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. 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
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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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