So how long is this?

[Daverost]

What kind of playtime can I expect on my first run, through? I was thinking I'd finally bust this out of the pretty little premium box I got it in when I went out of town next week.

[SaturnineTenshi]

About 20 hours.

[Daverost]

That might be doable...

[Mlada]

I don't think I even spent 20 hours on my first playthrough. I mean, I could be wrong, but I was thinking more along 15hrs. I could be wrong, but it was extremely short for me, and for me to say that means something, because my job keeps me from playing a lot of video games or long sittings...

[SaturnineTenshi]

It's very short, and he could probably do it in 15. 20 was a more conservative answer.

[Daverost]

15-20 should be fine either way. I'll be gone for 10 days, but I was planning to try and get some good time on my Vita as well as knocking out as much manga as I could get away with bringing (since my backlog is huge).

I think I could manage all of it on a trip that long if this is only 15-20 hours. I just didn't want to dedicate myself to something so long that I couldn't definitely have it finished before I got back home. Something tells me having Neptunia mk2 finished before I go is little more than a pipe dream at this point, so I want to jump right back into it when I get back.

[Daverost]

Knocked this out in short order while I was gone. It was a blast. Shame we can't seem to get the older Atelier games like this despite how often they get re-released.

I ended up with the Royal Alchemist's Apprentice ending my first run through. Couldn't manage gold on the last two. I figured out that for the next-to-last one I could get purple supplement materials where I was then, but I didn't know it was from an expanded gathering point and I still have no idea how to make new ones appear. The last one I had two of the item done within a month but I couldn't apply any of the traits I had to it so I just went with normal and ended up with silver anyway.

Oh well. I guess that's what New Game+ is for.

[Mlada]

I think almost everyone I know that's played the game got the Royal Alchemist ending on their first go. I know I did. Since it's been a while and I zoomed through the game, I don't remember too much about Annie's set up. I do know I got the best ending (I can't remember if it was called "best" or if it was something else) on the second go, as all I screwed up on the first playthrough was not having enough money by a certain point in order to be given the final task. I do know that figuring out the trait concept and qualities were a bit over my head, but then again, it was also my first Atelier game I actually finished. I had only tried a little of Atelier Iris before that point, but got distracted not too far from the beginning of it and still to this day haven't been able to get to it. I imagine now that I've played Mana Khemia, Rorona, and Totori, my understanding should be a tad bit better...

Then again, if it's confusing to you, then maybe it has nothing to do with Atelier game knowledge...LOL...Maybe the game was just poor at explaining things, which I do seem to recall thinking at the time of playing it, but it was easy enough to overlook it for the most part.