Considering the tease from a few days ago, this is hardly surprising, but Koei Tecmo officially announced the western release of Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout.
Incidentally, that’s the official translation of the title, which in Japanese sounds like Atelier Ryza: The Queen of Everlasting Darkness and the Secret Hideaway.
What is perhaps a bit more surprising is that we actually get an official release date right off the bat instead of the usual “coming soon,”, with the game launching in North America on October 29 and in Europe on November 1 for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
That’s a rather fast turnaround following the Japanese release date on September 26.
The press release came with a description talking about the story and features.
“Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout begins an all-new storyline arc in GUST Studios’ fan-favourite Atelier series. The beautiful role-playing game follows the exploits of teenage tomboy Ryza, who dreams of escaping her mundane village lifestyle alongside her band of mischievous friends. One day, as they explore a forbidden island in search of adventure, they meet an elderly magician who will change their lives forever. After some convincing, the old man begins teaching Ryza the enchanting ways of alchemy, launching her on an adventure that will ultimately lead her on a quest to save her hometown from the mysterious and deadly darkness lurking beneath the surface.
In order to showcase the vibrant environments surrounding Ryza, GUST Studios instituted more realistic shadows, giving birth to a world that feels more expansive and filled with life. In addition, the fantastical depictions of the game’s colourful characters continue, pushing the series forward with a mix of both new and familiar visual sparkle.
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout also introduces RPG fans to an all-new evolved synthesis program that enables alchemists to better understand the effects of synthesis visually. Additionally, the system allows everyone to not only enjoy the experience of developing recipes, but the ability to use the innovative creation system to gather items in the field using various tools — different tools uncover different items at the same location — before crafting unique items never before seen in the series.”
Alongside the description, we also get a batch of screenshots, artwork, and the box art, which you can enjoy below.
If you want to see more of Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout, you can also enjoy the first video and some more images from yesterday’s issue of Famitsu.
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