ATELIER RYZA: EVER DARKNESS & THE SECRET HIDEOUT
The mixologist is in the house
As the sun rises on Kurken Island and Ryza, Lent, and Tao sneak off to find a boat and reach the mainland, so too is it rising on a brand-new chapter of Atelier. The three friends just want a taste of adventure, and they get it. Meeting an alchemist in the forests of the mainland, Ryza quickly decides to learn the arcane craft herself – and the trio quickly end up embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy that could threaten their island home. What this means is a story that feels more like a traditional JRPG than ever, albeit a brief, lightweight one that unfortunately strays a bit too far from the series’ core alchemy premise. Often Ryza’s own journey feels more like an afterthought. 1
The new combat system has you controlling one party member at a time, levelling up your tactics to perform longer strings of attacks, and comboing skills with each other. It takes a little getting used to when we play, but it ends up feeling dynamic and fresh. The gathering zones you make your way through are bigger than ever, and often you can use multiple tools at gathering points to change the materials you can find. 2 It adds an interesting extra layer of depth, but balancing out your tool usage can feel like a chore when you’re considering what materials you most need. There’s a lot to love about Ryza’s new adventure – Atelier’s cutesy charm is still infectious – but it ends up feeling less sure of itself as a game about alchemy than prior entries (such as the great
Atelier Lulua), while also being a promising setup for things to come. Oscar Taylor-Kent