Gust’s Atelier series spans more than twenty-five games since it debuted on the original PlayStation back in 1997. Its unique brand of RPG has earned it a dedicated following, one that expanded when the games began to be localized in the PlayStation 2 era. Some of the Atelier games have been more popular than others, but the series hit a whole new level in 2019 with the release of Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout. The main protagonist Ryza was so well-received that Gust eschewed the usual passing of the torch and retained her as the lead for two more games. Things moved on after that, but Gust is now circling back to give the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy its customary Deluxe treatment.
The timing is particularly fortuitous for those in the Nintendo hardware ecosystem. Gust has released all of its new Atelier games on Switch during the console’s lifespan, but you could tell that some of the later titles, like Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key and Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, were taxing the aging console. The Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack is releasing on both the original Switch and the Switch 2, and while both benefit from the added material and various mechanical improvements, the version releasing on Nintendo’s new console enjoys a welcome graphical kick in the pants on top of that.
As with previous Atelier Deluxe releases, you can buy each game a la carte if you prefer. It will cost you more to do that, but it’s an option. While there’s quite a bit of new stuff to enjoy in these releases, I think those who already own the original versions might find the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack to be a tougher value proposition. You can’t carry over your saves from those games either, so you’ll be starting from scratch if you want to play these enhanced versions on your Nintendo Switch 2. Most of what you’re getting here overlaps with what you saw in the original releases. Plan accordingly.
In terms of graphical improvements, all of the games run at a higher resolution and more stable framerate than the original Switch versions. It’s especially good news for Ryza 3, but having all three games looking and running better is worth celebrating. All of the post-release added content is included right off the hop here, free and paid. Each game has some new playable characters and new stories to play, along with a Custom Combat feature that lets you set up any kind of battle you want to practice with.
There are UI improvements across the board, plus some quality of life upgrades like giving you bigger basket and container limits. The second and third games get some specific improvements to make exploration and gathering smoother. You can’t buy the original games digitally anymore, but assuming you find yourself trying to choose between those versions and these new ones, it’s a no-brainer. You’ll want the Deluxe editions, without question. There’s no respect in which these games don’t match or exceed their predecessors. That’s typically the case with the Atelier Deluxe reissues, though.
So what makes the Atelier Ryza games stand out, anyway? Why did these games break out in a way previous games did not? I think it comes down to a few things, and only one of those is sheer timing. But that is part of it, of course. The crafting aspect of the Atelier series was once a very unusual mechanic, but it’s now something many people love to see in games. I think the main character Ryza deserves a lot of credit, too. She has an appealing design, and her strong go-getter personality is very charming. Beyond that, I think the Ryza games managed to balance all of their elements in a way that made them easier to digest for newcomers.
The crafting isn’t overly complicated, but it’s deep enough to engage you. Exploration is satisfying, the combat system is satisfying without being esoteric, and the time pressure found in some earlier Atelier games isn’t a factor here. The stories are interesting and the stakes ramp up well from game to game. The characters are fun to get to know, and their relationships with each other are enjoyable to see build up and play out. The mere nature of focusing on Ryza over three games, seeing how her character develops as time goes on, is something we don’t get to see in many RPG franchises. It’s a strong trilogy of games, and while I wouldn’t have minded if Gust wanted to keep following Ryza in more games, I can’t argue with how it all wraps up.
We’re seeing Gust push the Atelier series in some exciting new directions these days, and that makes Atelier Ryza feel like something of a final word on many of the original ideas that served as a foundation for so long. The Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack is an excellent way to play these games, and I think the included games serve equally well as an entry point to Atelier or a full stand-alone saga. We’re certainly not starving for good RPGs even in these early Nintendo Switch 2 days, but if you’ve somehow not played these great games before, I strongly recommend the Atelier Ryza games.
Version Tested: Nintendo Switch 2
Review copy provided by Koei Tecmo
