Question for novel readers (possible spoilers)

It isn't a VN, it's a full JRPG.  As a fan of the games, I am very happy with this so far.  There are some deviations, but it has retained the spirit so far.

@Adam_R I know there's still one episode remaining, but does it seem like the first season is going to cover the first game's story entirely, or is there still a lot to go? I'm thinking of picking up the game, but even the first game is still a bit steep, and if most everything is covered by the anime, I might just skip to the second game. What do you think?

@Nick4x
So far the game has covered something like 60-70% of the game's story; the big surprises start coming right after the troubles with the dragon are over.
To play the second game you need to have played the first game in its entirety because it's a sequel that directly continues Ryza's adventures (the same also applies to pretty much all the games in the numerous Atelier sub-series).

Kinda, I guess. The gist is still there, but it doesn't follow exactly.

Like Ryza got her Core Crystal way earlier in the game or she's not supposed to clear the grandma's quest that early.

Even the recent dress event is different. There's no dress testing in the game, you just need to make a certain material with a certain quality.

Of course, anyone trying to adapt "okay, I need a cloth of quality at least 70" or whatever it is directly into a non-interactive medium would be insane.



The story is never really all that important in Atelier games, it's sort of nice to know the story of previous ones, but it's not a big deal. And the gameplay is on a pretty similar level. You can quite easily go either way.

@logopolis
The story is not important in Atelier games, that is true, however watching the relationships between the various characters develop as the game's story progresses is very important.
In my opinion starting any Atelier sub-series from the second or third game is a huge waste and I'd never recommend it.

@Avvenirista Now that the series is officially over, the question is: How much of the relationships being developed were left out of the anime in regards to the first game? If the answer is "The games go into a lot more detail, and you'd be doing yourself a disservice by skipping to the second game," then yeah, I should get the first game, but if the answer is, "Not much, actually," then I think starting with the second would be fine.

There's also the question of whether any big plotlines or story developments were left out from the anime, but I was specifically referring to the point you were making here.