Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm

Rating ESRB: Teen Genre action Publisher NIS America External Links Official Nintendo Website

I’ve never played either of the previous Atelier Iris titles. Now, I find myself diving into couch cushions and breaking open hidden piggy banks in other people’s houses in order to acquire them. What could possibly be the onset of such madness? Either I’ve come down with an acute case of Bender’s disease, or I’ve recently played Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm.

Since my skin is not dry and clanky and I do not require alcohol to fuel my power cells, assume that the second option is the most likely.

Considering the epic scale of most RPGs, Atelier Iris 3 seems rather contained in comparison. Meet Edge Vanhite. Calm. Efficient. Down-to-earth. Almost nothing like his alchemist partner Iris Fortner. Though she means well, she is quite the novice adventurer. They both have a flat in the town of Zey Meruze and learn to get by the old fashioned way: Questing! Members of a revered society known as the Raider’s Guild, Edge and Iris pay the bills and learn how to make new items by taking on quests found in mystical dimensional rifts that surround their homestead.

During one of these everyday romps through space and time, Iris comes across a mystical glowing gem. Completely ignoring Edge’s precautions, she touches it. Instantly, she is whisked away into a purely white screen with an ominous voice that speaks of power. While coming back to the real world, the gem makes its way into a magic lock found on a book that Iris has carried with her since her childhood. This unsuspecting heirloom is believed by some to be the Wizard’s Libram of Escalario. Divided into eight pieces, the legend states that the one who collects all pieces of the Escalario will be granted a wish. Some believe that the Escalario is not merely a genie’s lamp, but does have a frightening power.

Atelier Iris 3 passes on the traditional world map in favor of a town-centric layout. Players will begin and spend most of their preparation time in Zey Meruze. In order to advance the story, the Raider’s Guild posts quests on their bulletin board. Completing these quests give you spending cash, street cred, and a handy-dandy item or two along the way. Normal Quests allow you to raise your rank and eventually undertake Missions that further the basic story of Edge and Iris seeking out the pieces of the Escalario. Retrieval Quests are there to gain loads of cash or resources for Alchemy. Combat Quests allow you to smack down certain monsters for lucre, loot and levels.

Alterworlds are not your typical monster-bashing grounds. For starters, each Alterworld has a time limit attached to it. An hourglass will tip at random intervals, eating up one bubble on the gauge. When you’ve exhausted your time, you are surrounded by mist and pushed back into the real world. Search for Fragments of Time (hourglasses) in order to expand the length of your visit. At the end of each visit, players are presented with a summary. Anything from slaying monsters to cutting enough grass can complete one of the bonus requirements for each Alterword. Collect enough bonus points to snag some swag! The concept of a limited exploration time requires efficient quest completion, but semi-predictable level layouts take away most of the inherent mystery.

Combat in this Atelier Iris is not random. Instead, monster encounters appear as colored blobs called Monster Symbols. Each encounter can be slashed with your sword in order to gain an edge in combat. Blue symbols can be instantly defeated since they are weaker than your current level. White symbols are just right and red symbols denote tougher monsters. Large red symbols denote very tough monsters, greater numbers, or both. Gigantic red symbols and Purple symbols denote special marks, which are classified in various Combat Quests. Unfortunately, combat is largely simple with very little variation or difficulty. Battles at most are lengthy rather than strategic, and that proves to be quite the black mark.

An enjoyable soundtrack saturates this title at every turn. This is accompanied by another fine display of clean, hand-drawn animation. It’s nice to know that designers can make a game look and sound fantastic without having to constantly rely on cutting-edge advancements in graphics and sound. Some may see this approach as redundant or old-fashioned, but if the gaming world will put up with endless incarnations of Grand Theft Auto then surely sticking with what works is no crime.

On the whole, Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm is a testament to success. It’s not a game that’s set out to redefine RPGs, but it never had to be in the first place. Both previous titles made improvements and tried something new. Keeping with that same vein, Atelier Iris 3 adopted time-dependent levels and planned encounters while making experimental tweaks to their combat and quest system. It keeps what fans love about the series while introducing gameplay changes in an attempt to spice it up.