I, for one, welcome our new kawaii overlords.

Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland is set for release by NIS America and Gust in May. Tech-Gaming has a preview of the game which was made me all that much more excited for the title. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed Atelier Totori, so I’m definitely looking forward to its sequel.

Eight months after Totori‘s release, Atelier Meruru will pick up where the last game left off. Meruru, as a princess and Totori’s apprentice, must reshape the land of Arland with princess-y democratic abilities and the power of alchemy. Though alchemy is still a focal point for the series, a development system will allow you to create and reshape Arland to your heart’s content, bringing about a much more organic (to borrow a word) feel to the game.

Characters from the two previous titles will return, such as Totori herself, Rorona from Atelier Rorona, several party members, and memorable NPCs.

I’ll likely be doing this as a guest review for another site, but don’t worry, ’cause it’ll get posted here as well!