Adorable, funny, and light, Atelier Annie is one of those few RPGs that can bring a smile every time you play it.
Firstly, the entire game is light. No overbearing quests to save the world or kill monsters of gargantuan proportions; just jobs sent by the people asking for something Annie can make, using materials gathered from different gathering spots all over the island. Your overall goal is not that heavy also; your only goal is to win the alchemy contest that's part of the development project, by doing special assignments given to you by the project committee as quick and as well as you can. Even the battles are very simple and don't actually have much importance in the game; it's a simple "attack", "skill", "item" motif, and you're better off gathering than fighting the creatures to get your materials. There's not much that's new, except for the resort system; Annie can build resorts using money she won in doing assignments well, which in turn give her more funds to renew (that means improve) the current facilities, or to build new facilities which then give Annie even more funds to build more facilities, and so on. In fact, as the editor's review says, there is no way you "lose" the game; you don't die if you lose battles, so there's always another chance.
Secondly, the game is excruciatingly easy, and sometimes repetitive and occasionally boring. Jobs are easily done in 1-5 game days, and you're given at least a month to finish them; assignments are easily done once you know what to do. The creation of items also has nothing special; no special motions to do or something like that; you just select your items, create, and hope it works! This cycle will go on and on for three game years, the duration of the contest Annie's participating in. Now, this may sound boring, if not for the third factor of the game!
Thirdly, the dialogue is funny (although not that witty) and entertaining, and some random events always have some charm. Now, collecting materials, synthesizing materials, and doing jobs might sound a bit boring, if not for a random event that pops up every so often, when you visit a certain part of the town or the island. Sometimes, you'll meet new friends which will then be part of the growing cast of other characters which can help you fight battles with creatures while gathering; sometimes, these events will develop the relationship between Annie and one of these characters. Also, most of the dialogue is funny (in a light and easy kind of way), and you can't help but at least chuckle at the antics the cast is doing.
And lastly, the graphics and sounds are adorable! Annie and the other characters are well-drawn in an anime style; the background is pleasant and easy to the eyes (even if you're in the lip of the volcano gathering rocks, it isn't that bad too!), and most of the scenes are drawn very well too, with the ambiance of the sound just fitting the scene, bringing to life the forests, springs, and the town. Nealy everything is coated with the description "adorable" and "cute", and you'll just want to squeeze the display, looking at how pleasant, nice, and cute they look.
Overall, Atelier Annie is for those who are weary of the overbearing, epic stories and wish something light and easy to while the time away. Although it might get repetitive and boring, the pleasant environs and artwork, together with the light-mannered cast and dialogue, more than compensate for that. I never knew being an alchemist was this fun!
Story - 8
Graphics - 9.5
Gameplay - 7.5
Sound - 9.5
Overall: 8.5, rounded down