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[Komatsu]

Developer: Gust Co. Ltd.
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Platform(s): Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, Steam
Release Date: October 29, 2019
Genre: RPG
Price: $59.99

The latest entry in the Atelier series follows the young alchemist Reisalin Stout, known as Ryza to her friends, as she leaves the familiar confines of her home island to explore the vast world beyond. Her life's path is forever altered once an unexpected event reveals that her otherwise peaceful home is littered with ruins of a mysterious past, ruins that contain a threat that may come to destroy all that she holds dear. The producers at Gust have stated that the game's overarching theme is both "entering adulthood" (成人期に入る) and creating beautiful memories with our friends and those special to us.

Gust is the first ever video game studio established in Nagano, in the central Chubu region of Japan. Founded in 1993, Gust is known for their games with heavy moe and/or anime aesthetics and their willingness to use themes and tropes of Japanese animation in their work, starting with Atelier Marie, back in 1997, all the way to the Mahou Shoujo inspired Blue Reflection, released a couple of years ago. Atelier Ryza is the twenty first mainline game in the franchise and, as the first one this generation without a Vita release, it represents a significant graphical shift for the series, with higher quality environments and models.

Alchemy is the distinguishing theme of the Atelier series.Players control the game's character, roaming the game world to collect objects to use in alchemy recipes to create new objects, including cooking ingredients, recovery items, tools, weapons, armor, and accessories.Synthesized objects are commonly required in order to create more powerful or potent objects through alchemy. Many of the games feature a method of transferring properties of one item from the recipe to the synthesized item.Recipes also often allow the substitution of items, which can either lend better properties to the final synthesized item, or can lead to the character thinking of a completely new recipe.The games generally feature a turn-based combat system, in which the items made through alchemy come into play, either to boost the character's abilities, or for offensive, defensive, or support items. [FROM THE WIKI]

Atelier Ryza Review Thread

The reviews for this game have started coming out: PS4 Version https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/atelier-ryza-ever-darkness-the-secret-hideout Video Chums 91 "With so many JRPGs remaining stagnant or trying to appeal to the masses, Atelier Ryza stands tall amongst its peers as a...

www.neogaf.com

 

[Shifty1897]

As a life long JRPG fan, somehow I've never played an Atelier game. Maybe thicc-ahem, this will be the one I start with.

 

[Komatsu]

As a life long JRPG fan, somehow I've never played an Atelier game. Maybe thicc-ahem, this will be the one I start with.

Atelier games are really, really good if you don’t mind the production values of mid-range Japanese offerings. But if anything below AAA underwhelms you, then this is an easy pass.

 

[Danjin44]

Great job on OT, this gonna be my first Atelier game what attracted to this game its art direction, especially it summer vibe. I personally don't mind it AA Japanese games in fact most my favourite games this gen were mostly AA Japanese games.

 

[Phase]

Honestly can't wait to start this game. I'm loving the art style, the summer setting, and the booty when she runs.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Make sure to download the free costume while you can!

 

[JohannCK]

Just reposting my review

Review- Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout

Atelier Ryza is a perfect starting point for anyone wanting to get into the Atelier series, or even just Japanese RPGs in general.

www.frontlinejp.net

As a life long JRPG fan, somehow I've never played an Atelier game. Maybe thicc-ahem, this will be the one I start with.

If you're a fan of Japanese RPGs looking to get into the Atelier series, Rorona DX might be a better place to start. Ryza felt to me like it's made for people who are playing an RPG for the first time.

 

[Danjin44]

If you're a fan of Japanese RPGs looking to get into the Atelier series, Rorona DX might be a better place to start. Ryza felt to me like it's made for people who are playing an RPG for the first time.

I don’t know, what attracted me to this game is art direction, I don’t mind the game is not overly complex as pervious games, if end up enjoying this I might end up checking out the other ones.

 

[Virex]

I'll probably buy it next week. I'm just afraid I'll fap too much instead of playing the game. But I'll get it next week, RIP dick.

 

[Typhares]

As a life long JRPG fan, somehow I've never played an Atelier game. Maybe thicc-ahem, this will be the one I start with.

Exactly my thoughts

 

[JORMBO]

I am liking the game so far. The art style is really nice and colorful. I just started crafting and it looks like a pretty deep system. I’m going to dive more into it today.

 

[sublimit]

Beautiful OT! Congrats Komatsu !

I just ordered the game. I don't think i'll be able to play it anytime soon but i want to support Japanese developers and publishers who put the money and effort to go to the next level in terms of gameplay and presentation. I hope sometime soon similar Japanese mid-tier companies like Falcom,Compile Heart and others put a similar effort.

Just reposting my review

Review- Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout

Atelier Ryza is a perfect starting point for anyone wanting to get into the Atelier series, or even just Japanese RPGs in general.

www.frontlinejp.net

If you're a fan of Japanese RPGs looking to get into the Atelier series, Rorona DX might be a better place to start. Ryza felt to me like it's made for people who are playing an RPG for the first time.

Personally i skipped the Arland games due to their time limits. I had played Atelier Shalie though (my first Atelier game) and i really liked it although i didn't got very far in it. I also have all 3 Iris games for PS2 and the Mysterious series for PS4 but sadly they are still in my backlog. :/

 

[JORMBO]

Some of the early reviews said the game was only 15-20 hours, which sounds short for a JRPG. In this new review I watched the reviewer said he got 57 hours out of it by doing all the quests and a lot of crafting. He mentioned anyone that beat it in less then 20 hours must have just rushed to the end and ignored a lot of stuff.

 

[sublimit]

Some of the early reviews said the game was only 15-20 hours, which sounds short for a JRPG. In this new review I watched the reviewer said he got 57 hours out of it by doing all the quests and a lot of crafting. He mentioned anyone that beat it in less then 20 hours must have just rushed to the end and ignored a lot of stuff.

Yeah i mentioned that review and posted it in the review thread. It's the most in-depth review of the game so far.

 

[JohannCK]

Some of the early reviews said the game was only 15-20 hours, which sounds short for a JRPG. In this new review I watched the reviewer said he got 57 hours out of it by doing all the quests and a lot of crafting. He mentioned anyone that beat it in less then 20 hours must have just rushed to the end and ignored a lot of stuff.

Under 20, certainly. Playing normally would probably get you around 20-25 though.

For reference I cleared Lulua's main story in about 40 hours. My clear time for Ryza was around 22-23, and I did waste time on doing things with alchemy that I probably didn't have to.

 

[JORMBO]

Under 20, certainly. Playing normally would probably get you around 20-25 though.

For reference I cleared Lulua's main story in about 40 hours. My clear time for Ryza was around 22-23, and I did waste time on doing things with alchemy that I probably didn't have to.

Did you do a lot of side quests and are there a lot of them?

 

[JohannCK]

Did you do a lot of side quests and are there a lot of them?

I did a decent amount. There's a lot, but most of them are the usual "collect X of X item" and "go synthesize X of X item" with lousy rewards. The lack of a time limit means you're free to collect as much fizzy water as you want and sell it or or convert it into gems, rendering money rewards pretty much pointless, and as usual if you wait till a bit later in the game you can pretty much do quests easily because you should already have whatever they need.

I guess quests could consume a lot of time if you don't know where to get any of the ingredients you need and you explore the whole world every time you get a new quests?

The idea of being able to squeeze more than 50 hours out of this is honestly quite baffling to me.

 

[Ivellios]

I never played any Atelier game before, maybe i'll start with this one.

It seems fun.

 

[Typhares]

Under 20, certainly. Playing normally would probably get you around 20-25 though.

For reference I cleared Lulua's main story in about 40 hours. My clear time for Ryza was around 22-23, and I did waste time on doing things with alchemy that I probably didn't have to.

That actually sounds great to me, I don't have time to invest 50+ hours in a game like that!

 

[JORMBO]

I did a decent amount. There's a lot, but most of them are the usual "collect X of X item" and "go synthesize X of X item" with lousy rewards. The lack of a time limit means you're free to collect as much fizzy water as you want and sell it or or convert it into gems, rendering money rewards pretty much pointless, and as usual if you wait till a bit later in the game you can pretty much do quests easily because you should already have whatever they need.

I guess quests could consume a lot of time if you don't know where to get any of the ingredients you need and you explore the whole world every time you get a new quests?

The idea of being able to squeeze more than 50 hours out of this is honestly quite baffling to me.

Thanks for the feedback. 30-40hrs is my JRPG sweet spot. If I can squeeze around that much playtime out of it I will be happy.

 

[Isa]

Hell yeah, an OT for this! My collector's edition arrived a day early, which for me usually never happens. I plan on starting this after I beat The Outer Worlds and clear the CoD campaign which shouldn't be too hard. Then I'll bounce between this and Code Vein for variety 'til I finally knock out the later. From what I've sampled of the OST there were a few nice tracks in there.

 

[DESTROYA]

This looks like nice fit for the switch
Im on team ThiccThighsSaveLives.

 

[jshackles]

This definitely looks like a game I would enjoy. I played the first(?) game in the series on the Playstation 2 like... a long fucking time ago. And even then, I don't think I ever finished it.

I won't be lost in the story just jumping into this one, will I?

 

[Komatsu]

One thing we need to highlight is how much of a visual upgrade Ryza represents compared to the previous entries. Gust finally dropped the engine they had been using since... 2006.

This definitely looks like a game I would enjoy. I played the first(?) game in the series on the Playstation 2 like... a long fucking time ago. And even then, I don't think I ever finished it.

I won't be lost in the story just jumping into this one, will I?

No, sir, Atelier is an anthology series. Most of the games are standalones and even the "sequels" are only very loosely tied to their predecessors.

 

[DESTROYA]

This definitely looks like a game I would enjoy. I played the first(?) game in the series on the Playstation 2 like... a long fucking time ago. And even then, I don't think I ever finished it.

I won't be lost in the story just jumping into this one, will I?

From what I hear no, it’s pretty much a stand alone game.

#ThiccThighsSavesLives

 

[jshackles]

Some of the early reviews said the game was only 15-20 hours, which sounds short for a JRPG. In this new review I watched the reviewer said he got 57 hours out of it by doing all the quests and a lot of crafting. He mentioned anyone that beat it in less then 20 hours must have just rushed to the end and ignored a lot of stuff.

Thanks for posting this review. This game definitely looks like something I'd be interested in and I felt exactly like the reviewer here thinking "I feel like the other games in this series were maybe targeted towards girls or creepy weeb-types". This one looks pretty great.

No, sir, Atelier is an anthology series. Most of the games are standalones and even the "sequels" are only very loosely tied to their predecessors.

Excellent. The review above said it's the first game in a new story arc too, so that's even more exciting to me.

 

[SidViscous]

Gust finally dropped the engine they had been using since... 2006.

I hear it's the same engine, just without the shackles of having to support Vita. The last few vita titles ran really rough too, the final one was released January this year I think.

 

[Komatsu]

I hear it's the same engine, just without the shackles of having to support Vita. The last few vita titles ran really rough too, the final one was released January this year I think.

Is it? I mean, scaling down global illumination for the PSV would have been easy and yet all the previous games had very basic lighting.

 

[TheDuskwalker]

One thing we need to highlight is how much of a visual upgrade Ryza represents compared to the previous entries. Gust finally dropped the engine they had been using since... 2006.

No, sir, Atelier is an anthology series. Most of the games are standalones and even the "sequels" are only very loosely tied to their predecessors.

That leg upgrade from stick to thicc.

 

[FStubbs]

Beautiful OT! Congrats Komatsu !

I just ordered the game. I don't think i'll be able to play it anytime soon but i want to support Japanese developers and publishers who put the money and effort to go to the next level in terms of gameplay and presentation. I hope sometime soon similar Japanese mid-tier companies like Falcom,Compile Heart and others put a similar effort.



Personally i skipped the Arland games due to their time limits. I had played Atelier Shalie though (my first Atelier game) and i really liked it although i didn't got very far in it. I also have all 3 Iris games for PS2 and the Mysterious series for PS4 but sadly they are still in my backlog. :/

The PS2 Iris games are more traditional jRPGs - which is why they were the first to make it over.

I'm not sure of this, but didn't Vic Ireland try to get the earlier games in the series?

 

[FStubbs]

That leg upgrade from stick to thicc.

Hey Lulua is still pretty!

 

[sublimit]

The PS2 Iris games are more traditional jRPGs - which is why they were the first to make it over.

I've played a bit the first game of the Iris trilogy (Eternal Mana) just to see how it looks and i liked both the artstyle and the gameplay. Art direction is very differend from the games that came after the Iris trilogy.

 

[Vawn]

That actually sounds great to me, I don't have time to invest 50+ hours in a game like that!

Glad I'm not the only one. Games are too long lately. It is rare these days when I'm not ready for a game to wrap up when its only 2/3rds over.

 

[Petaya Berry]

Finally I grasped the synthesis, but I'm still hating the combat.

One thing we need to highlight is how much of a visual upgrade Ryza represents compared to the previous entries. Gust finally dropped the engine they had been using since... 2006.

Uh?

I don't think you know what an engine is.

 

[Cao Cao]

Is there a chance they release a english audio later because the game is so popular?

 

[Komatsu]

I hear it's the same engine, just without the shackles of having to support Vita. The last few vita titles ran really rough too, the final one was released January this year I think.

Falcom apparently has been looking towards moving to a new engine for a little while - their president has stated to the press that they even had Epic come onsite and do a walk-through of UE4. Most recent Atelier games were made using Sony's PhyreEngine, which is not case with Ryza.

Uh?

I don't think you know what an engine is.

LOL, normally I would fetch the appropriate Dengeki magazines # and walk you through Junzo Hoso's interview on Ryza's development but I don't feel like educating you today.

 

[Danjin44]

I got put some time in to this game and so far I’m enjoying it. The visuals not high tech but I really like the art direction and combat is fun but I’d taking me little time get used to the flow.

 

[sublimit]

Falcom apparently has been looking towards moving to a new engine for a little while - their president has stated to the press that they even had Epic come onsite and do a walk-through of UE4.

I don't know if their old engine plays any role but Ys IX looks bad to me even from an artistic standpoint.Just grey,empty and lifeless.

I understand that they don't have the budgets of companies like Koei (or Namco in the case of Tales of Arise) but i feel they are staying behind in the presentation department of their games and maybe an investment to a better engine would be worth the cost.

Edit: Btw i updated the review thread with new reviews:

Atelier Ryza Review Thread

The reviews for this game have started coming out: PS4 Version https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/atelier-ryza-ever-darkness-the-secret-hideout Video Chums 91 "With so many JRPGs remaining stagnant or trying to appeal to the masses, Atelier Ryza stands tall amongst its peers as a...

www.neogaf.com

 

[jshackles]

Just played the first hour of the game on my lunch break today. The setting is really nice and quaint, and the characters seem interesting. I haven't yet unlocked anything to do with alchemy but I did get a hand at the battle system and leveled up a few times.

I think I'm going to dig this game.

 

[JayK47]

I am really enjoying this game so far. I really like how they do side quests and of course my secret hideout. Combat is taking some time to get used to. So far alchemy is interesting. Graphics seem to finally take advantage of the PS4. I wish I had more time to play it. 2019 has been a great year for Atelier fans.

 

[Danjin44]

I’m finally getting hang of the combat system and I'm starting to get addicted to the crafting system in this game.

 

[jshackles]

Finally got to the actual titular "Hideout" and unlocked the fast-travel map. That's gonna be useful.

 

[SidViscous]

Was worried I had spent so much time just collecting and crafting things I would be way too overpowered, then got wiped out 4 times in a row whilst fighting a minor boss. I could see why folks who don't like having to do side-content and grinding wouldn't like it, but personally I'm relieved that I can take my time and still have a challenge.

Playing this game in winter is great too, the music and atmosphere are so warm and sunny, even the side quests are cute things like bringing a flower to an old lady, really charmed by it all so far.

 

[jshackles]

Was worried I had spent so much time just collecting and crafting things I would be way too overpowered, then got wiped out 4 times in a row whilst fighting a minor boss. I could see why folks who don't like having to do side-content and grinding wouldn't like it, but personally I'm relieved that I can take my time and still have a challenge.

Playing this game in winter is great too, the music and atmosphere are so warm and sunny, even the side quests are cute things like bringing a flower to an old lady, really charmed by it all so far.

I was glad to see that this game doesn't impose much of a death penalty - you just lose some (half?) of the items you've collected that haven't been stored. The first time I KO'd (trying to fight some sort of weassel boss thing I found) I was like "shit, I haven't saved in a while". Turns out it didn't matter, just respawned in my room with a few things from my bag missing.

 

[SidViscous]

Yup, but there is a bug where some quest items are not marked properly and can get thrown away if you die, so a bit of added (unintentional) risk there! Heard someone say they lost the reactor when fighting a boss, not sure if it's already been patched though.

 

[Athena~]

Game is a masterpiece!

Ryza and her friends are so funny they genuinely feel like close friends.

Gorgeous game and the best PS4 RPG this year!

 

[Yamisan]

Looks great but I'm so behind in the series. Its like they've been releasing one every few months during the past few years.

 

[jshackles]

Looks great but I'm so behind in the series. Its like they've been releasing one every few months during the past few years.

For what it's worth - this is the first game I've played in the series since briefly playing the first PS2 game. I'm really enjoying it, and I don't feel like I'm "missing" anything - it seems like a really good jumping-in point.

 

[Danjin44]

Man, I thought the DQXI crafting was addictive! The crafting in this game is as fun and addicting as demon fusion in SMT/Persona games, I love it!

 

[Danjin44]

I just crafted hammer and my god this game opens up so much! The crafting is so addicting that want explore to find new materials and want to do all the quests to get recipes and items, it’s a game that every thing you do feeds to its core mechanics and not mention combat system very fun.

This my first Atelier game and really loving it so far.