Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe review: A welcome reunion with the homies

Here at Shacknews, I’ve talked about Atelier a few times. GUST and Koei Tecmo’s item synthesis and cozy vibes RPG series has seen many ups and downs over the past few decades. If you’ve read my previous reviews, you might have a skewed perspective, as the most recent outing was a big down, and the one before that was, excuse the cliché, a mixed bag. But dial the clock back a bit more, and you find the current peak of the Atelier mountain: Ryza.

## Ryza: The Peak of Atelier

This time, we get to talk about Ryza — a true banger. Atelier games typically come in loose trilogies, usually tied together by a theme, a location, or very rarely, an actual character. Ryza, which started in 2017 with *Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout*, ended up being a whole set of direct sequels — a rare move for the series.

That’s because Ryza was such a hit, especially thanks to the debuting Nintendo Switch that year and a craze for physical copies that were constantly selling out. The series broke containment in a way GUST didn’t seem to be expecting.

You can trace that success not only to how the series evolves in the Ryza trilogy but also to how *Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout* was such a massive expansion in scope. Its direct sequels didn’t hit quite as hard (though they did quite well), which is more a testament to how the Ryza trilogy found its footing and dug in, capturing lightning in a bottle and nourishing it across two sequels in a way few series can, especially in a niche where resources are inherently limited.

## Why Ryza Works

It’s a little tough to quantify what’s so great about the Ryza series. A certain sect of the fanbase will say, “thighs,” which is valid, I guess, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

Ryza herself is a character with compelling energy in a series where most Atelier protagonists are a little more quaint and low-energy. Ryza is a go-getter who accidentally stumbles into alchemy as a side effect of a desperate want for adventure, and that’s a fun dynamic for a “cozy” game.

Meanwhile, the trilogy itself is an excellent use case for what a trilogy can be from a storytelling perspective. You can feel the passage of time — from how these characters’ lives develop, to their relationships with each other, and even the spaces they live in.

It hits differently if you binge the trilogy out rather than wait the years between each release. There’s still an emotional weight when, in the third game, you retrace your steps and join the team in reminiscing about the past.

## Evolution of Gameplay

With so much change and evolution in gameplay systems, there’s a transformative wonder in how differently you interact with these spaces over time. It’s like going back home after moving away, mentally tracking how different everything is, and processing the emotions those differences stir.

It’s good stuff, on top of the usual Atelier staples such as grinding numbers, bopping cute enemies with a creative and evolving combat system, and growing from making weak, crappy items to synthesizing a cartoony-ass bomb that could probably level a building.

These are special games, and I’d suggest anyone into RPGs but unsure where to start with Atelier to jump in here. Just be prepared to keep chasing that high for now, as GUST is still figuring that out.

## What’s “Deluxe” About It?

Another tradition in Atelier is the DX branding. After a series wraps up, GUST returns with re-releases that make tweaks, add additional content, collect DLC for free, and let players snag a whole trilogy at a discount.

This was great for collectors, especially within the growing Switch community, because you could import physical copies of the Dusk and mysterious trilogies — getting a whole set of games on one cart that included English options and extras.

Now it’s Ryza’s turn.

Like before, you can catch up on the Ryza trilogy if you missed them before — at a lower price point and with additional features such as new story content, new playable characters, secret bosses, and more. It’s a great deal, even for fans willing to double dip.

## A Generation-Spanning Release

This release also happens at a weird intersection of console generations — between the first Ryza and its sequels, and with Nintendo’s new hardware after as well.

Being a smaller developer, GUST is known for fun, breezy, and beautiful games, but not for top-tier fidelity and performance. The Ryza DX series came with a unique opportunity, especially for the first game.

The end result depends on your platform of choice, though, and I’ve come away from playing on the Switch 2 with a tinge of disappointment. It’s not terrible, but there’s a gut feeling things could have been better — and sadly, that expectation wasn’t met.

## FPS Dreams, Shattered

*Atelier Ryza 1* runs beautifully on PlayStation 5. Having a classic Atelier game that looks this good and runs smoothly is a wonderful thing, and a great excuse to upgrade from the PS4 version without a doubt.

On the Switch 2, however, you’re locked at 30 frames per second.

The tradeoff? The game runs with more muscle in lighting and reflections than the original Switch version. It clearly runs at 1080p in handheld mode and keeps that locked 30 fps without breaking a sweat.

So, it looks amazing and doesn’t suffer from the weird jitters that recent ports like *Persona 3 Reload* have.

But as a game with hybridized real-time elements in its turn-based combat system, that higher frame rate on PlayStation is very noticeable. It’s a bummer there’s no option to choose performance over visuals, especially considering the Switch 1 version is playable and runs smoothly at 30 fps on Switch 2 as well.

Performance concerns are less of a factor for Ryza 2 and 3, which were already released for PS5 and were finicky there to begin with. For example, the PS5 version of Ryza 2 can run at 60 fps in performance mode, but only if you manually limit resolution output in the console UI.

Having both run at a smooth 30 fps on Switch 2 is a welcome outcome — expecting 60 fps there would have been foolish.

## Looking Back and Moving Forward

Overall, revisiting the trilogy is a fun exercise in tracking change across hardware generations, managing expectations, and appreciating what each version offers.

Ryza 1 is the only bummer part — but even then, it’s still an improvement.

Hopefully, over time, we can have more stable expectations for Nintendo Switch 2 ports. As of now, it still feels like the Wild West.

And don’t get me started on the physical edition — that’s a whole other issue, and not as relevant to this review.

## Final Thoughts

Ultimately, the *Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe* series is a treat for fans and a brilliant entry point for newcomers who want to experience the best Atelier currently has to offer.

It’s a perfect way to try Atelier for the first time — especially since you don’t have to buy the whole trilogy upfront if you don’t want to.

Between the new content and upgrades, it’s an excellent deal. Even if the Switch 2 version isn’t the perfect edition I had in mind, it’s still a great chunk of RPG goodness for the new console.

Regardless of platform, Ryza’s three-part adventure was a big deal the first time around — and the DX version only reinforces that.

—

**The Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack**
Available November 13, 2025
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4 & 5, Nintendo Switch & Switch 2

*A Switch 2 code was provided by the publisher for this review.*
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146782/atelier-ryza-secret-trilogy-deluxe-review-score

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