Atelier Ryza is nothing short of pure excellence, and here I'll list all the good points of the game, as I have basically nothing bad to say about it, spoiler-free. There is a TL;DR at the bottom.
1) The Characters
Ryza is a bored tomboy who dislikes working on her family farm and wants some adventure out of life. She has two friends, Tao, a meek bookworm, and Lent, an aspiring warrior. Soon you also get introduced to Klaudia, a very lady-like girl who is the daughter to a rich businessman, Empel, a seasoned alchemist, and Lila, a mysterious (and incredibly buxom) woman who faithfully accompanies Empel. Throughout the course of the story, you will see these characters have their fair share of development and growth as they pursue their goals and reach them as they embark on their adventure. I don't want to give away too much about their individual developments, but just know Ryza has a heart of gold and she's genuinely a fantastic character; there is so much more to her than just her physical assets. Just as well, the larger supporting characters such as Bos, his father, Klaudia's father, and quite a few others also see considerable development as the story progresses. Another thing of note are the NPCs themselves, as some of them have questlines that continue on for multiple quests, and a few even intersect and conjoin! Over the course of these quests, the NPCs even grow and change as characters. This right here lends itself QUITE well to the entire island population feeling very real and lived in, as though these are ACTUAL people you're helping and not stock vague NPCs that plague many other JRPGs. The NPCs' requests and the stories behind them, in conjunction with the fact that I don't think there was a single "Kill x amount of [monster]" quests really went a long way.
2) The Story
I don't want to say anything here. I would rather people go in blind such as I did. All you need to know is that it all starts off innocently enough and eventually does turn into Ryza & friends having to confront a force of malice that threatens her home island and even the mainland. I do wish they explored a bit more of the ancient history side of things, however, I'm almost certain they'll do this in the sequel, as they also did this sort of thing in the Dusk games.
3) The Battle System
This is the only part of the game that tripped me up and gave me some grief. It's quite different from the battle systems seen in any other recent Atelier games, as it IS technically turn-based, but it's very fast-paced and frantic. Your companions are AI-controlled, but you can quickly swap to one of them and issue them a command yourself, though you can only control one at a time. However, I did find the two you don't have actively selected to be VERY reliable AI companions. During the course of a battle, they will shout out "Battle Orders" where they'll ask you to perform certain actions or use certain kinds of items or deal a specific kind of damage, whether that be physical, magical, or elemental. Upon doing as they've asked, they'll immediately perform a special attack, and if you manage to fulfill two Battle Orders at once, their attacks happen back-to-back for some big damage. The strength of these attacks and even the moves themselves change depending on your Tactic Level, which increases as you gather AP from your party dealing damage to and defeating enemies. Raising the Tactic Level not only boosts the power of Battle Order attacks but also boosts the damage and combo length of your basic attacks. Your basic attack starts off as just one or two hits usually, but as you raise your Tactic level, continue pressing 'A' after selecting to do a basic attack, and you'll perform a flurry of attacks! Not only does your increased Tactic Level boost basic attack damage and the combo length of them, but it boosts the amount of damage your items and skills do! BUT using skills eats up some of your accrued AP, so do you keep yourself at a lower tactic level and unleash some skills, OR do you wait and raise it for more powerful attacks later? So as you see, managing your Tactic level is crucial. Another great addition to this combat system is the ability to press a button to take a turn in advance, and perform a Skill or use an Item. Doing this eats ups quite a large chunk of your AP, however, if you're in a bind and need to get off a quick heal or get a big hit in to interrupt an enemy before it unleashes a strong attack, it's a worthwhile sacrifice.
At first, this was all quite overwhelming for me, especially since the battles can move so fast, but as fully came to understand it, when it all clicked, I absolutely fell in love with it. The only thing that bothered me still was the item limitations, but I suppose that had to be for balancing purposes, due to the following point.
4) The Alchemy System
Ryza has a very unique and new Alchemy synthesis system compared to previous entries. The way that you have a proper visual of the ingredients you add and where things branch off to and what effects you'll get would've already made this the best alchemy system in the entire Atelier series, but they didn't just stop there. Keeping in-line with Ryza being a budding alchemist and Empel encouraging her to experiment as much as she can, you actually get MANY of your alchemy recipes from your weak/standard ones, they branch out and upgrade when you have the materials and the alchemy level to reach that new recipe node. This really makes it feel like you're almost an alchemist yourself, experimenting on how to creates similar but even more powerful items. On top of this, there's also Rebuild. Rebuilding allows you to FURTHER strengthen items you've already created, so long as you have the alchemy level and gems for it. Gems you acquire quite simply by breaking down any kind of item. Rebuilding can REALLY break the game, even just at the mid-point, if you know what you're doing. I can't properly describe the feeling of satisfaction and contentedness you get out of improving all your equipment and items and then making NEWER items and making other items so you can make even newer, bigger, more powerful items and equipment. It's very addicting AND rewarding.
5) NO TIME LIMITS, NO DEADLINES
Atelier Ryza has NO in-game clock countdown or deadline like previous games. You can do things at your own pace and not worry a single bit about how much time has passed. It never bothered me TOO much in the first two Dusk games, as it was plenty manageable there, but I hear it was a bit more stressful in the entries prior to Dusk. But it's not even a factor now. Take all the time you want or need; synthesize, explore, and gather at your leisure.
6) Exploration
Every single location in this game is unique and interesting to explore and gather in. The environments run the full range from forests and caves to a volcano and ruins and a few others I won't mention due to spoilers. Many of these locations have items you won't be able to find anywhere else, so they're worth checking out thoroughly. Each location also has several landmarks to discover as well, and there are even treasure map pieces you can find scattered around to find special treasure chests with some really nice items inside them.
7) Gathering
Gathering items for alchemy isn't too complicated. You can catch bugs and fish, smash rocks and crystals with a hammer, use a sickle to harvest plants, chop trees and logs with an ax, smack various things with Ryza's staff, or explode huge road-block with a bomb rod. On many occasions, using a different gathering tool on the same item yields different materials! For example, for some bushes, you can swing a sickle at them to obtain the plant inside, or if you use a hammer, you receive Plant Essence instead! Some items can only be gathered by using specific gathering tools. So, just like with the alchemy system, you're encouraged to experiment and see what different results you get!
8) Enemies
For the most part, the enemy designs are pretty nice. Some are really cute while others are suitably threatening. Though Ryza DOES have enemy recolor syndrome, which isn't a bother to me personally, but it's worth mentioning since I know it does bother some people.
8) The Music & Sounds
The soundtrack to Atelier Ryza is pretty good. It has some pretty excellent tracks of note are "Southern White Wind," which has some killer violin and guitar segments with an upbeat tempo, "Emerald Climbing," containing more violin, castanets, and some really jazzy piano, and "Grain Rain, Wheat Wind" featuring some flute, bagpipes, bass, and a spanish guitar, giving this particular such a particularly unique feeling. The only remote "negative" (ie a very petty easily-dismissed grip) I have to give the soundtrack is that there aren't nearly as many vocal tracks as there were in Atelier Ayesha. The few vocal tracks that are here though are quite great however.
Just as well, the sound effects are pretty on-point. All your thwacks and meaty and your slashes quite sharp-sounding. The scarier monsters sound convincingly threatening. Ryza's callouts, while she's gathering are sometimes cute, and the game continues the series tradition of exclaiming at barrels when you interact with one.
9) Wrap-Up and TL;DR
Atelier Ryza is a wonderful game. It's a fresh breath of warm, summery air. There's plenty here to enjoy, whether you're a JRPG fan or not. The battle system is fast enough to assuage any dissatisfaction anyone might've had with traditional turn-based combat, but still strategic enough to please traditional JRPG fans. The characters and world as a whole are quite well-fleshed out. The story is quite engaging, and it doesn't overstay its welcome, as the game takes about 30 hours to finish. All of this is set to some nice sound design and a really great soundtrack. Do give it a try!
1) The Characters
Ryza is a bored tomboy who dislikes working on her family farm and wants some adventure out of life. She has two friends, Tao, a meek bookworm, and Lent, an aspiring warrior. Soon you also get introduced to Klaudia, a very lady-like girl who is the daughter to a rich businessman, Empel, a seasoned alchemist, and Lila, a mysterious (and incredibly buxom) woman who faithfully accompanies Empel. Throughout the course of the story, you will see these characters have their fair share of development and growth as they pursue their goals and reach them as they embark on their adventure. I don't want to give away too much about their individual developments, but just know Ryza has a heart of gold and she's genuinely a fantastic character; there is so much more to her than just her physical assets. Just as well, the larger supporting characters such as Bos, his father, Klaudia's father, and quite a few others also see considerable development as the story progresses. Another thing of note are the NPCs themselves, as some of them have questlines that continue on for multiple quests, and a few even intersect and conjoin! Over the course of these quests, the NPCs even grow and change as characters. This right here lends itself QUITE well to the entire island population feeling very real and lived in, as though these are ACTUAL people you're helping and not stock vague NPCs that plague many other JRPGs. The NPCs' requests and the stories behind them, in conjunction with the fact that I don't think there was a single "Kill x amount of [monster]" quests really went a long way.
2) The Story
I don't want to say anything here. I would rather people go in blind such as I did. All you need to know is that it all starts off innocently enough and eventually does turn into Ryza & friends having to confront a force of malice that threatens her home island and even the mainland. I do wish they explored a bit more of the ancient history side of things, however, I'm almost certain they'll do this in the sequel, as they also did this sort of thing in the Dusk games.
3) The Battle System
This is the only part of the game that tripped me up and gave me some grief. It's quite different from the battle systems seen in any other recent Atelier games, as it IS technically turn-based, but it's very fast-paced and frantic. Your companions are AI-controlled, but you can quickly swap to one of them and issue them a command yourself, though you can only control one at a time. However, I did find the two you don't have actively selected to be VERY reliable AI companions. During the course of a battle, they will shout out "Battle Orders" where they'll ask you to perform certain actions or use certain kinds of items or deal a specific kind of damage, whether that be physical, magical, or elemental. Upon doing as they've asked, they'll immediately perform a special attack, and if you manage to fulfill two Battle Orders at once, their attacks happen back-to-back for some big damage. The strength of these attacks and even the moves themselves change depending on your Tactic Level, which increases as you gather AP from your party dealing damage to and defeating enemies. Raising the Tactic Level not only boosts the power of Battle Order attacks but also boosts the damage and combo length of your basic attacks. Your basic attack starts off as just one or two hits usually, but as you raise your Tactic level, continue pressing 'A' after selecting to do a basic attack, and you'll perform a flurry of attacks! Not only does your increased Tactic Level boost basic attack damage and the combo length of them, but it boosts the amount of damage your items and skills do! BUT using skills eats up some of your accrued AP, so do you keep yourself at a lower tactic level and unleash some skills, OR do you wait and raise it for more powerful attacks later? So as you see, managing your Tactic level is crucial. Another great addition to this combat system is the ability to press a button to take a turn in advance, and perform a Skill or use an Item. Doing this eats ups quite a large chunk of your AP, however, if you're in a bind and need to get off a quick heal or get a big hit in to interrupt an enemy before it unleashes a strong attack, it's a worthwhile sacrifice.
At first, this was all quite overwhelming for me, especially since the battles can move so fast, but as fully came to understand it, when it all clicked, I absolutely fell in love with it. The only thing that bothered me still was the item limitations, but I suppose that had to be for balancing purposes, due to the following point.
4) The Alchemy System
Ryza has a very unique and new Alchemy synthesis system compared to previous entries. The way that you have a proper visual of the ingredients you add and where things branch off to and what effects you'll get would've already made this the best alchemy system in the entire Atelier series, but they didn't just stop there. Keeping in-line with Ryza being a budding alchemist and Empel encouraging her to experiment as much as she can, you actually get MANY of your alchemy recipes from your weak/standard ones, they branch out and upgrade when you have the materials and the alchemy level to reach that new recipe node. This really makes it feel like you're almost an alchemist yourself, experimenting on how to creates similar but even more powerful items. On top of this, there's also Rebuild. Rebuilding allows you to FURTHER strengthen items you've already created, so long as you have the alchemy level and gems for it. Gems you acquire quite simply by breaking down any kind of item. Rebuilding can REALLY break the game, even just at the mid-point, if you know what you're doing. I can't properly describe the feeling of satisfaction and contentedness you get out of improving all your equipment and items and then making NEWER items and making other items so you can make even newer, bigger, more powerful items and equipment. It's very addicting AND rewarding.
5) NO TIME LIMITS, NO DEADLINES
Atelier Ryza has NO in-game clock countdown or deadline like previous games. You can do things at your own pace and not worry a single bit about how much time has passed. It never bothered me TOO much in the first two Dusk games, as it was plenty manageable there, but I hear it was a bit more stressful in the entries prior to Dusk. But it's not even a factor now. Take all the time you want or need; synthesize, explore, and gather at your leisure.
6) Exploration
Every single location in this game is unique and interesting to explore and gather in. The environments run the full range from forests and caves to a volcano and ruins and a few others I won't mention due to spoilers. Many of these locations have items you won't be able to find anywhere else, so they're worth checking out thoroughly. Each location also has several landmarks to discover as well, and there are even treasure map pieces you can find scattered around to find special treasure chests with some really nice items inside them.
7) Gathering
Gathering items for alchemy isn't too complicated. You can catch bugs and fish, smash rocks and crystals with a hammer, use a sickle to harvest plants, chop trees and logs with an ax, smack various things with Ryza's staff, or explode huge road-block with a bomb rod. On many occasions, using a different gathering tool on the same item yields different materials! For example, for some bushes, you can swing a sickle at them to obtain the plant inside, or if you use a hammer, you receive Plant Essence instead! Some items can only be gathered by using specific gathering tools. So, just like with the alchemy system, you're encouraged to experiment and see what different results you get!
8) Enemies
For the most part, the enemy designs are pretty nice. Some are really cute while others are suitably threatening. Though Ryza DOES have enemy recolor syndrome, which isn't a bother to me personally, but it's worth mentioning since I know it does bother some people.
8) The Music & Sounds
The soundtrack to Atelier Ryza is pretty good. It has some pretty excellent tracks of note are "Southern White Wind," which has some killer violin and guitar segments with an upbeat tempo, "Emerald Climbing," containing more violin, castanets, and some really jazzy piano, and "Grain Rain, Wheat Wind" featuring some flute, bagpipes, bass, and a spanish guitar, giving this particular such a particularly unique feeling. The only remote "negative" (ie a very petty easily-dismissed grip) I have to give the soundtrack is that there aren't nearly as many vocal tracks as there were in Atelier Ayesha. The few vocal tracks that are here though are quite great however.
Just as well, the sound effects are pretty on-point. All your thwacks and meaty and your slashes quite sharp-sounding. The scarier monsters sound convincingly threatening. Ryza's callouts, while she's gathering are sometimes cute, and the game continues the series tradition of exclaiming at barrels when you interact with one.
9) Wrap-Up and TL;DR
Atelier Ryza is a wonderful game. It's a fresh breath of warm, summery air. There's plenty here to enjoy, whether you're a JRPG fan or not. The battle system is fast enough to assuage any dissatisfaction anyone might've had with traditional turn-based combat, but still strategic enough to please traditional JRPG fans. The characters and world as a whole are quite well-fleshed out. The story is quite engaging, and it doesn't overstay its welcome, as the game takes about 30 hours to finish. All of this is set to some nice sound design and a really great soundtrack. Do give it a try!
2 Comments
If he can say so many things about this game, it’s probably at least that deep. You just don’t see what he’s able to see.
mugi
3 years ago