PlayStation 3 Critic Reviews

Atelier Meruru is so wonderful that it became the first JRPG since Final Fantasy VII that I've played through more than once. Simple enough for anyone to play, but deep enough to offer 100+ hours worth of gameplay, Atelier Meruru is a great title full stop.

Unless you find JRPGs absolutely repugnant, there's little to dislike about Atelier Meruru. It's a delightfully addictive game that provides a great sense of player achievement. A wealth of content ensures that players are never without a goal to work towards, and ten possible endings give the game tremendous replay value.

There's plenty of alchemy and adventure in Meruru, with less filler travel time. There are fewer endings than Totori, but they're easier to get.

For fans of the series, you will not be disappointed. Almost every character you have known in the trilogy will return, and the new characters you come across are as goofy and loveable as the older ones. For new comers, I would suggest playing the first two games, but Meruru does offer some good back story in the menus for the ones not too familiar with the series.

Fans of the Arland trilogy will surely adore their experience with Meruru, but for newcomers, this may not be the best place to start if you want to get a feel for the entire world. Still, Meruru is the silver lining at the end of this wonderful trilogy, and it will no doubt bring joy and closure to the long-time fans who stayed along for the journey.

Atelier Meruru is a niche title. Those who love Japanese-style games or who get a kick out of playing with crafting systems will absolutely be in love the second the game boots up. There are a few minor faults, for sure, but if Atelier Meruru has what you're looking for you're going to have a hard time putting it down.

Though the Atelier series might not be the epitome of Japan's RPG industry, I've always had a soft spot for its various chapters. Atelier Meruru isn't "epic," "intense," or "exhilarating"-it's charming, friendly, and fun, and it's not ashamed of it.

A triumph for players out there looking for an addicting RPG full of creating items and building your kingdom to new heights.

With the likes of Tales of Vesperia JRPGs got a pretty high standard already. Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland looks really adorable at first sight and fans of the series will probably love it, but if you take a closer look there is a lot to dislike about this game. The story is much too shallow for an RPG and the environment looks awfully stinted. The characters though really look detailed and nice and the Japanese synchronization is well done. Though the gameplay is pretty diversified, the missions and errands are not, which makes the game boring after a few hours, if you are not a fan of the series. Overall it's a pretty "girly" game, with no surprises.

It's not the longest or hardest RPG, but it's heartfelt worldview makes it worth our time. [July 2012, p.79]