[Review] Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout

A meter on the left side of the screen will indicate who’s planning on attacking next, and when it’s your turn, the meter will continue to move whether you’ve initiated an attack or not. With this system being a little more real-time, managing a party’s moves can become stressful and overbearing at times, but thankfully your team doesn’t just stand idle and instead takes the incentive to make moves on your behalf. You can adjust how tactile and aggressive they are with the d-pad as you go through multiple modes indicating how reserved or offensive you’d prefer your team to be at any given point during combat, and if you would prefer a certain skill or way you’d like to attack, a simple tap of the L or R button will take you to either the left or right of Ryza’s position and control the adjacent character.

Sometimes during battle, Action Orders will pop up, which essentially serve as a request from a party member to utilize a certain tactic, which will then trigger a special move. Sometimes this will be something like Tao wanting you to use an item or Lent suggesting using a magic skill. It’s not necessary by any means as you do have a limited time to do these while in battle, but sometimes the rewards can be very beneficial, even initiating special group attacks that can unleash massive amounts of damage. It’s a fun way to give more incentives in battle as well as livening up the scenario.

While I do think the new battle system feels a bit pushy compared to the laid back nature of the rest of the game and Atelier as a whole, it’s fine for what it does and does it well, as much as I’d prefer the traditional turn-based combat. Thankfully, you can acquire Action Points naturally during battle to utilize certain moves and even attack multiple times in one turn, but my favorite part is being able to use the Quick Action technique, where no matter your position on the meter time will freeze and you can think out your next big attack. This is helpful in a lot of situations, though is mainly suggested during times of peril or when you want to deal a potential killing blow right away rather than waiting your turn. Again, it’s a fine working system, but I’m someone who likes to plan their next move, and having grown up primarily with turn-based RPGs, the fluctuating nature of a real-time battle system can make one feel anxious and uneasy – it kind of goes against how Atelier as a series has presented itself as a whole, providing an organic and almost cathartic RPG experience.

Despite the Atelier series, to me, shining the most in and having the perfect formula for handheld devices, Atelier has admittedly suffered a bit from poor performance. Though it’s nothing ever too egregious, it’s noticeable and in certain areas where things drop harder than the economy, those slice-of-life moments really hit you and stick out, hyperventilating as if you’ve missed a payment on an important bill. On Switch so far, it’s obvious when you look at other platforms where things had to be adjusted. Even so, Switch’s entries with Atelier Lydie & Suelle and Atelier Lulua so far – while great games in their own right – have been sub-par in stability. Atelier Ryza is yet another special case here, because not only has the overhaul to its engine made it the best looking Atelier game to date with great lighting, bloom, and more detailed features for models to boot, but it also runs like a charm. The environments are incredibly detailed and the colors pop in a way that’s aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Although TV mode does it a disservice in my opinion as poor draw distance, pop-in, and a lack of proper filtering don’t do a blown-up image any favors, handheld mode is pure joy as things look crisp and really great from top to bottom, utilizing every pixel inch of Switch’s portable screen.

Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout continues the beautiful, charming, and wholesome slice-of-life flavor in the series in a way that’s immensely exciting. Whether you’re a fan or jumping in for the first time, it’s a whole new look and breath of fresh air with a great cast simply wanting to witness and experience something new, much like we do. Moments of sadness and regret give an overall happy atmosphere a bit of a reality check, and with fitting music that helps continue give the Atelier franchise a signature sound in addition to its look keeps Ryza as magical as it is adventurous. For those that have yet to give the series a shot, now is arguably the best time to jump in. Thanks to its tones, for me it’s the ideal game for the fall weather leading into the holiday season, and Ryza and friends are there to make sure its fruitful and spirited, keeping you warmhearted as the nights grow ever colder.

Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout is a big change in a lot of ways for the series that makes things more refreshing than ever. While the exchange of turn-based battling for a more real-time action system doesn’t fit as well or is as polished as one would hope, the overall package of Ryza is a step in the right direction in so many ways and an overhaul that’s welcome for the series. It’s the best-looking Atelier to date, and it’s clear that many enhancements were made not just graphically, but in terms of performance, lighting, cutscenes, user-interface, and overall quality of life enhancements that make Ryza an absolute joy to play from beginning to end. Its story is admittedly somewhat forgetful and doesn’t hold the same grip that previous Ateliers have, but the world is so inviting that even though you’ve forgotten what’s going on in the main narrative, it doesn’t matter as the rest of it shines and you can’t help but explore, gather, and experience everything around you. All the small stories and quests outside of the main game keep things alive, and the environmental design and vibrant colors the Atelier series has always had is its most beautiful to date with Ryza’s fresh coat of paint. Ryza and friends are so much fun to be around, and it’s clear that her charisma has made itself palpable even prior to the game’s release – the humor, music, and laid-back nature of Atelier continues to be heartwarming and wholesome, and it’s the reason I keep coming back to such a stunning fantasy world of friends and the sheer interest of adventure with that hint of innocence that sticks with you and keeps its inexorable playful theme. Contrary to what its subtitle may suggest, it’s a game that shines and makes it hands down one of the best Atelier titles to date.

Atelier Ryza review copy provided by Koei Tecmo for the purposes of this review.