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Junzo Hosoi

Atelier Ryza 2

The Atelier series doesn’t typically see direct sequels, but that’s exactly the direction Koei Tecmo and Gust decided to take with Atelier Ryza 2. Following the first game’s massive success, the sequel arrives this December in Japan and late January 2021 in the west.

Nintendo Everything recently had the opportunity to speak with Gust brand manager and Atelier Ryza series producer Junzo Hosoi. We chatted about what’s new with the battle system, the game’s characters (including their designs), and more. Also, for more general topics, Hosoi talked about Switch, addressed the possibility of Atelier remakes, and shared a few thoughts about the franchise’s future.

Our discussion can be read in full below.

Atelier Ryza

Many titles strive for simultaneous worldwide releases. While not universal across the board, some publishers and developers opt to launch their games on the same day in all regions. However, the Atelier franchise hasn’t been able to make this happen just yet, as Japan gets first crack at the new entries.

As part of an interview with Nintendo Everything, Atelier series producer Junzo Hosoi commented on the possibility of worldwide releases. He shared the following on that front:

Atelier Ryza 2

Famitsu recently published an interview with the producer of Atelier Ryza 2, Junzo Hosoi. We shared a summary here of some of the details, but we’ve now translated additional information for anticipating fans to enjoy. Hosoi discussed the sales of the first game, the setting for the sequel, new characters, a hint at a new battle mechanic, hints at returning characters, and more.

We’ve translated the remaining information from Famitsu’s interview below.

Atelier Ryza

Atelier Ryza is the next entry in the long-running Atelier series, and it’s a pretty significant one at that. It’s true that the franchise gets new games regularly, but this addition is taking a bit of a different approach. Gust reworked the game’s visuals, battle system, and more.

In an interview with Nintendo Everything, producer Junzo Hosoi spoke more about Atelier Ryza, supporting Switch, and what possibilities lie ahead for the future. You can find our full discussion below.

Atelier Ryza

The Atelier series wasn’t really prominent on Nintendo platforms for a very long time. With Switch, this is finally starting to change. Koei Tecmo and Gust started out with Atelier Lydie on Switch, and have since brought over all future titles as well as some ones from the past.

Recently, Nintendo Everything spoke with Atelier Ryza producer Junzo Hosoi and one of the topics we discussed was what it’s been like working with Switch. Hosoi commented on the challenges involved, stating:

When Atelier Ryza was announced, fans quickly noticed that the game looked quite different from past entries. This time around, Gust is employing a more realistic look. We recently spoke with Atelier Ryza producer Junzo Hosoi to learn more about that decision.

Since Atelier Ryza is a landmark title given how it’s an entirely new entry in the franchise free of past connections, the team felt that making an adjustment with the visuals would make sense. The developers “really looked at the lighting and the shadows and the graphical elements.” It’s also the first major change since the Arland series.

Hosoi’s full words:


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