For those that have never heard of or played a Atelier game you may find that is a different kind of RPG.  It has all the main staples of a standard JRPG: turn based battles, a cast of party members to choose from, leveling up, etc but this game as it predecessor did(Atelier Rorona) focuses more and finding/creating items and doing jobs more than it does exploring dungeons and fighting monsters to save the world.  For anyone bored or just wanting a detour from the regular "save the world" stories in JRPGs just might be in for a treat.  However, this game definitely isn't for everyone.  Everything from the cel-shaded visuals, to the music, characterizations, and voice acting all screams anime; anyone with a low tolerance for it is probably better off passing on Totori.

 

Atelier Totori is a very ligh-hearted RPG that more often then not does not take it's self very seriously. There is an overall story about the protaginist, Totori searching for her mother but it is often forgotten about for the sake of silly character interactions and adventuring. Totori wishes to find her long lost mother so she decides to join the adventurer guild in hopes of finding something out during her adventures.  However the guild is other crowded with adventurers who don't do very much so there is a new policy in place that they must earn enough points in three years time or the license will be revoked. And that is about the extent of the main plot until much later in the game which I won't get into to avoid spoiling anything.  

 

 

Playing Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland's predecessor, Atelier Totori: The Alchemist of Arland isn't required to enjoy the story but I would recommend playing Rorona first anyway. As much time is spent with the characters, a few returning from the first so some humor and references may be lost on those who did not play Rorona.  And much of the enjoyment in this game for me at least, came in spending time during character events since the cast is likeable.  Some may be annoyed by all the dialogue/events that don't advance the plot but I found them fun or interesting.  Again, it isn't required for understanding the plot but is still highly recommended.

 

So throughout the game, time is spent taking on jobs at the adventurer's guild which consist of gathering items, creating items via alchemy, and killing monsters. Time is not infinite in this game though, everything you do will take a certain amount of days such as exploring areas, creating through alchemy, and even gathering items from gather spots. Jobs also have time limits, such as having a set amount of days to create a certain item or to kill a number of monsters.  Battles in the game are very simple so most of the strategy comes in deciding how to manage your time. For those who played the first game, time is not as much of an issue as it was before since there are no assingments. So long as another points are gained through your adventuring and you make regular visits to the guild for more jobs than there isn't much to worry about.  

 

 

It is kind of hard to really lose at the game as being defeated in battle does not bring up a game over screen but instead the party is sent back to town and some days are lost. That can be a problem if it happens in far away places as a lot of time can be lost so it is wise to save before venturing out as the game cannot be saved anywhere There is way more than enough time to get the normal/good ending so the game isn't very challenging unless you are intent to get the true ending or a few of the harder to reach ones.