Gust reveals Atelier Ryza for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam
Update (May 28)
Gust has opened the official Japanese website for Atelier Ryza, giving us our first direct screenshots for the game. These can be found in the gallery.
Original (May 27)
Koei Tecmo's Gust has revealed their newest project, which they teased with a trailer last week, through Japanese magazines Weekly Famitsu and Dengeki PlayStation. This project is none other than the newest title in Gust's long-running Atelier series, Atelier Ryza: The Queen of Everlasting Darkness and The Secret Hideout. It will be first released for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in Japan in Fall 2019, with a PC/Steam version confirmed for a later timeframe.
This game is being worked on by Gust's Nagano studio, led by Junzo Hosoi as the sole producer. The scenario is being written in tandem by Gust and Yashichiro Takahashi; the latter of which is also famous for writing Shakugan no Shana, while the characters are being designed by Toridamono. Hosoi also confirmed in an interview with Dengeki that project planning for this game started at around the same time the development for Atelier Lulua began, and the full development for Atelier Ryza started around July 2018.
Atelier Ryza will tell the story of Reisalin "Ryza" Stout as she embarks on a journey with her friends. As for the gameplay systems, producer Hosoi acknowledged in the interview that when they received feedback on previous games including Atelier Lulua, some of the users complained about using the same system over and over again. So the team has resolved to totally revamp the game.
Although the foundation triangle of Battle, Synthesis, and Foraging doesn't change, there will be a lot of overhauls in each of them. Atelier Ryza will have a brand-new Battle system that's going to feel more aggressive with more tension, and there will also be a new system which shows bonds between characters. The Synthesis system has a new feature based on the keyword "Create", seemingly incorporating a skill tree-like grid that will let players experience the fun of creating things. And Foraging on the same spot will yield different items depending on the tool used, such as a hammer or an axe.
