Atelier Trilogy Concludes with Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland on May 22nd

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Atelier Trilogy Concludes with Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland on May 22nd
Atelier Trilogy Concludes with Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland on May 22nd

Howdy everyone! Ryan from NIS America here, dropping by to talk about our upcoming PS3-exclusive title Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland! Due out May 22nd in North America, this is the final game in the Atelier Arland trilogy and we are super excited for its US debut.

For those new to the Atelier series, they are RPG games that revolve heavily around adventuring and using alchemy to synthesize items, weapons, and armor. In order to make items with alchemy, you will be out leveling up your characters and gathering materials in various areas. Although Atelier Meruru is the third title in the Arland trilogy, the story itself is independent from the previous two titles, so you can totally pick it up and enjoy it without having previous knowledge of the backstory. For those who have played the other two Arland games, you can definitely look forward to seeing familiar characters from the previous two titles!

Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland

The story itself takes place in the tiny kingdom of Arls, located on the northeastern border of the Arland Republic, which Princess Meruru calls home. Ever since she was exposed to alchemy by famed adventurer Totori Helmold (Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland, 2011), all she could think about was becoming an alchemist. With Totori’s guidance, Meruru sets out to develop her kingdom using the power of alchemy. On her way, Meruru will encounter new adventures, obstacles, mysteries, and friends, and discover what life is like outside the castle walls. How you choose to guide her through the advancement of her land will determine the final outcome in the tale of Atelier Meruru.

What’s new for this Atelier game? First and foremost, there is a new “development” system that allows you to actually develop new areas in Arls in order to gain access to new lands to explore – doing this will also change the physical appearance of areas and facilities within the game. Another new addition is that you will can pick up quests and interact with NPCs outside of town while you are out gathering and adventuring. The previous titles used the main town as the quest hub to undertake and hand in all your quests, so this is a nice new feature for this series. Alchemy is back with a vengeance, with plenty of new items to make, and of course be on the lookout for the Homs, who will gladly gather and synthesize items for you while you’re out adventuring!

Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland

We’re greatly looking forward to the launch of Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland next month on May 22nd exclusively on PS3. If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment and I’ll do my best to answer your questions. Thanks again!

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59 Comments

40 Author Replies

  • Very nice, i will pre-order this game very soon.. i enjoyed Atelier Rorona and havent started Atelier Totori yet :P but i will pick Atelier Meruru day 1 :)
    Thank you NISA for your support and please keep up the awesome job and bring more PS3 games over. i also look forward to see what you guys have in stores for the PSVita

    • Hi Destiny89,

      Glad to hear that you’re looking into preordering it! By playing all three you’ll really get a feel for how the story and game has developed since Rorona!

      We definitely will continue to strive to bring over awesome JRPG’s to the PS3. We already have a few PS3 exclusive titles announced for later on this year ^^

      Best,

      Ryan

  • nice!!! now that the trilogy is over i really hope you guys bring Atelier Ayesha next. im glad this titles are selling for you guys wouldnt be completeing the trilogy if it didnt right?

    • Hi AguilarX,

      I too hope we can continue to work with the Atelier series. We don’t have any new info on the newly announced title yet, but if we do I’m sure I’ll be back here on the PS Blog to talk about it!

      The Atelier series fans in the west have really had a really important role in helping us bring the titles overseas. We really owe a lot to everyone that supports us and the Atelier series!

      Best,

      Ryan

  • Looks good! Still have to play the first two though.

    So uhh, are we getting Neptune V over in North America :D?

    • Hey poodude!

      Thank you! We don’t have any news yet on the freshly announced Neptune game in Japan, but if we do, you can bet we’ll be back to talk about it!

      All the best,

      Ryan

  • Atelier Ayesha is looking spectacular. Hope that gets the same quality NIS America treatment as Meruru.

    • Thanks boxmyth!

      From what I have seen, the screenshots look great! I really hope we can continue working with the series, but as for now we don’t have any official information on that just yet.

      Have a great day!

      Ryan

  • Already pre-ordered the Premium Edition on the NIS Store, now this trailer looks great! One month to enjoy it! Now please bring Atelier Ayesha to America! =D (And more info of Legasista! =D)

    • Hi DeepEyes 7,

      Thank you so much for the support! We are really excited for the launch and really hope fans will appreciate the game set!

      Atelier Ayesha definitely looks great. If we are able to localize it, you can bet we’ll be back to talk about it!

      Best,

      Ryan

  • Like DeepEyes, I already got this one preordered on the NISA store. Looking forward to playing this game. I was very impressed with Atelier Totori. Can’t wait to see how the trilogy ends. Also, hooray for Mimi!

    • Hi RurouniSaiya-jin,

      That’s awesome! We really hope you will enjoy it, as we had a lot of fun localizing the game.

      I have a strong feeling that you will enjoy Atelier Meruru if you enjoyed Totori – a lot of small improvements have been made since Totori and Rorona, so this definitely is a great title/story to end the Arland series.

      Best,

      Ryan

  • Looks good, it is like a gravity rush graphics style with rpg. I would have like a more mature theme.

    • Hi Tristan77,

      The game does come with some nicely cel-shaded graphics for all of the main characters and NPCs. The theme of the story is a bit more light-hearted compared to some other RPG’s.

      We do have a darker Action-RPG slated for early 2013 titled The Witch and the Hundred Knights. You should definitely check that out!

      Best,

      Ryan

  • Preordered the Exclusive Grand Finale Set of Meruru day one from the NISA Webstore!
    MORE NEPTUNIA!
    Please Localize:
    Neptunia V And Gamindustri’s Alternate Dimension.

  • I just wish these games would get cheaper. I’ve never seen them under 50 bucks. If reviewers weren’t so worthless it might be easier to make a choice.

    • Hi SpiritThief,

      Finding a new copy of Atelier Rorona may be a little more difficult as it has been out for a year and a half. Some retailers still may have copies of both however. Also please feel free to check our online store, as we may still have some in stock. store.nisamerica.com

      All the best,

      Ryan

  • I pre-ordered the exclusive Grand Finale Set day one from the NISA Webstore, I can’t wait to play it!

    I am also excited about the new Neptunia! Neptunia V And Gamindustri’s Alternate Dimension.

  • Have my Limited Edition preordered already. Love the series, and this new ones are way better than previous ones in the series. I love how you worked around the old formula.

    • Hi Dark-Zero1687,

      How are things?

      Atelier Meruru really is the culmination of the series, as a lot of improvements have been made over the past two games since the Atelier series hit the PS3. GUST really has been making great improvements in the series with each title and I really hope that this trend continues!

      Best,

      Ryan

  • Just waiting for NISA to send me a mail about my Limited edition has been ship.

    #8 Games in Denmark cost about $90 for Standard edition.

    • Hi Artemisthemp,

      Thank you for your support and for preordering!

      I’m sorry to hear that standard editions can cost up to $90 in Denmark. Importing costs can really get high depending on the location/vendor from where you are getting the game.

      Again thank you!

      Best,

      Ryan

  • Ahhh bring stuff like this to vita. RPGs are perfect on that device!

    • Hi Esena,

      We just released Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention yesterday for PS Vita – both download and retail versions. If you haven’t already, you should definitely check out the website. http://disgaea.us/dis3vita/

      Although we haven’t announced any other titles for the PS Vita as of yet, you can bet we’ll be back on the PS Blog to talk about it if we do!

      All the best,

      Ryan

  • *plays the trailer*

    *hears Cristina Vee*

    *goes to pre-order the game*

    I love that girl. I havent even finished the 2nd game yet and I am buying it for her. That’s the power of VO

    • Hi phatmillips,

      I’m glad to hear you’re excited for the voice acting! This version also has the dual audio feature, so you can check out both the English and Japanese dub if you like too!

      All the best,

      Ryan

  • Already pre-ordered. I really enjoyed Totori.

    • Hi Mox007,

      Thank you for preordering! If you like Totori, you will definitely enjoy Meruru!

      Again thanks!

      Ryan

  • hows the time management on this puppy,ryan?its the same that on the previous games or what??

    • Hey perrandy,

      The time management facet is still intact for this game – however it is based more off Totori’s system versus Rorona’s. Overall, the mechanics have been slightly changed so you don’t necessarily have to be the 100% well rounded player juggling alchemy, adventuring, quests to continue on. What it has evolved to is as long as you are constantly adventuring/questing, developing, synthesizing, you can progress past the “bad ending” point at 3 years. By doing so you open another 2 years for yourself to help unlock the better endings.

      Everything still costs time to do, but like I said it has been slightly tweaked so you don’t necessarily have to keep as many plates spinning to progress in the game. For the best endings and or specific endings, it will require some really good time management and or focusing on one facet a bit more, like the previous titles.

      I hope this helps!

      Ryan

  • I pre-ordered it. awwww.

    is this game support 1080p yet?

    • Hi Monterossa,

      Unfortunately the output resolution for this title will mirror that of the previous titles, so it will be in 720p.

      Best,

      Ryan

  • Sony needs to do something…. jRPGs nowadays are going to 3DS.

    PS3 needs more jRPGs.

  • It’s a shame how long RPGs take to come out in english. Meruru is only just coming out while the PR campaign saying how much better Ayesha is has already started.

    • Hi tacotaskforce,

      I definitely hear what you’re saying about the new titles being announced in Japan.

      Behind the scenes, it does take a considerable amount of time to localize, physically produce, then distribute – so unfortunately time-wise it’s tough to make all that happen before the next cycle of a series starts overseas. We do our best to release them as soon as possible, as we know fans are eagerly awaiting their release ^^

      All the best,

      Ryan

  • mmmm these saga of rpgs always looked too girly for my taste… but watching the trailer i saw a couple of panties so…. i might think about it XD *troll face*

  • @ DarkOne_PR LMAO

  • the character animations looks great

    • Hi Kurizamiru,

      The cel-shaded character animations are pretty good in this title. GUST has done a great job on improving them since Rorona!

      Best,

      Ryan

  • My preorder for the Limited Edition with the “Barrel!” shirt has been placed! Can’t wait for it to ship XD

    • Hi LarryFabulous,

      Awesome! The shirts look great, so you won’t be disappointed!

      Only about a month to go! We really hope you will enjoy the set!

      Best,

      Ryan

  • Do I have to play the other games to get the story?

    • Hi GearThird_Luffy,

      You do not have to play the earlier games to get the story as although each story takes place in “Arland”, the main character and events of each story are different. Characters from previous games do appear, however they are in more a support role to the main character and some small references may be made, but they won’t leave you in the dark. There are a bunch of tutorials built into the game at the start, so you’ll be able to pick things up quickly.

      This is a great point to jump into the story, as a lot of improvements in mechanics, graphics, content have all been implemented for this title’s release.

      I hope this helps!

      Ryan

  • Holy awesome; i love the game series a lot but don’t own any of the games. Should i start off from the 1st game or join in the new one then come back later to others? I watch my friends play it all the time and its so awesome. So many awesome games coming out that i can’t pick.

    • Hello jose213jose,

      Starting from the first title will definitely give you an appreciation of how the series and games have evolved since it’s first PS3 release in late 2010. A lot of characters are introduced in the first game that essentially continue through all of the other games, so you will also receive some backstory for them too.

      However, as I previously posted, you can totally just jump right into Atelier Meruru and still be able to enjoy the game as if it were an independent title also. It ultimately depends on your preference as a player/RPG fan whether or not you want to check out the previous characters’ stories.

      All the best,

      Ryan

  • I haven’t played any games in this series before, but you’ve caught my interest. I’ll be on the prowl for more information to knock me off the fence I’m teetering on.

    • Hi ANIMATOR-CP4E,

      There should be previews/reviews popping up early to mid next month, so by all means please check them out!

      Thank you for posting!

      Best,

      Ryan

  • hi!, are we getting this in PSN too?

  • I should get this over excitement of Neptune V!

  • Surely can’t wait for this to be release.
    Though I really should looking into getting the True Route for the past to titles.
    Rorona is half-way done and Totori is begging for a second play-through since I got the bad ending first try.

    As always Thanks NIS can’t wait for this as well as the other title announced already.

    • Hi EddyC__,

      Awesome! I really hope you enjoy the games, as the true-endings for both Rorona and Totori definitely require some really good time management ^^

      I’m glad to hear you’re excited for our new titles!

      Have a great night,

      Ryan

  • Loved Rorona and Totori. I already pre-ordered this from the NIS store so I’m just waiting for it to arrive. Any news on Neptunia V?

    • Hi HybridFrog,

      Thank you for preordering and for your support with the series!

      Unfortunately, we don’t have any news only the recent Hyperdimension Neptunia announcement in Japan. If we do, I’ll definitely be back to chat about it!

      Have a great night!

      Ryan

  • @Ryan, I’ve never played a JRPG because they look too complicated to me since I didn’t grow up on them. But your answer to @22 swayed me. A bunch of built-in tutorials might just make it possible for me.

    Thank you. You NISA bloggers have been very responsive to us & you can tell we really appreciate that.

    • Hi lisatsunami,

      It’s my pleasure! We love posting up here as it’s a great way to interact with everyone and to answer questions ^^

      As for the Atelier series, If you are familiar with RPG’s in general, the it really shouldn’t be too difficult to pick up at all – and the tutorials do a great job of explaining all the mechanics you will use.

      There are a lot of different ways to play and approach the game, which is one of the appeals of this series in particular. With multiple endings, and different scenes on depending which path you choose, there definitely is replayability in the game too – especially for completionists.

      I hope this helps!

      Ryan

  • Got it pre-ordered with a Prinny cap!! Can’t wait for it!!

  • Looks interesting, I shall look this up. All I can say is 2012 is the return of JRPGs, nice.

  • Thanks, Ryan. I can’t wait to get the next Atelier game. Though I’m a bit behind and still playing Rorona. I’ll catch up eventually though. :)

    I also just want to say how glad I am that you guys are around to bring over all these niche JRPGs. You have no idea how frustrating it is to be a fan of these games and not be able to play them. And you guys come through for us fans every single time. Thanks. You guys rock. :)

    Also, I’m also looking forward to seeing/hearing more about the upcoming 20th Anniversary game Nippon Ichi is working on with Noizi Ito. She’s one of my favorite manga artists most notably with her work on the Haruhi novels which I’ve been reading as they’re released in America. I’m really really looking forward to this project. :)

    So again, keep up the good work and thanks for the update. :)

    • Hi FearMonkey,

      Thank you for posting. I’m really glad to hear that you’re a fan of the series and playing through Rorona. You’ll appreciate how the series progresses up to Meruru.

      We will definitely continue to work to bring over quality JRPGs from Japan! We really do value your support as a fan ^^

      I have been hearing good things about the 20th anniversary game! Hopefully we will have some more official info on our side here in the upcoming year for that!

      Again thank you for your support!

      Have an awesome weekend,

      Ryan

  • I pre-order my LE from the NISA store; I gotta have that Barrel shirt!

    Great series; thanks NISA for bringing in these gems over to the US.

    • Hi Jedah_PR,

      Awesome! We wanted to have an item that any fan of the series would enjoy, so we went with “Barrel!” ^^

      Thank you for your support!

      Best,

      Ryan

  • Pre-ordered the LE from NISA’s website. Going to be awesome. :)

    • Heya Firepowerr,

      Awww yeah, dood! Thank you so much for the support. All of us at NISA really hope that our fans will enjoy the set!

      All the best,

      Ryan

  • Already pre-ordered the LE as well. The Barrel shirt was a good idea!

    • Hi xBarritx,

      The Barrel shirt is definitely epic. We thought a lot of game fans would appreciate the reference and want to wear it ^^

      Definitely enjoy the LE when it arrives in just a few weeks!

      Have a great weekend,

      Ryan

  • Pre-ordered from NISA’s site as soon as it was available! Can’t wait to get my copy!! Thank you so much NISA

  • I’ll buy as many NIS games as I can. NIS is the only company I can think of that has stuck to that nostalgic Japanese gameplay. Atlus comes close but NIS is the best. Can’t wait to see future localizations.

    • Hi QuantumMercury,

      Thank you so much for the kind words! We really are still around because of the awesome support from our fans!

      If you end up picking up Meruru, I really do hope you enjoy it!

      Best,

      Ryan

  • After getting this I’ll start the marathon. You guys are awesome!!!

    • Hi ryoonz,

      An Atelier marathon sounds epic! Thank you for support, we really do value it!

      All the best,

      Ryan

  • Awesome! I have been Atelier fan since first Atelier Iris game back on the ps2. I have that Trilogy and I also have Atelier Rorona and Atelier Totori. So I indeed looking forward to Meruru. NIS America you have my support! I have great fun with the Ar Tonelico Series also.

    • Hi NATHANNAEL,

      That’s awesome! The Atelier series really has progressed over the years and across various consoles. You won’t be let down with Meruru! Thank you for your kind words!

      Best,

      Ryan

  • im getting this too.,just so you know i dont play it im just collecting them becuase i know in few yrs it =going be worth a vry large some of money.. becuase english versions are very rare.. ty ryan

    • Hi mcbuttz78,

      Thank you for your support! If you do ever decide to check the games out, I hope you enjoy them!

      Thank you!

      Ryan

  • Ok thanks ryan. One final question. Will there be a psn release? I prefer digital copies.

    • Hi GearThird_Luffy,

      Unfortunately, it’s slated for a retail only release. I hope this helps!

      Have a great weekend,

      Ryan

  • Already pre-ordered the Grand Finale addition, thank you for bringing great games to the states! NISA is one of my favorite developers because they love their fans!

    P.S: If you guys can please bring over Atelier Ayesha and Neptune V

    • Hi TheMovieHero,

      Thank you so much for preordering! We really hope you will enjoy the set – we had a blast working on it! We definitely wouldn’t exist without our fans, so we really do value your input and support!

      Again thank you! We’ll do our best to continue localizing awesome new titles!

      All the best,

      Ryan

  • Barrel!

  • Preordered the LE, like I always do, when it went up on your store. I love you NISA.

    And I hope that Koei let’s you handle localizing Atelier Ayesha, because I can’t see the series in any other publishers hands. You’ve done a fantastic job.

    I also hope that you guys will bring over Neptune V, but there’s still plenty of time for news on both of these games. I hope that you guys can bring some more PSVita games too. Waiting for Disgaea 3 in the mail, which reminds me… I didn’t check the mail yet today. *crosses fingers*

    • Hi Elvick_

      Thank you for your support!

      As soon as we can announce any new info in regards to new titles, you can bet I’ll be back up here! I hope you have a blast checking out Disgaea 3 for the Vita, dood!

      Have a great weekend!

      Ryan

  • wow!!!!!!!

  • really goood!!!!!!!

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