Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key

90%
Game Brain Score Based on 440 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key Game Cover
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"Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key" is an RPG where players follow the adventures of Ryza and her friends as they uncover the secrets of a mysterious key. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes the main game, additional costumes, and a gem pack for item duplication and rebuilding. Early purchases also receive a summer-themed costume set.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

90%
Audience ScoreBased on 440 reviews
story61 positive mentions
grinding18 negative mentions
  • The game features a massive open world with seamless transitions between areas, allowing for extensive exploration without loading screens.
  • The crafting system has been significantly improved, introducing new mechanics like secret keys and super traits that enhance gameplay depth.
  • Character interactions and nostalgia from previous games provide a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, with returning characters and their development being a highlight.
  • The story feels rushed and lacks depth, often relying on callbacks to previous games without providing a strong narrative on its own.
  • Localization issues are prevalent, with awkward translations and grammatical errors that detract from the overall experience.
  • The combat can feel trivial and unchallenging, especially with the ability to create overpowered items early in the game, leading to a lack of engagement.
  • story281 mentions

    The story of "Atelier Ryza 3" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while it effectively ties up plot threads from the previous games, it suffers from pacing issues and a reliance on past narratives, leading to a feeling of rushed or convoluted storytelling. Critics have pointed out that the open-world design, while expansive, often feels empty and distracts from the main plot, with numerous side quests that can detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciated the character development and the conclusion of the trilogy, finding it a satisfying end to Ryza's journey, though many recommend playing the earlier titles for full context.

    • “The story is a perfect way to finish the Ryza trilogy.”
    • “The story linked up the first two games and finally gave a conclusion to every problem left in the prequels.”
    • “Overall, it's very pretty and the story has been engaging!”
    • “However, in Ryza 3, the plot seems rushed.”
    • “The story is so much better than Ryza 2, and tied up everyone's storyline nicely.”
    • “The story serves as a pretext to reunite the main characters and send them on a new adventure, but really lacks the same sense of urgency or consequence the previous games had.”
  • gameplay109 mentions

    The gameplay in "Ryza 3" has been generally well-received, with many praising the introduction of new mechanics like the secret keys and link morphs that enhance crafting, exploration, and combat. While the core gameplay loop of gathering and synthesizing remains addictive, some players feel that the overall challenge is lacking, making combat feel too easy even at higher difficulty levels. Despite some criticisms regarding pacing and story integration, the game is considered a solid mechanical improvement over its predecessors, appealing primarily to fans of the series.

    • “The crafting system in the whole Ryza series was already fun and addictive, and they keep upgrading the system with new mechanics each game!”
    • “The main new mechanic in Ryza 3 is the key creation system; you can create these keys in combat from weakened enemies or from fast travel locations.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics are addicting, allowing players to create powerful bombs and healing items early on if they know how.”
    • “I tried looking back at the first two games to see if I was just getting more familiar with the mechanics, but nope, those games still had a reasonable difficulty curve unlike this game, which is virtually nonexistent two hours in.”
    • “As for the rest of the gameplay, most fights were too easy, even on the highest difficulty available for a first playthrough.”
    • “Gameplay has been refined to new heights, but a disappointing lack of character development and a nothingburger of a story make this one less than the sum of its parts.”
  • graphics37 mentions

    The graphics in the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals and character models as significant improvements over previous installments. However, some players noted technical issues and a feeling that certain aspects, like shaders and animations, fell short compared to earlier titles. Overall, while the graphics are considered beautiful and a highlight of the game, they are not without their flaws, and some players feel the series still has room for improvement.

    • “The game's graphics are absolutely stunning, with character models that have evolved beautifully from Ryza 1 to 3.”
    • “For the pros, the graphics are amazing; this is the game's biggest strength.”
    • “It's as charming story-wise as the other two, but the graphics, including the character models, are the best in the series.”
    • “The graphics glitz out every now and then.”
    • “Something about the art style of this game felt worse, telling myself 'I remember Ryza 2 looking better than this' when I launched it for the first time.”
    • “It's like they felt the need to upgrade all the animations, graphics, battle system, and UI, but made almost all of them worse.”
  • music36 mentions

    The music in "Ryza 3" has received mixed reviews, with many praising its charm and suitability to various game situations, while others noted issues with volume balance during combat and a lack of memorable tracks compared to previous entries. The soundtrack features a blend of returning favorites and new compositions, though some players felt it lacked the impact of earlier games due to a change in composers. Overall, while the music enhances the game's atmosphere, it may not reach the heights of its predecessors for some players.

    • “The soundtrack keeps to the standard of the second game and the combat remains a bit more involved than the first game.”
    • “The music is beautiful, though not always particularly memorable.”
    • “The combat is so clean and smooth, it's always so satisfying, the world is seamlessly connected without you needing to keep loading every area, and there is barely any loading time in the game; the soundtrack is also beautiful and pleasant to listen to, and it is all so fitting to Ryza's world!”
    • “Not being able to comfortably listen to the music without risking my eardrums thanks to too loud sound effects and battle music makes me ultimately not give it as high a score as the other Ryza games.”
    • “And this accounts for everything from the underwhelming and forgettable soundtrack (aside from a few select tracks) to the annoying quests that this game tries to shove into your face to try to divert your attention away from the main plot, until it turns into a massive, jumbled mess.”
    • “Not a big fan of the new ATB combat system and alchemy system; the storyline and soundtrack are also really weak compared to the other trilogies.”
  • grinding18 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, with many fetch quests and a lack of meaningful rewards for farming. The world is large but cumbersome to navigate, making material collection a chore, while enemy scaling diminishes the satisfaction of outleveling foes. Although some enjoy the alchemy and quality of life improvements, the overall experience is marred by a sense of monotony and a reliance on grinding for progression.

    • “The primary con is that this game is absurdly grindy, whether you start abusive alchemy loops early on or not.”
    • “This issue is compounded by the sheer size of the world, because while it's really cool that the world is so big and all, it's just that much more tedious and difficult to find the materials you want to find.”
    • “So finding a key feature you want or need becomes a chore in itself, and grinding for SP is much slower this time around as crafting rewards a lot less SP than before, and much more is required to unlock things.”
  • character development14 mentions

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players praise the depth and evolution of certain characters, particularly Bos, others express disappointment in the overall lack of meaningful growth and missed opportunities for character arcs. Despite strong graphics and engaging gameplay, several reviews highlight that much of the character development feels stagnant or was better explored in previous installments. Overall, the game offers enjoyable character interactions but falls short in delivering substantial development for its cast.

    • “There's some outstanding character development in the game.”
    • “I enjoyed the story, the character development, and the splendid 3D worlds to run around in.”
    • “I was satisfied with the plot and writing (lots of great character skits and character development).”
    • “If you are here for the character development, there is none.”
    • “I don’t want to post spoilers here, but there were some character developments I was expecting to happen that just felt right and natural, that at the end of it all just… didn’t happen.”
    • “Gameplay has been refined to new heights, but a disappointing lack of character development and nothingburger of a story make this one less than the sum of its parts.”
  • optimization13 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game shows mixed results. While graphics and performance have improved with each installment, some users report significant performance issues, particularly on the Steam Deck, where stuttering and poor performance with the overlay are common. However, on high-end PCs, the game runs smoothly at high settings, achieving solid frame rates, indicating that optimization may vary significantly across different platforms.

    • “The graphics and performance continue to get better with every installment.”
    • “For the PC performance, despite an open world rendering, it still performs 30 fps and above for an open world game.”
    • “In stark contrast to Ryza 2, and especially to Ryza 1, Ryza 3 runs smoothly on PC out of the box with no third-party software or gamepad required.”
    • “The game has pretty hefty performance flaws and a lack of optimization, which is probably the early adopter tax; however, Koei-Tecmo don't have a great track record of fixing things post-release.”
    • “Performance with the Steam overlay on is dreadful for some reason and screenshots break.”
    • “Initially, I gave this game a negative review because I was disappointed with how poorly it was optimized for Steam Deck.”
  • emotional11 mentions

    The emotional aspect of "Atelier Ryza 3" is characterized by its wholesome and heartwarming narrative, focusing on the growth of rebellious kids into dependable adults, which evokes feelings of nostalgia and pride. While some players felt a lack of immediate emotional engagement, the conclusion of the trilogy and the development of beloved characters provided a satisfying and touching experience, making it a recommended play for fans of the series. Overall, the game successfully blends humor, cuteness, and emotional depth, culminating in a finale that resonates with players.

    • “The story is about a group of rebellious kids who grow up to be dependable adults. Sometimes it can give players a feeling of jealousy about what they achieved, but if you look at them like a parent would, it is strangely heartwarming.”
    • “I cried for the finale.”
    • “It's heartwarming to see their younger selves next to their older selves, and it's even more affecting knowing that this is their last adventure.”
  • atmosphere9 mentions

    The atmosphere in Ryza 3 is generally described as relaxing and enjoyable, blending elements from previous titles in the series while maintaining a slightly melancholic tone fitting for a "final adventure." While the music design is praised for enhancing the experience, some reviewers note that the transitions between different environments could be improved. Overall, the game offers a chill atmosphere that encourages exploration and enjoyment.

    • “I love the atmosphere of these games, and this game makes me feel really relaxed.”
    • “Fun adventure, relaxing atmosphere, and a wonderful world full of exploration.”
    • “Even so, Ryza 3 still retains what I love: music, synthesis, and a laid-back atmosphere.”
    • “I think Ryza 3 does only a 'good enough' job when it comes to setting up the slightly melancholic atmosphere of a 'final adventure'.”
    • “In contrast to the plain atmosphere transitions between fields, the music changes were great... it is customary for this series to have music design that far outpaces the actual atmosphere.”
    • “The stakes are not as high as other games and the atmosphere is pretty chill overall.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as cute and funny, contributing to a wholesome experience that enhances the overall enjoyment. Players appreciate the engaging characters and clever design choices, such as the minimalist UI juxtaposed with a quest list, which adds a layer of humor to the gameplay. Overall, the humor is seen as a strong point that complements the game's open-world exploration and crafting mechanics.

    • “Very cute and funny.”
    • “Wholesome, cute, funny, and it takes care of a lot of things that were in the air since the first game.”
    • “It's kinda funny that they went for the minimalist UI when the right side of the screen now has a quest list.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    While the introduction of more playable characters in Ryza 3 enhances its replayability, many players feel that the game's mechanics, such as overpowered alchemy and lack of meaningful difficulty, significantly diminish the incentive to replay, resulting in a lack of endgame content.

    • “There are more playable characters than ever, which adds a fresh twist to each playthrough.”
    • “The replayability factor is incredible, with multiple story paths and endings to explore.”
    • “Each character offers a unique gameplay experience, making you want to dive back in for more.”
    • “On the negative side of things, Ryza 3 suffers in the same way the previous games do: alchemy in battle is absurdly powerful, alchemy crafting is broken with a few choice perks, difficulty is near meaningless, and there is no replayability, with nearly no endgame.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users report excellent stability, noting zero issues with crashes, bugs, or glitches.

  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is perceived positively, as players appreciate the expansive open maps that exceed expectations set by promotional materials, suggesting a value for the price paid.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

78% average critic score

Buy Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key

Play time

19hMedian play time
19hAverage play time
19-19hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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