani is the owner and sole employee of the R&T's Sundries Shop. She emits a warm aurora to all customers of her shop, but her emotions of weakness garners strong attraction from many men. Tiffani is also a widow, as her husband passed away many years ago.

    Etsy Dee

    No Caption Provided

    Etsy is a member of the Arland Kingdom and works in the front desk in the palace, where she handles requests from Arland's citizens. She's easy-going and assists Rorona by giving her the requests to help increase Rorona's reputation and confidence. Etsy also picks on Sterk for his constant workman-like mentality.

    Cole Dueller

    Cole is a young merchant with a strong, blunt attitude. He visits Rorona at her workshop on the 15th of every month to conduct business with her.

    Meredith Alcock

    No Caption Provided

    Meredith is the minister of Arland who has set his sights to close the workshop in order to build a new factory in which he thinks will provide more profits and benefits to the kingdom. After the first couple of completed assignments, he personally takes action to close down the workshop.

    Locations

    Arland Kingdom

    Workshop

    Rorona's alchemist workshop where she, Astrid, and Hom reside and perform alchemy.

    Artisan's Way

    • Artisan's Way
    • Sunrise Cafe: The cafe Iksel runs and sells food items for use and food ingredients for synthesis.
    • Beefy Weapon Shop: Hagel's weapon-run shop where new weapons and clothes can be forged.
    • R&T's Sundries: A store Tiffani runs where sundry ingredients are sold.
    • Pamela's Shop: A shop run by Pamela where unique items are sold.

    Main Street

    • Main Street
    • Rorona's House: Rorona's home where her parents reside.

    Factory Way

    A section of Arland Kingdom where factories are located. A set of train tracks run through the middle of Factory Way.

    Square

    The central town square of Arland Kingdom.

    Palace

    • Front Desk: The place where Arland residents place in requests for others to complete.
    • Hallway: Where Sterk stands to receive items from Rorona toward the given kingdom assignment.

    Nearby Forest

    A forest nearby Arland Kingdom which house habitats for punis and wolves, and an area where cabbages are grown and gathered from.

    Ortoga Ruins

    An ancient ruin where Rorona and Cory played around in when they were younger. The area houses wolves, green punis, and vultures. The entrance of the ruins house two types of special berries that are specially grown there.

    National Mines

    The mines the Arland Kingdom run. A lot of ore and fuel-like ingredients can be collected in the mines. The mines also house dinosaurs and ghosts.

    Traveler's Way

    A long-winded road where travelers use to reach from town to town. The area is infested with vultures, ear punis, and bandits running rampant, along with a habitat for griffons.

    Catacombs

    An ancient graveyard where a lot of unique items can be collected according to Astrid. Ghosts and bandits patrol the Catacomb's halls.

    Nabel Lake

    A huge lake outside of Arland with small islands conjoined by bridges. Whales, reptiles, and vultures roam the islands in this location. The player can also access underwater areas by using the Air Pump item.

    Lost City

    An ancient city submerged in the deep depths of Nabel Lake. Special demons and whales roam as enemies in this area.

    Dark Woods

    A dark forest located far northeast from Arland. The Dark Woods house very tough enemy variants of wolves, punis, mandras, and reptiles. High quality common ingredients for synthesizing can be gathered here.

    Ster Highlands

    A mountain located far northwest of Arland. Rorona first learns about this location after being warned by Sterk about a strong dragon there. The area is infested with vultures, wolves, and griffons.

    Night's Domain

    An mystical place far north of Arland where according to Sterk, the sun doesn't shine there. Extremely tough monsters roam this unique location, though it houses high-quality ingredients and rare flowers.

    Orthogalaxen

    A special area located on the very top of the Ortega Ruins that hasn't been ventured in years, until Sterk finally received approval for Rorona to access. Bunny punis and agents roam these special halls as enemies.

    Gameplay

    Assignments

    Assignments are main quests that the player must complete in order to progress through the game. The player has ninety days to complete the kingdom assignment. At any point of the ninety-day period, the player can submit the required items over to Sterk in the castle hallway and a progress report is updated on how much of the assignment minimum requirements are completed. On the date of the deadline, the player is given a star rating on the given assignment in regards to the quality and quantity of items submitted. If the player fails to meet the minimum requirements of the assignment, the workshop is closed and the game is over.

    Quests

    Front Quests

    Rorona talking with Etsy for jobs.
    Rorona talking with Etsy for jobs.

    Front Quests are requests submitted by the Arland's townspeople to the kingdom and are taken by talking to Etsy at the castle lobby. Players can select multiple front quests at once and submit them in at any time before the quest's deadline date passes. Some quests have certain minimum requirements in order to be accepted, such as the item being requested must have a particular element trait, or defeating a certain amount of enemies. Successful front quest submissions results in money and increased reputation to the Arland's townsfolk.

    Some quests reward bonuses if the item submitted meets a certain quality, is submitted on or before the bonus due date, or defeated over the certain amount of the targeted monster. Once the quest with its bonus requests are submitted, the player is rewarded in either extra money or tickets in which they can trade in with Etsy for items.

    Friends Quests

    Friends Quests are requests taken from Rorona's friends by asking them for a job request. Each friend only has one request, usually an item that must meet certain quality or contain a certain trait. The player can take on multiple friends quests at once. Successful friends quests results in earning friendship points, money, increased insight into their lives, and certain ramifications to the story's ending.

    Friend Locations in Arland for Quests

    • Cordelia: Square
    • Sterkenberg: Palace Hallway
    • Iksel: Sunrise Cafe
    • Tantris: Square
    • Gio: Main Street
    • Lionela: Factory Way
    • Tiffani: R&T Sundries
    • Cole: Factory Way
    • Pamela: Pamela's Shop

    Exploration

    Rorona exploring the Nearby Forest
    Rorona exploring the Nearby Forest

    The purpose of exploration is to gather ingredients that are not available to purchase in Arland's shops and for uses in synthesis, a quest, or assignment. Travelling to an outside location takes a certain amount of days and a fee. Each location has multiple areas that house particular items and enemies. Players can choose to venture farther into each outside location, which takes at least a day. Some areas require extra effort (such as destroying a rock in place) in order to venture into.

    Ingredients can be gathered on the path by standing by or on a star cloud indicator. Each gathering patch house certain ingredients of varying quality, which are indicated in two colors, gray and gold. Gray star patches usually house low to normal quality ingredients, while gold star patches house higher quality and rare ingredients. The player can select which ingredients from the gathering place to put into Rorona's basket.

    Rorona will enter into a battle with an enemy if she comes in contact with a monster in the area. Rorona's party can earn the first strike in battle if the player successfully hits the enemy with Rorona's magical staff.

    Length of Days to Travel to Outside Location

    • Nearby Forest: 1 Day
    • Ortega Ruins: 1 Day
    • National Mines: 3 Days
    • Traveler's Way: 4 Days
    • Catacombs: 4 Days
    • Nabel Lake: 5 Days
    • Lost City: 6 Days
    • Dark Woods: 6 Days
    • Ster Highlands: 7 Days
    • Night's Domain: 8 Days
    • Orthogalaxen: 1 Day

    Synthesis

    Item Synthesis

    List of items available to Synthesize
    List of items available to Synthesize

    Players can produce an item by synthesizing the required ingredients in the workshop. Each item lists the amount of each ingredient, days passed, and HP expended to produce the item. The item synthesis could fail if Rorona's alchemist level or HP is too low to for the item attempted to synthesize. Rorona's alchemist level will increase after an attempted synthesis.

    Equipment Synthesis

    Players can synthesize new weapons and clothes by bringing in Ignots (for weapons) or Cloths (for clothes) of a certain type along with a paying a fee to be forged by Hagel at his weapons shop. All equipment and clothes can also be dismantled down to their bare ingredient for a fee.

    Effects and Traits

    Based on the ingredients used to synthesize the new item/equipment or the end result of the new item/equipment, each item/equipment can attain certain effects and traits when used or equipped to a character.

    Acquiring New Recipes

    There are various ways a player can acquire new recipes to synthesize during the course of play. Some new recipes occur during the course of the story. Others can be acquired by going through special events by triggering specific friend flags during the course of looking into more of their lives. At certain assignment periods, new recipe books can be purchased from the Arland shops. New recipes can also be found in treasure chests at certain gathering areas in exploration of outside locations. The new recipes will automatically be added to list of items to synthesize once the player returns Rorona back to the workshop.

    Wholesale

    The player can use the shops to copy and mass produce the synthesized item, saving the player time from continuously synthesizing the same item over and over. The four Arland shops can carry up to ten items of a particular item type to mass produce and sell.

    • R&T Sundries: Sundry Items
    • Beefy's Weapon Shop: Bomb and Attack Items
    • Sunrise Cafe: Food Items
    • Pamela's Cafe: Magic and Unique Items

    Hom

    The player can command Hom to do two functions.

    Gather Items: Hom will go out to the chosen area to gather particular ingredients found in that location during his/her time there. Hom will take the same number of days indicated to travel to the desired located needed to travel and return with the ingredients. On his arrival, Hom will have gathered a total of 80 ingredients in which you can transfer to Rorona's basket, container, or for Hom to retain to perform synthesis.

    Synthesis: Hom can perform all syntheses that the player has successfully performed as Rorona. Hom will need the necessary items to perform the synthesis and will take the same amount of days that the item requires to be synthesized. The player can also command Hom to have the synthesized item to be of high or low quality, or to have many or few traits.

    Rest

    The player can elect to rest up to seven days by moving Rorona next to the couch inside her workshop. Rorona will recover some HP by resting.

    Battle

    No Caption Provided

    Atelier Rorona uses a turn-based battle system, where the player's party and enemies take turns battling each other until the battle is over. The player can recruit two friends to battle alongside with Rorona.

    Recruits

    The player can recruit two supporting characters to Rorona's party by requesting their services by going up to them and inviting them into the party. Some recruits require a fee to join to the party. Cory, Iksel, Sterk, Gio, Lionela, and Tantris are the characters that can be recruited and commanded in battle.

    Commands

    The player has five commands to select when the character's turn is up.

    Rorona using one of her Skills
    Rorona using one of her Skills
    • Attack: The character performs a normal attack against the enemy.
    • Item: Only Rorona can use the item command. The player has the option to use offensive items against enemies or support items to allies.
    • Skill: The character performs a special skill. The character's HP is consumed when their skill is used.
    • Defense: The character gets into a defensive stance to reduce damage taken from the enemy.
    • Escape: The party withdraws from battle. Not all escapes will work, especially in the case against tougher enemies.

    Elements

    Depending on the skills used in battle, certain elements will arise where certain elements will either be effective or ineffective depending on the element that is arisen.

    Help System

    Rorona's friends can provide an offensive or defensive assist once they filled at least one level of the assist meter.

    • Offensive Assist: After Rorona successfully attacks an enemy, a friend can be called upon to perform a follow-up attack on the same enemy Rorona attacked for increased damage.
    • Defensive Assist: When Rorona is about to be attacked, a friend can be called and stand in front of Rorona to prevent her from receiving any damage.

    End Battle Results

    At the end of the battle, the party receives battle experience points, money, and selected ingredients resulted from battle to her inventory. When a character reaches a new level, they acquire skill points to add to increase the power of their current set of skills. At certain levels, the character will learn new skills to use in battle.

    All Party Members Fall in Battle

    If all party members fall in battle, the game does not end. Instead, the party retreats back to Arland along with the days spend travelling back to Arland from the current location. On the first day back, Rorona is back in her workshop, but she and her party mates will only have 1 HP.

    Limited Edition

    The limited edition of Atelier Rorona comes packaged with a visual art book. The visual art book contains images for all the major characters in the game, along with rough sketches and bonus images.

    sizepositionchange
    sizepositionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    bordersheaderpositiontable
    positionchange

    This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.