Atelier Ryza 3 Alchemist of the End and the Secret Key concludes the acclaimed series trilogy Atelier Ryzathe latest installation of the noble Atelier Saga, a Japanese-style role-playing dynasty that has millions of fans all over the world. Did you think the resolution of the mystery of the ruins of Ashra-am Baird of the second chapter of the series had put an end to the adventures of the Alchemist Ryza and his friends? Nothing could be more wrong, as a new dark enigma is about to invest the peaceful maritime communities of the sunny Kurken Island, the appearance from the bottom of the ocean of sinister and dark territories that have emerged, which are influencing the whole known world in a nefarious way. Only the heroine Ryza, with the help of her ten supporting actors, will be able to put an end to the forces of Evil.
The Atelier Ryza trilogy comes to its conclusion
We broke up a month ago with ours Hands-On of the title, which you can find in the preview on this page, where we have also retraced some salient passages of the saga, which we advise you to recover in full, if you love the high quality JRPG genre. After a short wait, we were finally able to play the full version, which, let’s anticipate it immediately, definitely confirmed the expectations of the road test. The digital version for PlayStation 4the one we tested, is really substantial, and consists of a download of over sixteen GB, to which are added about 50 MB of Summer Look Costume Setwith the gorgeous additional summer-themed costumes complimentary for those who have made the Pre-Order are PlayStation Store. Make sure you have enough space on your Hard Drive, then. We remind you that, in addition to the digital version, Atelier Ryza 3 Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key it is also available on the market in a physical version, in two collector’s editions. There Premium Box basic, and above all, a must for collectors, even the Special Collection Box, which includes twelve cards, a comfortable themed keychain, a splendid A1 sized fabric poster, a delightful original artwork and also a triple small wearable charm, the same as the one you see in the game. A great opportunity for the most ardent fans of the long-lived Atelier Saga.
A truly remarkable third chapter, which worthily closes the trilogy, after the excellent previous episodes that made us passionate about the adventures of the aspiring wizard Reisalin Stout, nicknamed Ryza and her travel companions, in a large roaster of eleven characters, including old knowledge and new entries, each well characterized. After solving the dark mystery of the ruins of Ashra-am Baird in the second chapter, Ryza and her company have enjoyed a well-deserved rest, but now it’s time to get back into action. Two years have passed since the second episode Atelier Ryza 2 Lost Legends The Secret Fairywhich you find reviewed on this page and, also in the plot of the game, Our favorite alchemist appears decidedly much more experienced, compared to the beginning, when we began to follow his deeds in the progenitor of the trilogy, Atelier Ryza Ever Darkness The Secret Hideout that you find here, really seems like another person, self-confident, more adult in ways of doing and, above all, with greater personal charisma and respect from the other characters, as in the best literary training novels. After all, in RPGs, as we know, one of the most important characteristics is the moral growth of its protagonists, especially those who appear in several titles of the same series. The growth of Ryza, who by now, we remember, has become not only a woman, but also a full-fledged first-level alchemist, is remarkably functional to the plot. Not only because it makes her more suitable for the role of leader of her party, in a really complex and basic quest for the world in which she lives, and also because, in the hands of the simple girl full of dreams of the first chapter, the adventure itself it would certainly have been less associated with success. Great news for those who have not played the first two chapters, as a beautiful has been implemented in the game Prologue Movie which tells the story. A real semi-animated film, unfortunately dubbed only in Japanese, but subtitled in English, like the rest of the game, well done.
This time the peaceful life of Kurken Island is turned upside down by a truly inexplicable and at the same time disturbing event, i.e. further neighboring islands, never seen before and mysteriously appeared from the bottom of the sea, due to an unspecified magical force. presumably evil. These new lands, baptized Kark Islands, are not independent from the already existing and inhabited territory, but rather constitute a real danger for the latter, since they exercise, through unknown gravitational currents, a real and proper harmful influence on Kurken. Moreover, there is an even more mysterious portal, which appears in Ryza’s agitated dreams, which seems to have a very precise role in the plot, all to be revealed. As with the previous two chapters, the author of the gripping story is the veteran Yashichiro Takahashi Of Gust Corporationwhich for the grand finale of the series Atelier Ryza has reserved some great surprises. The exploration of the environments, rich in narrative gimmicks, but also in exasperating and satisfying fights, has a swinging rhythm, which offers considerable challenging segments, but also allows you to rest between one sub-quest and another, with more relaxing and sweetened moments , while also admiring the splendid island and bucolic sceneries that form the backdrop for our heroic peregrinations. Not a dead moment, however, with the tension always running high in the underlying narrative. The long and elaborate cut-scenes at the end of each plot sector are real mini anime, all to be enjoyed!
New lands become more influential and dangerous as time goes on, so you can’t afford to relax too much. However, the summer-themed bonus costumes are perfect for quieter times. The eleven protagonists of the large roaster of characters they add great variety in turn, and it’s really easy to get attached to them. The achimists Ryza and Empel Vollmer, the hybrid and millennial halfway between human and animal Kala, the warrior Lila Decyrus, the artisan Federica Lamberti, who owns the iconic pendant, the warrior Dian Farrell, the childhood friend Bos Brunnen, and neophytes, but no less active, Reisalin Stout, Lent Marslink, Tao Mongarten, and Klaudia Valentz. All ready to work together, like a real family, for the salvation of Kurken Island.
Atelier Ryza 3 Alchemist of the End and the Secret Key: a vast and varied explorable world
The world that can be explored in the third chapter of the series is truly huge, varied and full of unforgettable glimpses. The exploration of the huge game area, however, is closely linked to the unique peculiarities of the protagonist characters, and some skills will be necessary to unlock otherwise inaccessible segments. What better than a water spell to explore waterfalls, or a fire spell to access a volcano? A true old-school RPG classic, one might say, but still effective and current. To avoid inserting a real separate tutorial, and the resulting boredom, Gust Corporation, developer of the game, has wisely decided to transform the entire initial area into it, included and integrated into the plot, so that all the game techniques, however not dissimilar from the previous titles of the series, and therefore familiar to the players of the first hour , are learned in media res, a truly acceptable choice. The first territories of the Kurken Islands that can be explored in the game are just the beginning, and when you enter the next region of Cleria, things will change considerably, from different points of view that we don’t want to anticipate, so as not to spoil the surprise. The environments are divided into separate compartments, but in reality closely interconnected with each other, in a way that the developers themselves have defined open-fieldrole-playing version of the moderns open-world, all to be discovered. The characters of the party, in addition to revealing new areas, starting endless discussions with the talkative NPCs or undertaking fights to the death with a remarkable bestiary of strictly random and turn-based enemies, of course, can occupy their time in two substantial activities that the game offers them. It starts from dynamic crafting, which serves to create new items and special objects, perfectly in line with the philosophy of the saga, in which Alchemy has always been a fundamental component and then adds the strategic use of Magic Keys, an very important to the gameplay. The latter have very different and complex uses that you will discover as you progress through the plot. The objects are relatively infinite, since, if their number is really endless, the use of the same is closely linked to the use points available in the party. Furthermore, it is never certain that a creation is feasible or lasting, so you need to train a lot to obtain competitive results against enemies. The audiovisual realization of the title, as it is legitimate to expect, is really of an excellent level, after all we are talking about Gust Corporation, a true perfectionist who takes care of the details to the extreme with great detail. The OST is exquisitely classic of the genre itself, as you can listen to here. Even the dynamic camera, present in battle, does not fail to underline the salient moments of the action, with zooms, close-ups and virtuous evolutions that do justice to the characters, enemies and environments, all made in a truly optimal way. Between alchemical compounds, relentless action, virtuosic exploration, enthralling storyline, and traditional series mechanics, there’s plenty to enjoy. Atelier Ryza 3 Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key is a true confirmation of the unique magic of stainless steel Atelier Saga.
Piattaforme: Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, PC
Sviluppatore: Gust Corporation
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Atelier Ryza 3 Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key debuts on the market on February 24, 2023, on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 consoles, unfortunately without any system version Xbox, and on Windows Personal Computers, via Steam, both in digital and physical versions, also for collectors. The trilogy closes with the last epic adventure of Ryza and his ten companions ready to save the world from an all new threat, the appearance of mysterious islands from the bottom of the sea. Between magic, poetry and alchemy, we return to the fantastic universe of Atelier Saga.
