I’ve been a fan of JRPG’s for nearly the entirety of my three decades of my existence, but one franchise I have never given a spin is Gusts’ Atelier series. However, a new batch of screenshots from the lengthily titled Atelier Rorona: The Origin Story of the Alchemist of Arland has me curious.
The first game released in America, Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, back in the PlayStation 2 days blipped on my radar at the time, but I never got around to playing it. All I know is that its main theme was item synthesis, and it came at a time when alchemy was all the rage in Japanese pop fiction thanks to Fullmetal Alchemist tearing up the nation’s television ratings.
I also remember it being one of the first times Nippon Ichi America reached out and localized another company’s property, taking off shortly after Disgaea: Hour of Darkness arrived and cruised up the sales charts.
Apparently the series became a relatively huge hit with its niche market, because it has seen 15 releases since; one annually starting in 2001, beating out Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Tales in terms of number of releases.
Any fans out there want to give me some tips on where to start? Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana or any entry in the series could make for a great retro review from this longtime JRPG fan who has missed out on a rather large slice of history.
In the meantime, check out these new screenshots for Atelier Rorona: The Origin Story of the Alchemist of Arland let us know what you think below. The game’s remake is set to be released for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in November 2013.

Disguise your little one with the help of a themed costume
From avocado halves to hoppy bunnies, costumes speak to every child's unique spirit. And we've collected our favorite options.

Add magic to your living space with these string lights
String lights add personality and soft light to your living space. Here are some of the best.

The Galaxy S20 Ultra's Space Zoom camera is amazing and a bit creepy
The Galaxy S20 Ultra supports up to 100X zoom, which Samsung calls Space Zoom, but is it any good? Can a phone really product usable photos at 100x zoom? We've got our Galaxy S20 Ultra already so join us to find out!

Checkmate! The best chess sets for beginners and enthusiasts
A chess set makes a great gift, a unique conversation piece, and is a fun pastime. Here are several of the best chess sets from simple games for children to ornate pieces of art.