PS2

Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm

Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm is a role-playing video game developed by Japanese developer Gust Co. Ltd.

Role-playing (RPG)

Time to beat: about 31.5 hours
Plays offline: Yes

Overview

Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm is a role-playing video game developed by Japanese developer Gust Co. Ltd. for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006 in Japan, despite the name the game is unconnected to Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana and Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny.

Atelier Iris 3 is a turn-based role-playing game. The player controls a team of three characters who gain experience, levels, and access to new equipment and abilities as the game progresses. Rather than rounds of combat where each character takes a single action, time is tracked in battle fluidly, with faster characters able to act more often, certain actions taking effect faster or slower, different recharge rates on the next turn, and so on. There is a skill gauge that is shared among all members of the party that increases as the party attacks and takes damage, but can be spent for powerful abilities.

Out of combat, the characters undertake missions from a guild that generally involve visiting Alterworlds, which are similar to parallel dimensions reached via magic gates. The game is separated into chapters; some of these missions advance the plot, and upon completing enough plot missions, a new chapter is entered, which often opens up a new Alterworld to explore. The party is attempting to explore Alterworlds to find gems to empower Iris's Libram of Escalario, a magical book that is said to grant a wish if all eight gems are found.

The game received "mixed" reviews as reported by the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of all four eights for a total of 32 out of 40. In general, reviewers felt that the gameplay in Atelier Iris 3 was stronger than the first two games of the series, but its plot and characters were significantly weaker. While the gameplay was generally praised, it was also criticized for being a touch too easy and lacking in difficulty. The graphics were also considered to be a touch on the simple side for a PlayStation 2 game, although this was not unusual for the series which did not sell itself on cutting-edge graphics.