Review: ‘Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist Of The End And The Secret Key’ Is An Unabashed, Shining Gem (Switch)

Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key is the latest adventure RPG developed and published by Koei Tecmo. In the third game of the Atelier Ryza series, players are thrown into the deep end of a game jam-packed with quests, crafting, and party management, but they’re provided with just enough guidance to emerge victorious. Much like the alchemy performed in the game, Koei Tecmo manages to merge a variety of gameplay mechanics into a wonderful, if slightly flawed, experience. 

As a newcomer to the franchise, I was initially concerned about the story going over my head, but there’s a handy recap of the first two games’ story in the title menu. These concerns were raised again though when the opening battles began. Like in the previous games, battles are a combination of turn-based and real-time action, and they were initially an indecipherable flurry of magic and special attacks. Despite this, after a few hours familiarizing myself with the steady loop of combat, it flowed together much more smoothly, even as new mechanics were introduced. Synthesized items functioned much like magic spells in otherwise similar titles; they can be repeated ad nauseum as long as your characters have the points to ‘cast’ them. Teammates also offer assistance in the form of follow-up attacks, so long as you fulfill their simple requirements. These mini-goals popping up in the midst of battle keep the flow of combat from becoming stale or repetitive, and the combo attacks are a stylish reward that feel good to pull off, especially when you’re juggling your own skill combos along with health and item management. 

Atelier Ryza 3 shines when all of the pieces click and you can take complete control of the process. This is true for more than just combat. The game focuses on the protagonist’s affinity for alchemy, and while the tutorials teach you just enough to be able to create consumables, weapons, and armor, you’ll need to spend time with the system to really understand it. Much like the combat though, alchemy feels extremely rewarding when you can finally pinpoint the resources you need, and turn them into components and equipment with the specific bonuses that you’re aiming for. Learning new recipes becomes an exciting prospect, giving you new challenges to confront and master. 

As Ryza and her friends rush headlong into adventure, some noteworthy aspects come into focus. The first is the world: it is teeming with resources and wildlife, giving the impression of a dangerous natural world with lots to discover. It’s vibrant and beautiful, with wide open spaces, but it also suffers from graphical limitations. A large staircase is often reduced to an incomprehensible mess of pixels, and the 3D models regularly appear stilted or awkward. Still, despite these flaws, the world and the story present themselves with such sincerity that it’s hard to take any graphical shortcomings to heart.

The second feature that stands out is the story. Without delving deep into spoiler territory, Ryza and her friends don’t initially set out to save the world or even their home island. Ryza wants to explore a mysterious new set of islands that have appeared, and she wants to learn more about creating, both with alchemy and through other means. This optimistic endeavor is a refreshing take in a genre laden with apocalyptic threats and melodramatic tropes, and the earnest storytelling quickly won me over. As the story progressed, I found myself charmed by the main cast, because through each major development, every character acted in a way that demonstrated conviction, whether it was in ending a long-standing feud, or in helping with the construction of a new inn.

Atelier Ryza 3 is a game that consistently wears its heart on its sleeve and you’ll enjoy it more if you play it with a similar stance. Perhaps more importantly, it’s also a game that respects your time. You’re able to avoid most combat if you want, and even losing a battle doesn’t kick you back to the title menu to reload your last save. Your characters limp home to lick their wounds and have the chance to come back stronger than before. You’re able to run around as much as you want, and a total lack of fall damage goes a long way in making the world feel like your playground. Additionally, you can fast travel to any landmarks you’ve been to before, including to your Atelier, the home base that serves as the series’ namesake. You can even fast-forward most cutscenes, allowing you to go back and read the conversation log at your own pace, or ignore it altogether. All of these quality-of-life features allow you to focus on your task, whether it be seeking out specific resources or monsters, or honing in on a quest that’s been sitting in your journal for a little too long.

As Ryza’s party explores the world, they’ll happen upon quest after quest. World quests, party quests, character quests, and more all provide narrative threads and opportunities to improve or earn some resources. While some of these categories start to blend together, there is never a shortage of requests to defeat a specific enemy, solve a puzzle in some mysterious ruins, or even change the world for the better. For the most part, these quests are hardly an inconvenience because, while some might seem to be randomly generated, they’re usually not too far off the beaten path, and the rewards are worth it, whether it’s money, a special resource, or even a stat upgrade or new ability. Putting the random quests aside, there are loads of narrative quests pertaining to specific settlements, people, and your own team, making Ryza and company feel like a vital part of the world.

Ultimately, much like one of Ryza’s alchemical recipes, there are a lot of great ingredients that went into creating Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key. The game may not look perfect, but there’s a lot of heart and fun to be found, and the ability to finetune new weapons, armor, and combat items to your exact needs is unmatched.

Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC on March 24, 2023.