Today, I’m adding more games to the list of games that have seen improvements when played on Nintendo Switch 2. Let’s have a look!

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Atelier Rorona ~The Alchemist of Arland~ DX

Genre: Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in the Atelier Arland Series Deluxe Pack bundle along with Atelier Totori ~The Adventurer of Arland~ DX and Atelier Meruru ~The Apprentice of Arland~ DX.)

As of this writing, the only Atelier franchise series games to get actual Nintendo Switch 2 releases are the Atelier Ryza trilogy and Atelier Yumia, but nevertheless I wanted to look at the entire series and see what benefits the Nintendo Switch versions of these games received playing on Nintendo Switch 2. Let’s have a look!

In my original review, I made it clear I wasn’t impressed with this game’s visuals, but out of all my complaints the only one that seemed likely to improve here were issues with slowdown. This slowdown is easily noticeable in some of the busier spots around the main town, and sure enough, this slowdown is gone on Nintendo Switch 2. Sadly, the overall framerate remains low, but at the very least it doesn’t get worse in busier spots.

Otherwise, there doesn’t seem to be any other change to the resolution or any of the presentation. The only other difference I see in this version is the loading times. On Nintendo Switch, it took me 16 seconds to load to the title screen, 2 seconds to load a game save, and 2 seconds to transition from one location to another. On Nintendo Switch 2, those times are cut down to 10 seconds, 1 second, and 1 second.

Overall, this isn’t a dramatic change, and Atelier Rorona still looks far from impressive, but I suppose even a modest improvement is an improvement. However, I think it’s fair to say the Nintendo Switch 2 won’t be likely to change your mind about this game one way or the other.

tl;dr – Atelier Rorona is the first game in the fifth series of Atelier games (the Arland series), a franchise of JRPGs with a focus on crafting. Rorona has a lot of charm, but its plot isn’t very compelling, and this low-stakes plot doesn’t match the need to constantly track progress of tasks against impending deadlines on a calendar. While not a terrible Turn-Based JRPG, I wouldn’t recommend this unless you’re already a fan of the series.

Grade: C

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Atelier Totori ~The Adventurer of Arland~ DX

Genre: Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in the Atelier Arland Series Deluxe Pack bundle along with Atelier Rorona ~The Alchemist of Arland~ DX and Atelier Meruru ~The Apprentice of Arland~ DX.)

As of this writing, the only Atelier franchise series games to get actual Nintendo Switch 2 releases are the Atelier Ryza trilogy and Atelier Yumia, but nevertheless I wanted to look at the entire series and see what benefits the Nintendo Switch versions of these games received playing on Nintendo Switch 2. Let’s have a look!

In my original review, I made it clear I wasn’t impressed with this game’s visuals, but I was honestly dubious that the Nintendo Switch 2 would help much here. And… yeah, that seems to be the case here. No improvements to framerates and resolution that I can see.

The main difference I see in this version is the loading times. On Nintendo Switch, it took me 17 seconds to load to the title screen, 3 seconds to load a game save, and 2 seconds to transition from one location to another. On Nintendo Switch 2, those times are cut down to 8 seconds, 2 second, and 1 second. Also, transitions into combat seemed to be quicker as well.

Overall, this isn’t a dramatic change, and Atelier Totori still looks far from impressive, but I suppose even a modest improvement is an improvement. However, I think it’s fair to say the Nintendo Switch 2 won’t be likely to change your mind about this game one way or the other.

tl;dr – Atelier Totori is the second game in the fifth series of Atelier games (the Arland series), a franchise of JRPGs with a focus on crafting. Totori may be a sequel set in the same world as Atelier Rorona, but in many ways this game feels like a step backwards, removing some of Rorona’s better features and replacing them with elements seemingly designed to frustrate. There are still some good elements here, but the only ones who are likely to enjoy them are players who absolutely loved Atelier Rorona and want another game set in that world, even if it’s a worse game.

Grade: C-

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Atelier Meruru ~The Apprentice of Arland~ DX

Genre: Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in the Atelier Arland Series Deluxe Pack bundle along with Atelier Rorona ~The Alchemist of Arland~ DX and Atelier Totori ~The Adventurer of Arland~ DX.)

As of this writing, the only Atelier franchise series games to get actual Nintendo Switch 2 releases are the Atelier Ryza trilogy and Atelier Yumia, but nevertheless I wanted to look at the entire series and see what benefits the Nintendo Switch versions of these games received playing on Nintendo Switch 2. Let’s have a look!

In my original review, I said I felt like this game was an improvement for the series visually, though it has problems with slowdown. For me, this seems like it has some good room for improvement, and at least with the slowdown, it is improved here – that slowdown is now gone on Nintendo Switch 2. The overall framerates and resolution though? Those remain the same as far as I can tell.

The only other difference I see in this version is the loading times. On Nintendo Switch, it took me 18 seconds to load to the title screen, 3 seconds to load a game save, and 2 seconds to transition from one location to another. On Nintendo Switch 2, those times are cut down to 11 seconds, 1 second, and 1 second.

Overall, this isn’t a dramatic change, and Atelier Meruru still looks far from impressive, but I suppose even a modest improvement is an improvement. However, I think it’s fair to say the Nintendo Switch 2 won’t be likely to change your mind about this game one way or the other.

tl;dr – Atelier Meruru is the third game in the fifth series of Atelier games (the Arland series), a franchise of JRPGs with a focus on crafting. Meruru is a marked improvement over the prior two games in multiple ways – it features a much better pacing and feeling of progression, it brings back quality-of-life elements that were stripped out of Atelier Totori, it has a better soundtrack than either of the two prior games, and much better graphics (though nothing even remotely on par with what Nintendo Switch 2 is capable of). This still isn’t going to be a game for everyone – the overbearing deadlines on quests are still likely to frustrate more casual RPG players. But for those wanting a “traditional” Atelier game, this is the best one yet in the series.

Grade: B-

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Atelier Arland Series Deluxe Pack

Genre: Compilation / Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

As of this writing, the only Atelier franchise series games to get actual Nintendo Switch 2 releases are the Atelier Ryza trilogy and Atelier Yumia, but nevertheless I wanted to look at the entire series and see what benefits the Nintendo Switch versions of these games received playing on Nintendo Switch 2. Let’s have a look!

Players hoping for a dramatic difference playing this trilogy of games on Nintendo Switch 2 will be disappointed – graphically, the only difference I noticed was the removal of slowdown in Atelier Rorona and Atelier Meruru, but otherwise these games visually look identical, with the same low framerates, overall low resolution, and no other visual improvements.

That’s not to say there are no improvements at all here – the loading times of all three games have been improved. They weren’t particularly bad to begin with, but now they’re better, and that’s something at least.

However, I think it’s safe to say that the Nintendo Switch 2 doesn’t make so much of a difference here that players should reconsider getting these games to play them on Nintendo’s more-powerful hardware. However, if you already have these games, they’ll all be slightly better on Nintendo Switch 2.

tl;dr – Atelier Arland Series Deluxe Pack is a Compilation of upgraded versions of the first three games in the Arland series, the fifth series in the Atelier franchise of crafting-focused JRPGs. This package includes Atelier Rorona DX, Atelier Totori DX, and Atelier Meruru DX (not included here is Atelier Lulua, a later entry in the Arland series). The Arland series is not going to appeal to everyone due to its adherence to in-game deadlines for quests and objectives, and there’s a good argument to be made that players may want to just skip ahead to Atelier Meruru, by far the best in the trilogy. However, players wanting to partake in the entire trilogy will find this compilation to be an excellent deal on some charming Turn-Based JRPGs.

Grade: C+

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Atelier Lulua ~The Scion of Arland~

Genre: Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

As of this writing, the only Atelier franchise series games to get actual Nintendo Switch 2 releases are the Atelier Ryza trilogy and Atelier Yumia, but nevertheless I wanted to look at the entire series and see what benefits the Nintendo Switch versions of these games received playing on Nintendo Switch 2. Let’s have a look!

In my original review, I said I felt like this game overall looked great, but suffered from framerate drops and dithering. I don’t expect the dithering to change, but hoped that perhaps the framerates might be improved here. Well, the good news is that the framerate drops seem to be gone now. The bad news is that everything else here looks the same, including the overall framerates.

The only other difference I see in this version is the loading times. On Nintendo Switch, it took me 32 seconds to load to the title screen, 4 seconds to load a game save, and 5 seconds to transition from one location to another. On Nintendo Switch 2, those times are cut down to 15 seconds, 3 seconds, and 2 seconds.

Overall, this isn’t a dramatic change, but I suppose even a modest improvement is an improvement. However, I think it’s fair to say the Nintendo Switch 2 won’t be likely to change your mind about Atelier Lulua game one way or the other.

tl;dr – Atelier Lulua is the fourth game in the fifth series of Atelier games (the Arland series), a franchise of JRPGs with a focus on crafting. A sequel to the original Arland trilogy, this follows the story of Rorona’s daughter Lulua, with some of the best writing and characterization in the series. There are other improvements here too, such as nice additions to the battle system, and the requirement to do some detective work to discover new recipes. Unfortunately, the crafting system isn’t as enjoyable as what we had in the Mysterious series, and the game still has the same performance issues that were in Atelier Lydie & Suelle. Also, for those new to the Atelier franchise, know that you can play this game without playing earlier entries in the series, but this is one of the more continuity-heavy installments in the series. Overall, one of the better entries in the Atelier franchise, but not without its flaws.

Grade: B+

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I hope you enjoyed this latest batch of Nintendo Switch 2 Difference Mini-Reviews, and found them to be helpful! Want to see all Nintendo Switch 2 Difference comparisons? Check out this page for links to every article where I’ve included these comparisons!

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