How popular is this game?

[R.E.G.I.S Mk. V]

It doesn't seem like too many people know it or even talk about it, which is a shame since it was a really enjoyable game.

[vampko]

I plan to purchase it someday, somehow

[Mlada]

I thoroughly enjoyed it...but...I don't think it was that popular of a game. I'll be honest, it's what got me into the Atelier series, not the Iris games...Rorona came right after it though, so had I not played Annie first, then Rorona probably would have got me into it.

[Redhorse]

I've never played this game series... Is it worth getting?

[Mlada]

Only if you don't mind time management games...If you don't like those kind of games, then maybe Iris will be fine for you.

[Redhorse]

Yeah, I'm fine with those! Is the story and everything fun and worth it?

[Mlada]

I'm not too familiar with the Iris games, but I loved Annie even if it's a little more simplistic than Rorona and the rest of the newer ones. The characters were unique and loveable (or at least to me they were) and to me it wasn't very complex since that was technically my first Atelier game (I own Iris 1 and the Mana Khemia games at the time and still, but actually didn't get around to playing them before Annie, so I was a newbie to the genre). It wasn't too simplistic, but at the same time, wasn't too stressful like Rorona was (in just the item making deal...you have plenty of time to make all the items available in Annie, whereas in Rorona, I've played like three times and still didn't get around to a few items due to how late in the game you got the recipe or had to do some extensive searching and item hunting).

Plus, there's a NG+ option, and unlike Rorona, actually carries over not just money (personal money), but also most items made that weren't major story related items. Getting the multiple endings (although not anywhere near as many as Rorona) is pretty simple thanks to this.

It's not my favorite of the Atelier series, but it's on up there for the cuteness and entertaining factors...I know I'm more of a simplistic gamer here lately though, so if you're more for epic games, this might not be that great, but if you liked Rorona, well, it's on the same level as far as the epicness goes. That, and if you ask me, I found the boss fights (non or barely any are really required to fight) more challenging in Annie than Rorona. It's also easier to level up your characters if you decide later in the game you want to do more fighting (not to mention the best way to raise friendship with others is through fighting with them and raising their levels as well as doing a few requests). The only thing that might suck in comparison with Rorona, is that while they it's nowhere near as much quests needed for each character, they will come to you for the request and if you turn it down or not finish it in time, you may have lost your chance at the true ending (which, I could be wrong with that...it's been a while). Then again, those items if I recall weren't that hard to make. Another thing is that there aren't character specific endings, which was a bit of a let down, but then again, I didn't mind that the endings focused on all rather than one given that I didn't really hate any specific character...

Also, in some ways, this might be a bit more complicated than Rorona, as while Rorona just had her own shop to worry about, in Annie, the point is to balance many stores/places at once and doing what you can to improve them and make a better profit by raising interest with the island. It sounds overwhelming at first, but it's really not that bad, given that if I can get the true ending on the second try (I would have gotten it by the first playthrough had it not been for one stinkin item I didn't make soon enough at the end), then it can't be that bad...And I'm not a golden example of someone who can work time management that well in my day-to-day life, so that must say something about the difficulty levels...

Sorry for the TL;DR post...LOL

[vampko]

I'm not too familiar with the Iris games, but I loved Annie even if it's a little more simplistic than Rorona and the rest of the newer ones. The characters were unique and loveable (or at least to me they were) and to me it wasn't very complex since that was technically my first Atelier game (I own Iris 1 and the Mana Khemia games at the time and still, but actually didn't get around to playing them before Annie, so I was a newbie to the genre). It wasn't too simplistic, but at the same time, wasn't too stressful like Rorona was (in just the item making deal...you have plenty of time to make all the items available in Annie, whereas in Rorona, I've played like three times and still didn't get around to a few items due to how late in the game you got the recipe or had to do some extensive searching and item hunting).

Plus, there's a NG+ option, and unlike Rorona, actually carries over not just money (personal money), but also most items made that weren't major story related items. Getting the multiple endings (although not anywhere near as many as Rorona) is pretty simple thanks to this.

It's not my favorite of the Atelier series, but it's on up there for the cuteness and entertaining factors...I know I'm more of a simplistic gamer here lately though, so if you're more for epic games, this might not be that great, but if you liked Rorona, well, it's on the same level as far as the epicness goes. That, and if you ask me, I found the boss fights (non or barely any are really required to fight) more challenging in Annie than Rorona. It's also easier to level up your characters if you decide later in the game you want to do more fighting (not to mention the best way to raise friendship with others is through fighting with them and raising their levels as well as doing a few requests). The only thing that might suck in comparison with Rorona, is that while they it's nowhere near as much quests needed for each character, they will come to you for the request and if you turn it down or not finish it in time, you may have lost your chance at the true ending (which, I could be wrong with that...it's been a while). Then again, those items if I recall weren't that hard to make. Another thing is that there aren't character specific endings, which was a bit of a let down, but then again, I didn't mind that the endings focused on all rather than one given that I didn't really hate any specific character...

Also, in some ways, this might be a bit more complicated than Rorona, as while Rorona just had her own shop to worry about, in Annie, the point is to balance many stores/places at once and doing what you can to improve them and make a better profit by raising interest with the island. It sounds overwhelming at first, but it's really not that bad, given that if I can get the true ending on the second try (I would have gotten it by the first playthrough had it not been for one stinkin item I didn't make soon enough at the end), then it can't be that bad...And I'm not a golden example of someone who can work time management that well in my day-to-day life, so that must say something about the difficulty levels...

Sorry for the TL;DR post...LOL

You should never apologize for a well thought out post. People who are too lazy to read the full post don't deserve to read it.

This just reminds me of how much Iris was such a break off from the atelier series. It DID bring me to GUST's work, but if Annie had been my first, I may have become obsessed faster ~

[Redhorse]

I'm not too familiar with the Iris games, but I loved Annie even if it's a little more simplistic than Rorona and the rest of the newer ones. The characters were unique and loveable (or at least to me they were) and to me it wasn't very complex since that was technically my first Atelier game (I own Iris 1 and the Mana Khemia games at the time and still, but actually didn't get around to playing them before Annie, so I was a newbie to the genre). It wasn't too simplistic, but at the same time, wasn't too stressful like Rorona was (in just the item making deal...you have plenty of time to make all the items available in Annie, whereas in Rorona, I've played like three times and still didn't get around to a few items due to how late in the game you got the recipe or had to do some extensive searching and item hunting).

Plus, there's a NG+ option, and unlike Rorona, actually carries over not just money (personal money), but also most items made that weren't major story related items. Getting the multiple endings (although not anywhere near as many as Rorona) is pretty simple thanks to this.

It's not my favorite of the Atelier series, but it's on up there for the cuteness and entertaining factors...I know I'm more of a simplistic gamer here lately though, so if you're more for epic games, this might not be that great, but if you liked Rorona, well, it's on the same level as far as the epicness goes. That, and if you ask me, I found the boss fights (non or barely any are really required to fight) more challenging in Annie than Rorona. It's also easier to level up your characters if you decide later in the game you want to do more fighting (not to mention the best way to raise friendship with others is through fighting with them and raising their levels as well as doing a few requests). The only thing that might suck in comparison with Rorona, is that while they it's nowhere near as much quests needed for each character, they will come to you for the request and if you turn it down or not finish it in time, you may have lost your chance at the true ending (which, I could be wrong with that...it's been a while). Then again, those items if I recall weren't that hard to make. Another thing is that there aren't character specific endings, which was a bit of a let down, but then again, I didn't mind that the endings focused on all rather than one given that I didn't really hate any specific character...

Also, in some ways, this might be a bit more complicated than Rorona, as while Rorona just had her own shop to worry about, in Annie, the point is to balance many stores/places at once and doing what you can to improve them and make a better profit by raising interest with the island. It sounds overwhelming at first, but it's really not that bad, given that if I can get the true ending on the second try (I would have gotten it by the first playthrough had it not been for one stinkin item I didn't make soon enough at the end), then it can't be that bad...And I'm not a golden example of someone who can work time management that well in my day-to-day life, so that must say something about the difficulty levels...

Sorry for the TL;DR post...LOL

Yeah, thanks for all the details. I'm gonna get it now.

[Mlada]

Glad to be of some help!

I played some of the first Iris game a LONG time ago, and it was before I got into Ar tonelico, so I was actually thrown off by the whole concept and was easily distracted. Now that I'm more familiar with it all, I'm sure I'll try it again, but it definitely wasn't the game to get me in the Atelier series. I took a big chance with Annie (and now I wished I got the special edition but I didn't know at the time I'd even like it) since I know that I suck with time management, but it hooked me from the get-go, unlike Iris. But looking back now, Iris seemed more like a slightly laid-back Ar tonelico game more than an Atelier game, so I imagine I'd like all three of them (so I have to fork up a lot of money or get lucky with amazon/ebay to find Iris 2 and 3). Annie however sealed the deal with me, and I personally felt it was a good transition into the Atelier games. A friend of mine played Rorona as her first Atelier game, and she had such a hard time managing things and handling the gameplay, but it was basically a breeze for me thanks to me playing Annie. Also, given that I had no trouble picking up the mechanics and all of Annie vs my friend with Rorona, it just lead me to believe that Annie was the better choice for someone trying an Atelier game for the first time.

Dang, now I want to pick up Annie again...but I must be good and finish Final Fantasy IV: The After Years since I'm so close to finishing it...LOL

[aquagon]

Though if Annie sold well in this side of the pond, I makes me wonder why NISA didn't bring the Ateliers that were released afterwards (such as Lina). Having played the JP version up to full completion, I can safely say that it was a much improved version of Annie, and it was quite fun to play as well.

[GodEaterSoma]

I know this is a somewhat old thread, but I still wanna reply anyway lol. I was on the fence on whether to get this game or not since the only Gust game I played and beat was Mana Khemia for PSP. I have Atelier Iris 3, but never finished it and the same with Ar Tonelico 2. After reading what Mlada had to say about the game my interest in getting Atelier Annie increased xD. Just because I'm curious I want to know if this game is in anyway similar to Mana Khemia?

[Mlada]

I've only played the first Mana Khemia as well, but in a way, it's hard to compare with Annie. I mean, it's overall similar since the MK games are a part of the Atelier game series...

Well, it's definitely more similar to MK than any of the Iris games (only from what I can tell since I haven't played much of any of them), but there's slightly more to do in Atelier Annie and more strict with the time frame. As far as simplicity, I think it's about the same as far as battling and making items go. Moving within the town doesn't eat in-game time, just like MK's campus strolls, and only eats time with gathering, moving to different sites, and creating items. To me it didn't take that long for me to figure out how often to go gathering as well as managing time in general. That and from what I can tell it's fairly easy to make all the items in the game in one playthrough (or get really really close). Like I said before, there are no character-specific endings like there are in MK, but there are still character events to witness and a few requests they'll come to you for, so there is purpose (and quirkiness) to them. As far as character development, I find it much similar to MK, in which they're a little bit more exaggerated than more down-to-earth.

@Aquagon - I don't import games so I've never played Lina, but I know I've been interested in it as well. From what I've heard of those that played it though, they claim it was a bit of a downgrade. How much so would you think in comparison of Annie (since Rorona, Annie, and MK 1 are the only Atelier games I've finished)?

[GodEaterSoma]

Thanks for the response xD. Since it seems similar to Mana Khemia (and I really enjoyed that game) I'm gonna try to get Atelier Annie very soon.

[ArmedDragoon]

Oh man, this game. I noticed Rorona in the store one day, decided to pick it up after having heard of "Atelier" somewhere before, played it for a bit and liked it. Hunted down this game, and I actually like it better than Rorona. Rorona's been backlogged when I was about to meet Tantris or something, and I'm on the 3rd playthrough with Annie. Just something about it that makes it more interesting, it's one of the most valued games in my DS collection alongside Strange Journey as far as I'm concerned.