The Atelier Ryza trilogy has resonated widely with audiences due to its relatable characters, captivating role-playing mechanics, and expansive worlds. Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack marks the return of each game alongside all prior downloadable content. These DX versions also feature unique stories, costumes, and even mechanics.
These games are a sight to behold on the Nintendo Switch 2. Although booting each game and fast traveling in Atelier Ryza 3 take a bit of time, the overall load times are pretty short. The Ryza trilogy marked the Atelier series’ shift to more illuminated and open environments, especially in the case of Ryza 3’s seamless worlds. Furthermore, the image quality is crisp with well-defined shadows and captivating reflections. As expected for the hardware, the games run at 30 frames per second, except for specific menus and screens that run at 60 frames per second. Some of Ryza 3’s terrain textures are a bit blurry and low resolution. Still, the game’s luminosity, solid art direction, large-scale environments, and plentiful on-screen assets are visually impressive nonetheless.
The trilogy tells a coming-of-age story in which Ryza’s party contends with otherworldly threats. Despite initially being treated like troublemakers, they gain everyone’s trust. I particularly appreciated Bos’ character development. He bickers with the party at first, but he matures over time after experiencing his own hardships. Each game stands on its own. However, playing each game sequentially leads to a more well-rounded experience as the games drop nods to past events. Ryza 2’s sheer number of recipes and Ryza 3’s plethora of mechanics will likely seem a bit too excessive without prior experience.Â
The trilogy increasingly grants player agency in an empowering way. The first Atelier Ryza game still has remnants of traditional Atelier design as Ryza primarily unlocks recipes via books and the party must manage their item charges on the field. However, the second game feels like removing power limiters as Ryza unlocks recipes in a freeform way across an expansive grid. The party unleashes skill chains, perfect guards, and character tag-ins as their resources build automatically. The third game adds power-boosting keys and even more bombastic assists. With all of these substantial additions, the party feels like a seasoned bunch of fighters and adventurers, especially with each game’s expanded traversal options.
A standout Deluxe Pack feature is the inclusion of new playable characters in all three games. These characters are either former NPCs or return from other games in the trilogy. Atelier Ryza DX features the speedster merchant Romy, the defense-oriented town guardian Agatha, and the spell-slinging Kilo. Ryza DX allows players to stay on the field longer. The additional members’ items provide more opportunities to recharge the active party’s item stocks. Empel and Lila return for Ryza 2 DX, but their skills now provide powerful party buffs. Clifford, Serri, and Kilo return for Ryza 3 DX to provide even more party options and assist with move choices.Â
Although I greatly appreciated playing as these added characters, they feel like disconnected extras. The game warns players that unlocked characters do not affect the story. However, each unlock only shows text with no fanfare, and even a single introductory cutscene would have had a more impactful effect. I would have expected interactions under certain circumstances, but characters like Serri and Lila do not interact at all in Ryza 2 DX, despite their clans having diminished. The DX characters’ automatic skill unlocks also contrast with how the rest of the team unlocks skills and stat boosts via Party Quests.Â
The DX versions include additional side episodes that showcase the perspectives of different characters outside of the main story. These are enjoyable and full of fun character dialogue. The caveat is that each episode is only about an hour, which is a bit short. Atelier Ryza DX’s After Story places Ryza into a position of responsibility that creates some friction. Although she must revisit a dangerous area, the story is ultimately a heartwarming and relatable tale. Playing through Atelier Ryza DX’s main story also allows players to experience another episode that further contextualizes the game’s universe. Despite feeling substantially tonally different, it provides substantial character development and jaw-dropping power.Â
Empel and Lila’s Ryza 2 DX side story occurs concurrently with the main party’s ruins investigation. Although the combat encounters do not feel particularly unique, their investigation into an explorer’s past is nonetheless engaging. Ryza 3 DX’s Clifford and Serri side story is practically Atelier Puzzle Hour as they work together to explore a trap-laden temple. Although the area is interesting enough to explore, it is a bit small, and the puzzles are relatively basic in nature. This episode almost feels like the opposite of Empel and Lila’s, as it de-emphasizes combat. However, Clifford and Serri provide incredibly amusing dialogue. Their personalities are like oil and water, yet they are nonetheless able to learn from each other. I would have loved to experience their antics for a bit longer as their adventure ends a bit too quickly.Â
The original releases’ core structure and mechanics have all been preserved. Although they are all still fun to play, I would have loved to see a few tweaks. The second and third games have a button shortcut for returning to the party’s base. However, this option is still missing from the first game. Furthermore, the second and third games feature expansive skill trees, but only the third game has a supplementary, subdivided list view. As the second game’s grid becomes somewhat complex, having an additional view may have been helpful. Ryza 3’s optional enlarged minimap is also quite helpful, but it lacks options like positioning and opacity.
However, the DX trilogy features mechanical additions that bolster and facilitate the ingredient gathering process. In Ryza 2 DX, Fi now constantly flies behind Ryza as she traverses the world. Tracking down ruins’ memory visages ordinarily takes some doing, but Fi’s chirps and expanded sensory range help facilitate the process. Fi even grants duplicates of gathered and synthesized items, which grants players further opportunities to sell, donate, or convert items. Fi’s presence hastens the game flow without being too game-breaking. In a way, the DX versions provide an expanded playground alongside the trilogy’s existing bevy of options.
The Atelier Ryza trilogy is complete of camaraderie, fun action-based combat, and engrossing alchemy. Each character truly grows over time as they undergo relatable trials, and the alchemy flow is like solving a puzzle as players figure out the ideal way to unlock traits and recipes. Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack is a great way to experience these titles for the first time. The DX versions’ additions are enjoyable even if the additional stories’ runtime is a bit short and the added characters feel a bit ancillary. Those who missed out on the prior versions’ downloadable content or love these characters may still enjoy these additions. Regardless, this trilogy will undoubtedly stand the test of time as the most impactful Atelier DX release to date.
