The Atelier Ryza 2 release date has been locked in for Western audiences — this upcoming continuation of the 2019 JRPG will be launching on PC and consoles in January 2021.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is set three years after the events of Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout. As with many Japanese JRPGs, the Atelier Ryza games are part of the larger Atelier franchise; each game tends to focus on a specific character or theme.
You can get a feel for this franchise by checking out the latest trailer for Atelier Ryza 2:
Typically, games in the Atelier franchise only focus on a single character and move onto the next. Atelier Ryza 2 will be a franchise first, continuing the story of the first game and featuring the lovable farmgirl protagonist that captured the hearts of many gamers.
The design of Ryza, in particular, has been the subject of both adoration and mild controversy, largely owing to her thighs. The sex appeal of this character was viewed as particularly surprising by the game's developers.
"So surprisingly a lot of people are paying attention to her thighs," explained Atelier Ryza Producer Junzo Hosoi in an interview with Nintendo Everything. "We didn’t create her with the intention of her thighs being the key point, but a lot of people seem to be really… (Laughs)"
"Our approach was to make a cute character without any sexual innuendo whatsoever," Hosoi continued. "Everyone sort of looks at her as sort of being sexy, and that’s completely not how we look at her, so that really caught us by surprise. (Laughs)"
Anticipation for this newest release seems high; Koei Tecmo announced a short run of limited-edition games for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch, all of which have sold out in less than 24 hours. You'll still be able to get the standard edition, though — and you won't have to wait too long to play it, either.
When is the Atelier Ryza 2 Release Date?
The Atelier Ryza 2 release date has been set for January 26, 2021, according to a tweet from Koei Tecmo America. This sequel to 2019's Atelier Ryza will be simultaneously launching on PC via Steam, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
Physical pre-order copies of Atelier Ryza 2 are temporarily out of stock, but you can still get a physical copy of the first game for PS4. There is also a limited number of Nintendo Switch physical copies remaining for the first game.
Unfortunately, digital pre-orders are not yet available for the PS4 or Nintendo Switch, but you can pre-order Atelier Ryza 2 for PC via Steam. You can also pick up the first Atelier Ryza game on Steam starting at $59.99 or your regional equivalent.
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Are you looking forward to the Atelier Ryza 2 release date? What platform do you think you'll play it on? Let us know in the comments below!