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Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana takes you to a magic world called Regallzine, the dwelling place of the Great Spirit, Mana. Two teenagers, Krein Kiesling and Ryta Blanchimont, will combine their powers as they go on a unique adventure. Communicate with different mana races to gain power over fire, stone, wood, air and more. Develop your powers and use them to save a world torn apart by war!

if you like synthesizing, which I love! Other than that the story is also great. Of course the graphics are dated but great for this time period.

This is a very entertaining game and very rarely gets old. The only downfalls of the game are that there are a lot of conversations and that this is episode six of this game series and the first 5 are only in Japanese. If you like RPGs this is a must buy.

This review was written by James Shea, my son.

Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana is the first game for the PS2 (and the 6th game overall) in a role-playing series by Nippon Ichi Software, the gaming company that made Disgaea and Makai Kingdom. Many of the graphical conventions used in the game are familiar in style and elements.

Atelier Iris, compared to Disgaea, is a much more traditional RPG. Set in a fantasy land where mana - the source of magic - is running out, Atelier Iris' story is for the most part fairly standard for an RPG like this. The characters, too, are fairly standard caricatures of RPG conventions, like the good-intentioned but clumsy main character, or the overbearing female sidekick, or the catgirl wizard. Despite its creator, the wacky humor found in the Disgaea is not especially present here. For the most part, the story isn't even a requirement to play.

Despite its simplistic turn-based gameplay, said gameplay is probably the game's strongest point. Each character - there are six total - has a different ability to use on the world map. The first one, for the main character, is converting items into alchemic elements to use as spells. This means that he collects or transmogrifies almost ANYTHING he can find. Walking down the street and spot some crates? Go ahead and turn them into Wood points. See a pitcher of water? Hit it with your staff and make some ice grenades out of it. The hilarity of going through a town and just smashing and disintegrating everything you see doesn't wear off quickly, let me tell you. With these elements, Klein (the alchemist character) can synthesize potions, weapons, and other comestibles. To do this, he also needs the assistance of his Manas, or alchemic spirits; work them too hard, and they'll become cranky and less capable. Other characters are capable of demolishing objects, flight, or summoning spirits to help with a specific problem.

The combat system is, mainly, as expected for an RPG. It works decently, however. The same cannot be said of the moving-around parts of the game. There are awkward jumping puzzles to reach chests and bonuses that are difficult to pull off because of the camera's view and the game's arbitrary invisible walls.

The graphics are very similar to the cartoonish style of the Disgaea games, with a bit of a more conventional fantasy motif than that series. However, any way you look at it, it's very reminiscent. Depending on your opinion, this can be good or bad, but as a rule in this game the towns are well-animated and well-drawn (with lots of little side animations also coming into play, not just the same 2 or 3 recolored sprites over and over).

The music isn't noticeable one way or the other. It's the same kind of background music that every console RPG has used, and it's so generic that it's unbelievable. The voice actors sound like they're trying, but are constrained by the weird, sappy lines. Because of an effort to match the voices up to the graphics, most of the voices are cutesy; at times, this gets a little obnoxious.

As a whole, this game isn't remarkably different from its peers, but by itself it's not that bad. There are enough fun little elements to keep things interesting, though if you generally don't like RPGs, this probably isn't going to change your mind about that.

Rating: 8/10.

I'm going to review the Atelier Iris series in the opposite order from what I played them, primarily because I felt some disappointment with this first game, Eternal Mana. I came to it straight from Grand Phantasm and it was a bit of a shock. And I didn't think that Iris #3 was a technical tour de force either. It seems to me that while Eternal Mana's contemporaries were in the process of proving that a PS2 was a lot better a machine than people though it was, this game's developers were happy taking a good concept and story and using graphics that were strictly based on the style of game that marked the original PSOne. Putting it simply this is a good game marred by middling technical grades.

The characters are good. Take a young boy looking or alchemical artifacts and a girl who is a member of the local monster killing club and you have an interesting case of gender reversal that gives things a wry twist. There are plenty of extras to keep them busy and an alarming number of creatures to kill. Throw in the usual looming danger to the world that keeps getting bigger and you have all the fixings of an RPG with enough complexity to keep up your interest.

The mana system is the brilliant addition that makes the game click. You get to wander around collecting ingredients and recipes, making all kinds of useful items that will help you solve puzzles and leave trails of monster parts around. This is almost a subgame of its own - between quests and alchemy the game keeps the player engages. The battle system isn't particularly complicated (or graphic) so old men like me can cope without and embarrassing 'twisted thumb' moments.

Three years ago I would have probably thought this was a five star game had I not played many PC based rpg's. Now, with games like Shining Force EXA in the market, Eternal Mana gets 4 stars at best for story and the alchemy system. Later Atelier Iris stories will be better illustrated and animated, but they never really push the PS2's limits. But they are all more than just humdrum playable - Atlus (and Koei) deserves credit for that. Although this game has gone out of print it is still available at a good price. Just the thing to fill the time waiting for Final Fantasy XIII...

Very enjoyable game. The final boss is a little weak, but this seems to happen a lot in newer RPG games. Compared to SNES ZELDA final battle. I give it a solid 4 stars.