Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack from KOEI TECMO America and GUST brings us the definitive editions of three excellent JRPGs now on Nintendo Switch 2. Learn more in our Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack review!
Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack from KOEI TECMO America and GUST brings us the definitive editions of three excellent JRPGs now on Nintendo Switch 2. The main character for this trilogy is going to be Reisalin Stout – who everyone just calls Ryza. She’s an ordinary girl who, one could say, has a bit of a wild and tomboyish personality, which is complemented by her strong sense of justice. She’s a bit stubborn, but she’s a girl with a heart of gold who is always more than ready to help those in need.
The first game, Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout, was released in 2019 on the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch consoles. This journey begins in Kurken Island, a calm and peaceful location where things are about to forever change Ryza’s life. After sneaking into a boat that takes her to the mainland, Ryza and her friends end up being ambushed by a dangerous monster. The good news is that alchemist Empel Vollmer and his bodyguard Lila Decyrus were ready to save the day!
The second one is Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy DX, the 22nd game in the franchise. Yes, 22nd. You read that right! It was released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch in Japan in 2020, followed by a worldwide release in 2021. The game’s story takes place three years after the events of Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout. After all of her experience gained during that adventure, Ryza is now ready for a new quest. This time around, she’s been called upon by her friend Tao and will be working on investigating a set of peculiar ruins close to the royal capital city of Ashra-am Baird. As expected, alchemy is going to play a big role in this story.
And then we have the third one, Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End and the Secret Key DX. The last game in the trilogy takes place a year after the story from Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy DX. This one will have you exploring the mysterious Kark Islands, from where a bunch of monsters decided to attack the villagers. The Kark Islands just popped out of nowhere, which is certainly both intriguing and worrying! To make things even worse, there’s something going on in these islands that is affecting the mechanism that keeps Kurken Island – your home – stable and habitable.
Combat is going to be of the turn-based variety. You’ll jump into battle when you bump into an enemy. As expected, the goal of each battle will be to defeat all enemies by depleting their HP so that it reaches 0. You’ll have to pay attention to the timeline so that you can spot where the icon for each party member and enemy is located. That way, you’ll know who will be acting next. You can attack, defend, use skills, or make the most of an item created with alchemy – more on this in a bit – as long as you have enough AP saved up to cover any potential costs.
The fights are going to be a bit more dynamic than usual, since, while you’ll be fighting on a turn-based basis, time does not stop while you pick your actions! You’ll be controlling one of the characters in your party at a time as you choose what they will do, and can switch to the others during combat. What happens if you don’t switch? Then the rest of your party will automatically attack enemies as needed. That way, you can micromanage each battle as much as you want while making the most of the skills and abilities of your party members. Each of the games will work around this premise, with the sequels changing around the UI, additional party members, sub-members, and more. It makes for some brisk battles during which you can have other party members use only regular attacks or be a bit more aggressive, using skills that have an AP cost to them.
Alchemy is a big part of the Atelier series, and that’s also the case for the games in this fun trilogy. You’ll need to collect enough materials as you explore each area so that you can not only complete the different recipes that you’ll gain access to during the dozens of hours you’ll spend in Ryza’s world, but also to be able to upgrade the outcome of each synthesis by using stronger materials of greater quality. Elements will also play a part in the whole process, allowing you to add bonuses and special traits to the stuff that you synthesize.
You can use alchemy synthesis to create items that can be used in battle to heal some of your wounds or deal damage to enemies, as well as to create pieces of equipment that can be used to boost the stats of your party members. There are also additional systems to consider for each of the games, such as Item Rebuild, which will allow you to enhance an item with gems, or using Secret Keys to add synthesis effects to the final item that you’ll be crafting with the materials you’ve collected.
Since each of the three games in this collection has DX right there in its name, that means we’re probably getting some bonus content and extra bells and whistles to consider that make these the definitive way to experience the Secret trilogy… right? And that would be correct! Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout DX has Agatha, Kilo, and Romy as playable characters, a new story featuring Kilo and Bos, a new after story featuring Ryza, Agatha, and Romy that takes place between the events of Ryza 1 and Ryza 2, and a new map.
What are some of the extras included for Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy DX? We’re getting Empel and Lila as playable characters, a new side story featuring the pair, as well as an extra map. As for Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End and the Secret Key DX? The final game in this revamped trilogy has Clifford, Serri, and Kilo as playable characters, an extra side story with Clifford and Serri, and an extra map.
We also get all previously released free and paid DLC, which means access to swimsuit costumes, additional bonus costumes, stylish Weapon Skins, extra BGM, and even a Photo Mode that you can use to take customized screenshots in each of the games. On top of all that, all three games feature improved and updated UI/UX and graphics, and that means better textures, a higher resolution, and a higher framerate, as well as additional graphic options. You can even link save data from both the original and DX versions of these games, which will allow you to obtain useful items for your adventure.
Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack brings us the definitive editions of three excellent JRPGs now on Nintendo Switch 2. The main character for this trilogy is going to be Reisalin Stout – who everyone just calls Ryza. She’s an ordinary girl who, one could say, has a bit of a wild and tomboyish personality, which is complemented by her strong sense of justice. She’s a bit stubborn, but she’s a girl with a heart of gold who is always more than ready to help those in need.
You’ll go on three adventures in total – hence the trilogy in this collection’s title – which means you’re looking at well over 100+ hours of gaming with your purchase, depending on how many sidequests and objectives you work on completing as you gather resources, synthesize new items, and get to meet a varied cast of characters along the way, all while Ryza grows up before you to become the hero she was destined to be.
The Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack is available now on the Nintendo Switch 2 with a $89.99 price tag. You can also get each of the games separately on the Nintendo eShop for $39.99 a piece, which is going to end up being considerably more expensive, so you might as well go all-in and buy the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack on Nintendo Switch 2!
Disclaimer
This Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack review is based on a Nintendo Switch 2 copy provided by KOEI TECMO America.
