Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana

 PlayStation 2
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 48 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 48
  3. Negative: 5 out of 48
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  1. vahn
    Dec 11, 2012
    8
    Among the many creators or RPGs, Gust is one of my favorite after Atlus (and for the western side, Bethesda). For what I recall, this was one of their first games that was released outside Japan (infact, it's one of the fewest Atelier games where the main character is a male because of the habit of having male characters in here), and I was hooked immediately by the game's charm: it has aAmong the many creators or RPGs, Gust is one of my favorite after Atlus (and for the western side, Bethesda). For what I recall, this was one of their first games that was released outside Japan (infact, it's one of the fewest Atelier games where the main character is a male because of the habit of having male characters in here), and I was hooked immediately by the game's charm: it has a sloppy but cute graphic, a roster of simple yet interesting characters, and a (small) world to explore and play, without mentioning that you can also interact with the enviroment (you can jump, for starters, and you'll have spells to help you clear the way or pass over obstacles). The Atelier series (and almost all Gust games) is clearly known for the synthesizing feature, and unlike many games where this is hard and manytimes useless, it's actually rewarded and it's "rarely" a chore. It plays like a turn based RPGs, a simple yet good system, and you're also able to change characters between turns if needed, because characters are strongly unique in both their attacks range (one can attack in a vertical line, some can attack in a wider, etc) and spells (Klein, the main character, is the only one who can create strong spells with alchemy, and Lita is the fastest character and can sometimes attack twice in a row). Of course, being a Gust game, it has plenty of flaws (and few bugs). First of all, the prospective used in the game is sometimes very hard to follow. The locations are all set in a isometrical prospective but unfortunely it can become hard to see where to go: some ledges might be lower than you think and at times you think you can jump somewhere close, but it's higher than your jump: this can be extremely frustrating because you'll never understand how the places are designed. Also, the graphics are definitely not high quality and the animations are very minimalistic and even though I don't bother bad graphics and such, some people might not be able to get over it. Same goes for the battle system: it's actually well thought and kinda deep: you are in a small invisible grid and depending on which position you are, you can avoid area, and you won't be able to target all enemies at once because of their divisions. Each character has also their skills (about 8 in total: passive and active included), each one upgradeable by using different manas and at every level up, with also few skills to obtain with some extra missions. Again, this might discourage some players because it's kinda deep, but not completely necessary, and unless you really want to maximize your characters you won't be really bothering that much, since a good grinding will do the trick anyways. The world map also, which is small but a nice addition (this is one of the fewest game I've played on the PS2 where there's an actual world map), but it's terribly done and, once again, if you cannot pass the bad graphics, you will NOT endure this. The story also isn't bad but it's also that great, for two reasons: 1) you'll focus your time doing synthesizing in order to make more items (which, by the way, trigger more sub-events that explains the background characters, which are very remarkable) 2) the main villain is very forgettable and while the story itself is interesting, you'll never remember why you're doing all this. Also, some characters with you aren't very good (two of them) because one will be hindered by an event in the game, while the other...has a very bad skill list, and so you'll focus on three or four max (luckily, all characters share exp, just halved). All in all, I can say this: it's a fun game to play and has its own style, but the game and graphical flaws might discourage people to play it. If you're a nostalgic and don't mind bad graphics, but a different JRPG from the usual Final Fantasy, I highly recommend to give this game a try. On the other hand, if you cannot play a game that's not as high in quality as Final Fantasy, don't even look at this game. Or else you will faint from just seeing the graphics and bad translations bits (some dialogues are ok though)!… Expand
  2. Nekotora
    Jul 19, 2012
    6
    Very interesting RPG with an easy to use battle system.
    Some of the dialogue can be cheesy, but overall a good story with good voice actors (Japanese anyway, I couldnt really stand the dub).
    The battle system is fairly straightforward and allows you to swap out team members while in combat, which can really come in handy during certain fights (or if a team member dies). The Synthesize    Very interesting RPG with an easy to use battle system.
    Some of the dialogue can be cheesy, but overall a good story with good voice actors (Japanese anyway, I couldnt really stand the dub).
    The battle system is fairly straightforward and allows you to swap out team members while in combat, which can really come in handy during certain fights (or if a team member dies).
    The Synthesize system, which although very interesting, can also be very tedious. Getting new recipes can sometimes require you to check back into a shop several times before a new one pops up. Some recipes require rare monster drops and thus need to be farmed. And of course, you will get new recipes which require ingredients from recipes that you do not have yet (and need to keep checking back in or synthesizing new items).
    I would rate the game overall a 7/10, but the ending felt very lackluster and short.    … Expand
  3. MartR.
    Jun 30, 2005
    5
    The bright anime slideshow keeps up the pace and the moronic alchemy keeps you entertained for the major part of this ordeal, however, only a tired mind will keep going after the initial burst of energy is spent. Fighting gets pushed back, making headway for endless trading, synthesizing and chat missions. Which is a shame, because fighting is so much fun in this game. The utterly The bright anime slideshow keeps up the pace and the moronic alchemy keeps you entertained for the major part of this ordeal, however, only a tired mind will keep going after the initial burst of energy is spent. Fighting gets pushed back, making headway for endless trading, synthesizing and chat missions. Which is a shame, because fighting is so much fun in this game. The utterly atrocious translation kills another three points off the score.… Expand
  4. CodyE.
    Jun 30, 2005
    10
    WOO This game ROXORS.
  5. SoraS.
    Jul 11, 2005
    10
    Man! This game is cool. But it is too short. And I'll like Atelier more if it has GF like Final Fantasy.^^
  6. ChewbakaSolo
    Jun 29, 2005
    10
    This game Rules!
  7. Dynel
    Nov 15, 2014
    9
    The very first Atelier Iris game I ever played, has everything the recent games lack.

    Interesting Story, characters and battle mechanics.

    Back when I first played this game, I thought it was something very original. Unlike any other RPG, and yet, I still believe is one of the best RPG's in the ps2 era. Why it is underrated is beyond me.

    A solid game to replay.
  8. Barjoe
    Jan 1, 2021
    0
    Clunky game mechanics, generic & linear plotline, gamebreaking bugs, and shoddy localization. This game probably got everything that you won't like in a JRPG.

    Even this game is a disgrace to the Atelier series since the alchemy system in this game are really bad, they wanted to make things simple but ended up with a lacking & barebones one. The character portraits in this game also looks    Clunky game mechanics, generic & linear plotline, gamebreaking bugs, and shoddy localization. This game probably got everything that you won't like in a JRPG.

    Even this game is a disgrace to the Atelier series since the alchemy system in this game are really bad, they wanted to make things simple but ended up with a lacking & barebones one.

    The character portraits in this game also looks hideous as if the illustrator for this game finally learned how to draw by the time they make Atelier Iris 2. Overall 0/10 a total disappointment.    … Expand
  9. NicholasT.
    Mar 6, 2008
    8
    Atelier Iris 6 brings us a well stitched up rpg classic that combines awesome 2d graphics, great music, good battlesystem and fun adventure. Only real shortcoming is in the jump and jump controls it could have used more tweaking. Liked Lunar? You'll enjoy atelier iris eternal mana for sure.
  10. GravityPull
    Aug 6, 2005
    8
    Very good RPG but not as good as Shadow Hearts -Covenant. A little too short and very kiddy dialogue.
  11. ColdHand
    Sep 10, 2005
    9
    Personally, I loved it, bit I can understand people who don't... Almost all characters are childish and the storyline is... wel... not really inspired. The REAL interest of this game definitely lies in the Alchemy and all the items you can synthetize. I loved it !
  12. BobM.
    Mar 13, 2006
    7
    This game is fun and interesting. But the constant alchemy and side questing gets very repetitive. It leaves you almost no time for the main story. It's still really well put together.
  13. DaveO.
    Mar 13, 2006
    7
    The graphics and music are very nicely done. The gameplay is fun, though it gets repetetive. Sadly, the localization is uneven. The voice acting is excellent, but there is a bug that freezes the game right after defeating the final boss.
  14. Nick
    Oct 23, 2005
    9
    It's a really good game becaques i like to play different kinds of RPGs.
  15. gaiages
    Oct 19, 2010
    7
    Atelier Iris certainly is an interesting game. A lot of it is the standard RPG fare, but the extensive item creation system really makes this game stand out from the rest. Going around to the different shops of the world, and creating dozens of new items never seems to get old. The characters (particularly some of the NPCs) make you care about them, and you might spend more time tryingAtelier Iris certainly is an interesting game. A lot of it is the standard RPG fare, but the extensive item creation system really makes this game stand out from the rest. Going around to the different shops of the world, and creating dozens of new items never seems to get old. The characters (particularly some of the NPCs) make you care about them, and you might spend more time trying to advance their mini-stories than advancing the main story. As for challenge, the game is overall easy, though a few bosses might hold you up for a bit. It's worth a look for any RPG fan, though anyone else may want to do some more research before picking this one up.… Expand
  16. Rox22
    Jan 25, 2013
    8
    One of my favorite JRPGs on the PS2. Fun story, great alchemy system that keeps you intrigued as you are always trying to make better and better items. Surprising on just how little actual combat there is in this game.While it does have combat, for most of the first two thirds of the game you really spend walking around and creating new alchemy items. Story is good, characters are likableOne of my favorite JRPGs on the PS2. Fun story, great alchemy system that keeps you intrigued as you are always trying to make better and better items. Surprising on just how little actual combat there is in this game.While it does have combat, for most of the first two thirds of the game you really spend walking around and creating new alchemy items. Story is good, characters are likable (even Norn has her charm.) Overall: A fun JRPG that is fun to play, even relaxing at time with a lighthearted pace.… Expand
  17. SweetPeaNut
    Sep 12, 2021
    5
    I wanna preference this by saying I love old PS2 jrpgs of this Era. So my review isn’t someone who just doesnt “get” this genre and is giving it an unfair score.

    I just found this game rather average in general. But I could of given it a 7 easy if not for the fact the main female protag is one of the most horribly cliche, unlikable, and **** characters I've ever had the displeasure of    I wanna preference this by saying I love old PS2 jrpgs of this Era. So my review isn’t someone who just doesnt “get” this genre and is giving it an unfair score.

    I just found this game rather average in general. But I could of given it a 7 easy if not for the fact the main female protag is one of the most horribly cliche, unlikable, and **** characters I've ever had the displeasure of witnessing in a game. Lita’s **** Tsundere brat personality had me wanting to push her off cliff on multiple occasions. and none of the other cast members are likable or interesting enough to salvage the story for me. And the gameplay is fun but very VERY basic compared to how robust and in-depth the Atelier series would go on to be. All in all the gameplay is too simple to stand alone on its own and the story is very average at best and unbearable at worst due to its horrible bland,annoying, and rather Karen-esque (one of the first thing Lita establishes her self by is harassing a shop keeper in town.) main heroine.    … Expand
  18. GenTrailsFan
    Mar 1, 2022
    7
    My introduction to the Atelier series. Cute game with lots of goofy characters. Story was just okay, but I really enjoyed the crafting system.

    Story 5.5/10
    Graphics 7/10
    Gameplay 7/10
  19. ThankYouTheFang
    May 2, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pros:
    -Interesting Story
    -OST is pretty decent
    -The dungeons are solid
    -Interesting puzzle in the Test of Parodious
    -Solid Party
    - The fourth wall breaking is hilarious. Especially when they do it for tutorials
    -The interactions are also hilarious
    -I like the art

    Cons:
    -Backtracking    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

82
#82 Best PS2 Game of 2005
77
#77 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2005
72
#72 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 38 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 38
  3. Negative: 1 out of 38
  1. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    75
    A potent concoction that should appeal to any RPG fan. [July 2005, p.112]
  2. Game Informer
    83
    The icing on this cake of RPG happiness is the clever and relatively gaffe-free localization. [June 2005, p.128]
  3. Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
    70
    While at times a throwback to the last generation of RPGs, it's surprisingly full-featured and charming; fans of the item crafting in "Star Ocean" will be in heaven. [July 2005, p.75]
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