Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy

I'm sort of in the same position as I was last time around: I enjoyed the experience, but I'm not exactly in a hurry to go out and pick up the rest of the series. If anything, I'll wait until the next opportunity I get to slip into Ryza's incredibly tight shorts. Given the series' typical pace, that will probably be in another year or so.

Atelier Ryza 2 is a great addition to the Atelier series, bound to please long-time fans and hook in newcomers. Featuring a colourful cast of characters, an interesting mystery to unfold, and fun crafting features, it's a joy to sink hour upon hour into. While it does have its shortcomings, they are easily forgiven by how entrancing the rest of the game is.

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy takes everything good about Gust's 2019 Atelier adventure and further refines it, resulting in the best entry in the long-running franchise to date. This may still be a relatively small-scale, old-fashioned JRPG experience, but it's one that's full of heart, great characters, slick combat and some excellent new ruin-based dungeons. Anyone looking for a relaxed and enchanting JRPG to sink their time into should definitely check this one out.

Atelier Ryza 2 expands upon the first games formula in some smart ways, and improves upon nearly every aspect of its design.

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy marks the very first direct sequel in Atelier's twenty-three years old history. Bringing back Reisalin Stout makes perfect sense and the game benefits from Reisalin and her cheery cast of compatriots. With a light-hearted story taking you on an adventure in a genuinely great-looking and enjoyable to explore environments, you'll also find yourself pulled in by an enhanced battle system, made even more tactical than before. The constantly returning alchemy is also joined by a system that I'm going to call memory archaeology, helping to develop the new main character as well as the history of the game's world. Either way, this is a very enjoyable outing and one that will no doubt keep Reisalin as a fan-favourite character in what is arguably one of, if not the best game in the Atelier series.

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy revisits Ryza and some of her friends as they deal with some of the challenges in entering adulthood.

Overall, Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy takes what's good about the first game and improves upon it. It's set apart from other games in its genre through its charmingly wholesome tone and low-stakes narrative that allow its characters and their relationships to shine while conveying relatably human themes filtered through an optimistic, sometimes-wistful lens. The game's systems are sometimes at odds but are each entertaining, and exploring ancient ruins with Ryza and her friends on a quest for knowledge regularly instills a hopeful sense of adventure. Atelier Ryza 2 will well-suit anyone looking for a leisurely, character-centric, self-paced, and intimate JRPG journey.

It’s a solid game all around, albeit a little overwhelming at first. If you’re into fetch quest heavy games (Fallout, The Witcher, State of Decay) then this is well worth diving into; even if you’re not a filthy weaboo like me.

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy's core elements come together to make for understanding and engaging friendly JRPG. It has the option to automate complex elements and the battle system can be grasped early on without hours of learning, helped with the solo focused action.

Reinventing a series can be a difficult task, one which the first installment did with great success. However, Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is a great example of fixing something that was never broken to begin with.