Atelier Ryza 2 - Wish / It's All Uphill From Here | Reacting To Video Game Music!

[@kieranray5340]

The magic of Hayato Asano. His battle themes are just pure joy, the energy and thrill of combat.

[@Grimm0511]

Atelier games are very unique RPGs. They have a large focus on Alchemy and crafting. Ryza is considered the most popular of the series hence why she was the first one to get a true sequel. They are a very much underrated series and my introduction was Mana Khemia which i didn't even realize it was an Atelier game for the longest point. Ryza definitely gives you a summer adventure vibe. And the battle themes are top tier.

[@Shiyonasan]

I rarely ever comment on KZbin videos, but I have to for this one. I love the Atelier Ryza series with all my heart. Those who are familiar with the series will recognize my account icon as Lent Marslink from the Ryza series! Wish is the final boss theme. I like how it combines the intensity of the moment with the thematic instruments used throughout the game. It's epic but emotional. It's All Uphill From Here is one of the normal battle themes. If there's one thing the Ryza series does not miss on, it's the battle themes and boss themes. They're all very good. The Atelier franchise itself, despite all it's entries, is still pretty niche as you alluded to, Jesse. The Ryza series within the Atelier franchise (officially called the Secret series) was quite a force when it came out though; it is by far the best selling series within the Atelier franchise. It's the only Atelier series where the same protagonist and most of the main party members came back for 3 games in a row in starring roles. People LOVED the Ryza games as they were coming out. People probably wanted the first game because of Ryza and her awesome character design (yes, the thighs are amazing but, besides the fanservice, she has a really nice character design I think; I particularly love her design in Ryza 3 the most), but stuck around because of the cast of characters, the settings, the soundtrack, and the gameplay. Do I recommend the Atelier Ryza games to anyone? It's hard to say because the games have to strike a lot of right notes for you. None of the games are perfect by any means (and some of Koei Tecmo's business practices make the Atelier games hard to enjoy many times) but they are very well made overall. The crafting system, the soundtrack, the sheer size of the games, and the fact that the games only have Japanese voices won't be for everyone, but I think all of those aspects of the games are objectively very well made; as for me I love all of those aspects of the games personally. If there is one thing I can say that was a highlight of my life from 2019-2023, it was getting to experience the Atelier Ryza series. Atelier Ryza 3 marks the end of the Ryza/Secret series sadly (Ryza and some of the Ryza characters do show up again in cameo roles in the newest Atelier game, Resleriana, along with many other Atelier protagonists, but it's a mobile game and I really don't care for mobile games so I won't be playing it unless it comes to consoles or Steam). I rarely ever cry to anything media related, but the ending of Atelier Ryza 3 made me bawl because of how much I connected with the characters and the world of Atelier Ryza. I'll never forget experiencing Ryza and her adventures. Thank you for the reaction, Jesse! Keep on being awesome my man.

[@Shiyonasan]

Forgot to mention, but I have played some of the other Atelier games too. As of the time of making this post, I've played the Mysterious series (Sophie 1, Firis, Lydie & Suelle). Also all good games too, but I like the Ryza games quite a bit more. Haven't played Sophie 2 yet but I really want to.

[@Greekanese31]

Having never heard anything from Atelier Ryza 2, It's All Uphill From Here sounded so incredible I immediately had to add it into all my playlists. I love discovering new music through these vids!

[@SirLinkofTime]

I play a lot of JRPGs and this series looked daunting to get into for the longest time, but the look and reception of the Ryza games just made it impossible to resist trying out at least these ones. I still haven't played the final third game since I played the second not too long ago, but man this is such a wholesome flavor of JRPG that I didn't know existed. The music has been fantastic as well, and I'm looking forward to relistening to all of it once I finish the trilogy!

[@CalamityReborn]

i believe It's All Uphill From Here is a battle theme

[@carcaraaa]

yes, and Wish is the final boss theme

[@windsgrace688]

As someone who's played the first two games of Atelier Ryza, one thing I really like about Atelier Ryza's battle music is that I can feel some of the emotions the composer wanted to portray (and as other people have mentioned, both songs are battle music). Wish - even in the face of the ultimate danger, there is hope. (Hope would actually be a great musical theme for you to explore in your VGM vibes series btw.) Uphill battle - this is gonna be tough but we can do it! Also, want to mention that one of the main characters in the Ryza games plays the flute so I think that's why it's so prominent. As far as the Atelier games go, Ryza is an excellent place to start for a newcomer, and this is coming from someone who also started the series with Ryza. The games' themes are generally pretty relaxed and upbeat but can also get serious/sad/emotional at times. One thing that may be very hit or miss is the core crafting system of the game, alchemy. The entire game revolves around it so if you don't want to take the time to learn the crafting system and farm up the materials to make all your items and equipment, you're gonna have a rough time. There will be times (breakpoints) where you'll realize "Oh, I actually need to craft new equipment now". Thankfully, unlike some other Atelier games there's no time limit in Ryza so you can take as much or as little time you want.

[@Fudce]

You may also have rememebered Asano from your reactions to Blue Reflection as they also composed that game's music too. Gust games are almost always super cute, seemingly light and bright games but much deeper than they appear at first glance, and of course they go hard with a killer soundtrack. I've played most of the Atelier games since Rorona (the 11th game in the series) and with each off the sets of games (there are usually 2-4 games per set) there are visual cues, themes, motifs, etc, that build on each other throughout. It really gives the music depth.

[@komurmaldeb]

So the reason there's so many Atelier games is that GUST releases a new one just about once every year. As a result they can be a bit more of a smaller/niche title than something like final fantasy, but as you can hear the music definitely doesn't suffer for it. Mana Khemia was one of their yearly titles, but with a different setting (much like final fantasy they change the world every few entries, but with repeated elements). It's still considered an Atelier game, but it deviates a bit more from the series staples than usual. As for the music itself, those sound like combat themes to me--often the earlier combat themes will be more upbeat, and believe it or not there is zone/cutscene music in these games, which tends to be less on the metal side.

[@krykry606]

The composer actually has a channel on youtube, and streams himself making music from time to time. *Edited out some stuff I was pointed wrong.

[@coleironworks]

Nope, "It's All Uphill From Here" is the Regular Boss track "Balmy Summer Breeze" is the Regular Battle track #1 "White Dew, Wind Swept Grass" is the Regular Battle track #2 (heard after reaching 70% of the main story progression) then there's "Monster in the Water" which is a Boss track for specific type of enemy

[@てると-y8r]

Thanks to Hayato Asano for creating such great battle themes.

[@enji1633]

Balmy Summer Breeze would be nice to listen to. Certified summer scorcher of a track.

[@moraatrain]

Would be perfect for those theme videos if Jesse does summer themes.

[@kevinstreetgaming]

Yeah, the Atelier games are very underrated, but the people who have played them really love them.

[@absoutezeo2126]

Atelier is indeed underrated. While Ryza 2 is one of my less-liked games in the series, it's still a phenomenal game overall with a kickass soundtrack and great moments throughout. Basically, even the less good entries are still great and the great ones are unbelievably good.

[@misterbin00]

It's All Uphill From Here is a battle for certain early game bosses and strong opponents. Yeah, it is unbelievably upbeat to even be a normal battle music. I prefer 'Southern White Wind' because it has some sort of climax, which fits with a boss battle. Although that one is also upbeat as much as this one. And that base. That friggin' base.

[@ShaimingLong]

I'm sure Koei must have snuck Masato Koike across to Gust from the Dynasty Warriors series for Wish. So much of that track screams Dynasty Warriors to me.

[@coleironworks]

I hope someone recommends the World Map BGM from Atelier Ayesha, "Alluring Flower - Summer" is really good

[@Cyril86]

I feel you'd probably enjoy playing some of the Atelier games sometime. They can be quite chill and cozy.

[@Aiscence]

Robotics;notes? wow, same dev as Steins;gate, really looking forward to listening what it sounds like

[@herbertortiz9159]

Yesss! Have you reacted to “White Dew, Windswept Grass”? :)

[@moraatrain]

Maybe you remember Gust from Ar Tonelico?

[@Mijiroth]

It never really occured to me how well the accoustic guitar / flute combo suits these games since Ryza herself is a bit of a small town country bumpkin tomboy. Atelier is one of those weird series that has a sizable and passionate fanbases but people still just learn about it. Ryza has brought it a bit more into the zeitgeist for... reasons. Nice low-key series.

[@menosay1912]

A VN opening next? Interesting.

[@jvdach4652]

Atelier games: you don't admit to play them as an adult... Cause it's weird

[@Cyril86]

I'm an adult and I admit to playing them.

[@Its_KaReeM]

I admit i play them and i enjoy them so much! Platinumed Ryza 1, 2, and 3!

[@jvdach4652]

Hats off to you lads, I could never

[@thenextsteveblackman]

I'm an adult male. I like crafting and I like cutesy anime stuff, so I play the Atelier games. IDK, I don't get so hung up on what others think of you.

[@Cyril86]

@@thenextsteveblackman Yeah. Just play the games that you enjoy.