Atelier Ryza 3 Review Grows and Develops with Ryza

Last Updated on 13 June, 2023

Atelier Ryza 3 Review Grows and Develops with Ryza. Beautiful world, interesting characters, and engaging combat.

Also check Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3

Atelier Ryza 3 Review Grows and Develops with Ryza

Fantastic game that grows and develops with Ryza.

Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key is the latest and final installment in the Atelier series’ “Secret” Trilogy. The game continues to develop the relationships of the trilogy’s core characters and concludes their stories in a final, epic journey. It also finesses some mechanics in a way that makes the game feel like it has grown and matured alongside Ryza.

We will delve deeper into the game and review it from the perspective of a recent fan of the Atelier series. Beautiful world, interesting characters, and engaging combat. While it can feel bloated at times and the addition of too many new characters takes away from the core cast, it’s a game that’s worth playing for fans of the series and those who love character-driven stories.

Characters and Narrative

The Atelier series’ main draw is the light-hearted, slice-of-life, character-centered story that it tells. While some may find the main narrative of Atelier Ryza 3 a bit disorganized or nonsensical, the characters make it worthwhile. Defeating the final boss took around 75 hours of playtime. And there are still plenty of character stories to view and enjoy. The game’s protagonist, Ryza, has a brash and cheeky personality, which can be off-putting for some. However, spending more time with her core group of friends—Lent, Tao. And Klaudia—and seeing how their bonds have grown through the series was the highlight of the game for me.

The addition of three new playable characters, making it the largest cast yet, is a bit excessive. While each character is interesting, they seem to only drive the story forward in their own particular regions. Bigger did not feel better to me as I have a preference for games that stay centered on a smaller cast and dive into their lives and relationships.

Open World

The explorable areas in Atelier Ryza 3 are vast in comparison to prior titles. And they are full of fantastic, lush scenery. Some areas will be familiar to fans of the prior Atelier Ryza installments, while others have been newly created for this game. Being able to explore these areas freely without loading screens dividing the game into so many segments was a welcome improvement.

Immense scope of the world can make the game feel bloated and some tasks unnecessary at times. Side quests have been slightly modified and expanded, but random and repeatable fetch quests are still present. While it can get tiresome, the game helps the tasks blend in a bit more with exploration and feel less obtrusive overall by having them spawn randomly as you wander around the world.

Combat

The game’s combat system is the Active Time Battle system (ATB). Continues to refine what was introduced in the original title. And the addition of Secret Keys added a unique layer of complexity that didn’t feel too obstructive. The flow of battle will come pretty naturally if you’ve played the first two games in the series.

The game offers four different combat difficulties. And it’s recommended to start with the easiest one if you’re new to the series. Overall, the combat is engaging, but it may not be for everyone, especially those who prefer traditional turn-based combat.