Originally beginning in 2019, a new series within the Atelier parent series started – the Atelier Ryza Secret series. Not only did Atelier’s new girl, Ryza, capture hearts, but her games broke series sales records. Now, six years later, the stellar trilogy is getting a deluxe upgrade with additional Quality of Life, new story scenes, and gameplay additions. The real kicker? Each game also includes all previous DLC, AND the prices are slashed! Could this really be the time to jump on these games or settle in for a replay? Well, find out in our Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy DX Review!
Not So Secret
If I’m being upfront about things, the main Atelier games that I have affection for are the Secret series games. Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout was my first Atelier game, period. After a slightly lukewarm start, I found a new darling RPG series that I knew needed to be explored further. Believe it or not, the Atelier games have been around quite a while, with the series making its debut on the original PlayStation. Atelier Marie received a remake a couple of years ago, and as I said in my review at the time, I consider it a fun and quaint game that I still enjoy giving the occasional quick play-through. Better yet, just in this year alone, we’ve received two new Atelier games: Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land and Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian. This series absolutely won’t stop! And that’s all due in part to the success of the Atelier Ryza Secret series games.
Admittedly, when I first played Atelier Ryza on Nintendo Switch, I didn’t immediately fall in love. I liked the art style and thought the focus on gathering was interesting, but it didn’t really click for me. The somewhat lackluster resolution and performance on Switch 1 also detracted from the experience. Towards the end of the game, I did start acclimating to what the series actually expects from the player in terms of crafting, combat, and exploration. I finished the game and discovered some newfound excitement for what the sequel could offer.
Ahh, Ryza 2… Honestly, this is my darling of the trilogy. I love the hub city, the ruin exploration is really fun, the streamlined combat maintains a balance of strategy and flow, and who doesn’t love Fi? I sure as heck do. When I first came off of Ryza 1, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. Most of the first entry’s gameplay systems didn’t really gel with me. A lot about it felt clunky and a bit slow, which isn’t bad per se, but wow. This sequel is a SEQUEL. Not many sequels can turn an unwise man into a wise man. The battles are sped up and involve more real-time elements — a hard upgrade in my opinion. But what’s truly my favorite thing about this sequel, beyond the story and characters, is the sense of adventure. You can tackle ruin exploration in different orders, and crafting new items to let you gain access to new maps or areas is amazing. Ryza 2 is truly an all-timer for me, and what made me a real fan of Atelier as a series.
Ryza 2 may be my overall favorite, but a part of me wants to say that Ryza 3 is the best in the trilogy. If you’d like more details and thoughts, please check out my review of Atelier Ryza 3. In short, this game reminded me of Xenoblade because of how it handles seamless maps. My jaw dropped when I realized that the entire map of Ryza 1 is a region with all of the loading gates removed. Yeah, some depth of gameplay was lost in terms of battle strategy, but it was traded for ease of use and speed in quite literally every department. With the experience of the first two games under my belt, everything went smoothly. I crafted, I battled, and I discovered my way to a Platinum Trophy. If that doesn’t tell you how much I enjoyed Ryza 3, then I don’t know what will.
A Deluxe Concoction?
What’s in the bo- I mean, barrel? Well, as touched upon earlier, this re-release contains the full games, all of the free and paid DLC from the prior versions, and some spiffy new stuff to check out. Some of the features advertised were already added via an update celebrating the 5th anniversary of the Secret series. For the most part, it just fixed some bugs and added some QoL, such as adjustment options for graphics settings like Depth of Field, and other features like an autosave function for Ryza 1. Luckily, some of the new story content does add scenes that flesh out parts of the story we didn’t get to see firsthand, too. And as a big Fi fan, I can now truly give Ryza 2 a perfect score in my heart since he now flies about alongside Ryza and acts like a little support character. Very cute indeed. However, not all content is made equal now, is it?
Not to sound like a complainer that bites the hand that feeds, but these are such standard re-releases for an RPG. I suppose I was expecting more from Gust? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for some extra goodies, especially since I do love the core experiences this package offers. Of course, it’s fun to see the characters who aren’t in Ryza 3 get some extra time in the limelight in a new area with their movesets updated from the second game’s combat. I’m down to have an extra adventure with Agatha and Romy, along with having them actually be playable party members. I enjoy this world, I love these characters, and the gameplay is fun. Ultimately, this stuff is almost a splashless drop in the bucket (or barrel?!) in terms of what the main games have to offer. Really, the extras are just a cherry on top of an excellent sundae. I just don’t always feel like eating the cherry because what I’m really after is the ice cream it rests upon.
I’ve concluded that the DX releases of the Atelier games are all fairly standard re-releases. It seems most of them follow a similar formula, as this release, although I do hear that, specifically, Atelier Shallie did receive some major story updates. That’s not really the case this time, as the Secret series already had full stories and character arcs. Even though there is new story content, with some injected into the main games even, some of the major extra stories are accessible from the ‘Episode’ menu (the DLC menu). Yeah, for the most part, this collection is stuff that’s already been released via updates and DLC. While not a bad thing at all, it makes things like the lack of save data transfer more frustrating. I would have taken some of the new features and story scenes to have just been thrown into the Episodes like the rest of the content. It’s hard to complain about most of the upgrades, like the inventory expansion, but I wouldn’t say they’re definitive reasons to buy these new versions unless you’ve never played the trilogy or are a die-hard fan. Though if you don’t already have the original releases, you can’t purchase them any longer, as they are delisted.
Great Recipe, Miffed Execution
On paper, what’s not to like? Three great RPGs repackaged with all of the DLC of the original versions, PLUS some neat extra bonuses and features. Sounds great! Ideal even! Sadly, the devil is in the details, and he has a pitchfork. There are no save data transfers, much of the new content is confined to the DLC Episode menu, and the Quality of Life improvements were already introduced with the 5th anniversary updates.
This makes it challenging to recommend these games to previous players in some respects. Yeah, each game is now $20 cheaper with some extra content and QoL, but I don’t think that’s enough to justify repurchasing these games unless you’re a true fan. The core experience is mostly the same, and some incredibly minor extras aren’t magically going to make the games feel like fresh experiences.
However, this release is perfect for newcomers. If you missed out on these excellent games, now’s as good a time as any to check them out. Each game has its own strengths due to the slight differences in structure and gameplay elements, but you’re guaranteed neat stories with great characters, deep crafting, and fun combat. Pick these ‘Deluxe’ versions up if they pique your interest or nab them on sale when you’re itching for a slightly smoother and meatier replay.
Disclaimer: Koei Tecmo provided a PlayStation 5 copy of Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy DX Pack for review purposes.
