Developed by Gust and produced by Koei Tecmo, Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key is the third installment and the apparent final adventure of the main character, Reisalin Stout, or Ryza as she is affectionately referred to.

Now I say this is the last Atelier Ryza, but there are twenty-four separate Atelier games over eight different series, and that does not even include the side games and remakes. I have not dabbled a lot in the Atelier series, unfortunately, but I have seen some of the characters from the Atelier Ryza games as DLC characters in Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV.

The third installment will bring back some old favorites and new characters, as well as a brand-new Key system. Luckily, for those like myself that have not played all of the Atelier games, or more specifically, the first two Ryza games, they have graciously added a recap movie that covers the events of the previous games so you can get up to speed. A great addition by Gust.

Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key begins with a bit of a combat tutorial, as the scouting mission you were on is attacked by monsters. Here, we are introduced to the first three main characters. Ryza, Tao, and Bos. A quick shout out to Bos as he has been in every game, but never as a playable character. After said combat tutorial, you return to your hometown on Kurken Islands, and once they return, they start to feel earthquakes.

Worried that the island core might be in danger, they go to investigate, calling on friends, Lent and Klaudia, who travel from the city to help. Discovering that mysterious islands that have randomly appeared near Kurken island are causing the tremors, after being asked to investigate, Ryza and her companions set off. However, with these islands’ sudden appearance, Ryza has been hearing a strange voice. A voice that instructs her on how to make a Key, but this simple object is not what it seems. It has strange abilities and some connection to the mystery islands. Ryza seems to always find her way into adventure or trouble, depending on how you look at it, and along the way to solving this latest mystery, the party will be joined by some new and old friends in this colorful and dangerous last adventure.

There is a lot to cover in gameplay, from combat to gathering, and item creation to map navigation, so strap in. We will start with combat, which is similar to the previous game. Circle for basic attacks, R1 for abilities, R2 and L2 to change characters, L1 to swap in characters, and change battle types from defense to offense, and triangle to guard, and then the new mechanic comes in. Pressing square brings up your useable item, healing, buffs, and bombs, and there are now L1 and R1 options. The L1 option lets you create keys that can be used outside battles, but also during combat, which is your R1 option. This buffs your character and allows them to attack more consistently. Battles can be pretty full-on as the characters you are not controlling won’t heal, use items, or guard at all. They just attack, so you will have to be constantly aware of their health and switch between each of them regularly, which can make fights seem very rushed.

As you move around the map, you can gather materials from bushes, rocks, trees, and flowers, among other things. You will be able to craft items to aid in gathering, like an axe, a hammer, a scythe, a fishing rod, and a bug catcher, and these items will change what you gather from certain objects. Some objects will specifically need one of these items to gather them, so creating these items is pivotal. The more materials you gather, the more things you can craft, and then you gain more SP, which you use to level up your skills, unlocking more recipes and improving the items you collect. Of course, some materials and items are quest locked, so moving through the story at a nice pace will allow you to keep it fresh.

Traversing the map will get easier once you create items that aren’t used for gathering, but instead, allow faster travel and let you reach new areas, such as the wind shoes that let you slide down hills at a great speed. Unfortunately, camera controls get thrown out the window while sliding, so make sure you are facing the way you want to be heading. The Emerald Ring lets you use an ethereal rope to get to higher ledges, and the summoning bell calls forth a mount, which as mounts do, gives faster movement, but you will lose the ability to jump and gather. There’s also an airbag that lets you dive into deep water, and I believe there is one more I am forgetting, but you will discover all of these for yourselves.

Synthesizing items and equipment is a steep but crucial learning curve, especially for new players. As I was powering through the game, I did not, at first, look too hard at what I was doing. This is a mistake. When creating any item, ingredients for an item, or piece of equipment, you can just hit R1 and it will give you the option to create it with the outcome being either the highest possible quality or the lowest. This is good to gain quick SP, or if you are using it as a throw away item to sell or give to someone. Doing the quick create option does not take effects, traits, and super effects into consideration, so you are not wasting traits on the wrong items and you’ll get the most out of the materials.

There are plenty of random companion quests to keep you occupied while traveling between the main quest line or just while farming materials, with some needing you to gather things in different areas. Luckily, when you travel to different areas and reach the monument or specific significant place, it will unlock the fast travel route. This comes in handy as you can fast travel from anywhere, so if your team is looking worse for wear, you can zip back to one of your Ateliers to rest, save, and create items and equipment, but the map isn’t my favorite thing. It shows the different regions and the areas in that region, but you don’t get an area map, only a mini-map or an enlarged mini-map. I just want a map I can open up and see what path I need to take to get to where I need to be.

Speaking of navigation, the landscapes of the different regions and areas are just so pretty. Each area is different and it will be hard to ever get tired of the views. I am also a huge fan of the art style. It is very anime-like, similar to Genshin Impact, though it’s probably more appropriate to say that Genshin’s art style is a lot like Ateliers. This style helps give it a playful and vibrant experience, with the cutscenes adding that bit of extra anime-style feel.

However, this is where both a positive and a negative come into it for me, and that’s the voice acting, which is amazing but completely in Japanese. Japanese voice actors are in another league. They bring a depth and a level of emotion that is hard for English voice actors to sell in my opinion, but in a game, I hate it. It is so hard to play and read subtitles at the same time, like, is what was said important? Because I was busy dodging monsters or reading something else. So that is my gripe and will only affect non-Japanese speakers.

This game has almost everything I love in a game. A fully engaging story, world lore, an open world, RPG systems, combat, farming, gathering, and crafting. The only thing it’s missing is building. You do build a hideout in a new region and can add rooms, but I would love a more customizable experience to make it more personal. Overall, this is a winner in my book, and it will be a game I will continue through with whatever spare time I can muster. I look forward to what story they will come up with next, and also look out for the anime of Atelier Ryza, which will be out in the summer releases.

Written by: Adam Brasher