Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout

 Switch
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 128 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 101 out of 128
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 128
  3. Negative: 15 out of 128
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  1. yorgash
    Nov 9, 2019
    7
    I played almost every Atelier games, and loved all of them since Rorona greatly.

    This one is... a bitter, very bitter letdown for me. I'm not saying it's not a decent game, but if I rate other titles 9/10 I can not honestly give this one more than 5, were it not for the many new ideas implemented, and the somewhat decent if a bit overly basic story. 1.) Synthesis: Of course the new    I played almost every Atelier games, and loved all of them since Rorona greatly.

    This one is... a bitter, very bitter letdown for me. I'm not saying it's not a decent game, but if I rate other titles 9/10 I can not honestly give this one more than 5, were it not for the many new ideas implemented, and the somewhat decent if a bit overly basic story.

    1.) Synthesis:
    Of course the new ideas are welcome, but not if they come at the price of letting the old ones go. Nearing endgame it becomes more and more obvious that this game almost entirely lacks item traits; it has maybe 5 useful traits coupled with 5 "stack-able" level-based ones. Compared to the 100+ that could be combined in many ways in former titles. Not to mention the "reformed" synthesis is basically dirt-cheap compared to the second most recent one, Lulua (I could say Lydie+Sue or Shallie too) for example. You just... add materials if you have them to the effect you want to have. And you can edit it later, not even having to worry about the quality.

    2.) Battle
    The battle is also a mess. I see what they were trying to do, making it a bit more "active time" than plain old turn-based, but it really is just turn-based. Worse yet, one could say you can only control one character, since going for speed build and trying to control all characters is plain impossible. To be a little more exact, it needs you to make about 20 button mashed in 0.5 seconds. If there were a way to issue or set up tactics for your party that might actually work, but you can only choose "spam what they have enough AP for" or "normal attack". Can't even make them use items. Not to mention that aside from the 3 members you currently select the others are just there being reserves - no assists, stat boosts, combination, nothing. That's a huge step down from almost every other Atelier games. Not to mention you can simply not get excited to battle with any monsters, since basically there are 4 enemies recolored, two "big bad" ones, 1 optional boss for recoloring and maybe 2 additional models. Their strength increases linearly to match your progress while in the main story, nothing afterwards.

    3.) Characters
    Aside from the main character and maybe one of the other party members the others are just comically simple avatars of their archetypes. Of course the glasses shorty acts just like he's "supposed to" being a scaredy-cat bookworm. The hot-blooded warrior wants to beat up monsters. The "alchemist with a heavy past" is just that. The interactions between characters are minimal and hardly interesting or entertaining. You just... don't feel for any of them.

    4.) Music
    The music not only is forgettable, it's almost impossible to like them. And it's not that they are terrible; it has more to do with being way too atmospheric and trying hard not to overtake the scene. You can almost use the battle music for your atelier comfy music and vice versa... It's the first time that after playing 50+ hours I have no desire to listen to its OST - nor could I recall them if I wanted to.

    5.) The pros
    ...are the new things implemented poorly. The premise of a gathering synthesizer is good, adding materials in this fashion could be good, reactor forge is an interesting - if not overpowered - tool, no nonsense way to duplicate items is also pretty decent for an idea. Item rebuild would be a nice touch if it came with any restrains (aside from the ridiculously negligible constraint of your alchemy level). Most of these ideas could make a good foundation for an actually good implementation, but as is currently it's a pretty bad mix. And after getting through the initial confusion it's sickeningly simple.

    Overall this game could be improved upon so vastly it'd be more efficient to do it the other way around: just use any older titles and implement the good parts of this one. Atmosphere, OST, characters and everything... not saying they are terrible, but way out of Atelier's league.    … Expand
  2. midipon
    Dec 6, 2019
    8
    I had basically given up on Atelier after playing Shallie, but I've been playing this and I'm excited by how much they really went out of their way to improve in this game. They should stop with yearly releases and keep up the good work they've started with this game.
  3. DingoOnMy40
    Nov 1, 2019
    8
    Great visuals runs solid on the switch only played in handheld Easier than the other Atelier games in the past but still enjoyable. A solid new entry for people that want to jump in an Atelier game. Less frustrating time management system gives newcomers the change to explore, experiment new crafting techniques. A more intense turn-based combat system that will keep you on your toes vastGreat visuals runs solid on the switch only played in handheld Easier than the other Atelier games in the past but still enjoyable. A solid new entry for people that want to jump in an Atelier game. Less frustrating time management system gives newcomers the change to explore, experiment new crafting techniques. A more intense turn-based combat system that will keep you on your toes vast areas to explore, collecting items for crafting is even easier than before giving you a chance to craft items without looking for a specific item. I would give it a higher score if the game was a little more difficult. I finished it much quicker than any of the other games in this series. Looking forward to a sequel since most of the Atelier games are Trilogy.… Expand
  4. disposable
    Jan 18, 2020
    8
    A great crafting system and solid character design make Atelier Ryza a strong entry in the Switch JRPG lineup. The big draw of this game (and the Atelier series as a whole) is the crafting. Extensive trees with plenty to unlock give the player a dearth of options that broaden choices in combat. It's also tied into the world perfectly; side quests serve to push the player to expand theirA great crafting system and solid character design make Atelier Ryza a strong entry in the Switch JRPG lineup. The big draw of this game (and the Atelier series as a whole) is the crafting. Extensive trees with plenty to unlock give the player a dearth of options that broaden choices in combat. It's also tied into the world perfectly; side quests serve to push the player to expand their pool of available recipes so that they keep pace with the difficulty curve. It's not quite the perfect freedom of mixing whatever you want, but within the confines of a game restricted crafting system Atelier Ryza probably does the best yet.

    The characters/plot are fairly good, if at times a bit low stakes. 'We want adventures' does eventually give way to a real crisis, but it takes some time. Broadly, though, Ryza delivers on it's promise of adventures with alchemy, each arc serving to show some minor maturation on the part of the main characters.

    Perhaps the worst thing about Atelier Ryza is the combat. It starts okay but begins to drag by the end of the game. While the player has some options, eventually the item system becomes throwing ever larger explosives of differing types at enemies. That might seem fun, but it wears out its welcome. By the end of the game I was pretty done with random encounters. More abilities for the main characters or new combat mechanics would have been welcome. (It feels odd to ask a JRPG for MORE combat complexity but Ryza is a bit far in the other direction.)

    Overall, good game. Not the best on the Switch, but definitely worth a buy.    … Expand
  5. Nintendo-Legacy
    Jan 31, 2020
    8
    French review below---A very good JRPG with impressive graphics on Switch. 8/10.
    You can Follow me on Twitter : @NintendoLegacy1
    Atelier Ryza est un excellent JRPG. La série a passé un cap avec cet opus. Que ce soit techniquement mais également dans le gameplay, le jeu a su moderniser la formule. Le scénario, un peu cliché au départ, prend ensuite de l’épaisseur pour nous offrir une    French review below---A very good JRPG with impressive graphics on Switch. 8/10.
    You can Follow me on Twitter : @NintendoLegacy1

    Atelier Ryza est un excellent JRPG. La série a passé un cap avec cet opus. Que ce soit techniquement mais également dans le gameplay, le jeu a su moderniser la formule. Le scénario, un peu cliché au départ, prend ensuite de l’épaisseur pour nous offrir une jolie petite histoire. Sans doute le jeu Atelier le plus à même de faire passer un nouveau palier à la licence, notamment en occident.    … Expand
  6. millzy
    Jul 30, 2020
    10
    Amazing
    Just amazing This game should be bought by everyone who owns a switch
  7. TalionSwift
    Oct 31, 2019
    9
    (Note having this mobile is actually really cool, so many bus rides made that much more awesome I love it!) This game so far is great! I really like the new way they took the combat, and pretty cool take on the ATB system. The updated / streamlined way they handled the alchemy I'm enjoying. And right now I'm pretty addicted to it, I played a solid 8 hours the other day and wanted to keep(Note having this mobile is actually really cool, so many bus rides made that much more awesome I love it!) This game so far is great! I really like the new way they took the combat, and pretty cool take on the ATB system. The updated / streamlined way they handled the alchemy I'm enjoying. And right now I'm pretty addicted to it, I played a solid 8 hours the other day and wanted to keep going. the story is pretty solid so far and the characters are pretty good, about 14 -15 hours in so far I'm curious to see where the story ends up. The one thing I'll take a point off for is the lack of an English dub it just makes me sad, hopefully with the new found success this particular entry Is having they will have the money to include one next time. I miss my Atelie dubs : -( .… Expand
  8. Gotian
    Oct 31, 2019
    9
    A much more fleshed out entry to the series. Atelier ryza offers a more explorable game, getting rid of the time contraints in favor of exploration and combat. The combat system has evolved into a active time battle that is more fast paced than the turn based system from before. The alchemy system has also been revamped.
  9. CometAlchemist
    Nov 2, 2019
    4
    I just finished Atelier Ryza and am surprised that its the first Atelier I didn't really enjoy. It was great to have it mobile for bus rides and waiting times, but it crashed on me sometimes. The cast was quite entertaining but somehow they lacked charm? They somehow aren't as mem9rable as many of the characters I grew to love in the previous Ateliers. Ryza herself grew on me over theI just finished Atelier Ryza and am surprised that its the first Atelier I didn't really enjoy. It was great to have it mobile for bus rides and waiting times, but it crashed on me sometimes. The cast was quite entertaining but somehow they lacked charm? They somehow aren't as mem9rable as many of the characters I grew to love in the previous Ateliers. Ryza herself grew on me over the story but somehow she was rude sometimes and I felt sorry for her friends. I preferred Klaudia. I am also not that big of a fan of fanservice but wanted to give it a try anyways as i trust Gust with wholesome stories but the fanservice wasnt catered nicely, some proportions are horrible in the 3d models and left a foul taste in my mouth. I still ended up kinda liking the characters but it disturbed me nonetheless. The ost was solid.
    As for the new synthesizing it was interesting as you had more varieties to synthesize an item but it also made it confusing at times. The real time battle was not really my cup of tea as I prefer havig more time to think my actions over. What I liked is what they did with the world in this part - it finally felt like a new gen game - and the added gameplay features like the tools or the hideout change - but this didnt make up for the gameplay, characters and cuts at other departments such as short play time, no after story content, less CGs and tracks and so on. Especially having side story content for further character development locked behind a dlc again is a shame as it should be included in the main game. I'm curious how Gust will continue with their games and kinda hope they return to a stlye that feels more like Atelier    … Expand
  10. KingofBeasts
    Mar 29, 2021
    0
    Honestly, I am not even sure if I will get Atelier Ryza II. The first one was really just below average. Around all bases, mechanics were forced, and or not properly explained. The story was all over the place. The alchemy was just shoved down the throat, and rather just puts the game at a staggering halt. The battle system, I ended up using normal attacks for the majority of the game.Honestly, I am not even sure if I will get Atelier Ryza II. The first one was really just below average. Around all bases, mechanics were forced, and or not properly explained. The story was all over the place. The alchemy was just shoved down the throat, and rather just puts the game at a staggering halt. The battle system, I ended up using normal attacks for the majority of the game. Gave no incentive to explore the rest of the features. The game for an open world has been very poorly done. Limited to where the story wants you to go.

    Also, most NPC’s cannot even be interacted with. The cutscenes, which were a lot did not contribute much to anything. Honestly, this is my second Atelier game I have played. First was Atelier Iris 3, and in all reality. Ryza does not come on the same level, not even nearly enough.

    The only thing good about Ryza, or should I say passable are the characters, and the ending. Even the ending is just barely giving any credit. I just did not feel like anything was effectively executed.

    Hell, even the constantly warping back to the Atelier to deposit items has been poorly done, and slowed the game down a lot more. The concept of finding your own way in life is great, it is just that. This game manages to screw everything up along the way. Other than the passable characters, graphics are the only other thing going for it.

    I invested about 40 hours into this game, and it has been nothing but painful from beginning to end. Which is really disappointing, since I wanted to play another Atelier game for years. I really loved Atelier Iris 3. The amazing characters, the freedom to explore, even though there was a time limit. The alchemy was more friendly as well. They did not shove it down my throat. So I could progress how I wanted. Gathering as well was much more pleasureful. The plot on top of this was the best thing. Seeing how Edge slowly is tearing apart the further the days goes by, it really makes you feel for these characters.

    Despite being on a lower graphic scale, they made use of everything they could. The battle system, was more engaging as well. Knowing how to manipulate the turn order. More boss battles than Ryza, a lot more. Much more tracks that does well with the moment. More incentive to explore.

    This here is minor, but the dialogue in battle. I still remember the battle with Ash. How it shifts to the second phase, they really knew how to push the battles to its peak.

    I guess to say, I was expecting a lot more excitement. Especially seeing the reviews, the game was more or less just thrown together. The only thing that had any effort was the alchemy system, and even that was not interesting.

    Please take note, this is the first time I have ever given a game a 0/10. Hell, the least I have ever given one before this point was maybe 5/10? Either way, it was never that low. This is with me having played one other Atelier game, so I basically went in new again. Usually, a known game, especially by such a company would score higher. Though this one? It has so many problems, I cannot even begin to count it. I suppose a plus is that there are no bugs I found, but that is negligent. I have played buggy games far better than this.

    I also forgot to mention this. Wanna know when I unlocked the ultimate attack for the characters? Pretty much right at the ending of the game. I think it was after I did the final battle. Maybe if that was introduced far sooner, I will have given the game a better rating, but I was practically done with the game. This game is not worth a second play through, hell not even a single play through. The pacing is terrible, the mechanics are unfriendly if not boring, the alchemy feature is just there to halt the game, the leveling is not even worth it, hell I did not even make it to level 50. Which is where some new feature is supposed to come in. The story is linear, and bare bones. The exploration is very limiting for an open world game. The interactions are subpar, the cutscenes have little to no contribution. The ending was not effectively executed for what they were building up towards, etc. Don’t get the game, it is not worth the money, even on sale...    … Expand
  11. mrswitch2687
    Apr 14, 2020
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's okay. The previous entry (Atelier Lulua) was a masterpiece and is one of my favourite Switch games. This game brings a lot of new stuff to the table which will appeal to some but sadly not to me.
    Pros:
    Graphically impressive
    Core crafting loop is fun
    Ryza is a great main character (drags the game along with her likeability and relatability)
    Side Characters are likeable enough but...
    Cons:
    Lacking compared to previous games
    The story is weaker than previous entries (A game based on a summer adventure is fine but the save the world in secret thing did not connect for me)
    Slow start (fast travel locked early on)
    Battle system diluted and 'rushed'
    Side Quests tend to be standard fetch quests and add little to the game
    Previous games informed players with a '!' that an event was due to take place in an area; strange omission from this title meaning some cutscenes may be missed.

    I still enjoyed Atelier Ryza but only after I stopped comparing it to its predecessors. Many see the game as a step forward in the Atelier series but I disagree. The game is fine and it is nice to see new ideas being implemented but I hope that the next game tries to refine the systems further. A shame but it is ok. Go in with your eyes open.    … Expand
  12. BulgarianCritic
    Dec 5, 2019
    0
    This is an unplayable port.There are zero mouse controls and everything is done with a joystick and keyboard and the keyboard layout is incredibly crappy.Badly optimized game
  13. Mr_Innuendo
    Feb 8, 2020
    5
    Ok, why is this game ratet so good? The core feature of the first 10 hours is a awful turtorial where you have to go from A to B, from C to B an back to A than you have to craft sometihng. But where is the gameplay? Where is the JRPG story an where is the action. Where are the deep characters the game feels like a 10 hour boring turtorial.
  14. Steyraus
    Jan 29, 2021
    10
    This series seems like it budget is geyting bigger due to its gain in popularity. I guess they ate benifiting from western games censoring themselves and making games that dont appeal to the male fantasy. The Atlier games deserve some goid sucsess, they are always solid wrll made titles.
  15. arh3399
    Dec 13, 2020
    10
    I have never played an Atelier game but saw this game got good reviews and decided to give it a shot. I am so glad I did. I absolutely love this game, from the characters to the different environments to the gameplay, I love it all. The battle system is very fast paced and most random battles are really quick so it never feels too grindy. The characters are great and have bigI have never played an Atelier game but saw this game got good reviews and decided to give it a shot. I am so glad I did. I absolutely love this game, from the characters to the different environments to the gameplay, I love it all. The battle system is very fast paced and most random battles are really quick so it never feels too grindy. The characters are great and have big development arks over the course of the game. The story builds really well and its pretty relaxing to play through, but also still really interesting as you learn more about the history of the world. The crafting system is one of the most addicting gameplay loops I can remember in awhile. This is one of those games where I would sit down to play it and before I knew it 4 hours had flown buy. It was a great experience and it runs really well on switch. If you like JRPGs and you haven't tried this you really should cause it very quickly became one of my all time favorites.… Expand
  16. marz999
    Jun 6, 2021
    4
    Long time fan, played through first 2 trilogies.
    Graphics : Fairly good, but I didn't like the shading style (They used lines instead of proper shading like some anime does)
    Combat: Not great. For the bonus attacks, your side kicks tell you what to do, and if you do it they have a extra powerful action. I didn't like that compared to previous titles Exploration and gathering : Fun, it    Long time fan, played through first 2 trilogies.
    Graphics : Fairly good, but I didn't like the shading style (They used lines instead of proper shading like some anime does)
    Combat: Not great. For the bonus attacks, your side kicks tell you what to do, and if you do it they have a extra powerful action. I didn't like that compared to previous titles
    Exploration and gathering : Fun, it was nice being able to choose what to get. But map only unlocks after like 10 hours. It's very slow to get into.
    Alchemy: Fun but easy, I liked the recipe system.
    Story and Characters: Did not like... The characters aren't very interesting, and the plot is simple and takes hours to start.
    Overall very disappointing. Maybe good for a entry point to Atelier games. Go play Rorona afterwards.    … Expand
  17. Lesh0
    Mar 6, 2020
    9
    This is my first entry into Atelier series and i can only say good thing about it. The characters are very likeable and the story is decent. The music is ok. The only negative and this is personal opinion is that it doesnt support English dub. I really dig the alchemy(crafting) and i spent hours doing stuff without even realising. I beat the main game in 32H coz Alchemy you know :D butThis is my first entry into Atelier series and i can only say good thing about it. The characters are very likeable and the story is decent. The music is ok. The only negative and this is personal opinion is that it doesnt support English dub. I really dig the alchemy(crafting) and i spent hours doing stuff without even realising. I beat the main game in 32H coz Alchemy you know :D but really for people that dont really know where to start with Atelier franchise i think this is a solid starting point !!… Expand
  18. Nintendopost24
    Jan 29, 2020
    7
    Atelier Ryza est un excellent JRPG. La série a passé un cap avec cet opus. Que ce soit techniquement mais également dans le gameplay, le jeu a su moderniser la formule. Le scénario, un peu cliché au départ, prend ensuite de l’épaisseur pour nous offrir une jolie petite histoire. Sans doute le jeu Atelier le plus à même de faire passer un nouveau palier à la licence, notamment en occident.Atelier Ryza est un excellent JRPG. La série a passé un cap avec cet opus. Que ce soit techniquement mais également dans le gameplay, le jeu a su moderniser la formule. Le scénario, un peu cliché au départ, prend ensuite de l’épaisseur pour nous offrir une jolie petite histoire. Sans doute le jeu Atelier le plus à même de faire passer un nouveau palier à la licence, notamment en occident.
  19. HappyDonnie
    Jan 10, 2021
    9
    Its not great in a obvious way, the story is okay at first uninteresting, combat okay semi turn based, graphics cute and perform well on switch, alchemy not time based wich is great, never time bade it again xD, no Eng sub wich is sad since reading sometimes becomes dull and i skip. So im not explaining a fantastic game, but i am veeeeeery picky i buy loads of games and never play,Its not great in a obvious way, the story is okay at first uninteresting, combat okay semi turn based, graphics cute and perform well on switch, alchemy not time based wich is great, never time bade it again xD, no Eng sub wich is sad since reading sometimes becomes dull and i skip. So im not explaining a fantastic game, but i am veeeeeery picky i buy loads of games and never play, sometimes doubting i am still a gamer, but Atelier Ryza is cosy good and i preordered the sequel.… Expand
  20. capitalwing
    Aug 21, 2020
    3
    I'm writing this review from the viewpoint of someone who has played every Atelier game from Rorona on.

    Pros: Ryza, as a character, is easily enjoyable, fun and interesting, support characters seem ok personality wise. Neutral: There's a lot more female character exposure in this game then past entries. Ryzas cape literally just jumps at a 180 degree angle as you walk forward and    I'm writing this review from the viewpoint of someone who has played every Atelier game from Rorona on.

    Pros:
    Ryza, as a character, is easily enjoyable, fun and interesting, support characters seem ok personality wise.

    Neutral:
    There's a lot more female character exposure in this game then past entries. Ryzas cape literally just jumps at a 180 degree angle as you walk forward and there's no way to stop or turn it off.

    Cons:
    Game story is no longer an open world to explore, its a linear story, there's not much room to wiggle and explore on your own.

    Combat mechanics are not enjoyable. The attempt to convert to real time with turn based, but what they did is turn a turn based game into a real time turn based combat. You also only control Ryza. There's no way to change the game to turn based or 'stop on command' as other games with similar combat systems have done.

    Final Thoughts:
    If I was to pick this game up and not have the Atelier name on it, it would probably be a mid to high 5, but because of the name, the associations and past expectations, this one did not make the mark. If you do choose to play this and have played past games, go in with the expectation of playing something completely different and as a separate entry, you will likely get more enjoyment out of the game.    … Expand
  21. theprotagonist
    Jan 25, 2023
    10
    My first time playing an Atelier game. I was suprised by how much I love this game. The protagonist is adorable. Everything about it is super fun and upbeat.
  22. MisamoAlex
    Jun 8, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Buena historia, es entretenido el sistema de alquimia, misiones normales, los combates se vuelven monotonos y poca variedad de enemigos, solo cambian de colores… Expand
  23. Gustavo1997a
    Mar 23, 2023
    10
    Increíble juego muy adictivo y genera muchísima nostalgia el final, recuerda a esa época donde jugaba en vacaciones con los amigos

Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Best Switch Game of 2019
74
#74 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. FNintendo
    Jan 3, 2020
    90
    Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout begins a new trilogy in the Atelier series and this new chapter is a crowning achievement under the Atelier name. With visible improvements in the combat system and the audiovisual environment, but also more accessible than previous entries in the series, Atelier Ryza puts the threshold at a higher level regarding what is yet to come for Atelier.
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  2. Universo Nintendo
    Dec 3, 2019
    85
    Atelier Ryza uses the series classic gameplay loop and brings a few new systems to it, making this one of the best in the entire series. It’s an excellent beginning of a new arc, an excellent opportunity for new players and an excellent game for anyone that loves RPGs.
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  3. NintendoWorldReport
    Dec 2, 2019
    90
    Atelier Ryza is a journey about making the best of the here and now, and it is beautiful to behold for it. I felt incredibly engaged every step of the way, wanting to see the game through. I hope that this is the beginning of an engrossing new trilogy.
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