Koei Tecmo and GUST have confirmed that Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End and the Secret Key has been delayed, pushing the game back to a revised March release date.
“We apologize for this delay to everyone who has been looking forward to the release of Atelier Ryza 3,” writes producer Junzo Hosoi.
“In order to make this game a fitting finale for Ryza and her friends, we have taken on challenges such as adventuring in a vast open field and graphics that express the charm of these characters to the fullest extent.
“Our team will take this additional time to fine-tune the final touches so that we can deliver to all of you who have been following the series for the best possible experience in this culmination of Ryza and her friend’s adventures.
“We are making the game even better to make it worth your wait, so we appreciate your patience for a just little bit more until the game’s release.”
This is the “final chapter” to the story that follows fan-favourite alchemist Reisalin Stout and her mischievous friends on their third summer adventure, which is set a year after Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy.
Lead writer Yashichiro Takahashi, who penned the script for Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout, returns to “deliver an unforgettable third chapter in the Secret series.”
Ryza and her friends are once again enjoying their peaceful lives on Kurken Island when they learn that a mysterious group of islands have surfaced in nearby waters. Known as Kark Isles, the islands are having a negative effect on their homeland and so they set out to investigate – discovering an enormous gate that lies deep within strange ruins. Hearing a haunting voice in her head that wants to lead Ryza to the “Code of the Universe,” it is left to you to work out who they are and what lies beyond the gate.
You will be able to explore four regions in a new “open field,” which can be freely journeyed between with seamless transitions. Exploration will reward you with mysterious keys that will aid you on your adventure, each with a different effect – whether that means they are useful for exploration, synthesis, battle or unlocking the island’s secrets.
There will also be the chance to be reunited with characters from the previous games, as well as to make new friends who are pivotal to the story. That means you can expect 11 party members such as Ryza, Klaudia, Tao and Lent, offering one of the largest rosters in the Atelier series to date.
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End and the Secret Key will release at retail and digitally on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch worldwide on 24th March 2023.
