Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout
First Secret storyline entry; best-selling Atelier title.
Last updated
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout is a Japanese role-playing game developed by Gust that focuses on alchemy crafting.[1][2] The game follows a teenage tomboy named Ryza who dreams of escaping her village life and learns alchemy from an elderly magician.[3] The Atelier series' twenty-first main installment, this title also initiates the Secret storyline.[1]
Making and release
Artist Toridamono created Ryza's design, which attracted attention for its departure from the series' typical petite body types.[4] An anime television series adaptation aired from July 2 to September 17, 2023, animated by Liden Films and directed by Ema Yuzuhira.[5][6] This DX version includes new playable characters Agatha, Kilo, and Romy.[7] North America saw its release on October 29, 2019, with Europe following on November 1, 2019.[1][3]
During a 2025 interview, producer Junzo Hosoi explained that Ryza's design was shaped by Japan's economic recession, noting a tendency for people to prefer "voluptuous body types" in difficult economic periods.[8][4] On November 13, 2025, an enhanced edition called Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout DX launched as a component of the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack.[9][7]
What the cited sources add
He noted that the alchemy system lacks the depth of previous titles but offers a streamlined experience for newcomers.[10] The same release described an evolved synthesis system that allows players to understand alchemy effects visually and gather items using various tools.[3] With 500,000 copies sold, this title became the highest-selling game in the series at that point.[11]
References
- Wikipedia, "Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Vitale, "Atelier Ryza releases October 29 in North America, November 1 in Europe; New Characters Introduced", RPG Site, June 27, 2019 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: O'Reilly, "Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout - The Atelier Franchise Finally Goes Mainstream", Nintendo Life, 2019-11-02; Koopman, "Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout Review - Review", Nintendo World Report (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Vitale, "Atelier Ryza releases October 29 in North America, November 1 in Europe; New Characters Introduced", RPG Site, June 27, 2019. facts only, no text reused. rpgsite.net
- V, "Atelier Ryza's famous thick thighs were influenced by Japan's economic recession, according to series' producer", Automaton, 2025-03-10. facts only, no text reused. automaton-media.com
- Wikipedia, "Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Loo, "Atelier Ryza RPG Gets TV Anime This Summer", Anime News Network, March 19, 2023 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Loo, "Atelier Ryza RPG Gets TV Anime This Summer", Anime News Network, March 19, 2023. facts only, no text reused. animenewsnetwork.com
- Mateo, "Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack Game Bundle Launches on November 13", Anime News Network, August 4, 2025. facts only, no text reused. animenewsnetwork.com
- Wikipedia, "Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Makar, "We all know thick thighs save lives, but they also do well during recession depression, according to Atelier Yumia producer", VG247, 2025-03-12; V, "Atelier Ryza's famous thick thighs were influenced by Japan's economic recession, according to series' producer", Automaton, 2025-03-10 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mateo, "Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack Game Bundle Launches on November 13", Anime News Network, August 4, 2025 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Koopman, "Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout Review - Review", Nintendo World Report. facts only, no text reused. nintendoworldreport.com
- Wikipedia, "Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: SATO, "Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout Reaches 500,000 in Shipments and Digital Sales", Siliconera, August 26, 2020; "Ryza's Adventure Reaches Its Finale With Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key", IGN.com, 14 September 2022; Romano, "Atelier Ryza series shipments top 1.6 million", Gematsu, March 17, 2023; Romano, "Atelier Ryza series shipments top two million", Gematsu, June 27, 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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