Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy Reviews
After the predecessor set up a huge sale with the beauty of Rysa, this sequel did not intend to make quick money or be perfunctory. The more interesting gameplay design has brought me a lot of different experiences. The process of collecting clues in the maze and piecing together the grand story behind the ruins made me addicted to it.
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The series tradition of scavenging for items and conjuring materials and tools with alchemy has become far more ideal and enjoyable. The plot however, felt like a quick patch up of leftover question marks from the prequel. As a fan, It still packs a wholesome gameplay experience, as you get to discover what happened to all the characters in the 3 years since the first adventure.
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While the question remains if Gust will stick with this formula when they eventually move away from titles staring Ryza, I personally hope they continue to revise and refine this model. If Ryza 1 caught my interest, then Ryza 2 definitely has my attention.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy takes everything good about the first entry and expands on it tenfold. There's a significant focus on exploration in this entry that makes it feel like a real adventure with limited backtracking and more emphasis and discovery. The battle system is amazing and fluid, if only lacking inaccessibility for its more nuanced systems, and the narrative features relatable moments of reuniting with friends for one more adventure.
Atelia Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy is a highly enjoyable JRPG. Returning fans of the series and new ones should be delighted. Ryza has an infectiously bright personality and her relationship with the other party members meshes well. The combat is fast, and the story is intriguing. The heavier focus on exploration, as well as alchemy, is a welcome change. If you haven’t played the original game in the series, I highly suggest that you do. But Atelier Ryza 2 takes most of the negatives from the first title and improves on them in a big way.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy might not be ambitious, but if you enjoy Atelier titles, it's a solid and engaging experience. It's basically the original Ryza title, only larger and more polished. The Atelier franchise usually keeps things fresh with a new protagonist and cast for every game, but with the full cast from the original title, Ryza 2 can sometimes feel like a repeat of the previous adventure. This isn't bad, since the original Ryza was fun and the gameplay is solid, but it can sometimes feel a touch too familiar.
Atelier Ryza 2 is an excellent entry in an item-crafting focused JRPG series. It improves on its predecessor via quality-of-life improvements, more in-depth character interactions and a sprawling story. Plus, it's absolutely adorable!
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy has a personality all its own with fun crafting and flashy combat, but falls into common RPG pitfalls such as constant backtracking and tedious questing.
Ryza’s new onfield actions, the improved battle mechanics, and the deeper alchemy systems also impress in this quality sequel. Minor annoyances tied to the map layout and the more complex features attached to the alchemy system hamper the game’s overall experience a bit. But all in all, Ryza’s return is a lighthearted pleasure that is entertaining from start to finish.
Gust have spent a little longer than they usually do with Atelier Ryza 2 and the game is much improved over the first in nearly every way.
While Atelier Ryza 2 doesn't do much to stand out other than its in-depth crafting system, the core joys of the genre are here. If you like JRPGs, you could do much worse than this.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy is a brilliant sequel that expands upon everything that made the original great, while forging a path forward that can be further expanded upon in the trilogy's final chapter.
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout was a great start, and Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy does an excellent job, for the most part, of building on what was already there. Is it perfect? No, it’s not. But that’s okay. Looking past the fact that this, plain and simple, is a fun game, Atelier Ryza 2 once again keeps my faith alive in GUST being on the mend. I don’t know if there’s going to be an Atelier Ryza 3, but I hope that there will be. And if there is, then I know that it will be even better than the two wonderful games that have made up the trilogy so far.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy improves many of the flaws from the original game while carving out its own identity. Ryza and her companions are some of the best this franchise has seen. With a bigger focus on story, combat, and character progression, Atelier Ryza 2 feels more like an overall RPG experience rather than just a crafting simulator. It's not a perfect game by any means and it does suffer from some issues but they in no way hamper the overall experience.
The slow beginning of the first Ryza game is remedied somewhat here, and the ability to fast-travel from anywhere to almost anywhere else is pure bliss. The story's lighter fare, doubly so for the side quests, won't appeal to everyone, but the solid battle system, intuitive but deep crafting system, and decent overall gameplay loop were all enough to hold my attention and then some. Even though the concoction might not have come out perfect, it absolutely Ryza's to the occasion.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy more-or-less does what the sequel should be. We're on another adventure in the Ryza universe with refinements, returning with Ryza herself and the crew, no less. I can see how certain features being streamlined, such as synthesizing, may be seen as toned down for long-time players, but it just feels better. Atelier is probably too wholesome for its own good, as often the obvious and expected are just that, but I wouldn't want it any other way. Ryza 2 provides some new mechanics that leaves one wondering about future improvements and is enough to enjoy embarking on a new adventure. (Even though Fi was largely annoying for most of the game).
I'm sort of in the same position as I was last time around: I enjoyed the experience, but I'm not exactly in a hurry to go out and pick up the rest of the series. If anything, I'll wait until the next opportunity I get to slip into Ryza's incredibly tight shorts. Given the series' typical pace, that will probably be in another year or so.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy revisits Ryza and some of her friends as they deal with some of the challenges in entering adulthood.
We can not say that with this installment the saga moves away from the niche where his comfort zone was or dare to look even you to you to the greats of the genre, because the base and the way of telling the story remain unchanged, but the production values and the care devoted to the game have made a clear leap. With this, not only fans of the saga are in luck, but many fans of the genre who were looking at the saga without knowing whether to dare to approach or not, can try this installment as the best opportunity to do so. Ryza 2 becomes, on its own merit, the best installment of this long-running saga.
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