I certainly enjoyed my time with it but there were a number of frustrations that made it hard to be an instant recommendation. It doesn't add anything particularly new to the genre while also not being polished enough to perfect the genre. That said, it's a solid game that makes me want to see more from this studio, and one I would recommend to fans of these shooters who want that welcome satisfaction of triumphing over a stiff challenge.
Dordogne is an interesting, imperfect game with some phenomenal design and visuals. The watercolor graphics make for one of the most stunning games I've seen for a while, and some of the interactive choices worked incredibly well, such as the activity of putting photos and poems together to make the binder Mimi longs to rediscover. While there are certain areas of frustration, I ultimately enjoyed my time in exploring Mimi's childhood memories (and my own) through art.
In fact, if NIS decided to put out a sequel, I might be inclined to check it out because they have made a number of excellent RPGs in the past. It just feels like they threw in so many systems, meters, and mechanics that they forgot to put in something to compel you to keep playing. There are many better games out there in all of the genres that this one borrows from that despite interesting ideas, Monster Menu can't come together to provide a satisfying meal.
Arland, Dusk, Mysterious, Ryza/Secret) is self-contained, so it's not necessary to play Marie before those other games. However, for fans of the series it's fun to see where it all started and how much Gust got right from the start, considering this is still a very fun, breezy JRPG to play. It makes me hope that other games in the series can be brought to modern platforms and that the Atelier series can continue to thrive!.