All of this is presented via a dizzyingly complex crafting menu, and a skill-tree so vast I genuinely get lost in it sometimes.Īt first, I was daunted by it all, but I quickly realised that there is no wrong way to make stuff in AR2. It lets you transform ingredients you've gathered out in the world - like sardines, ore, and plants - into increasingly powerful items: anything from some healing beans, to a new staff. Against all odds, this large pot was what kept me coming back for more. I needed a big main antagonist to chase, or to run away from, or even just to cackle at me.īut now cut to Ryza's cauldron smashing through the door. But for newbies like me, the mystery surrounding Fi didn't compel me enough on its own to push forwards.
What this amounts to, though, is a lot of skimming text about how a big monster is shifting pieces behind the scenes of each particular dungeon, but never actually feeling under threat.įor those who've played the first AR, I'm sure the renewed camaraderie will keep you interested no matter what. Henceforth, you and the gang dungeon-crawl to figure out why this flying, mouse-yeti is so important. This little fella is the key to some stuff, or something. are joined by a melon-sized, squeaky creature called Fi. Don't get me started on the fanservice either, as the game (surfing a wave of memes about thicc thighs) employed plenty of dubious camera angles.Īfter a bit of chummy exploring, Ryza and co. Occasionally, I just wanted to shake anything other than a pre-packaged reply out of them. Ryza and her mates tick the trope boxes, with thoughts and actions that are all rather predictable. Even for an anime fan myself, it did get a bit much sometimes. Turns out the gang's hungry to explore the ruins around the capital, just like the good old days! Meanwhile I, having never played the first game, feel like an amnesiac at a school reunion.ĪR2 is, for lack of a better term, well anime. More mates join the crew later, including my personal favourite Clifford, the romantic cowboy. There's Tao, the intelligent one, Patty, the one who wields a sword twice her size, and Klaudia, the quiet archer. One sparkly thing leads to another, and soon Ryza's hugging old pals and reminiscing and planning new adventures. She wants to improve her alchemy skills, and decides the best place to do so is the mainland's capital city Ashra-am Baird. Set three years after the events of the first game, you play as Reisalin Stout (aka Ryza), an alchemist who lives on the idyllic Kurken Isle. I wouldn't say AR2's plot has anything to do with what's hooked me in, though. I have this urge to dig deeper and I can't stop myself. So complex, in fact, that I still don't truly understand how its turn-based combat or crafting works, but I want to play more anyway. And in the beginning, I found it difficult to cut through its cloying positivity.īut learn to accept AR2, or at least, Neo-swerve out the way of its sunshine and fanservice, and a surprisingly complex JRPG shoots to the fore. I'm talking about the sickly sweet variety, where a rush of wind blows through some cherry blossoms, a schoolgirl twirls to face the camera, and the power of friendship will always prevail. There's a lot to like here, if you can embrace the anime and dodge the fanservice.Ītelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy is a JRPG sequel that's unapologetically anime. Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy reviewĪn enjoyable JRPG with an big emphasis on crafting.
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