Review: Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Edition (Switch 2)
Of all the Atelier games I’ve played and reviewed, the three that comprise the Ryza series are easily my favorites. I guess I’m more of a fighter (of the turn-based school) than an alchemist, and I found their balance of combat, crafting, and exploration to be more in line with my tastes. It’s therefore quite easy for me to recommend the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Edition releases. Before I get to that, though, I should address the colossus golem in the room.
It may be too early for the GOAT’s return.
It’s common for KOEI TECMO to remaster or remake games in the Atelier series for rerelease on current systems, but the Ryza games aren’t exactly old. All three were originally released on the Switch between 2019 and 2023. Here they are again with the customary improvements and new content, but at full price. Even if you purchased, say, Atelier Ryza 3 and all of its DLC a mere two years ago, you get no upgrade path to this new release. You don’t even get to carry over your previous game saves.
Is that fair? Well, sure it is. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the way the entertainment industry works. I recently bought the TRON 4K steelcase release, and do you think Disney gave me a discount for having already purchased it on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray? Did Queen give me a discount on their 5.1 DTS release of “A Night at the Opera” even though I’d already purchased the album on LP, cassette, CD, and CD remaster?
I point this out simply because I’m not factoring the lack of upgrade pricing into my review. What I’m looking at is the quality of the material offered for $90, and it’s quite impressive.
First, all three games have received a glow-up. This is more noticeable on the Switch 2 than with the Switch version, and with 2019’s Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout than with 2023’s Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key.
The visuals were already colorful and nicely detailed, but they now come with more modern touches and a greater consistency across all three games. The games also offer graphic options you can adjust to your liking. I had everything jacked up on my Switch 2 and got no interference from performance issues; the only times things behaved oddly were when the camera had trouble figuring out where to place itself.
Second, there’s plenty of new content to work through. In addition to all of the free and paid DLC of the original releases, all three games get new levels and even new characters to play. This is fun, but some of the new content is just fluff. The new level with Bos and Kilo in Ever Darkness and Secret Hideout, for example, is over very quickly and offers no real challenge. It’s more about character development than anything else. Some of this is worked nicely into the main games, while others are simply tacked onto the end.
The DX releases also contain periphery features such as numerous costumes for the main characters and the game’s photo mode. There’s a custom combat mode in which you can set up battles for lineup strategies and skills practice. Various UI enhancements have been made. Basket capacity for material gathering has been increased (meaning you can stay on the field and in dungeons longer before having to return to your atelier to empty it). You can take previous NPCs into combat.
In Atelier Ryza 2, Fi actually becomes useful!
Of course, none of this would matter if the games weren’t worth playing, but they absolutely are. You can check out our reviews of the original Switch releases for the details…
…but the gist is that Reisalin Stout and her evolving circle of friends go on initially breezy summer adventures that involve a lot of character growth, skill development, and combat. The worlds are fun to explore, especially as they open up with underwater exploration and fewer restrictions in the later games. As you reach new areas and fight new monsters, you’ll acquire materials that must be combined alchemically to create newer, better items for use in combat, to complete a crazy number of quests, and to reach unexplored areas.
All three games are driven by low-stakes stories (you won’t be going into outer space to fight God, here) that are still very compelling, largely due to the characters themselves. Everyone is likeable and individually important, and they’re all fun to use in combat. Mixing and matching their skillsets is fun and rewarding. It’s also necessary, as the combat system really relies on the co-op commands they issue each other.
The battles are built on an active, turn-based system that flows as you wait your turn. If you meet certain objectives, the characters you aren’t controlling can make requests such as asking you to use a magic attack or to reduce the enemy’s stats. If you do so, the character who made the request gets a powerful bonus attack.
The system is much more complex than that (item use, AP build-up, stuns, core item management, character swapping, combo chains), and it varies somewhat across the three games. There’s too much to detail here, so, again, see the original reviews linked above. I will say that after digging back into all three games, I still feel combat peaked in Ryza 2; Ryza didn’t afford enough control, while Ryza 3 made things a bit too convoluted.
All three entries are very long, and they’re longer now with all of the new content. $90 may seem like a lot, but you’re getting hundreds of hours of gameplay here. Each game is also available separately for $40. That’s good for those who may have missed one and don’t want to double-dip into the others. What’s not good is that there’s no physical release of this collection in the U.S. The trilogy begs for a physical commemorative package, so I feel like KOEI TECMO should’ve brewed up something here.
Regardless, if you’re a JRPG fan who has never played a Ryza game (or never bought the DLC), picking up this trilogy is a no-brainer. All three games are great (or better), and the DX versions give you plenty of new content and features. If you have paid for and played them previously—especially if you also paid for the myriad DLC options—that’s a tougher call. All that new content is nice, but not imperative. It’ll be easier for Switch 2 owners to justify the financial and time investments.
For everyone else? Well, I guess it’s up to the individual to determine if today is still, “The perfect day for an adventure.”
