Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key Review (Molotov Zav)
I've played every Atelier release on PC, I guess you could say I'm a fan of the series. I started with the Arland series and from there became a tad addicted. That being said Atelier Ryza and its sequel 2 were good. They were big improvements on the franchise and all its mechanics in general (also add in Sophie 2). Ryza 3 blows those games out of the water. Like I said if Ryza 1, 2 and Sophie 2 were good, this game is great.
Its the first atelier game in a long time I didn't feel too overpowered for the enemies just by crafting good gear and weapons right off the bat. Enemy balance feels better where you can definitely break the game and be overpowered but you're not just steam rolling everything in its path and waiting to start a new game+ like previous titles. Link morph is an awesome addition to the synthesis system and felt like a way to get more involved with elements and traits like the Sophie 2 system but without the cumbersome puzzle mechanic.
The story is even better. Especially with the icons around to really show you where to have little events with party members. Inclusion of quests to show you the culture of the area were also a nice touch. I'm not the biggest fan of the randomized quests which pop up, but they aren't killing the game for me.
Overall this is the best game in the Ryza series and a great way to end the story.