The PS3 games library has become a very well rounded one, with AAA titles in just about every conceivable genre. One genre not represented as well as it should are RPGs, specifically those developed in Japan. With the big series such as Dragon Quest avoiding the console, and Final Fantasy disappointing with its PS3 debut, the lower tier RPGs have to pick up the slack. The Atelier series hasn't been hugely successful on these shores, but could things change with the second PS3 entry?

Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland retains the series trademark cel-shaded style, which it once again delivers to great effect. Though cut-scenes utilise static character images rather than in game graphics, the character designs are impressive. With the technology not being utilised to the fullest, the art design really has to shine through. It's not on par with say Valkyria Chronicles but if you enjoyed the style of Eternal Sonata you will find things to enjoy here. The olde worlde style is classic RPG fare, and may seem generic to some. I quite enjoyed the familiarity of it though, rather than the futuristic mix seen in other games in the genre.


Generic is sadly a word I would use to describe most other parts of The Adventurer of Arland, the battle system for one being a very simple turn based one. Other than the cover mechanic, which allows for certain members of your party to defend the others after a well times button press, there is little here that you couldn’t find back in the NES Final Fantasy games. This isn't a real issue, but as with other RPGs on the console, the lack of any distinctive features when playing the game makes the experience overly familiar. You have a fair amount of customisation for your team available, with weapons, armour and accessories open to your choice. Menus present these sorts of customisation well, with items playing a large role in Atelier Totori.



The lead character in the game, Totori, is an alchemist, and so item creation is one of The Adventurer of Arland's core features. Totori's house is your base of operations, with the Alchemy pot being found here. You collect various herbs, plants and other items for the process, and mix them to create other items for your characters. 'Recipes' are in consistent supply throughout the game, which makes experimentation less important. Each ingredient has various attributes that the resulting item will retain. These range from stat enhancements to less obvious ones such as an item being slippery, or light for instance. These sub attributes can have a variety of effects, and using Alchemy to create the ultimate versions of items is one of your main goals in the game. Much of the campaign revolves around collecting materials to create specific mixtures, the item creation being central to both the narrative and gameplay.

For everything that Altelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland does right though, it fails to deliver on another key element of the genre. I never felt fully connected to the world, whether this was because of the characters, the battle system or the lack of true exploration, which was disappointing. There are promising elements of the game, the graphical style is wonderfully vibrant and colourful for instance, but I could never truly enjoy my time with the game. If the PS3 has yet to see it's defining JRPG, then The Adventurer of Arland definitely isn't it. The intention is there, but the execution doesn't suffice.

Top Game Moment: Succeeding in some of the game's later battles feels like a genuine achievement.