Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy Reviews
Atelier Ryza 2 has most of the right pieces to make a charming RPG, from its characters and story to its gameplay mechanics. Whether you’ve played its predecessor or not, it’s well worth exploring the world of alchemy through Ryza’s eyes.
Don’t think Atelier Ryza 2 is a bad game. There are lots of good things in it, in fact. The problem is that I was expecting more from a game with a full-fledged Playstation 5 build. With the exception of the fast loading times, the game doesn’t take advantage of the system’s hardware, resulting in a game that looks dated and runs as well as what I would expect from its Switch port.
Overall, Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy delivers an exciting adventure JRPG game full of more action and adventure than the previous game. It brings back a majority of the original gameplay, making it accessible for newcomers and longtime fans of the game. In addition to bringing back a lot of the original gameplay, Atelier Ryza 2 also introduces new features that open up more movements and actions in the game that adds to the adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed this game so much and could play it for hours on end. And for $59.99, it’s reasonably priced for the quality of the game you get.
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.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.