Phat! Company is at it again, returning to the Atelier Meruru: the Apprentice of Arland game to finally bring us title character Princess Merurulince Rede Arls, otherwise known as Meruru! This is Phat!'s second entry in the Atelier Meruru series, the first being the child version of Rorona coming out in September, and before that came Atelier Totori's title character released back in June. 

So here we are with the third outing and things are looking really good. Even in the early gray prototype stage the details pop right out. She's seen in her full alchemist outfit complete with alchemy staff and offset crown. Her hair looks to be going in every direction while her cape flutters over her right shoulder. Even the finer details like the ties on her blouse and the tiny wrinkles in the hem of the cape are seen throughout the figure. And that face is all Meruru, even at this stage with crudely drawn in eyes. The whole figure is posed on just one foot, but the cloud plume rising up behind her looks like it'll help stabilize her foot and keep her from leaning. 

I'm really looking forward to seeing this in color. Her design involves several gradients and the inside of her cape has an iridescent shimmer to it that I hope they can pull off in some way! We're a ways off from a solid release date, but for now she's on target for 2013. 

[Images via GSC_GUMA]