History VideoGame / AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland

* DubInducedPlotHole: Since the ''Iris'' and ''Mana Khemia'' games had an item called the "Philosopher's Red Crystal", NISA had given it DubNameChange to "Ruby Prism". Unfortunately, it seems they didn't recognize that the similarly-named "PhilosophersStone" in ''Rorona'' was referencing a real-life alchemy concept, so they renamed it "Ruby Prism" as well in order to make it sound like the item from the older games. This means that much of the humor regarding Astrid being flabbergasted about Rorona [[MundaneUtility using the ultimate goal of all alchemists to make a pie]] doesn't really make sense anymore, because there's no explanation as to what's so special about this rock called a Ruby Prism. ''[[VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland Lulua]]'' goes ahead and makes it the Philosopher's Pie again, restoring the joke but resulting in an InconsistentDub.

* DubInducedPlotHole: NISA's English version of ''[[VideoGame/AtelierIrisEternalMana Iris]]'' had given the PhilosophersStone a DubNameChange to "Ruby Prism", a change that the ''Rorona'' localization also kept for consistency. The problem is that much of the humor regarding Astrid being flabbergasted about Rorona [[MundaneUtility using the ultimate goal of all alchemists to make a pie]] doesn't really make sense anymore, because there's no explanation as to what's so special about this rock called a Ruby Prism. ''[[VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland Lulua]]'' goes ahead and makes it the Philosopher's Pie again, restoring the joke but resulting in an InconsistentDub.

** We're also not told ''what'' exactly led to Astrid and Sterk's breakup, other than the fact it was significant enough for things to be awkward between them yet [[AmicableExes not nasty enough to make them utterly despise each other]]. Sterk claims he wasn't dumped but still seems to be [[TheOneThatGotAway very antsy]] over the whole thing, and while Astrid loves teasing him about it, it's hinted she [[DifferingPrioritiesBreakup harbors some resentment]] about him being allied with the royal palace.

* NoodleIncident: If you miss the deadline for an assignment, Astrid will bail Rorona out by having her show Sterk an old letter Astrid had been holding onto. We're not told what the contents are, but they're apparently so embarrassing that upon recognizing it, Sterk panics, fudges the results, and tells Rorona that [[ItOnlyWorksOnce he won't let her do that again]]. Based on the context, it's inferable that it was probably a LoveLetter he'd sent Astrid in their youth, an implication that's further reinforced in the 3DS version's "Atelier Astrid" scenario.

* CuttingOffTheBranches: Since [[WideOpenSandbox there are a ton of different ways events can go]], it's possible for one playthrough to be completely different from another, but the sequels confirm certain versions of events to be canon: Rorona beats Sterk at the Royal Festival, and her item turned in for the final assignment is the Ruby/[[PhilosophersStone Philosopher's]] Pie, and the Astrid ending is canon (thus also meaning Rorona got high evaluations on all of her assignments, achieved high popularity, and went through everyone's character event stories). ''[[VideoGame/NelkeAndTheLegendaryAlchemistsAteliersOfTheNewWorld Nelke]]'' confirms that Rorona becoming the Cabbage Girl is also canon.

* CuttingOffTheBranches: Since [[WideOpenSandbox there are a ton of different ways events can go]], it's possible for one playthrough to be completely different from another, but the sequels confirm certain versions of events to be canon: Rorona beats Sterk at the Royal Festival at least once, her item turned in for the final assignment is the Ruby/[[PhilosophersStone Philosopher's]] Pie, and the Astrid ending is canon (thus also meaning Rorona got high evaluations on all of her assignments, achieved high popularity, and went through everyone's character event stories).

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: ''Plus'' allows the player to manually select which ending they want out of the ones they've fulfilled the requirements for (a quality of life update that was added in ''[[VideoGame/AtelierAyeshaTheAlchemistOfDusk Ayesha]]'' and after). Some of these endings involve Rorona either failing to make her atelier popular or focusing too much on popularity without improving her alchemy skills. For the sake of convenience, the player can still pick one of these endings even if Rorona has enough skill and/or popularity to get a better ending, so it's possible to proceed with an ending that shows Rorona in significantly more dire straits than the player had gotten her in.

* A remake titled ''Atelier Rorona Plus'' (titled ''New Atelier Rorona: Story of the Beginning'' in Japan) was released for the [[Platform/PlayStationVita PlayStation Vita]] and Platform/PlayStation3 in 2013. While Gust had been making UpdatedRerelease "Plus" versions of their games for the Vita, ''Rorona'' was in need of a more significant graphics and system overhaul to be on par with later titles, so it was given a full remake and even accompanied by a [=PS3=] version. It also adds extra party members and an additional "Overtime" session taking place after the events of the main game, featuring sequel protagonists Totori and Meruru arriving via TimeTravel and adding events that help connect ''Rorona'''s story to its sequels. The English version for ''Plus'' was handled by Creator/KoeiTecmo instead of [[Creator/NipponIchi NIS America]], although the latter's original script was still reused for all of the base game's dialogue.

''Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland'' is the eleventh mainline entry in Creator/GustCorporation's ''[[VideoGame/AtelierSeries Atelier]]'' series and the first in its "Arland" subseries. Released in 2009 for the Platform/PlayStation3 and featuring character designs by Mel Kishida (known for his work on ''Anime/HanasakuIroha'', ''Literature/HeavensMemoPad'', and later Gust's ''VideoGame/BlueReflection'' series), it was the first ''Atelier'' title to be made in full 3D and is generally considered to be the first title in the "modern" series.

* A remake titled ''Atelier Rorona Plus'' (titled ''New Atelier Rorona: Story of the Beginning'' in Japan) was released for the [[Platform/PlayStationVita PlayStation Vita]] and Platform/PlayStation3 in 2013. While Gust had been making UpdatedRerelease "Plus" versions of their games for the Vita, ''Rorona'' was in need of a more significant graphics and system overhaul to be on par with later titles, so it was given a full remake and even accompanied by a [=PS3=] version. It also adds extra party members and an additional "Overtime" session taking place after the events of the main game, featuring sequel protagonists Totori and Meruru arriving via TimeTravel and adding events that help connect ''Rorona'''s story to its sequels.

* YouLoseAtZeroTrust: After Lionela first arrives in town, if the player doesn't immediately get her friendship level high enough, she will move on to another town and [[PermanentlyMissableContent never return to Arland]].

* PurelyAestheticEra: Arland is visually based on UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain, but the SchizoTech and existence of [[MagicAIsMagicA commonplace alchemy]] has enough of an influence on the local culture that everything is a total AnachronismStew, and, other than the fact it has the apprenticeship system and a soon-to-be-outdated nobility, social dynamics seem to be largely the same as they would be in [=21st century=] Japan.

* UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain: This is the general model for Arland's atmosphere and architecture.

* TakeCareOfTheKids: A non-fatal variant. [[spoiler:Near the end of the game, as Astrid starts making preparations to [[ButNowIMustGo leave town]], she approaches Sterk and asks him to "take care of Rorona." While Sterk would have done so anyway, the request is particularly striking to him because she'd asked him in an [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness uncharacteristically sincere manner]], thus effectively acknowledging her own role as Rorona's ParentalSubstitute and revealing that she considers Sterk to be the one she would trust Rorona with the most. It's because of this that he goes as far as moving into the atelier himself to help an overwhelmed Rorona in his ending.]]

* ParentalNeglect: Rorona's parents are constantly traveling despite the fact their daughter is working by the skin of her teeth to not get run out of town, and if she does get kicked out, they do absolutely nothing about it. One has to wonder how her parents can go on so many trips without showing any concern for her well-being. Despite Astrid being the epitome of BrilliantButLazy, it's clear she's doing a much better job raising Rorona than they are.

* KingIncognito: Gio is none other than the king of Arland himself, as well as the one who set up Rorona's assignments. He likes wandering around a lot and is too lazy to be bothered to hang around the castle, annoying Sterk very greatly, but he's otherwise a ReasonableAuthorityFigure.

* TakeCareOfTheKids: A non-fatal variant. [[spoiler:Near the end of the game, as Astrid starts making preparations to [[ButNowIMustGo leave town]], she approaches Sterk and asks him to "take care of Rorona." While Sterk would have done so anyway, the request is particularly striking to him because she'd asked him in an [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness uncharacteristically sincere manner]], thus effectively acknowledging her own role as Rorona's ParentalSubstitute and revealing that she considers Sterk to be the one she would trust the most with this kind of task. It's because of this that he goes as far as moving into the atelier himself to help an overwhelmed Rorona in his ending.]]

* The Creator/KoeiTecmo mobile game ''Atelier Questboard'' (2014-2020) was a somewhat loose adaptation of ''Rorona'''s story with new art for certain scenes, some extra events, and some crossover visits from other Atelier series characters.
* A version of ''Rorona Plus'' for the Platform/Nintendo3DS was also released in 2015, featuring a heavily simplified battle system and a short prequel story "Atelier Astrid" that serves as ADayInTheLimelight for Rorona's mentor Astrid. Unlike other releases, this one was never released outside Japan.

* EveryoneCanSeeIt: An unusual example in that quite a few people around Sterk and Rorona notice how close they're getting and suspect something going on between them or tease them about it, something that especially makes Sterk self-conscious. The part they're wrong about is that [[MistakenForPedophile Sterk has no such intentions at all]], and he's helping her because he's a NiceGuy who genuinely cares about her as someone who needs all the help she can get. But it ''is'' true that they have a deeper bond with each other than they do with most others, setting the tone for things starting to intensify during the [[VideoGame/AtelierTotoriTheAdventurerOfArland next game]]...

* CreatorsShowWithinAShow: The ''Rorona and the Great Alchemist'' novel has the characters putting on a play based on the events of ''[[VideoGame/AtelierMarieTheAlchemistOfSalburg Atelier Marie]]'', serving as a novel-length LampshadeHanging for ''Rorona'' being a ProductionThrowback to it. The play's script is based on a story Astrid had told Rorona many times before [[MultipleEndings but kept changing the ending every time for some reason]] (the in-universe explanation being that [[spoiler:it was a mixture of stories of multiple different alchemists and that it was something Astrid herself had heard from her own master, referencing the legacy of games passed down from ''[[VideoGame/AtelierMarieTheAlchemistOfSalburg Atelier Marie]]'' to ''Rorona'']]).

''Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland'' is the eleventh mainline entry in Creator/GustCorporation's ''[[VideoGame/AtelierSeries Atelier]]'' series. Released in 2009 for the Platform/PlayStation3 and featuring character designs by Mel Kishida (known for his work on ''Anime/HanasakuIroha'', ''Literature/HeavensMemoPad'', and later Gust's ''VideoGame/BlueReflection'' series), it was the first ''Atelier'' title to be made in full 3D and is generally considered to be the first title in the "modern" series.

* CreatorsShowWithinAShow: The ''Rorona and the Great Alchemist'' novel has the characters putting on a play based on the events of ''[[VideoGame/AtelierMarieTheAlchemistOfSalburg Atelier Marie]]'', serving as a novel-length LampshadeHanging for ''Rorona'' being a ProductionThrowback to it. The play's script is based on a story Astrid had told Rorona many times before [[MultipleEndings but kept changing the ending every time for some reason]] (the in-universe explanation being that [[spoiler:it was a mixture of stories of multiple different alchemists and that it was something Astrid herself had heard from her own master, referencing the legacy of games passed down from ''[[VideoGame/AtelierMarieTheAlchemistOfSalburg Atelier Marie]]'' to ''Rorona'']].