Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy, the tried
Characters: Ryza is back, and she has company
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy will be the official sequel to the published title in 2019: for more information run to resume our review of Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout. In this case it is more than ever recommended to retrieve the aforementioned video game, and then (only later) move on to Atelier Ryza 2. The plot, just to give an example, will restart where the events of the protagonist and her entourage had ended, with the defeat of the enemy of the moment.Three years have passed since then (in the time of the narration, not in the publication of Gust's video games) and Reisalin "Ryza" Stout still lives on the quiet island of Kurken; the other friends, on the other hand, have already been gone for a long time, each intent on making their dreams come true. But here is a letter from Tao, the blond, a loyal researcher and childhood friend of Ryza, invites the latter to the great capital of the kingdom. How can you resist the idea of a new adventure trip?
The first hours of the game will allow you to regain confidence with the cast of protagonists. In addition to Ryza, and this is information that we can report to you because it is free of spoilers, the player will be able to meet again Tao, then Bos, and also the swordsman Lent, all fortunately remained nearby. There will obviously also be some unreleased supporting characters, some of which are very tantalizing: for example Fi, a bizarre animal, and above all the fascinating Serri Glaus, who in our humble opinion appears to be a sort of fusion between the 2B of NieR Automata and the evanescent Io of Code Vein.
The plot: towards the Lost Legends, and beyond
The plot of Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy, as mentioned, begins again a distance of three years from the conclusion of the narrative of Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout. To tell the truth, the first moments of the game did not seem brilliant at all, but it is well known that productions of this type need at least ten hours to "start working": all in all, the arrival in the city with exploration of the surroundings represents a single, gigantic tutorial; and that's okay.Clearly the sequel will allow you to deepen the narrative as an end in itself, as well as the exploration of a fascinating world that still has a lot to say; this immediately seemed to us the direction taken by the new episode. Tao called Ryza to himself with a very specific purpose: to explore the territories of the Kingdom, and around the capital of Ashra-am Baird, to steal its secrets.
In fact, the boy is convinced that there is often a grain of truth at the basis of every legend, and he will soon realize that he is (as always) right, given that the explorers will find themselves grappling with mysterious places and artistically valid, as well as with enemies (and dangers) never seen before. Most of the content will revolve around the Lost Legends, and all of this will be duly detailed in the review.
The gameplay: some news
Who feared a mere copy paste of everything that seen at the time in Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout can be (partially) reassured: Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy has decided to experiment with some novelties, gameplay side. And these are ideas that come from contemporary productions of various types, now inevitable; however, it should be noted that only a part of these novelties will be usable at will, in any place on the map.For example the possibility of swimming in any body of water; not only that, at a certain point in history Ryza will also become able to dive to reach exclusive materials present on the seabed. This will enrich the collection of raw materials and collectibles, aspects that are already noteworthy even in the previous episode.
The "vertical" development of the title will still be extremely limited, do not expect maps to match The Legend of Zelda : Breath of The Wild or any open world recently hit the market. However, Ryza seems to have also become able to climb small rock faces (but only some, or only where vines are present). Other areas bristling with unevenness or ravines can instead be adequately overcome by resorting to magic, through the evocation of a sort of blue elastic "Spider-Man". They are fairly interesting ideas, the problem is that, for what we have had the opportunity to play so far, they are also very situational.
And finally, of course, it will once again be possible to furnish, take care of and customize your base, the protagonist's residence, now exceptionally located in the great capital. Here the cauldron for alchemy activities will also be available to the player, with new recipes and possibilities to be unlocked little by little.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy aims to replicate the success achieved from Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout: same protagonist, the return of almost all the characters of the first episode, general strengthening of all the possibilities already offered at the time. There is something new, of course: the plot continues and immediately seems to be very interesting; it is possible to swim, climb and move more quickly in certain environments (not in all); there are new heroes and enemies, some of them already extremely fascinating. Net of an inevitable background repetition and a constant "already seen" effect, the Gust production has all the credentials to hit the mark once again. But first we want to thoroughly dissect the most innovative aspects, to understand well whether they are only apparent or structurally well congenital. What do you think about it? We will have to wait a little longer for the review.
