Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy DX Review - The Legendary Alchemist is Back

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The game that got me into the Atelier series was Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout, which I imagine was the same case for many new Atelier fans out there. After that, I dived deep into this vast universe, completing the Secrets trilogy, playing a few of the previous entries, and then dived into Atelier Yumia and the most recent, Atelier Resleriana. Still, Ryza will always be one of my favorite Atelier protagonists, so when the DX version of the trilogy got announced, I felt extremely excited. After playing all the new content and revisiting these summer adventures, I can say this is the best way for new players to experience Ryza’s journey, and in a more accessible way.

Improved Summer Adventures

The Atelier Ryza Secrets Trilogy DX brings a re-release of each original game with added features that enhance the narrative, gameplay, and even the looks of each game.

Since I got the opportunity to play all three, you bet I dived into each adventure, as I know them well, and it was surprising to see how familiar yet new each game felt in some ways. Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout DX felt like the one with the most changes, and it makes sense. It originally launched all the way back in 2019, and although it gave the series a more modern feel, some of its aspects didn’t age well. The DX edition has added several new features, such as checking how much space you have in your basket in your UI, and a few other graphical settings that let you customize the game’s look in small yet noticeable ways.

Atelyer Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy DX also brought some gameplay and visual improvements, which are also shared with the third entry, such as using your tools while riding. Also, just like the first game, these two have a few new graphical settings that give the games that much-needed modern coat of paint. Plus, since I played the three games on my PS5, I was happy to see all three titles hit 60 FPS without any issues. The only time I noticed a bit of stutter was in some Atelier Ryza 3 DX cutscenes, but they didn’t happen too often to be a deal-breaker.

At first, I looked at the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy DX and thought it would be better for newcomers to the series. However, as I kept exploring, gathering materials, and defeating some Puni creatures, it felt as if I were diving into the trilogy for the first time. Yes, the changes aren’t that monumental or at a remaster level, but they made the games feel fresh with the added graphical settings, smooth framerate, and brighter colors in some scenes. In truth, new and old Atelier fans will be able to enjoy these re-releases at an even more accessible price point than the original games.

Old Faces, New Scenarios

Quality-of-life features aside, the other significant additions to each game are the new scenarios. Before diving into each one individually — without spoilers, of course — let me tell you that they are pretty short, or about the same length as previous extra episodes. However, I feel they all add more depth to characters who never got their chance to shine in some of the games and even expand the narrative in surprising ways.

Atelier Ryza DX adds two episodes of sorts, one in the middle of the story that follows Kilo and Bos. Here, you control Kilo and get to see another side of the story that runs parallel with Ryza’s adventure. Specifically, I enjoyed playing as Kilo more than the actual story, but that doesn’t mean it is bad. It is pretty enjoyable and shows you a new side to these two characters, which fans will appreciate.

The After Story episode, however, while short, is the one that stuck with me out of all the new DLC in the entire DX trilogy. In this episode, you control Ryza as she becomes the substitute teacher for some kids in Old Town. One perilous situation brings Ryza back into action, but since Tao and Lent are already doing their own adventuring, Agatha and Romy become part of the crew, at least for a while.

While the narrative of the first Ryza game was already amazing for me, this DLC bridges the first two games in an endearing way, but also enhances Ryza’s growth as she goes from a reckless alchemist to a more grounded adventurer. It is undoubtedly an excellent episode, and one I wish had lasted longer, because it was the best in this collection.

For Atelier Ryza 2 DX, you follow Ryza’s mentors, Empel and Lila, and you control the latter in another short adventure. Here, the two arrive at the capital as they look for more Underworld knowledge, and eventually run into Ryza. Again, I won’t spoil much, but the truth is that this one felt like the weakest additional story in terms of gameplay. Character interactions were great, especially a few with Empel, Lila, and Tao, but aside from some challenging encounters, this felt a bit underwhelming compared to the others.

Lastly, Atelier Ryza 3 DX brings Clifford and Serri to the playable roster. You take control of Serri as the duo join in for a quick adventure. Clifford is still doing his treasure-hunting shenanigans, while Serri is still looking for things to help her homeland. Here, the gameplay was a bit more varied, with a few enemy encounters and some simple puzzles to traverse through this colorful map. However, the highlight was the interactions between Clifford and Serri, which were hilarious, as their very different personalities made the narrative much more memorable.

These new episodes might not be the longest pieces of DLC in the series, but veteran fans will definitely enjoy them. It is always great to see memorable characters get some of the spotlight in games where they didn’t shine much. Plus, they were all perfectly adapted to each game’s combat system, which is another highlight of these episodes.

The Ultimate Atelier Ryza Experience

The whole Atelier Ryza series has been a vital part for many new fans of the franchise, and the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy DX does it justice. It brings the original stories with little to no change in their important gameplay aspects, but sprinkles in a few QoL features and graphical settings into the mix to help make the whole journey feel fresh.

Even if some of the new episodes felt underwhelming, the truth is that having the whole Atelier Ryza package with new additions, all previous DLC, and at a more accessible price point is welcome. In the end, it doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran or a newcomer. The former will love to revisit these summer adventures with all the new additions, while the latter will discover one of the greatest Atelier series ever made.

Review copies provided by the publisher.

Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy DX (PS5 Reviewed)

8.5 Great

Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy DX adds many quality-of-life features to all three Ryza games, and brings some interesting and memorable episodes that build upon these narratives.