Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is a JRPG from Gust and sequel to Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout. Three years after the end of the first game, you’re back in the driver seat with Ryza and off across the ocean.
Your adventures will demand intense preparation, research, and strategy as you navigate a sizable story full of engaging content. If the sound of all that doesn’t scare you away, then you’ll find something to enjoy here.
Passing the Baton Gracefully
When it comes to getting into this game, fans of the previous entry in this series will find that it gets off to a pleasantly quick start, with just enough time devoted to combat and alchemy tutorials to not feel like a drag.
Players follow the titular character, Reisalin “Ryza” Stout as she uncovers new mysteries and seeks to improve her alchemy. As a part of the Atelier franchise, you’ll naturally be experimenting with various materials through its signature crafting mechanic, Alchemy.
Not long after, Ryza and friends are straight into the action. This helps the game feel like less of a drag in the areas it needs to and helps keep you engaged from the start.
The main bulk of the gameplay will take you through a series of dungeons spread throughout the area surrounding the main hub city of Asha-Am-Baird. Completion of each of these dungeons will not only progress the story but open up access to new materials for crafting.
As far as JRPG’s go, Ryza 2’s approach is a refreshing change of pace that certainly gives the player a sense of direction and reassurance, knowing that their goal is down a singular path and getting lost is incredibly unlikely will help keep you invested and focused on the game.
Brewing Up a Storm
The second biggest part of this game is the aforementioned Alchemy mechanic. With this, you’ll be crafting various items with a number of different effects, all of which will be key to your strategies in combat. Located in Ryza’s apartment, the cauldron is the only place in which you’ll be able to craft and will absolutely need to do so before setting out for a new dungeon. As you progress, you’ll gain access to new materials and recipes and a near limitless amount of synergies and customisation.
So much so, in fact, that it can feel rather intense at first. At first, I was overwhelmed by the depth of the crafting system. Thankfully, over time I got used to it and was able to take full advantage. I recommend neophytes have a guide or wiki handy. Some people would call that cheating, but for this game I think the puritans can make an exception.
The final piece of this gaming puzzle is its combat. The game features a real-time combat system, meaning you’ll have to think on the fly and decide ahead of time what you’re going to do. In combat, you’ll be able to swap between your party members and use not just their abilities, but also their blocks. In order to defend as the members of your party, you’ll have to swap to them quickly and use the defence action. Doing so will, obviously, protect you but also, if done perfectly, will provide you with more AP to use in combat. With AP you can use abilities, and, with enough AP, you can even combo certain abilities.
Rumbles and Mixing
The combat is certainly intense and chaotic but, honestly, it’s fun. As someone who plays a lot of hack and slash games (thank you, Devil May Cry) I’m used to having to react quickly in tense situations, so this was something I could enjoy. However, I can certainly see why this can be too much for people and could put people off.
Playing through the story of Atelier Ryza 2 was rather pleasant and simple, for the most part. The game follows a very linear structure and as mentioned earlier, the completion of each dungeon progresses the story and while this is a relief, the story itself can be a bit excessive. Eventually, the story opens up and dumps a lot of content on you that can be rather overwhelming, as is the case with much of this game.
The cast is colourful and rather engaging, with a blend of old and new faces to fill up the game. Speaking of characters, the art style is colourful and striking. From the striking 3D environments to the colourful and unique 2D art penned by Toridamono. The blend of these two impressive styles helps bring the world to life and makes every different building, monster and character memorable and unique.
A Lot to Worry About
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is a unique and demanding, yet fun and fulfilling experience. Careful design keeps boredom away while plundering the game’s dungeons.
However, the variety and complexity of game’s mechanics can be rather daunting to learn, let alone master. As you wander through each dungeon you have so much more than regular combat to worry about. Players should be spending a good chunk of their time keeping track of the materials you’ve found and what you will need. This could all be a bit overwhelming for players less experienced in RPGs with this aspects.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy‘s blend of story, combat, exploration and crafting is certainly fun but not for everyone.