Japanese developer Gust Incorporated concludes its turn-based role-playing game trilogy with Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm. The storyline follows the adventures of teens Edge Vanhite and Iris Fortner, explorers by trade on behalf of an organization called the Raiders Guild. After accidentally discovering a piece of what appears to be the fabled "Libram of Escalario," which is rumored to grant the wishes of anyone who unites all eight pieces, the duo takes part in a series of quests to find the ancient tome before their rivals.
As with the two previous games in the series, the 2D action is viewed from an isometric perspective as players explore outdoor regions called "alterworlds" for a limited amount of time. Once time is expired, players are returned to the starting town of Zey Meruze to interact with characters, receive new quests, and synthesize or craft items using Iris Fortner's skill in alchemy. Each alterworld can be revisited multiple times after gaining experience and forging new items to help unlock previously inaccessible areas. Combat switches the default perspective to a side view as characters to the left and right alternate turns and decide whether to attack, use a skill, or to consume beneficial items.
