Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is another entry in the Atelier and Atelier Ryza franchises, respectively, by KOEI TECMO America.
Atelier Ryza 2 takes place three years after the events of the first game and sees Ryza grow in her skills as an alchemist. However, she feels stuck in her alchemy education. The game begins with Ryza helping a local lord, who has a mysterious family heirloom that he wants Ryza’s help with. She then receives a letter from her friend, Tao, who is studying in the capital, Ashra-am Baird. Tao invites her to come to the capital to explore ruins, which he believes may assist Ryza in her alchemic studies. Once she meets with her friends, Tao and Bos, she learns there are five ruins within close proximity to Ashra-am Baird. She, Tao, and new character, Patty, all journey together to explore the ruins.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is a fairly standard turn-based Japanese Roleplaying Game (JRPG). Certain party members from the first installment, such as Bos and Tao, make their return. Ryza is also given new companions, such as Patty. Different characters have various combat abilities, and companions can be given items during combat which can be helpful.
As is typical of the Atelier franchise, alchemy is present within this sequel. Ryza must go out and collect ingredients to create items. Each creation will have one specific element associated with it. For example, the element linked with crimson ore, is fire. The elements include fire, water, lightning, and earth. These four elements affect certain creations differently. For instance, if crimson ore and uni are mixed, they make an explosive uni.
Some positive aspects of the game include the graphics/art style, climbing and swimming mechanics, the skill customization tree, and the treatment of side characters. The visuals of Atelier Ryza 2 are similar to the first game, and are still beautiful and detailed Japanese animated environments. In the game, Ryza is able to climb and swim, two new features which make exploration easier. When Ryza is synthesizing, each item made uses a skill customization tree. Lastly, most of the minor characters within Atelier Ryza 2 have their own storylines.
Negative features of the game include the length of cutscenes, load time, and tutorial instructions. The prologue of Atelier Ryza 2 starts off with a cutscene about the previous game, before transitioning into another cutscene. As someone who has not played the previous game, the explanation was nice. However, the amount of time spent in cutscenes interrupts the enjoyment of the game. Unfortunately, these scenes cannot be skipped, and I found this frustrating throughout my playthrough.
In the beginning of Atelier Ryza 2, instructions are given periodically. This happens before Ryza’s first battle, when she first arrives in Ashra-am Baird, before Ryza begins her search for alchemy ingredients, and so on. While these instructions are helpful, they are poorly integrated. As a result, it makes the first portion of the game overwhelming and also makes the game less enjoyable. For example, shortly after Ryza meets up with Tao and Bos, she and Tao search for alchemy ingredients outside Ashra-am Baird. The game instructs the player to search for ingredients, but these are not specified unless the player looks in the journal.
Because of everything stipulated above, I would give this game a seven out of ten.
Check Out the Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy Trailer:
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy releases today in North America on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC via Steam.
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I am a college student studying English at Michigan State University. My first video game was Icewind Dale I for the PC and I’ve been playing games ever since. Whenever I’ve had a particularly difficult day, games such as The Sims help me unwind. Some of my favorite games include the Bioshock, Fallout, Mass Effect, Wolfenstein, and latest Tomb Raider series.
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