Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is a game in which you are an alchemist exploring the Royal Capital of Ashra-am Baird for materials that not only help Ryza’s studies but also help her unravel a secret.
Naturally, it makes sense that the world would be filled to the brim with incredible areas for the player to poke around in, and that sentiment rings true throughout Ryza’s journey. Many times the world goes beyond just being a backdrop for the narrative. It acts as a living, breathing world that begs the player to explore it and adds to the overall story helping sell moments and immerse the player.
10 Crystal Cave Of Oblivion
Although there isn’t a lot going on in the Crystal Cave of Oblivion, its scenery is phenomenal, considering it’s an entirely optional area.
The cave is a relatively small area but contains a Boulder Shoulder enemy and two chests that contain Golem Cores and Giant claws, which can be useful to Ryza and her alchemy. This location is fantastic because of its striking aesthetic and how isolated it is from the rest of the world.
9 Thirsty Wastelands
The Thirsty Wastelands is one of the last areas you will discover in Atelier Ryza 2, but it is an incredible one that should be explored to its fullest.
With towering mushrooms sprawled out through the open fields and spaced out crystals glowing on the ground, this place can be truly beautiful. There are also an abundance of materials to collect here and many enemies to take on as well. The Thirsty Wastelands is an essential location for Ryza and her studies.
8 Sand Beast’s Den
There are a handful of optional areas to explore in Atelier Ryza 2, and all of them are worth exploring for the materials and enemy encounters.
The Sand Beast’s Den is located through a hidden pathway in the Red Cliffs and houses many landmarks and a large Sandstorm Tyrant. You can also gather a hefty amount of materials here and take in lovely scenery as well.
7 Ryza’s Atelier
This may seem silly, but Ryza’s apartment is truly amazing and deserves to be on this list, especially when you will spend most of your time within her atelier.
Ryza’s apartment is cozy and welcoming the moment you get it, and it’s where she puts her skills to work with her alchemy. However, what makes this place so remarkable is the customization options for the apartment. You can change the walls, floors, and even set decorations to liven the home up. You can do quite a lot with the atelier, which you should take advantage of since decorations can give you specific boosts for you and your party.
6 Water Spirit’s Sanctuary
Much like the Crystal Cave of Oblivion, the Water Spirit’s Sanctuary is also a completely optional area with not all that much going on within it.
However, this area is pretty significant in size and has a few landmarks and materials. There’s an incredible mushroom cave that pops in color as the cave’s rocky walls contrast it. There’s a sizeable Eternal Sculpture enemy within the sanctuary that can also drop valuable materials. This place isn’t exciting in combat encounters, but it’s an incredibly cool optional area that rewards the player for finding it.
5 Fire People’s Village
About midway through Ryza’s journey, you will head to the Ancient Mana Workshop, where you will then come across the Fire People’s Village.
The Fire People’s Village is stunning and offers a copious amount of enemies and materials to collect. There are trees covered in bright yellow lights and housing structures that really add to the world’s design and suck you in throughout the village. The Fire People’s Village does a great job at inviting the player in and making them want to explore it.
4 Phantasm Forest
The Phantasm Forest is the fifth ruin you explore in Atelier Ryza 2, and it is an entirely different beast compared to the previous four.
In the Phantasm Forest, the ruin is covered in a large, dense forest and is filled with materials to find and enemies to fight. The forest is dark and sometimes gloomy looking, but they do a great job adding in splashes of purple fog and bright flowers that make the forest look magical. It may not be the most welcoming place in Atelier Ryza 2. Still, it’s certainly a mysterious one that looks incredible from when you enter to when you finally make your exit.
3 Flowerpatch Cape
The Flowerpatch Cape is another optional area in Atelier Ryza 2 with not a ton going on in it. But the scenery more than makes up for it.
There’s a giant Cloud Liner enemy, a landmark, and a chest in the Flowerpatch Cape, and a handful of materials you can gather outside of the enemy encounter and the chest. But what makes this area so special is the beautiful skyline and the lush green grass, tall trees, and arched stone wall in the middle of the site.
2 Lonely Residence
The Lonely Residence resides in the game’s final ruin and offers one of the most beautiful sceneries in the entire game.
What makes this ruin particularly striking is its use of colors and how well everything works together. With the dark tiled floor and the gray stone walls, you will see bright yellow splashes contrasting the dark patterns due to the glowing crystals around the residence. There are also formidable enemies within the Lonely Residence and a ton of valuable materials to collect. As mentioned previously, this is the final ruin of the game so make sure to bring your A-game to this residence!
1 Sunken City Of Stars
There are many gorgeous sceneries to stumble upon in Atelier Ryza 2, but the Sunken City of Stars is drop-dead beautiful.
Everything about the Sunken City of Stars is striking and pretty. The use of lighting, the green bushes and trees, the music, and the splash of light emanating from crystals and insects all make this place breathtaking. It’s so incredible that you may never want to leave it once you step foot into it, and no one would blame you. Luckily, there’s a lot to do here in terms of advancing the story and gathering materials, and there are also enemies you can battle here as well. The Sunken City of Stars quite literally has it all and should be explored and lived in.
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