Thare be spoilers ahead — don’ say I didn’t warn ye!
Tia is a student alchemist, filling in for her master’s departure as a mail-order potion brewer. She is joined by her perverted furry friend, mister Poppo. During a routine visit to the city of Eclairnia, Tia is entranced by a floral scent. As she follows her nose, she is surprised to see everybody in some sort of city-wide orgy. What Tia has been smelling is the Ero Incense, and it reduces anyone exposed into a horny mess. She meet the perpetrators, a pack of no-name mercenaries and a purple dress alchemist. Tia dispatches the men with ease, leaving the beaten and exposed on the streets. On her person is a device which absorbs sexual energy and transmutes in into mana. It effectively turns the wearer into a succubus!
Tia attaches the device to her staff, and puts it to the test!
She pours one of her potions onto the alchemist, causing her to be covered head-to-toe with rapey slimes! Wait, what kind of alchemist is Tia!? Feeling the effects of the Incense, Tia rushes home to let off some steam. Behind closed doors, she thrusts her fingers into pussy (soaking her bedsheets!) Poppo catches the whole show (also behind closed doors). When she finishes, Tia determines that they’ll need to craft an elixir — an elixir would cure the townsfolk, but she’s unsure how to make enough for everybody. Neither elixirs nor their ingredients are readily available — even if they were, everybody’s too busy fucking. Tia sets off to acquire the ingredients on her own, starting with Sage Herbs.
With Poppo as her mule, she packs his bags with sex toys and rapey potions to punish her foes!
I like how Tia is against sexual subjugation, but’s totally okay raping her foes (after beating them senseless!) She and Poppo find the Sage Herbs at the top of the Mountains, but they meet unexpected resistance: her name is Sonia, and she’s one in charge of the men Tia killed on her way up. She was sent to handle Tia, and she wants her Energy Extractor (or the device on her staff). She and her men attempt to ambush her, but Poppo saves the day! He burrows his face into Sonia’s ample chest, distracting her long enough for Tia to wipe out her troops. She swats him away, and a battle ensues. After her bout with Tia, Sonya is left crawling within an of her life. Tia decides it’s pay back time for Poppo.
She feeds him a potion that causes his lower half spring tentacles — you know where this is going.
Poppo is all too eager to inseminate Sonya. She is utterly humiliated, raped by very creature she nearly killed. Next stop is the Cave, in search of Spiritual Gems. As Tia loads Poppo up with the Gems, they are confronted by mysterious little girl. She was sent by an unknown “master” to stop Tia from creating the Elixir. The girl challenges them with an explosive set of potions, but Tia prevails. Critically damaged, it’s revealed that the girl is an artificial life form — she’s a homunculus. Her name is No. 1, for she is her master’s first successful creation. No, 1’s battle with Tia marks her first year of existence, and she states her newfound capability of independent thought and action.
Tia says, “I will make you understand there is no bliss when you get raped.”
She tries to teach No. 1 the err of her ways by having Poppo painfully rape her broken body. Wow! Tia decides to adopt her, carrying her home. She tries to convince No. 1 why her Master’s actions are bad, explaining the effects of the Ero Incense and the way her master abuses humanity. She explains that her master uses those around her as tools, and that’s the reason she doesn’t have a name, but rather a label. No. 1 accepts “Mimi” as her new name, and from this point on Tia considers her as her little sister. Next stop is the Forest, where Dunkelheit Mushrooms can be found. Rather than ‘shrooms, Tia is met by Katsumi, a biologically enhanced assassin. Unlike the last two baddies, she’s a little more. . . deranged.
Or should I say kinky? She wants Tia as own sex-slave, but she’ll never let her cum — and she wants Poppo to watch!
Actually, I’m going with deranged. . . that’s called human cruelty! Tia dispatches Katsumi, and she allows the local elves to imprison her (and do as they see fit!) They also help Tia gather the Mushrooms she came for, and they send her home with a basket of delicious fruit. Tia uses the events that transpired to teach Mimi about “friendship”, and she reminisces about a girl she studied with. This woman was better than her in every way, vastly exceeding her own alchemical prowess. Unlike Tia, this girl was grossly perverted (more so than casually raping foes — she raped her friends!) She spent her free time getting off, and she’d constantly grope and lick Tia (against her wishes.)
Honestly, I’m more interested in her than Tia — I think we have the wrong protagonist!
Of course, Poppo has only fond memories of this person (and I think I would too!) Tia and Poppo set off to the Snowy Mountains to secure Frost Stones. Instead of a mercenary, waiting at the peak of Snowy Mountains is a maid — but not just any maid! She’s an automaton, and her name is No. 2. She is the successor to No. 1 (or Mimi). No. 2 explains that Dark Rose is the one behind the Ero Incense and the hired hands. The purpose of Dark Rose is to create a better world. Dark Rose’s motivations leave something to be desired, but Tia has a bigger problem on her hands! She and the killer maid clash, and what follows is an even bigger problem — No. 2 initiates her self-destruct sequence.
Should she blow, it’ll take (A) take Tia and Poppo and/or (B) take the Frost Stones. Either way, it’s bad news.
However, Tia has a plan! She uses a potion to make Poppo multiply in size, and she instructs him to throw No. 2 as far away as he can. Like any reasonable, floating fur ball he decides to fuck her instead. Through some incredible stroke of luck, penetrating No. 2 deactivates the self-destruct timer. He goes to town on her lifeless body, and when he’s finished they drag her (and the Stones) back home. Mimi recognizes her, remembering her as motherly figure. Unfortunately, No. 2 is out of commission and Tia knows nothing about machines. She promises to have her repaired once Dark Rose is dealt with (considering anyone who could is probably having sex right now.)
The next ingredient Tia needs are Fire Flowers, found deep inside the Volcano!
Thankfully, there are no mercenaries or robots waiting for her. Instead, whom Tia meets are a pair of ladies on a flying broomstick. They have come to water some plants, and by that they mean destroy the very Fire Flowers Tia needs! They make their escape, following their tail is Dragon Girl (and she’s livid!) The Fire Flowers are from her own garden, and she intends on incinerating Tia and her accomplices! Tia beats some sense into Dragon Girl, and she apologizes for acting hastily. She grants Tia permission to collect Fire Flowers, and takes off to intercept the broom-girls. With the Fire Flowers in hand, Tia has everything she needs to brew the elixir! But. . . now comes the real problem.
There wouldn’t be enough for everyone.
As Tia wracks her brain for ways to treat everyone, Mimi divulges essiential information — the Ero Incense is as powerful as it is due to a clear fluid that is added to the solution. Poppo suggests that this fluid could be Mermaid Tears, which are known to amplify alchemical effects. Mimi confirms his hypothesis when she recalls Dark Rose staged an assault on mermaids. Tia and Poppo make way for the Water Cave, where they hope to acquire Tears from the Mermaid Queen. To their dismay, she is being controlled by someone else — her name is Velvet, and she the very same girl Tia told Mimi about! I didn’t see that coming at all! She reveals that it was her that founded Dark Rose, and created the Ero Incense!
Velvet follows up with a compelling speech, and well. . . she has some very good points!
She asks, why “transmuting gold, potions that affect mental operations” and “the creation of life” are considered taboo (and illegal?) Velvet believes that there’s no such thing as “bad experiments . . . only failed ones.” She explains that Dark Rose is an organization that is dedicated to lifting the veil, and learning the full extent of alchemy. Real talk, I’m on board! But Tia retorts with a valid point — she asks, why did Velvet release the Ero Incense in the first place? Velvet explains that by having her subjects in a perpetual state of lust, she can manipulate them through the use of chastity devices. If anybody wants to cum, they’ll have to do her bidding — and the women can bred to maintain the population!
Okay, second thought — Velvet is just as deranged as Katsumi!
She excuses herself, instructing the Mermaid Queen to beat Tia unconscious. Tia comes out on top, and using her elixir she cures the Mermaid Queen from the effects of Velvet’s Incense. Grateful for Tia’s help, she allows her permission to extract as much fluids as she needs. However, Tia learns that her quest for Tears is misguided; the Tears she seeks are actually mermaids’ vaginal fluids. The Queen invites Tia to touch her fishy lips and she rubs-out the “tears” she needs. Tia and Poppo go home to prepared the amplified elixir. Mimi explains (totally out of the blue) that the Ero Incense is being manufactured by the Perpetual Duplication Machine. As the name suggests, it can copy molecules infinitely.
If Velvet adds Mermaid Tears to the mix, Tia’s efforts will be for naught!
Mimi riases a good question; she figures that if Velvet and Tia shared the same master (and home), it would make sense for Velvet to launch an attack directly on Tia. Poppo suggests that Velvet literally gets off to Tia’s quest to defeat her (and save the land!) Unbeknownst to them, Velvet is watching (and masturbating) as they speak! Considering the circumstances, Mimi determines that winning is virtually impossible — but Tia isn’t the sort of give up. She is going to destroy the Duplication Machine, and release everybody from Dark Rose’s grasp. The next (and final) stop is Eclairnia. Mimi and Poppo pledge their allegiance to Tia, no matter how stupid or suicidal her plan is.
They meet Sonya and Katsumi once again, and they’re pissed!
To make matters worse, they are surrounded by Velvet’s Sonya’s soldiers. Mimi is able to hold them off, leaving Tia to fight the elite warriors on her own. Side note — this was a really satisfying boss fight, and ultimately you do fight them both at the same time. Between Katsumi and Sonya, they cover each other’s weaknesses and it takes some skill to fight them at the same time. Anyways, back to the story — Sonya and Katsumi are wrecked once again by Tia, along with the extra help (thanks to Mimi). Going further into the city, they come face-to-face with Velvet. She tries to goad Mimi to rejoin her side. Deeming Velvet’s actions as “not just”, she stays by Tia’s side.
Velvet retaliates with some more fair points — gee, she’s really good at these villain speeches!
She asks, who determines justice, laws and virtues? Who determines what is right, and what is wrong? To states that “the only thing living creates want is survival, so they procreate.” She allows them to do so, every day and every night. She considers laws to be a form of slavery — true slavery. She deems monarchs and noblemen hypocritic slave masters, committing crimes behind closed doors. She implores Tia to ask herself “what is right or wrong?” Tia and her friends aren’t having it — Velvet isn’t much different than the men she hates. Going nowhere with her propaganda, Velvet remotely activates Mimi’s “war mode”, sending her into a deadly frenzy. Like No. 2, Mimi activates a self-destruct after Tia defeats her.
Rather than a misplaced cock, it’s a “sisterly kiss” that brings her back!
It’s at this point Tia and Mimi really are sisters, their bond nie unbreakable. They recoup home and ready themselves for the final showdown — Tia and Poppo return to Eclairnia, and they find Velvet tending to the Duplication Machine. However, the concentration of Ero Incense is far too high for Tia to handle, even with her elixir. She practically falls apart as her entire body is transformed into an erogenous zone. Poppo and Velvet are unaffected by the Incense — she tries to convince him to join her side, and betray his master. Up until this point, Tia has treated him as a (literal) punching bag, rearing only anger and hatred towards him. What Velvet offers is everything he could ever want.
Both of them are always horny — they are two peas in a pod!
She knows Poppo desires Tia’s body. He’ll get to do with her as he pleases, and she’ll live only to satisfy their bottomless desire. Velvet will take satisfaction is bending an old friend to her will. She knows how poorly Tia treats him, and (accurately) points out she’ll always treat him like shit, even if he saved her life a thousand times. Poppo could become the master, and she the slave. Not only that, but Velvet too would be Poppo’s everything — even his slave. Tia begs him not to betray her. She apologizes for everything she had ever done, and offers her body to him; but as Velvet points out, why not both of them? Poppo seals the deal as he burrows into Velvet’s generous chest.
He had secretly planted dynamite inside his fur — he was stalling the whole time!
Poppo you fool! I honestly thought this is how the game was going to end — on a high note. Sure, Tia didn’t want to be a sex-slave, but it would have only taken a little more Incense to change her mind! Velvet would have probably united the lands, and everybody would have been happy fucking day and night (including Velvet!) Anyways, Poppo and the Machine are critically damaged by the blast. Velvet managed to pull-up a shield in the nick of time, leaving her unscathed. However, until the Machine is repaired (and Tia is dealt with) her plan is a bust. Thinking Velvet is cornered, she confronts her. But Velvet isn’t alone: out of nowhere her No. 3 falls from the Sky, her mighty Chimera!
Though Tia says she’ll kill the Chimera before she repairs the Machine, she doesn’t.
By the time Velvet is really cornered, the Machine has been fully repaired. Before they commence fighting, Velvet kindly reminds her old friend how vastly superior she is (and she’s not wrong!) She counts three-hundred-fourteen matches between them — and Velvet won every time. Eager to claim her three-hundred-fifteenth victory, she fights Tia. The fate of the world rests in her hands, and (depending on how look at it) the world is saved! To her infinite surprise, Tia bested her in combat. She figures that Velvet is rusty, having fucked instead of fighting like she did. Velvet’s minions were her undoing: they gave Tia the skills she needed to destroy Dark Rose!
Like the No. 1 and 2, Velvet’s machine is equipped with its own “failsafe”.
Before the Machine blows, Mimi stops by and freezes it (aborting the explosive countdown). She destroys the Machine once and for all, leaving Velvet’s every plan in ruins. Velvet understandably livid. She’s pissed at Mimi for her betrayal, pissed that Tia somehow won, and she’s probably pissed at Poppo (who for all we know is dead.) As she spouts angry dribble, her own Chimera picks her up and uses her as a cock-sleeve. During the whole ordeal, he had soaked up a great deal of the Ero Incense, making him unbelievably horny! He Tia and Mimi collect Poppo, and they leave Chimera and his master for the authorities to handle.
Poppo, performs an (admittingly funny) dick move — he fakes his death to get closer to Tia’s breasts.
She tears him away from her chest, entering a combat stance. He reminds her about what she said during their battle with Velvet; she had promised not beat him up. She reneges on her word, and chooses to beat him silly instead — payback for his lies. Eclairnia has been saved, and Tia manufactures enough elixir for everyone. What remains of Dark Rose is wiped out by the town guard. She becomes the hero of Eclairnia, and No. 2 is repaired by the King’s finest engineers. Tia, Mimi, Poppo and No. 2 live happily ever after as full-time potion brewers. As for Velvet, well she sort-of got a happy ending of her own. She may be the new girl in prison, but she’s real popular with the inmates!
And so concludes Atelier Tia. . . what a blast! The English translation could have been a little better, but Atelier Tia is the most coherent, interesting story I’ve read for a lewd sidescroller! It’s too bad Tia gets her way — I liked Velvet more!