Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy keeps close to everything that made the original Atelier Ryza such a wonderful game to begin with, while also finding ways to build upon those ideas. Sometimes that means little tweaks to fine-tune systems that were already excellent to start with, and other times that means bringing in a whole new Atelier riff on a Tomb Raider-style archaeological adventure. Most of all, it’s a chance to spend a few dozen more hours with Atelier‘s most loveable heroine and her merry band, enjoying those quiet, personal moments as much as the big adventures—that’s what Atelier does best, and what Atelier Ryza 2 does best of all.

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is a fantastic JRPG. Whether you’re a returning fan or a first-time player, it’s an excellent jumping-off point into the franchise. As a first-time series player myself, Ryza 2 was quite a pleasant surprise and one that I find myself continuously drawn into.

This sequel brings back Ryza and her friends in a new adventure which stands out by aspects like the combat system and new alchemy features along with an interesting story.

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy is a brilliant sequel that expands upon everything that made the original great, while forging a path forward that can be further expanded upon in the trilogy's final chapter.

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy overshadows its monotonous alchemy system with a fitting combination of charm, exploration, and a dynamic, living world.

Atelier Ryza 2 is satisfied to offer more of the same gameplay from the first title, with marginal improvements over the game published last year. It's still a good JRPG but, unlike its predecessor, plays it a little too safe.

There are some truly great parts in this game. Some of the exploration parts were really well done with the backgrounds and environment. The problem with the game overall is each system is fine enough on its own, but does not tie together in a coherent fashion. The alchemy is a little too involved for every single item, the exploration gives far too many items to actually want to sort through, and the battle system has too many small nit-picks to stop it from being great. The story is weighed down by too many trivial plots and it just lacks that 'cool' aspect others of the series like Dusk or Mana Khemia had.