[Entrevista] GUST on Atelier Ryza 3 and the big anniversary of the series

Like every year, today we bring you a new very special interview with the Gust teamregards of the atelier franchisewhich return to the fray with a new long-awaited delivery.

Thanks to the friends of Plaion y Koei Tecmowe were able to speak with Junzo Hosoiproducer and head of the studio, as well as with Shinichi Abikodirector of this new installment that is Atelier Ryza 3. Thus, we have spoken with them about this title, as well as about franchise anniversary and the bright future that lies ahead.

You can take a look at everything next:

The Atelier series has recently celebrated its 25th anniversary: ​​time flies! How are the celebrations going?

We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on it, but we still have some new titles we’re working on, so we haven’t been able to enjoy it yet, as we’ve had some very busy days at the office!

What do you think is the secret why the Atelier series is so well received by fans?

Everyone thinks that the character designs are probably part of the success, and especially with GUST, a lot of the character designs have a lot of buzz, especially in Japan, but sometimes the games don’t sell that well. In this case, however, the design and the gameplay mesh very well, and I think we were able to grab people’s attention and hearts with this, so I think that’s the secret to success.

How does GUST manage to maintain such a steady pace of Atelier game releases each year?

The team itself has been growing and working together for some time now, so I think our ability to work together and build games well has helped us do that. From a development standpoint, I think we’ve been able to get into a pretty good flow of making the games.

I know it’s hard to choose between the games in the series, but which one is your favorite?

It would probably be the first Ryza, although it depends on what position I was in for the game. For example, the first game I was involved with as a producer was Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists of the Mysterious Paintings, but in terms of being able to start a series from scratch, that was the Secret series for me, so I have a lot of memories. and strong feelings towards her. When I joined GUST and started working on promotion and marketing, Mana Khemia was the first game I worked on, so I have very good memories. Atelier Rorona was also the first game where I did a lot of promotion… so it’s really hard to pick just one game. Although, I suppose speaking as a developer and being able to start something from scratch, I think my answer would be Atelier Ryza.

You have recently released games from the Arland, Dusk and Mysterious series for modern consoles, are there any plans to do the same for more classic Atelier series like Salburg, Gramnad or Mana Khemia?

It is something that we will continue to consider, so maybe we will have news in the future.

Could you tell us a bit about what we can expect from the next game in the franchise, Atelier Ryza 3?

We definitely want everyone to pay attention to the key system for this game. Keys can be earned within the world – through exploration – and they can also be obtained in battle, so you can receive them in many different ways. Keys can be used in exploration, battles, and synthesis, which are the mainstays of the series, so I think players will really enjoy it. Each of these keys has unique effects, so being able to collect them all and use them can make for some very exciting gameplay. One of the most important things is to go out into the game world, collect the keys and use them in different ways. We hope that players feel like doing it.

We have already seen in the past how the series has moved away from RPGs with Sophie in Musou Stars or with Nelke and her resource management game. What do you think the next Atelier spin-off will be like, maybe a fighting game?

It’s probably not a fighting game that we want to do, although we’re looking at different genres and styles that we’d like to try. Something we are paying attention to is crafting games…

How would you like the next 25 years of Atelier to be?

25 years from now, I hope it will be the number 1 RPG series!

Finally, do you have any message for fans of the series in Europe?

We’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Atelier series, so thanks for helping us get there! Thanks to the Atelier Ryza series, a lot of people have played it, so we hope that Atelier Ryza 3 will encourage more people to pick up the series. We have made sure that it is a game of great quality and caliber. With the series itself, and with Ryza, we’re trying to expand and improve the games to reach more people. We hope that everyone will be aware of what we have prepared, and we hope that you will continue to support us.

Thank you very much for your time!

And to you, remind you that Atelier Ryza 3 the next one comes February 24th to Nintendo Switch, don’t miss the conclusion of the journey of the most beloved alchemist of all! We won’t either!