I started Atelier Lilie all over from scratch. I played and played and played. Killed lots of enemies, made lots of money, synthesized lots of items, maxed the affections of several townspeople. Fame 99, Popularity 1000. By year 5 I was level 50 in both alchemy and battle. I’m bound to get a much better ending than last time, right? Wrong! I passed the king’s final trial and got royal support for the academy. Result: Lilie leaves Salburg and becomes a teacher in some backwater somewhere.
All right, I’ll try again. I’ll ignore the king’s contest and fund the academy myself. Result: Lilie leaves Salburg and becomes a teacher in some backwater somewhere. It’s better than the ‘regular’ ending in that I at least got a 5-second animation to go with it, but it’s still so bleh.
I did find out why my last game stagnated so completely, though. I was trying to get everything done through Recipe alchemy, but there are a lot of items you’ll never be able to make unless you try Rough alchemy. Rough alchemy is when you substitute different ingredients in a recipe you’ve made before. For example you can try to make purified water with Stodel water instead of Hebel water, that kind of thing. Or swap in a mega-flam for a flam in the mega-flam recipe, resulting in a giga flam. Some substitutions will fail. Others will give you the same item with a different level of quality and still others will give you completely new items you couldn’t obtain any other way.
Of course the game doesn’t tell you you can’t get this item normally when it gives you a recipe, so last time I waited and waited for items like Super Pure Water and Blue Aromas to show up. That’s why the game is considered hard. There’s so much you aren’t told and won’t figure out on your own unless you have a LOT of time on your hands. Or unless, as Gust hopes, you shell out for the strategy guide and save yourself a lot of pointless trial and error. Or you can just FAQ it like I did, no biggie.
I don’t have a problem with Rough alchemy, pain in the bottom though it was. The theme of the game is alchemy research, and you can’t really call yourself a researcher if all you ever do is follow existing recipes. The high regard other characters have for Lilie in this and other games is much more understandable when you realize she’s the one who invented things like Giga Flams and living broomsticks. Even I think she’s a pretty awesome alchemist, and I’m the one controlling her! However I do wish there had been clues to make the process easier. A little mark on items that can only be made through Rough alchemy, for example. Or hints from people around. Or show scenes with Lilie hitting upon a new idea somehow. Anything to make the exercise more logical and less “The strategy guide is only $9.99, you cheapskate!” you know?
Now that I’ve played the game 2.5 times, I think I can give a more balanced opinion of Atelier Lilie. Overall it’s a good game, but it’s the worst of the Salburg games for three main reasons.
1. Lackluster endings. I guess it makes sense that Lilie would leave town after reaching level 50-50 because there’s nothing left for her to do, but I sincerely doubt that’s the ‘reward’ anyone expects for going through the trouble of maxing her out. A traveler’s ending isn’t bad in and of itself, but it could have played out better. A video of her travels, for example. Meeting new people, defeating new enemies, coming up with new recipes. Not what we actually got, which was one screen saying she took off, a “20 years later” and Lilie from the back (not even from the front!!) talking to some random blonde kid (possibly Marie). It’s not just that the ends are lackluster but also that the two meh endings I got seem to be the default ones and you have to go far out of your way to do things like making high quality gold and raising 7 (!) rainbow fairies to avoid mediocrity. It’s all detailed in the strategy guide, only $9.99!
2. Too much downtime, not enough excitement. There are many, many moments in the game when Lilie doesn’t have much to do. It’s partly my fault for employing 7 fairies plus a helper. Thanks to that, all my foraging and most of my basic alchemy needs were taken care of.
3. Once you run out of recipes, which happens very quickly, all you have left is Rough alchemy. Which, as I said, is good and all, but since that involves looking into a FAQ and doing as you’re told there’s no freshness about it at all. That feeling I got from Atelier Elie and Atelier Marie of having so many new things to synthesize and locations to discover just wasn’t there in Lilie. I think 5 years (apparently the game can go up to Year 9) was too long and they just didn’t have enough content to fill it. For one thing, I had almost all locations triggered and almost all bosses beaten by the end of Year 4.
4. Too much reliance on a FAQ/Guide to get anything good. I already mentioned that you have to work hard not to end with the default high priority endings. I also mentioned in an earlier post things like having to befriend one particular character in order to unlock at least 5 different locations. That theme runs throughout the game. Unless you’re very lucky, you won’t know you’re supposed to befriend Ulrich and then listen to a particular rumor between September and December of Year 5 to unlock the Black Rider boss. Or that you can only cure Ilma’s grandma with a particular recipe you get by clearing Airfolk tower. Or that you can only start the Giant Puni event by equipping a Giga flam and going to Lake Hebel. Stuff like that. tl;dr: If you don’t play with a FAQ you won’t get anything good and if you do play with a FAQ it’s not exciting at all. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
Which is not to take away from the good features of Atelier Lilie. 250 items to forage or synthesize. Lots of character interactions and events, some funny, some moving. Hagel with hair! And he’s actually quite the looker! Lots of time for alchemy and anything else you want to do. I’m probably not the only one slightly frustrated by the harried (self-made) schedule in Elie, but Gust probably overcompensated by making so much help available to Lilie that she now has too much time on her hands. This is probably what led to Gust getting rid of the fairy hiring system entirely until they resurrected it in Lina. But anyway, I definitely couldn’t complain about not having enough time for alchemy in this game.
So, long story short, Atelier Lilie was worth a playthrough or two. It wasn’t quite as exciting as I’d hoped for and all the FAQ’ing took the joy out of the alchemy, but I still enjoyed it more or less. I would definitely be happier if the endings had been beefier to reflect all the work I put into the game, but it’s not the end of the world. I’m not getting the same “More! More! I want more!” feeling I usually get from Atelier games, but that’s what I get for using guides to explore every nook and cranny. Decent game, glad I played it, time to move on.
But move on to where? Here’s what I have on the cards for the next month or two:
DS: Glory of Heracles. About 4 hours in, just reached Sparta. This is the same place I’d reached when I quit the Japanese version for being too sluggish. It’s not as bad I remember, so maybe I can make a go of it this time.
PSP: Last Ranker? It’s been a while since I played anything by Imageepoch. …This won’t end well.
GBA: Got the emulator to work. Started Aria of Sorrow, couldn’t figure out controls, blundered into a boss room and got wiped out. Started Summon Night Swordcraft Story. Eh… Dunno.
PC: This month is as good as any to start Anno 1404. I had such a great time with Dawn of Discovery before the corsairs showed up. Maybe there’s a ‘nerf all bad guys’ options I haven’t explored yet.
Wii: I was going to play Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny, but suddenly I don’t feel like it any more.
PS2: Some otome game or the other. Haven’t decided which one yet. Probably La Corda d’Oro. Then either Wild Arms 4 or Dragon Shadow Spell.
Realistically speaking I can’t play all these in a month or even two, but it gives me something to aim for. The next post will probably be about Heracles. After that, we’ll see.
The game sounds a bit like the ps3 games (but with less fan service). I wish they’d stick with that kind of art (or lina’s)… the chars look gorgeous.
The PS3 games have fanservice? I’m sorry to hear that. I’d always respected Gust for keeping that sort of thing to a minimum in a game series loaded with female characters. I love the art in the Salburg games because it really gets the medieval old-timey feel across, but the art in the other games works for me too. The PS3 games will take some getting used to, but as long as the gameplay is good I won’t complain (too much).
The fanservice is still to a minimum but you can expect sexual jokes from Arland.
Lina’s art was just bad. It looks like generic anime shit. Even worse than the art of Mysterious.
This art is straight from the 90s. And that era has long passed.
To each his own. I much prefer the retro art of the original series to the designs in the modern games. But after playing Rorona and Totori recently, the art isn’t so bad once you get used to it.
I have a question, drnie told me that he need 43000 silver to build the academy if i dont fund those silver until march 3 it’ll lead to bad ending where lilie and everyone going back to kent, the question is… to whom i can pay those silver, i already rake up to 63000 silver and still cant fund, i already talked to drnie and the carpenter but they still not giving me option to fund
Thanks before and great review btw
According to a Wiki I consulted, if you can’t give money to Dorunie it means an event has been triggered which you have to clear before you can give him money again. Source and details. The TL;DR is that you need to gather 100 Stodel Gravel from Stodel Falls and give it to the workers at the construction site. After that you’ll be able to continue giving money to Dorunie.
Ah thanks man srsly, can i have ur facebook name? So i can consult more easily, im about to end atelier lilie maybe i have more question to ask
I’ll try searching gravel in stodel waterfall
Can i have ur fB address kina? I need to consult more about atelier lilie, thanks
I deleted my Facebook account years ago. But I check these comments every day so you can just ask me here. It will help other people who have the same questions too.
And here are links to two Lilie wikis that you can use Google Translate to read: http://www.gameiroiro1.com/riri/ and http://game.daihouko.com/atelier/lilie/.
thanks a lot man i already beat lilie now, oh yeah now im playing atelier judie, do you have complete recipe list? i need to make magic brooms in atelier judie
thanks
Congratulations! Judie is the one Atelier I have never beaten
Recipe list 1: http://games.gaym.jp/PSP/judie_psp/item_02.html <--- A simple list of stuff you can make Recipe list 2: http://cab0.web.fc2.com/gd00/gd01_ud/z_t_i.html <-- Very detailed with ingredients and substitutions and stuff.
you are lifesaver kina!! thanks!! hope i found how to meet sphere and end the game, i alreaady near the endgame and i dont know how to end judie, i’ll check that link now thanks again!
oh yeah can i get atelier judie full guide too? i just need to know how to end this game thanks
Wahaha! If I knew how to end Judie, I would have done it myself years ago! I always get bored and quit after a couple of loops. But here’s a guide anyway: http://games.gaym.jp/PSP/judie_psp/ If you follow the parts under 攻略 it will tell you how to progress the story. If you’re in the endgame, maybe this part onwards will be most helpful: http://games.gaym.jp/PSP/judie_psp/k_03.html Good luck!
now i ALMOST finish the game and i have one problem with this game and its “decaying item”, the material to finish the game always decayed before i havethe tome to synth it, i want to consult to the guide but the forum is japanese, can you pass my message kina? thanks man
Yuup, I hated the decaying items too. The guides are just guides, not forums, and nobody checks them any more because the game is so old. Besides I’m no good at typing Japanese either.
I looked around on the net and the solution is 1. getting top quality stuff + 2. a flying broomstick that lets exit a field instantly (use a normal Gravi stone to make it) + 3. a flying broomstick that lets you travel faster (use the best-quality Gravi stones) + that one town with the ice storage. For items you absolutely have to make, get the item, warp out instantly, travel ASAP to the storage and put it away. When you’re ready to make the item, move your studio to that town and make it.
Of course it’s annoying to do this for every single item, so only bother for items you’re having a hard time getting all the ingredients together for.
wow i did it kina! i beat the game, thanks to you im able to beat judie, somehow i managed it without doing confusing stuff like making +3 item quality, and i think this is just my luck, time to tackle the bonus dungeon 🙂
thanks man cant do it without ur help
Congratulations! In Judie it’s best to gun for the ending as soon as possible and then do everything else you want later. Well done beating the game!
can i have atelier viorate guide too please? thats the last atelier pre iris game i havent played yet
Sure. I replayed it just recently, actually (https://www.tehvidya.com/atelier-viorate-alchemy-shop-simulation-so-addictive/)
This is the guide I referred to, I think: http://wikiwiki.jp/viorate/?FrontPage
not gonna lie, this game is actually harder than judie in the beginning BUT nearly end game i can finally handle this game easier than judie, finally figured out how to manage the shop and grind, the game become much easier, too bad i realize how to manage the store too late so looks like i’ll get the normal ending
I found it way easier than Judie. Just don’t ignore the village/your store in favor of roaming the world and you’ll be fine.
do u play tales of series too kina?
No. I tried a few on the DS and PS2 but it’s not really for me.
Is there some sort of ending guide that I can see anywhere? I’ve never played the game because I can’t read Japanese. Very frustrating, I feel like I’m missing out on the birth of the Atelier series. I am curious as to what happens to our heroine though. Not just in Lilie, but Elie/Marie too.
Thanks for the review though. I enjoyed reading it.
You’re welcome. Here’s a detailed list of all the endings in the game: https://www.gameiroiro1.com/riri/htm/endelingurisuto.htm You can use Google Translate to make sense of it. If you don’t mind waiting a few more weeks, the Atelier Marie + Elie English patch sounds really close to release: http://w11.zetaboards.com/Revatail_Hymmne/topic/30007126/1/
How ironic considering this game is often considered to be the best of the Salburg trilogy, or, by some people, the best Atelier game in fact. This, or Elie.
I do know that Marie is the shittiest of the trilogy. It’s just really barebone compared to the other two.
I’d say Elie is the best. I’m fond of Marie but it is barebones. I didn’t enjoy Lilie as much as the others.
Also, you don’t say anything about Lilie’s personality or the wealth of cutscenes the game has? This had a lot of budget put into it. Fitting as they had taken a break after Elie for like three years.
I also know that the game has many more different endings than the two you speak of. You just can’t get it, as many of them are flag-dependent. It’s not just about choosing to be sponsored or to build the academy on your own money.
Yes, yes, you are completely right. I’m not saying it’s a bad game and I’ve read the FAQs so I know there are many other endings. I even said as much in the post and I also mentioned that there are a lot of character events.
Your passion for the game shines through. It’s just unfortunate that I don’t share it to that extent.
Any word on english patches for the other ateliers that were never localized? I am dying to play these.
AFAIK none of them are being worked on right now. The group that did Marie + Elie is currently working on Ciel nosurge but who knows what could come out after that?
If you start learning Japanese now, you’ll probably be able to play the older stuff long before a patch is released.
I am pretty sure I won’t learn that much japanese (too old) 🙂 to really enjoy the games. I keep hoping they will be put out by gust for the anniversary, especially with atelier nelke coming
Well I’m sure you have your reasons for not learning. But then you’re stuck depending on the generosity of game companies and fickle fan translators forever. Let’s hope Koei throws us all a bone sometime soon.