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An amazing adventure

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 35 / 38
Date: July 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Atelier Iris is a truly incredible accomplishment that has everything you could ever want in an RPG: story, gameplay, variety, emotional attachment...and so much more. There's far more to this game than could ever be described in the space allowed, but I'll try my best.

First, the graphics. They may not be the epitome of high-tech, but the nice clean lines, bright colors, and overall smoothness make for an easy-on-the-eyes affair. Plus, the simplicity makes it hard to miss treasure chests and such hidden in the environments. It's my sincerest hope that this magical 2-D style is not lost in the forthcoming round of next-gen systems.

As for the sound, not much to say. Backround music fits the areas it's assigned to, and the tunes will never grate, but they won't move you to tears or stick in your head forever, like the music of Chrono Cross for example.

The story is perfectly tuned. The plot has its share of twists and turns, there's plenty of humorous dialogue (especially in the optional sub-quests), and the characters are compelling. Like the graphics, the story is elegant in its simplicity, avoiding the overblown, head-scratching plotlines of Square-developed RPGs.

The real draw of this game, however, is all the things there are to DO. It's incredibly deep. All the characters have several skills, which can be leveled up in any way you please. There are tons of different Mana (kind of like pet spirits) to collect, which give you new, outside-of-battle powers. Not to mention the ingenious item-creation system. By bringing ingredients to the shopkeepers, you'll be able to create tons of new, useful items, which will subsequently be added to the shop's menu. Better yet, each new item you create results in a short, funny dialogue scene. Also, collecting a few different items that fit into the same category will unlock special bonuses, such as concept art.

Speaking of those shopkeepers, kudos to Gust for its work with the game's NPCs. Instead of creating a huge, spread-out game world with hundreds of identical, boring NPCs, the developers instead chose to keep the world a bit smaller than most, with NPCs that have their own backstories. I found myself really caring about Norman the barkeep, Blaire the breadmaker, and all the rest.

All things considered, Atelier Iris is best described as a towering achievement. Despite adhering to a few tried-and-true conventions, such as a standard battle system, the game's depth, variety, and downright fun carry it to the pinnacle of the RPG peak. I can't tell you how happy I am that Nippon Ichi finally put out a real RPG instead of a "quirky" strategy title, and I also can't wait for more of this stellar series.

Unique item creative, incredible graphics & full interactivity make this an A+ PS2 game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 19 / 23
Date: June 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana is the sixth installment in a popular line of alchemy-based simulation titles. Unlike its predecessors which were primarily focused on collecting ingredients, synthesizing items, and supporting economic growth within a particular community, Eternal Mana puts these aspects of the gameplay in the back seat and has a conventional emphasis on story, character development, and exploration. The result is a feast for the senses.

Long ago, there existed Avanberry, a majestic city in the sky. The people who inhabited the land possessed a sacred power known as 'Mana'. In harnessing the ability to purify the elements and synthesize all forms of matter, they became known as 'Alchemists' and enjoyed a prosperous era that they thought would never end. However, their reign of peace came crashing down upon them when the city was mysteriously destroyed by unknown forces. The legacy of Mana was seemingly lost forever. Several generations later, a child is born with the gift of Alchemy. His name is Krein, and from a very young age, he was blessed with the ability to hear the sounds of Mana and communicate with spirits. Krein's grandmother possessed the same talents and impressed him with elaborate stories of the legendary city in the sky. After she passed away, Krein set out to discover the 'ultimate alchemy' and unearth the secrets of the fabled Iris.

The tale of Eternal Mana is enhanced greatly due to the inclusion of a strong character-driven storyline. The cast of characters who accompany Krein along his journey are not particularly original, but are thoroughly developed in a three-dimensional manner which fleshes them out and renders them easy to become attached to. Throughout the course of the game, the player not only witnesses the poignant moments which expose each individual's humanity, but also humorous occurrences with companions like Delsas, a roguish and arrogant character who manipulates a Mana Spirit into helping him hit on a woman in the bar. Typically monotonous tutorial lectures are brought to life by the slapstick comedy routines of Popo and the other Mana Spirits, making the process of learning the ropes all the more enjoyable.

Given the complicated nature of Eternal Mana's ever-expanding array of gameplay systems, such tutorials quickly become essential to realizing the full potential your entourage is capable of. Skills are relatively limited upon starting the adventure, but as the player proceeds through the game, an increasing number of options are made available to tweak and customize. Aside from traditional equipment, each character learns various spells and techniques which can be enhanced through a point distribution system upon leveling up. Eventually, Krein's Mana Spirit friends will be able to assist the party in this process; equipping a particular spirit allows a character to gain bonus points in particular abilities. Mana Spirits are also required in order to utilize alchemic synthesis; given the correct 'elements', Krein is able to create consumable Mana Items for use in and out of battle. Collected in colored test tubes, Fire, Sky, Water, Light, and Dark are a mere handful of the fourteen elements Krein is able to obtain by smiting enemies in battle with his staff, or smashing various objects scattered throughout each area in order to extract their essences. In addition to elements, 'synthesis ingredients' are also abundant throughout each zone and can be collected for a different purpose altogether. Given a specific recipe and the right combination of synthesis ingredients, shopkeepers in town are able to create new items and make them available to purchase. If a truly exceptional item is made, the shop's popularity can increase and give yield to even better recipes for the player to experiment with. Money is relatively hard to come by, so item synthesis becomes a crucial factor contributing to the player's success.

Despite the restrictions of a traditional turn-based battle system, the ability to fully interact with each environment is a definite plus. Krein is able to run, jump, and climb his way through magnificent cities and dense forests in search of treasure. It becomes easy to forget that Eternal Mana is an RPG when presented with so many platform and action elements which continually keep the gameplay fresh and interesting. In addition to extracting elements by smashing objects with his staff, Mana Spirits are able to grant Krein various powers such as fireballs, levitation, manipulating the encounter rate, and so forth. Understandably, Mana Spirits can become fatigued from the amount of hard work they are subjected to, so they must occasionally be provided with 'presents' in the form of synthesis items in order to maintain their health and happiness. Although it is often difficult to appease each Mana Spirit due to their different tastes and preferences, keeping them all happy quickly becomes an important factor in maintaining the team's efficiency.

The old adage holds true: a picture is worth a thousand words when discussing Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana's impressive graphical presentation. Featuring some of the most gorgeous two-dimensional artwork and animation available on the PlayStation 2, the amount of care and detail invested here truly shines forth. Unfortunately, Eternal Mana suffers from 'Tales syndrome'; the world map design is absolutely atrocious and seems like little more than an afterthought. Dull, lifeless paths connect each area to be conquered, and the gamer is restricted from outside exploration by the need to trigger specific key events in the ultimately linear storyline. Upon doing so, new paths will instantly open up and make themselves available for the entourage to traverse. This faux pas in Eternal Mana's design is among the game's most severe flaws in terms of both graphical presentation as well as execution. On the other hand, Eternal Mana's soundtrack rises above and beyond all standards of video game composition. Ken Nakagawa, Daisuke Achiwa, and Akira Tsuchiya have provided us with a collection of songs that are diverse, unique, and overflowing with inspiration. The opening theme, "White Night Imagination," is the among the best vocal songs to grace an RPG since Yasunori Mitsuda and Joanne Hogg's "Pain," from the Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht OST. "Ferocious Drive" and "Deceitful Wings," two of several boss battle themes, make excellent use of electric guitars in order to produce an amazing, adrenaline-filled rush during combat. Every track blazes with energy and does an excellent job of breathing life into each scenario experienced in Eternal Mana.

Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana is an ambitious title which exceeds expectations in almost every regard imaginable. Given the series' track record, a domestic release is seemingly improbable, but we can always hope that publishers will begin to take note of quality titles like these and grant them the exposure they deserve.

Best Imported Version of a Game to date

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 14
Date: July 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have to say that this game is very under rated. Its got everything from great sound, impressive storyline, a cross between Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger battle system. The Implemented Alchemy system is quite amazing and simple to understand. The Graphics I give 10/10 and for anyone who puts this game down because its not in 3D is a fool. The soundtrack and SFX are decent (The Japanese Voice Overs of the music and character voices go well with the story). The replay value is extremely well implemented into the story because beating this game once is not enough. I highly reccommend this game to any fan of the RPG or Strategy Genre. Plus the bigger the fanbase the more chance the sequels will be released in America too. Good Luck and Enjoy the adventure of Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana 1.

Classic RPG on the PS2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game feels like a stroll down memory lane. With all the action junkies these days, it is rare to see a classic RPG with a turn-based combat system.

That's right, this is a classic RPG, not a strategy or action RPG which some people have mistook it for. However, it does have some elements of strategic formations. Too bad these mean very little to actual combat. In fact, a regular attack will reset your character's position even if they've been pushed back.

The mana and store synthesis features are fairly unique. You can get different results if you use different items in synthesis. The stores also gain a popularity and approval rating based on the items you synthesis in them.

The game also has a lot of side quests to keep you running around. However you can only undertake one at a time and can't accept others until you're done with the current one.

The story's nothing special. We all know this type of plot. There are some humorous dialog though.

In conclusion, a good game if you miss the old style of RPGs. If you're looking for quick action or in-depth combat, this is not the one.

Eternal annoyance

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 12 / 32
Date: August 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I am glad to see NIS make something other than strategy RPGs. The problem is that the strategy games they make are a lot better than this game.

The story of the game is very solid. The storyline is nothing new though. It has the "old evil is coming" theme. Of course, your main character is the last that can use a dying technique that is needed to save the world.

The battle system is very simplistic at best which is ok. You have to extract elements from objects to make potions and other things to battle with. They give you two battle options. These are to attack or defend. The battle system is old school turn based.

The art style and backgrounds are reminicent of Secret of Mana (totally unrelated SNES game).

Where this game falls really short is the fact that your character is two dimentional This is not a bad thing by itself but it tries to be three dimentional. The game randomly pops up elements and items. You can actually exit a building and extract all items then enter the building, re-exit and extract the items again. You can build up an infinite supply of elements like this. The problem is, the way the environment is set up it is hard to see where you are going. Often times, there are areas that you can jump to that you can't see because the scenery is in your way. This gets annoying very fast. The character does'nt interact with the environment very well. I got stuck in a wall, jammed up on top of a ladder, and just couldn't find the right place to jump to get where I was going several times. I think if you could rotate your view there would be no problem. I still am not sure why items keep popping in locations that you can't get to.

The fact that the main character likes to yell out "Barrel" everytime he checks a barrel is also very annoying.

I recommend staying away from this game. I haven't seen a good game with the word mana in it for a long time now. I would like Nippon Ichi entertainment to try again. I think the potential is there, they just need to try something different than what they have made here.

Best RPG This Year!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 9
Date: August 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

It's a pretty classic RPG, however, you can interact with you environment and some of the game's aspects are original. For instance, you have a pool of different kinds of mana, so you can stock up before major battles. You can also synthesize items and its alot of fun to find out what you can create. Trust me, you'll love this game. Let's support Atlus Software!

Not the strategy RPG I hoped for

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: August 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

It's about a fifty - sixty hour game, even with everything there is to do. A typical RPG with no great innovations; I actually enjoyed this less than other RPGs.

What Atelier has going for it is the elemental combination and synthesis system. It's extremely complicated and by itself will be half of your game experience. Interesting, but not ground-breaking for a strategy rpg player.

The characterization didn't really connect with me, oddly the characters that I liked the most and were the best developed weren't even in my party. They were shop owners you have to find items to synthesize into new items for.

The music was decent, and I loved the opening anime music video. However you'll find some glitches with the voices, including a glitch that can ruin the ending.

I could live with all that stuff. What annoyed me the most was the lack of challenges and variety with the combat battle parts. The battles were too easy, and the same type of enemies "Puni" are present in both the very first area of the game and the very last areas of the game. I found this tedious rather than fun.

Other things I didn't like were not being able quick-teleport into areas which you could use the teleport network to get out of, the randomness of new formulaes being added at the shops (took me forever to get Magic Pipe for example), and the tedium of converting mana stones into useful abilites.

Things I did like included a couple very funny and challenging side quests, the awesome personality of the water sprite at the item exchaning spring, and some of the voice comments in combat by the characters.

Overall I've played better games with better flow, but I've also played worse games that totally annoy me. Atelier Iris is better than the .Hack series for instance. It was an OK game, but nothing I'd recommend. For true RPGs Final Fantasy is better, and for strategy RPG's go with Nippon Ichi titles.

Keep in mind that Atlier is not a true Nippon Ichi title, it was translated by NIS America, but released by a company called Gust. This threw me off and factored into my decision to buy it.

Atleier Iris: Eternal Mana

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

So I got this game last christmas since I loved the screenshots and heard that it's based on alchemy. The game starts off with an amazing CGI scene with phenomenal music. The battle system is quite easy is to follow except you have a lack of HP. I like the idea of using mana synthesis to create more duplicates of items such as a heal jar, to heal your HP when your running out. As well as using your mase to turn an object like a barrel to a certain element to use to create more and more duplicates of items. The only problem is that you can only create 9 items for each instead of more. I love the animations, as well as the character sprites which reminds me of the good ol times when RPG's first came out. Anyway this was a pretty underated game from an underated company.

Traditional JRPG done quite well

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: January 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

In regards to the story and battles this game is pretty much standard JRPG fodder. Most of the characters are pretty interesting and you are interested to learn more about them and to see their relationships develop. The main character is surprisingly the weakest character in the game, the person you're most likely to be the least interested in unfortunately.

The thing that keeps me playing this game is the ability to create items with things you find while playing. You can create items for different vendors and increase the popularity of their store and progress your relationship with that person.

Also you can create items that you can apply to weapons to give them different effects and you can create different potions and such to use during battle such as ice bombs, fire bombs, and more.

This creation process kept me going and wanting to move forward to make better and better things more than the story ever did.

What I hate about this game is the main character Klein who is possibly the most boring lead character ever, items from Vendors cost a lot more than they should and they are almost always out of stock on items you really need...the music is unremarkable all around, the character voice tracks sometimes stop playing mid dialogue, the game will lock up while transitioning between scenes at times and some completely unneccesary animations during routine tasks causing 10 second delays in game play.

Despite this the game is certainly worth playing and should keep you interested long enough to beat it.

My Review

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 19
Date: November 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Personally, the whole thing was too stereotypical for me. Now, I will admit that I'm not usually into what other people are. If you like something like Inuyasha, you might like this.

The story was the same thing that you'll find in most anime. The character's aren't anything special, and the basis of the storyline had been used so many times...

The only reason I even slightly liked this game was because they artwork in it is pretty well done. It also included voices, which is [almost] always good.

Mostly it was because I liked the whole idea of gaining mana points and fusing things together and what not.

If you can find it at a pretty low price, then [maybe] it'd be worth looking at as something to do when you're stuck on one all of your other games.

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