Atelier Rorona was such a fantastic experience for me. It was a game I always wanted but never knew I did. With such praise, I would, of course, be justified in buying all of its sequels, but… by that point I had already done so. Sometimes keeping an unreasonable backlog is convenient.
Atelier Totori picks up many years after the end of Rorona, in a fishing village not too far from the capital of Arland. Our story begins with a huge explosion, as Totori’s cauldron has once again gone up in flames. Totori – short for Totooria Helmond – is a beginner alchemist, apprentice to none other than Rorona herself -- the normal ending's Rorona, instead of the true ending's, which means that, here, Rorona only barely has her stuff together and her teaching methods are sort of lacking.
Totori perseveres, however, not only because she enjoys doing alchemy, but also because it is a valuable tool to be used in the quest ahead of her. Her mom, once a renowned adventurer, hasn’t been home for a few years, and everyone has given up on her ever returning. Everyone, except our young protagonist, who dreams of becoming an adventurer and traveling the world in search of her mother. Not too long after that cauldron incident, the opportunity presents itself, and she sets out to complete that goal.
As it was with Rorona, I appreciate how simple the central conflict in Totori is: there isn’t a huge evil to fight, or a world to defend. This is a girl’s quest to find her missing mother. A personal conflict, something that means nothing to a passerby but means the world to a single person, making Totori immediately relatable. The game's intro focuses on the emotional struggle that Totori and her family have endured over the disappearance of their loved one -- how their family never fully healed. It’s rare for games to tell this kind of story, as it does not provide a baddie to punch, and the way Atelier Totori does it is incredibly sweet.
Over the course of her adventure, Totori will meet all kinds of people from a pool of new and returning characters, and it’s the latter that makes Totori into the sequel of my dreams. Ever wonder how all those characters you got deeply involved with in a story turned out after its ending? Wonder no more, as you get to see exactly how each of them ended up, how they grew and what they achieved.
You’ll be delighted to befriend Iksel and Cordelia again, meet a host of familiar shopkeepers, listen to Rorona and Sterk bicker about one another… almost everyone from Arland is back, and I can’t emphasize enough how heartwarming this reunion feels. Of course, the new cast is lovely as well. I especially like Mimi’s character and how she complements Totori, both as a friend and as a rival. Totori demonstrates how powerful the trilogy format used by Atelier is, and why Rorona got a fourth game.
Speaking of trilogies, by the way, if you played the previous game, you know what to expect from this one, gameplay wise. There are some changes to items and the synthesis system in general, as well as completely rehauled map and time systems that seem daunting at first, but I consider an improvement. Areas feel far less redundant now, and there’s less incentive to fight repetitive battles. It doesn’t take too long to get used to it.
If you disliked Rorona's game (how could you?) you will probably not like this one either, but for fans of the prequel, Atelier Totori is an utter delight: a wholesome adventure amongst characters I’ve grown to love and can’t get enough of. I am so glad this series exists.
Atelier Totori picks up many years after the end of Rorona, in a fishing village not too far from the capital of Arland. Our story begins with a huge explosion, as Totori’s cauldron has once again gone up in flames. Totori – short for Totooria Helmond – is a beginner alchemist, apprentice to none other than Rorona herself -- the normal ending's Rorona, instead of the true ending's, which means that, here, Rorona only barely has her stuff together and her teaching methods are sort of lacking.
Totori perseveres, however, not only because she enjoys doing alchemy, but also because it is a valuable tool to be used in the quest ahead of her. Her mom, once a renowned adventurer, hasn’t been home for a few years, and everyone has given up on her ever returning. Everyone, except our young protagonist, who dreams of becoming an adventurer and traveling the world in search of her mother. Not too long after that cauldron incident, the opportunity presents itself, and she sets out to complete that goal.
As it was with Rorona, I appreciate how simple the central conflict in Totori is: there isn’t a huge evil to fight, or a world to defend. This is a girl’s quest to find her missing mother. A personal conflict, something that means nothing to a passerby but means the world to a single person, making Totori immediately relatable. The game's intro focuses on the emotional struggle that Totori and her family have endured over the disappearance of their loved one -- how their family never fully healed. It’s rare for games to tell this kind of story, as it does not provide a baddie to punch, and the way Atelier Totori does it is incredibly sweet.
Over the course of her adventure, Totori will meet all kinds of people from a pool of new and returning characters, and it’s the latter that makes Totori into the sequel of my dreams. Ever wonder how all those characters you got deeply involved with in a story turned out after its ending? Wonder no more, as you get to see exactly how each of them ended up, how they grew and what they achieved.
You’ll be delighted to befriend Iksel and Cordelia again, meet a host of familiar shopkeepers, listen to Rorona and Sterk bicker about one another… almost everyone from Arland is back, and I can’t emphasize enough how heartwarming this reunion feels. Of course, the new cast is lovely as well. I especially like Mimi’s character and how she complements Totori, both as a friend and as a rival. Totori demonstrates how powerful the trilogy format used by Atelier is, and why Rorona got a fourth game.
Speaking of trilogies, by the way, if you played the previous game, you know what to expect from this one, gameplay wise. There are some changes to items and the synthesis system in general, as well as completely rehauled map and time systems that seem daunting at first, but I consider an improvement. Areas feel far less redundant now, and there’s less incentive to fight repetitive battles. It doesn’t take too long to get used to it.
If you disliked Rorona's game (how could you?) you will probably not like this one either, but for fans of the prequel, Atelier Totori is an utter delight: a wholesome adventure amongst characters I’ve grown to love and can’t get enough of. I am so glad this series exists.