Atelier comes to PS3, and the best way I can describe the game is a long 'Ehhhh...'
Rorona lacks a good involving story, and feels more like a crafting game grind than an RPG. There are various required missions throughout the game, and failure to complete them means game over, so you better have more than one save or do your best to complete them early before the deadline. There are other crafting assignments you can do for various people for money and friendship, but with the way the game feels it's like why do I even want to.
At the start, out in the field the combat is very tedious until you get your third party member that can heal. It gets way too simple after that, since there is no MP in this game (spells take hitpoints), and because the spell can be used on anyone, including the caster unless you are up against very strong monsters you will breeze through everything.
Gone are the isometric maps that you can walk about freely, here are the landscapes viewed from only one direction thus you have a very narrow linear path with a couple branches to explore, gather, and fight. Moving form area to area makes the days tick by, and everything just feels so monotonous.
Graphics 8- Decent graphics. A step up for the series to HD resolutions, but nothing that makes the hardware sweat.
Sound 7- The music gets old rather quickly, however the voice acting (at least the Japanese) is well done.
Fun Factor 6- This definately isnt the funnest game Ive played. It felt more like a chore than anything since the story more or less doesnt exist other than saving the shop. Having to constantly revisit old places to gather more stuff (and use up days too) makes it feel like a poor grind. The PS2 games were a lot more fun than this.
Replay Value 4- It's rare that a game feels so 'meh' that I have to force myself to even play it. I try to finish all the games I buy, this one sure doesnt scratch that RPG itch. Overall I would not recommend this game to anyone but Atelier fans; Rorona is a poor first entry in the series on PS3.
Final Score- 31/50