Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout

Atelier Ryza is the best Atelier game to date, with some much-needed improvements that make for a more compelling package on the whole.

If anything, it feels like Ryza may be Gust’s attempt to step out of the niche they’ve carved for themselves. This game feels like one that the general JRPG fandom could get into, rather than just the subset interested in zoning out and crafting items.

Atelier Ryza is a delightful and visually pleasing Japanese RPG filled with vibrant colors, a variety of characters, beautiful open-world environments to explore, and tells a heart-warming coming of age story about wonder and adventure.

Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout has been a fun addition to the Atelier series. As a game that focuses on crafting, it has a wonderful crafting system. At the same time, it does not skip on the RPG and elements and questing. This was my first real playthrough of an Atelier game. With a great story and a deep crafting system and casual playstyle, it has been a joy to play.

If you’re a fan of previous games in the Atelier series, it goes without saying that you’ll enjoy Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout, too. It’s a charming adventure set against a gorgeous backdrop, and even though it may take a while to get going, it’s worth persevering with. Its combat is engaging, exploration is a delight, and its characters are a pleasure to know. Even if you’ve n...

Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout is a wonderful entry point into this awesome JRPG series and, with some tweaking and a new file, this will be an amazing experience on the Steam Deck.

Atelier Ryza is the third Atelier game release this year, which sounds daunting but it’s one of the most steadily released JRPG series and somehow still manages to find ways to keep new installments feeling like improvements. While there are nine Atelier games on the PS4 (including Ryza and the first three for the PS3 re-release) Ryza proves to be the most accessible to newcomers.

It’s a refreshing change of pace from moody protagonists saving the world from unambiguously evil villains. While I like to poke fun at fashion issues like Ryza’s butt hungrily devouring her shorts, I had fun with Atelier Ryza. It’s not quite enough to get me to run out and pick up the rest of the series, but if I’m ever in the mood for some more anime crafting hijinks, I’ll probably give them a l...

Are you ready to go on an adventure and make a secret hideout? Join Sam Wachter on her quest to figure out if Atelier Ryza is a worthy Atelier game, or if the secret hideout needs to be blown up.

There were two instances in which I took issue with the story. The first is how one of the characters, Lent, is continually abused by his father and how all the characters just shrug it off. The second involves an illogical behavioral moment between two groups of kids. While it had characterization it was ungrounded and it pulled me out of the story.