Back in 2019, I discovered a franchise of titles, the Atelier games. These games are best described as ‘slice of life RPGs’. I played one such game and found it middling and uninteresting, so when I was given the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack, I was worried, to say the least. This came down to a couple of reasons:
- I’m not sure this genre is for me. A slice of anime can be fun to watch, but to play one can be tedious.
- What is an acceptable level of completion to give my verdict?
- I’m definitely not going to have the time to finish an RPG trilogy.
I learned quickly that I was right. I was never going to finish this trilogy in a timely fashion. Atelier Ryza Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout DX is an involved title, commendably so. There is so much to do with Ryza as she learns the ancient art of alchemy. She helps her village, bonds with her friends, and maybe she’ll save the world. Which brings me to how I felt about playing this first entry. It’s a lot of fun, the world is lush and vibrant with colours. The enemies are usually simplistic in design, the bosses are better designed, and are child-friendly.
The battle system is surprisingly compelling. You jump from character to character, building up points that allow you to dish out various skills, ranging from a simple bop on the head to Ryza literally summoning light-infused lances at the enemies. To fully utilise the capabilities of your three-person team, you have to deck them out with the proper equipment.
Alchemy, alchemy, alchemy
To make sure you’re capable of helping out your village, and ultimately saving the world from an invasion from another dimension, you need the right tools for the job. To craft these tools, Ryza and the player learn alchemy, and it is one of the most addictive elements of a game I’ve ever played. I once stayed up until 4:00 am crafting and combining multiple ingredients to either help out a friend in need or to give Ryza and the gang an edge in a fight.
The level of detail with the alchemy is impressive. You have to understand the balance, go too far and you may make something you don’t want, also you may lose an ingredient you need for something else down the road. There are also several items that you can craft, which will help you with your gathering. Each item allows for different ingredients to appear. You cut a bush, you get plant fibre, you use a bug net on the same bush, you’ll get bugs. It is this level of detail that allows for an involved and addictive experience.
With all this to enjoy, I found the only real issue to be the childish nature of its characters and narrative at times. Other than that, I have enjoyed this game. This is all compounded by the large number of sidequests dotted around the game, as well as the improvements made for the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack. Additional playable characters, tons of extra content like costumes and weapon skins.
From what I’ve seen from my brief time with it, the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack is impressive. From what I’ve played of this first entry, Atelier Ryza Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout DX is a compelling title on its own. I highly recommend picking up this trilogy if you’re an RPG fan, especially if you love tinkering with the world. Stay tuned for my next step into this world with Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy DX.
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