Been a little busy to update due to work, but things have calmed down now so I have a little more chance to update things here. Now, it seems like this is turning into a Gust/Compile Heart blog but I assure you that's not the intention. 3 niche games from those 2 companies are approaching completion so it's inevitable that there's a lot more information about them cropping up.
That said, on the Atelier Rorona's developer blog, it's mentioned that the staff is on a short holiday to relax from work. There will be a lot of things to do once the staff returns, but it's explicitly mentioned that the tasks on hand will not be related to Atelier Rorona at all. Whether it will be for Trinity Universe or the new Playstation 3 Gust game project is unknown.
Unless a similar issue with Atelier Annie occurs with Atelier Rorona where materials used for the limited edition paper weight doesn't meet new materials safety laws in Japan, it looks like the game itself will not be delayed. The preorder allotments for the premium box set and Gust store limited edition premium box sets are sold out in Japan so if you were looking to get the premium box set, I recommend you order soon from your online import shop of your choice.
**If you'd like to use this translation or paraphrase it, please have the decency to give credit where credit is due.
From the July 2009 edition of Gemaga
Atelier Rorona is an RPG which has a puzzle-esque aspect in which you gather materials and transmute them within a limited amount of time to pass various exams set forth. As long as you clear these exams which crop up on a regular basis, you're free to do what your heart desires, whether it be helping townsfolk out and earning money, gathering mats and transmuting left and right or what not. Thus, the amount of freedom granted to the player in this game is extremely high.
Because exams are designed so that you're able to clear them in a just barely a timely manner, I told myself often, "I can do this with just a little more time!" and ended up prolonging my play time.
The alchemy system is simple, but for those that want to delve into more of it, there is an advanced system prepared as well so gamers new and old to the Atelier series will be able to enjoy this game easily. In addition, the musical score contains some amazing tracks. Highly recommended.
Recommended for these types of gamers: People that are looking for a game which has a LOT of replayability People who like Rorona's character design
Some new details for Atelier Rorona have surfaced in what I believe is this week's Dengeki issue.
There will be 3 different task types that Rorona can accept:
Government exams Request from townsfolk Request from friends
As you may or may not already know, Atelier Rorona is based around the premise that the Alchemy Atelier that Rorona has taken the reins of will eventually be shut down by the government of Arland due to inactivity. To keep the Atelier alive, Rorona is required to submit to government exams every 3 months.
Requests from townsfolk range from item synthesis to eliminating monsters and leads to trust and positive rating from townsfolk when successfully completed. The UI is designed so that it is easy to see how many of each items and what not are required for the quest.
And finally, friends you meet in the town will occasionally have requests for you to fulfill which not only lead to income, but also strengthening the relationship between Rorona and her friends. Various events and endings will be reliant upon these types of relationships throughout the game.
The bald weapons merchant makes another appearance with the name Hageru Baldness. For those that know Japanese, you might get a small chuckle out of that.
Finally, back to some of the more niche games from Japan.
Trinity Universe Official Homepage is now open. While there's not much information available, the known characters and their VAs are listed as well as some details of the two story lines in the game.
A 3 party cross-over RPG featuring characters from Disgaea (NIS) and Atelier Viorate (GUST) as well as a few Idea Factory originals, characters from their respective developers are the protagonists for two separate story lines dealing with space debris polluting the underworld.
Featuring Noriko Shitaya as Viorate, Tomoe Hanba as Etna, and Asuka Tanii as Pamela. Release date is set as September 10th in Japan. Whether this gets localized or not probably will hinge heavily on how Cross Edge, which was released today, does in terms of sales.
3 tracks from Atelier Rorona are embedded in the official site. A track listing for the 2 CD original soundtrack, as well as some preview clips are available at the OST homepage.
I've gone ahead and compiled the 45second clips into one video here. Track listing can be found underneath the video.
0:00~ 森の散策 / A Stroll in the Forest 0:45~ 困ったときは相談してね / Talk with me if you're Troubled 1:30~ 父と母 / Father and Mother 2:15~ Ultimate Rondo 3:00~ 地下に眠る基地 / A Base that Slumbers Underground 3:45~ ひなたぼっこ / Sunbathing 4:30~ 水辺の詩 / Poem of the Shore 5:15~ いいコトあるかも / Something Nice Might Happen 6:00~ 古代樹の鼓動 / Heart Beat of the Ancient Tree 6:45~ Nose Dive 7:30~ Eyes of the Dragon
Typical GUST fare which conveys the light hearted nature present in most of their games. If you enjoyed the Mana Khemia soundtrack as well as the non-vocal Ar Tonelico soundtracks, you'll most likely enjoy the music Atelier Rorona has to offer as well. Scheduled to go on sale on June 24, a day before release of Atelier Rorona
Buried amongst other things in this weeks news, it appears GUST has started development of a new, yet-to-be-announced, Playstation 3 title. Details are scant, but a new banner appeared a few days ago on Salburg.com, which is a Gust run informational website about their games.
While most without Japanese knowledge might be quick to dismiss this as being fake due to the hiring banner displaying Rorona from Atelier Rorona, translated, the banner states that Gust is quickly looking for programming applicants coinciding with the start up of a new Playstation 3 game project.
With Atelier Rorona scheduled for release on June 25 and Trinity Universe being headed up by Idea Factory and being ~60% complete as of a few weeks ago, it's highly doubtful that this is for either of those two titles. With Mana Khemia being part of the main Atelier series of games, that most likely eliminates a possibility of a Mana Khemia sequel as well, bringing hope that this may be the next installment in the Ar Tonelico series or a completely new IP.
Like with most companies, they're also always accepting applications. If you're fluent in Japanese, have a background in sales & marketing or scenario writing, and are interested in Gust as well as living in Japan, why not go ahead and send them an application?
