In a 25 game series, it's completely understandable to not know where to start. I'm here to break it down for you. We usually pretend the first ten games don't even exist when talking about what to recommend, and that still leaves a staggering amount of "modern" games left to talk about.
Overview
An adorable girl pursues alchemy to fulfill her dreams. Instead chasing a great evil to the ends of the universe, she’s casually bending space to give herself a better place to sleep when she’s on the road. The laws of physics and plain common sense mean nothing to a master alchemist; even the legendary philosopher’s stone isn’t so precious that it can’t be made into a tasty snack. Maybe the world is in danger, maybe it isn’t, but Atelier is a simpler, more slice of life tale than your typical fare.
Atelier is basically the “original” item making RPG series. Everything else is a shameful imposter. Probably. More seriously, the series is known for incredibly deep item crafting systems, and the games — from exploration to monster drops — revolve around this aspect. If item crafting makes you groan, I guarantee you, Atelier is better than what you're thinking. Furthermore, it is not grindy; you won't fight things more than a few times to get the rarest of drops.
Outside of crafting, the games feature standard turn based battle systems (except Ryza's ATB). The game progression varies significantly; many have time limits and involve mild resource management, and the rest don’t have time limits at all but still vary a lot. You'll find more detailed summaries further down the page. The more recent games are further known for cute girls doing cute things. You will have opinions on Cutest Alchemy Girl and if you say it isn’t Totori you are factually wrong.
The primary thing the series is generally known other than crafting is the 'comfy' or 'down to earth' feel, as well as just being cute games. These ideas are not universal to the entire series, but if those sound like things you like, there are multiple games for you.
The only games that are related are those within the same subseries. So Mysterious has no ties to Dusk, Dusk has no ties to Iris, and so on. You will see characters like Pamela, Logy, Escha, and Hagel appear in several subseries, but these are different characters between each subseries.
Where to Start: The Simple Answer
There are two answers that will work for most anyone: Ryza or Sophie. These games completely lack time limits, making them rather casual friendly.
Ryza
The Atelier series is always on a spectrum between comfy and RPG; Ryza probably leans more toward RPG compared to most others in the series, but it's still more grounded than the usual RPG for much of it. Those of you less certain about the series will probably find it a bit easier to get into. Ryza features a fairly casual friendly crafting system, ATB combat (unique to this subseries), and a pretty standard JRPG style story progression. Ryza is, frankly, a 'low investment' point as you aren't strong-armed into buying three games at once.
You will get the most out of Ryza's story by playing them in order.
Sophie
Sophie is the comfy to Ryza's RPG. It is peak comfort. Kiss that plot goodbye, say hello to everyone in town... and a talking book. The game is very concerned with letting you go at your own pace, smelling the roses. Sophie's crafting system is significantly deeper than Ryza's, but worry not; you don't have to be a crafting god to get through it. If the item crafting really appeals to you, you will find more to enjoy in Sophie.
With the release of Mysterious DX, you are encouraged to buy the trilogy pack (which includes Firis and Lydie & Suelle). The following games are, perhaps, less chill, but you should find much of the same comfy feel in them regardless.
Sophie 2
If you just want to jump into a more modern game without worrying about a trilogy package, Sophie 2 is also a good game to start.
There are two returning characters, Sophie and Plachta, with their motivations explained clearly at the beginning. As it is a sequel, they do talk about the events and end of Sophie 1, so take that into consideration, but everything is clear enough for a newcomer to dive in. On top of that, Sophie 2 comes with a video that explains the story so far.
Marie Remake
I would recommend this to people who like classic styled games. It does have improvements over the original, but it is still a 25+ year old game at its core and it does show. If you are interested in the origin of the series you are free to start here, but I would encourage you to play something modern first to give you a better idea of what to expect from the series. However, it is a very accessible way to experience all the content Marie has to offer.
What about those other games? Can I start with those?
Honestly? Yes, if you are uniquely determined to start with something, you know your own sensibilities better than I do and there is probably not a significant enough issue to steer you away, outside of the following three games: Totori, Annie, and Nelke. Totori is a noobkiller, Annie is not a good game, Nelke is a spinoff and not like the other games.
Now to move on, the common 'extended' starter options are as follows:
Rorona
Note
Under no circumstances should you get the original PS3 version of this game. It has been partially remade, and thus you should only purchase versions marked with Plus or DX.
This is one of the quintessential "scary" time limited games, but if you're at all willing to start with one of these, Rorona is a very solid option. Arland is a hellishly goofy and charming subseries, probably one of the most beloved in the series for that reason. Despite the time limit, Rorona gives you a usually easy goal to accomplish every few months; it's highly structured and thus you are not likely to fail the time limit. The difficulty comes when you try to do 100% completion; total noobs will likely be looking at another playthrough. Rorona also has somewhat more 'classic' event structure, and thus missable events with triggers that aren't always clear.
Just as a note, if you start with Rorona Plus/DX, you will note a significant drop going on to Totori. Totori is the oldest of the 'modern' games due to the partial remake of Rorona, which will become very apparent once you play.
Ayesha
If the time limits don't scare you but the low impact stories do, Ayesha may be your thing. I'll be clear about something: Ayesha is probably one of the rougher starts at this point, what really sells people on it is that it has fairly good writing for the series. The item crafting is hard to get into (though if you're into spreadsheeting and planning steps ahead you may enjoy it), and the game's time limit is very unstructured, so it's harder to tell if you are handling time the right way. If that doesn't scare you, it's a good option. The music is also among the best in series, which is really saying something because the bar is high.
Escha & Logy
This is a bit of a 'hidden' starter entry. If you want to dip your toes into time limits with a near guarantee you will succeed, E&L has exactly that. The structure is quite similar to Rorona, but with easier to get side content. It also has great combat compared to several other starter games. It's great for people who played Mana Khemia or Atelier Iris back in the day and don't know what newer game to get as well.
Subseries Summaries
This series is really expansive. I try to make succinct summaries of what each subseries is about, but there sure are a lot of words here and I wouldn’t blame you for skipping some of them.
Iris
- Iris 1 (A6) PS2
- Iris 2 (A7) PS2
- Iris 3 (A8) PS2
These are outright traditional RPGs with simple crafting systems. You already imagined what the first two games are like. The first two games are related, the third is not. This trilogy doesn't really represent what makes Atelier special, but they can be fun games. I wholeheartedly recommend them as JRPGs, but not as entries to the Atelier series.
Iris 3 is notable for being somewhat experimental compared to the other two. You have time limited dungeons (which you can return to as much as you want, don't worry) and a quest structure for progressing the plot. The other games, truly, do not merit further explanation. You know what they are. They are JRPG comfort food from the mid 2000s.
Mana Khemia
- Mana Khemia 1 (A9) PS2 PSP
- Mana Khemia 2 (A10) PS2
Yes, these are Atelier. Mainline Atelier, not spinoffs. These are beloved JRPGs and you can still hear people crying over the lack of MK3 to this day. You could briefly describe this subseries as 'Atelier goes to school'. You're given assignments to do as part of your classes. These involve all the traditional RPG things (exploration, fighting, plot) as well as item crafting.
Notably, these games perhaps have the best combat in the series. Crafting has some interesting points to it, including being tied to the grow book -- a stat progression method that lets you spend points for skills and such as you create items. The stories aren't the deepest, but the second game does have two lead characters and thus substantially different events on each.
Arland
- Rorona (A11) PS3 Vita PS Now PS4 Switch PC
- Totori (A12) PS3 Vita PS4 Switch PC
- Meruru (A13) PS3 Vita PS4 Switch PC
- Lulua (A20) PS4 Switch PC
Arland can be said to be two parts: the trilogy (Rorona/Totori/Meruru) and then the sequel (Lulua). I'll start with the trilogy.
The Arland games are the quintessential time limited entries, very 'traditional' for Atelier. They are the 'scary' games you heard of. They are not hard, but you cannot approach them mindlessly. In particular, you really need to drop any grindy habits you have, as you will get punished for them. You're expected to make better items to overcome challenges. Rorona and Meruru are structured enough that you will probably complete the game regardless (just with less optional content), but Totori is the noobkiller for a reason. This isn't to overhype Totori; most people complete it just fine, but it does have the highest failure rate.
The progression varies from game to game. Rorona gives you assignments every few months. Totori gives you almost total freedom, but expects you to rank up as an adventurer doing a variety of small tasks (ranging from making items to defeating bosses). Meruru expects you to improve the kingdom and boost its population. You'll do a number of smaller tasks that reward points, whcih you spend on making the kingdom better.
The stories are fairly silly and laid back, with goofy casts you'll never forget.
DX versions are the same as Plus versions, just for newer systems. You, again, should never get the original PS3 version of Rorona. Totori Plus/DX feature minor item crafting tweaks and an extra dungeon. Meruru Plus/DX has a much needed extra ending. All Plus/DX versions include DLC content as part of the package. But if you get the PS3 versions of these, you're not missing a ton.
Lulua merits its own discussion. The Arland trilogy is incredibly cohesive as a subseries, moreso than Dusk and Mysterious. Lulua throws a bit of a wrench into that, as a game made after Mysterious. It has no time limit, progresses similarly to a normal JRPG (with a lot of item recipes tied to story progress), and tries to have a JRPG plot. The story is honestly not that great, but the writing is goofy enough to make up for it; Lulua is one of the funniest in the series. More than anything, Lulua features one of the deepest crafting systems in the series. It's truly for fans of crafting; if you ask me.
Dusk
- Ayesha (A14) PS3 Vita PS Now PS4 Switch PC
- Escha & Logy (A15) PS3 Vita PS Now PS4 Switch PC
- Shallie (A16) PS3 Vita PS Now PS4 Switch PC
The time limit slipped away during this subseries. Ayesha has a relaxed time limit, E&L has a joke of a time limit, and Shallie has none. These games are more serious in tone than Arland; mostly slice of life with mild plot. Ayesha has the strongest setting and story, and unfortunately the next two games don't follow up on it properly. E&L and Shallie both have dual protagonists. Most of the game will be the same either way, but you do get unique events, items, and endings.
The progression methods vary as a result of the different stances on time. Ayesha expects you to try to save Nio; you are mostly given freedom but will bump into the plot every now and then. E&L gives you assignments every four months, as well as a variety of smaller tasks. Tons of free time to do whatever. Shallie is divided into plot and free time (similar to Iris 3 in fact). To advance out of free time you have to do small tasks.
As mentioned before, Ayesha's crafting is kind of weird to get into, and you're gated heavily by level, but there is appeal for those who enjoy plotting things out several steps ahead. The combat is also rather basic. E&L's crafting is possibly one of the most accessible in the series, and it has some of the most polished combat in the series. Shallie's synthesis, similar to Lulua, has incredible depth, but you will most likely not engage with 90% of it playing normally. The combat is basically best in series, with more interesting bosses than E&L.
Ayesha Plus/DX has hard mode and includes the Japanese voices, which is probably huge to some of you. PS3 Ayesha lacks JP voices. E&L Plus/DX has a few bosses and a new playable character, as well as new events between the two lead that you can choose to make more romantic or platonic. Shallie has substantial additions to story in Plus/DX. If you happen to get stuck on PS3, I made a playlist of the new story stuff. As with Arland DX, the DLC is included in any Plus/DX games.
Mysterious
- Sophie (A17) Vita PS4 Switch PC
- Firis (A18) Vita PS4 Switch PC
- Lydie & Suelle (A19) PS4 Switch PC
- Sophie 2 (A23) PS4 Switch PC
Gust is confused about time limits. Of course, Sophie is as chill as promised. Firis has a partial time limit (infinite time once you're done). L&S has an easy time limit for a single portion. If the words 'time limit' scare you, don't be scared, they're all very easy. On top of all that, there is also time of day shenanigans which affect events and other miscellanea in Sophie and L&S.
This subseries is very big on making you do tasks to unlock recipes. The tasks don't necessarily make sense. This is pretty much the main progression method in Sophie. For Firis, you are expected to travel to a distant city and pass an alchemy exam. It's fairly nonlinear in how you choose to do this. Afterward, you are completely free to do as you like, keeping with the extremely comfy feel of this subseries. Sophie and Firis barely have plot and focus more on character events; L&S tries to juggle both but is still quite goofy. Sophie 2 is, in some respects, less goofy but has a rather enjoyable story, and I expect most people to like its ending in particular.
For gameplay, the battle systems aren't completely basic (Sophie 2 being the standout game in this regard; it's rather fun!) but the main point of interest is (of course) item crafting. Previous games would have you essentially pick items from a list and maybe apply skills to the items, but Mysterious has a 'grid' where you position items. A lot of people like to call it the 'tetris' system because of all the rotating you do. For as much as I like to go on about depth, these four games absolutely have it, especially Sophie 2.
You aren't missing a ton if you do not get the DX versions of these games. Very minor story content, some funny items in Firis, and a map, essentially, are added, as well as any DLC from the previous versions. You can consider DX as the Switch lover's choice.
Ryza
- Ryza 1 (A21) PS4 Switch PC
- Ryza 2 (A22) PS4 PS5 Switch PC
- Ryza 3 (A24) PS4 PS5 Switch PC
Finally, the newest entries, and so far shaping up to be as cohesive as the Arland trilogy. Should be fairly familiar to fans of standard JRPGs, with standard plot progression, though not as extreme anime JRPG as the first two Iris games. You have less emphasis on the comfy aspects and more on the plot, though you still get things like interesting, down to earth sidequests and character events. Ryza 2 in particular has a number of events compared to the first, which is more focused on plot, and Ryza 3 finds a better balance between plot and characters.
All systems have ATB combat, which is absolutely a departure from the rest of the series, and a very unique synthesis system. The crafting is difficult to understand from descriptions and images, but pick it up yourself and you'll probably get it; it's fairly accessible. One of the most notable aspects is that these games are much better looking than their predecessors, and Ryza 2 and 3 are satisfying to explore as they lack a lot of the artificial barriers previous games have.
And honestly? Having been on this yearly ride since Rorona's release year, it's been wild to see the variances in quality of life. Ryza actually gets it mostly right. Hop aboard and take a gander for yourself, all the silly things the older games do, and you'll see. The Ryza games are actually a gem in terms of features, especially Ryza 2. I am not the sort to pretend a series does not have issues, but am I ever happy the later two Ryzas gets so much right.
Despite everything you heard about the protagonist and its marketing, Ryza itself has almost no fanservice outside of Ryza's fully clothed butt. This is not an exaggeration.
Other
- Nelke & The Legendary Alchemists PS4 Switch PC
- Atelier Annie DS
- Atelier Marie + Elie (A1 + A2) PS2
- Atelier Marie Remake PS4 PS5 Switch PC
These are the only other games available in English. I've said this before: I don't think Annie is worth your time. Nelke is best played with at least some Atelier games behind you because it's an alternate world featuring all of the protagonists up to Mysterious.
For Marie + Elie, the first two games in the series, there is a fan translation from Atelier Traduction. The group focuses on French, but this game is indeed in English.
Atelier Marie Remake is the newest the series has to offer. It does include the original release of Marie in the Digital Deluxe version, if you are so inclined. The Remake is basically a cuter, somewhat spruced up version of the original. The events are made much easier to get than in the original, and you can completely disable the time limit if the mere words make you anxious. It also lets you walk around the world; the original was a menu heavy game with no exploration whatsoever. It's a very accessible way of playing the classic that started it all.
FAQ
- I'd really like to play as a male protagonist.
- You're barking up the wrong tree, but Iris, Mana Khemia, and Escha & Logy are your options.
- I'm really concerned about fanservice.
- You might consider avoiding the Arland trilogy. It doesn't go beyond typical anime standards, but it does have some objectionable content (a number of sexual comments, groping, etc.). Everything else is pretty clean.
- On a related note, if you were hoping for a sexy game in Ryza, prepare to be disappointed.
- Where should I go next?
- Pick the oldest game you can stomach and go forward from there. If you just want someone to pick for you, Dusk.
- No sub no buy.
- Avoid the PS3 version of Ayesha.
- No dub no buy.
- The last dubbed game was Firis. They are likely not returning anytime soon.
- What system should I play on?
- Switch versions are generally fine.
- Avoid Vita, especially Firis.
- PC considerations
- Get a controller. A lot of the games have high CPU usage without one. You can fake one using steam link and your phone if you need to.
- The games usually perform okay. They aren't going to be your well optimized games, but there usually aren't massive problems. There usually aren't lots of options either though.
- Rorona, Totori, Meruru, and Ayesha all have various forms of menu lag. You can try this but no promises it'll work.
- If you have a laptop with integrated graphics, you will need to force the games to run on GPU.
Last Updated: November 13, 2024
Comments
Great resource, thank you for making it. I just got a Switch so I am finally going to jump in to this series, and keep referring to this guide if I like it. There's two things I'd like to see, though. Which games are available physically? I really only play physical games and I have to go back and forth with PriceCharting to figure out which are available. Metascores would be nice too, I am not taking a chance on a 70 when a few of these got at least an 80.
Metascore is not an appreciable indicator of how much the average person will like these games; they're mostly 70 range, not high budget, and fairly niche.
Everything has a physical copy except Vita games (except Escha & Logy and Shallie), Ryza 2 PS5, and Arland DX. For Dusk DX and Mysterious DX these copies are limited to Switch.
The problem with using Metascores (at this time of writing) as the basis for this franchise is how reviewers don't really set themselves with the gameplay mechanics the games show off— especially with crafting. They would only mention vague words about how they think about the crafting systems an entry provides but never go into detail on what sets it apart from other JRPGs so it always ends up with people judging the games with comparisons towards unrelated JRPGs. There is one persistent problem with Atelier games before Ryza: and it's how the tutorials are always lacking explanation towards mechanics which leads to players having to experiment with what they're playing and asking questions online on how the game works.
I guess I'm not sure what you mean, I thought Ryza's reputation was just that her character design is sexy, which it is. If people think it's a heavy fanservice game they might be disappointed I suppose. I guess I just think that having that good of a design, along with other great designs like Lila's swimsuit skin, is fanservice enough itself to keep them mostly satisfied. Even if doesn't go as hard as something like Senran Kagura or Moero or others like that. This is mostly a tangent though, thanks very much for the guide, as soon as I get time (and after I play Sophie 2 most likely) it helped me decide that I want to go back and try the Arland series next.
During the Ryza explosion, I have seen some people think Atelier was more adult oriented. People see the porn and expect more from the games than there is, and the horny crowd the porn led in furthered that reputation. Then there's stuff like the 'sexual content' tag that's on Steam (which is user voted, but someone new can't know it's a meme tag). So, yes, the character herself is hot (I personally quite appreciate her and Klaudia both), but the game not as much as people might be led to believe.
As for where this is coming from: a lot of people come to Atelier for wholesome experiences, so I tell them what matches that more. Contrary to their expectations, Ryza is rather wholesome. Meanwhile Arland, contrary to its own reputation, is not all wholesome (it's mild as far as anime goes), and there are definitely people who get angry about its content. This is not the majority, but the people who are sensitive to these things appreciate the heads up.
Hope you enjoy Arland!
I feel like you're discrediting how much a good design can be inherent fanservice when it comes to Ryza lol. I get what you mean though, personally I'd like to see them lean into it.
I'm not discrediting so much as people are overstating. Ryza has a very undeserved reputation.
For those who never experience JRPG or Jap ACG culture, watching a anime girl acorss a colorful open world seems strange enough to be a "Japanese sexy travel". But the point is the difference of narrative and character creation. when you enter the game at a very beginning(or even outside the game just suffering some NSFW artworks), you would notcie the character external performance. And in fact the character desgin by artist トリダモノ is a random success, if you notcie the early design book. the huge legs is to depict farmer lives of Ryza. But the success of Ryza's character creation makes Gust and トリダモノ put more attention on her legs and butt. And this even leads a agitation of huge legs on Japanese anime industry. Yes, it is about "protagonist and its marketing". So no worder some lesser fans think Ryza is fanservice. But when we notice the Ryza game narrative, not just a design, we would find the Spiritual core of Ryza is totally a classial JRPG, which means some topics like youth, growth, parting, more like fairy tales for teens. In fact some early games of Atelier contains more "adult oriented" like bad ends or something. So Ryza game is anything but "adult oriented", and sexual content is unimaginable. someone mentions swimsuits in game, very good, in Japanese anime industry, swimsuit is a sercet contract between anime producer and fans, which means one episode of 13 episodes anime would be "swimsuit eposode". you can call this fanservice, but it contains more than that. Back into games, another game of Gust Blue Reflection can explain more: you can make you character wear school swimsuit(スクール), but it does not Influence any narrative. the chosen of you character wearing is up to you, depends on your role play needs or you just want to treat yourself. But remember it is a sercet contract. You enjoy the anime industry, but you cannot stop thinking. And if you ask me Ryza is fanservice or not, I will say yes, or not(after all long and minute statement),but the analyse process is more important.
p.s. about the reputation and meme tags, I think every JRPG which attracts enough attention would be treated unfairly. Just like Tifa in FF7, Xenoblade3 or something more. I won't say NSFW porn ruins them, I just think the new game players that attracted by artworks need more time to play more games and improve their aesthetic level, as we all have a young stage of JRPG or any other games.
I really like your style of writing. Will probably try A1..then jump to Iris1 or Mana Khemia if I'm not having a ton of fun.
"Where should I go next? Pick the oldest game you can stomach and go forward from there. If you just want someone to pick for you, Dusk."
made me laugh
Why avoid Vita? Arland/Dusk Vita games ran just fine for me.
Firis Vita was the most unstable version, Shallie had significant framerate issues, there have been framerate/performance issues on other games as well, and it's simply hard to recommend over the modern equivalent, Switch. Vita is less of a problem for Arland, as I recall.
This is a really thorough and comprehensive guide! Thank you, I appreciate it greatly
Are the Dusk games the only ones that don't have the cute puni? Did they replace it with something else?
They have slags instead. I always thought the little ones were cute.
Very nice write up. I played this series in my teens. I started with Atelier Iris 1 up to 3 and eventually Mana Kemia 1 and 2. I really enjoyed all of them and I'm now looking forward to playing all the other titles. I already purchased all the Atelier series I can find on Steam but I can't find the time to play any of them, lol.
Nice writeup! I agree with a lot of what you said. I've only played Arland and Dusk so far (not Lulua yet), I've been kinda scared to go further but your writeup has me reconsidering. Ayesha is my favorite but Dusk trilogy as a whole feels very disconnected from one another. Arland was so cohesive that Dusk felt jarring when hopping from one to the other.
Also, am I the only one that enjoyed the time management mechanic? I feel like having "time looking over my back" drove me to make progress and spent my time wisely. E&L in comparison had quite a few boring parts due to how relaxed it is and it took me 3 tries to finish Shallie even though starting from "New Rorona" all the way to E&L, I didn't stop and plat each one on the PS3. I don't know, the lack of time restriction and the ability to just go out and get whatever you want without any limitations somehow killed my motivation. It's definitely not about the laid back story too as I loved the Arland trilogy (New Rorona was what hooked me into the series after all and even though it had similar structure to E&L, I never once felt "bored" playing it). Even Meruru which I felt had the weakest story out of the Arland trilogy (I feel that Totori had the best story while Rorona had the best cast/characters in the trilogy) was enjoyable due to how connected it was with Rorona and Totori.
Now I'm on the Switch and have all the games already, but finding it hard to start Sophie as I'm scared of running into the same motivation issue with Shallie. Do you think it'd be better to dip back into the game with Lulua first since I am already familiar with Arland or should I try to keep trucking with the mysterious trilogy?
Lulua sort of has its own identity, but should give you a decent feel for whether the other games will be for you; it definitely was created in a more Mysterious mindset.
I grew up with a DS and no home consoles, so Annie was actually my first Atelier game. Looking back at it for what it is, in my opinion it is worthy of some discussion, if not on the level of the rest of the series. As a game on weaker hardware, it's interesting to puzzle out what was intended design vs what was a design limitation. Interestingly, though you primarily interact with the world through small, walkable environments, they all take up exactly one screen - no scrolling. Gathering consists of mashing the 'A' button to collect resources from designated spots, with RNG playing a huge role. The light business-sim component is a really neat diversion from the series' core mechanics. However, some of the requirements for the True Ending are downright brutal with the time limit given, and it's easy to get locked out of things if you go in unaware.
Thank you so much for this!
Mana totally had me hooked by the description (I love school magic games that are well done and it sounds fantastic; sad it isn't ported to the switch tho)
Why should I avoid Vita? I can't see any problems with that.
Serious performance issues. Firis is basically unplayable (even the original console release of Firis barely worked though)
I basically started with Annie...
Strictly speaking, I started with Iris 2, because a friend worked on it and said it was good, but I bounced off it completely (my college roommate got really into it, though). Then later I got Annie and thought it was really fun, cute, and charming. I had a ball hanging out with that cast of dorks. Then I picked up Escha and Logy and while I enjoyed it, the relaxed time limit did leave me at loose ends a lot of the time. But both of those made me get the Arland Trilogy on Switch and I had a great time with those. So yeah, Annie might be a lesser game, but I'm still gonna wave a flag for it.
I will die on this hill: Annie is such an underrated game. All lovable and hilarious characters. The quirkiest and least cliche of its kind and a great non mainline entry.
Although I don’t have the Ao outfit either despite having Blue Reflection 2 save data on my PC. I’m really not sure how you unlock that outfit. I don’t even have the Sophie DX, Firis DX or Lydie and Suelle DX outfits either despite having save data for those so I don’t know how to unlock more outfits.
So, what's up with the Resleriana title in the left panel? Is it also part of the series?
It is in fact the 25th game of the series, but it's a gacha so whether you pick that up entirely depends on your feelings about that. I enjoy it personally, the original characters are quite charming!
Some things to note on the PC DX versions (Mysterious, haven't tested others yet): - Graphic options are pointless. Decreasing graphic options won't increase your FPS at all. - Default FXAA is horrible. I suggest disabling game FXAA and use Reshade SMAA instead. - For god knows reason, if you block the game from connecting to internet in Windows Firewall, the game will display white screen (freeze) for 5-10 secs everytime you boot it up. - KB&M is kinda playable but feels very, very awkward. Controller is strongly recommended.