With a little over a month left until the Western release of Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout, Atelier fans are eager to get their hands on the latest game in the franchise. As a fan myself, I feel as though the series has come into a sort of Renaissance over the past few years, and is just getting better and better as time goes on. Now, publisher Koei Tecmo has revealed a new narrative trailer, as well as more details on what fans can expect. 

The premise of Atelier Ryza is likely to be in line with past Atelier titles, however, here is what the press release states about the game and new features involved in the upcoming release. “As Ryza, the budding alchemist, and her mischievous group of friends set out in search for adventure, they will be faced with a wealth of challenges to overcome. A series of circumstances leads the group into the depths of the mysterious Sunken Mine, a deep and dark dried-up environment that is home to something potentially evil — a gate leading to another world.

To prepare for their harrowing journey; to save their homeland from whatever is lurking in this far off land, the adventurers create a secret hideout as their new base of operations. As a budding young alchemist, Ryza will have to ensure she diligently practices synthesizing between her travels — the higher her alchemy level the more useful her items will be for future adventures. In addition, players will also able to use the exciting new Gathering Synthesis system from the hideout to create new lands to explore; they can use Forging to create new weaponry perfect for tougher foes; and Item Duplication, to easily craft a variety of consumable items for their journey.” 

The press release then goes on to discuss more about the Secret Hideout that Ryza and her allies will be using, stating, “Since Ryza’s Secret Hideout would not be complete without personalization, players will be able to customize their hideout to reflect their own personality through using various items found while exploring the multiple worlds. Ryza and her team will be able to increase their stats depending on how the base is remodeled, and the gathered items can be utilized strategically to grant useful stat boosts on the field during battle. These Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout features will unlock as players experience more of the game’s gripping narrative, quests, and magical lands.”

More details were provided in the narrative trailer, as well as a series of screenshots released by Koei Tecmo alongside the trailer. Personally, I like that this Atelier game seems to have a more mature plot than some of the others, though I am very curious as to how the more lighthearted parts of the Atelier series will mesh with this new tone and plot. 

We don’t have much longer to wait for Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout, since it is releasing on October 29th, 2019. I for one am very excited, and you can bet we’ll have a full review and coverage for the game once we can get our hands on it. Stay tuned for that, and keep an eye out for this next game in the Atelier franchise. 

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