When I informed a pal of mine that I used to be reviewing the most recent entry in Gust’s long-running Atelier series, she remarked, “wait, which one of those fanservice-y JRPG games is that?” While I did assuage her fears that it was not, in reality, “the boob game” (that might be Senran Kagura), I can’t precisely fault her for her confusion.
Atelier first got here to Europe and North America together with a wave of different niche-leaning JRPG collection, like Ar Tonelico and The Legend of Heroes, on the tail finish of the PS2 period. But whereas I launched into many melodramatic adventures starring amnesiac youngsters in preposterous outfits on the time, I by no means gave the Atelier collection the time of day. Now, nevertheless, with Atelier Ryza kicking off a contemporary trilogy within the franchise, I’ve lastly taken the prospect to delve into its alchemical mysteries, and I’ve discovered them way more alluring than anticipated.
On its floor, Atelier Ryza is a JRPG so bog-standard that you simply’d be forgiven for taking it as an affectionate parody of the style. The characters slot simply into their requisite roles: Ryza [spunky protagonist] is a farmer’s daughter who desires of huge journey all day together with her buddies Lent [musclebound jock] and Tao [nebbish nerd].
One day, a mysterious alchemist named Empel rolls into city, together with their impossibly voluptuous bodyguard Lila (yep, there’s the fanservice my pal was speaking about) and, after some cursory shenanigans, the 2 outsiders start to show Ryza and her mates the methods of adventuring.
As their expertise mount, nevertheless, the trio stoke the ire of the extraordinarily conventional villagers – together with their very own mother and father, who start in charge Empel and Lila for a collection of escalating catastrophes that are starting to threaten the entire of the island they dwell on.
There’s a college of thought in game design that claims the primary hour of a game is crucial, as a result of it represents your one likelihood to hook a participant in and by no means allow them to go. For instance, I recall studying way back that Nintendo employees pressured Rare to redo the primary two missions of Star Fox 64 many instances, till they have been of acceptable high quality.
That’s… not a lot the case right here. Despite its many virtues, to say that Atelier Ryza fails to realize the “hook ‘em in the first hour” paradigm can be fairly an understatement.It’s a reasonably advanced RPG, with a tangle of interlocking methods that construct over time to kind a compelling, snug complete. But it definitely takes its candy time coming collectively.
For my first 4 or 5 hours within the game, I discovered Atelier Ryza to be nice however boring. I spent my time operating round city from plot beat to plot beat, with little in the way in which of precise play, past a gradual stream of tutorials explaining the game’s core conceits.
And whereas I discovered the writing charming sufficient, the story being informed was so stock-standard that it struggled to maintain my consideration. However, as soon as the world really opened up, across the five-hour mark, I used to be shocked on the scale and high quality of the game that was hiding behind its glacial pacing and morass of menus.
Despite all the things that may seem generic about it, Atelier Ryza is, mechanically talking, a really distinct game from its contemporaries – and that’s partly why it stays such a distinct segment collection. While its battle system is strong, and presents loads of tactical depth, it diverges from most RPGs in that the XP you acquire from defeating monsters or bosses is kind of minor, within the grand scheme of issues.
This is a deeply gear-driven game, hewing nearer to Stardew Valley than Diablo, the place gathering uncommon vegetation to spin higher material in your armor provides you with extra mileage than grinding out a couple of ranges. (By the midgame, the one cause I used to be levelling my characters in any respect was to extend the stat that ruled the standard of substances they might put on). To put it succinctly, the Atelier collection is Crafting: The JRPG, and whether or not or not you take pleasure in wandering your approach by way of pastel forests to chop down bushes and catch bugs will possible decide your enjoyment of the game.
For my half, as an avowed fan of Harvest Moon (and its sister collection, Rune Factory), I rapidly grow to be a fan of something that lets me benefit from the meditative routine of gathering supplies to make my social gathering stronger. Crafting methods could be a vestigial chore in lots of different RPGs, however each side of Atelier Ryza’s gels collectively to create a sense of relaxation and rest that’s nonetheless uncommon on the planet of games full cease.
For instance, the actual fact you’ll be able to fast-travel nearly wherever within the game on the contact of a button makes looking for that one elusive materials straightforward fairly than irritating, and the penalty for dying – a couple of misplaced supplies, and never even a “game over” – is so relaxed as to be nearly non-existent.
Still, whereas the game would possibly promote a chill ambiance, it may be ruthless in its personal approach, too. It solely includes a handful of obligatory boss fights throughout its 25-hour marketing campaign, however after I confronted the fearsome Dragon Lord with shit-tier gear, I obtained stomped into oblivion in three turns flat.
Some issue curves are extra enjoyable. There are sure factors the place Atelier Ryza drops its arguably-excessive tutorialization, and asks you to dive into the bowels of its intimidating alchemical system in an effort to progress. The hours I spent making an attempt to wrap my head round that, have been essentially the most enjoyable that I had with the game.
You can get pretty far simply by remaking your gear with rarer base supplies, equivalent to material or ore (a generic “quality” stat determines the fundamental effectiveness of a given merchandise), however the true depth comes from the buff-giving traits that every materials carries.
For instance, should you’re making an attempt to craft a chunk of fine armor in your most important damage-dealer, you’d throw in supplies with traits like “attack bonus up” or “critical rate up.” Within the crafting tree, you’ll be able to throw in supplies with elemental values, too (hearth, ice, wind, or lightning) in an effort to activate useful bonuses like like a more practical heal, or a flat increase for a given stat.
Though it’s straightforward sufficient to make one thing midway first rate with only a little bit of effort, there’s sufficient depth right here that power-gamers may simply break by way of and create really game-shattering gadgets with sufficient endurance.
Returning to Atelier Ryza’s plot, one astute on-line commenter as soon as described the entire collection as “the first town in every RPG, only extended to the whole game,” and I believe that’s significantly correct within the case of Ryza. Unlike many games of its kind, which are likely to spin out into baroque battles towards thinly-sketched celestial beings, the precise story manages to stay surprisingly grounded.
It nonetheless explores some pretty attention-grabbing themes, equivalent to environmental degradation and the empires that perpetuate it. And whereas I don’t suppose it’s breaking any new floor general (particularly within the character division), its narrative nonetheless managed to flee the tar pit of the early hours, and that’s undoubtedly worthy of reward.
Overall, I don’t suppose Atelier Ryza is the sort of game that’s going to alter many minds. Though it ended up shocking me, I might argue that I’m the prime viewers for it: a lifelong JRPG fan who enjoys dabbling in games with mild sim mechanics. If you’ll be able to look previous its apparent pacing points – and a few of its extra gratuitous character designs – Atelier Ryza is a strong slice of JRPG consolation meals that goes down straightforward and would possibly simply depart you asking for extra. If you’re a part of that in-group – and also you possible know if you’re – you’re in for a totally gratifying expertise.
