Two new games from two of my favorite Japanese movie series have dropped simultaneously, and I push myself up against a wall, trying to give them equal amount of time. It feels like I’m having a polyamorous relationship with me Ice IX: Monster Nox and Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy, and I’m desperately trying to show them that I’m both the same.
If my circumstances were different, that would be a good problem. Between the two games, I have more than 100 hours of fighting, exploring, gathering, crafting, and generally squeaky attractive anime characters doing cool things in front of me. If I was not a profession where there were constantly new games on the horizon, I felt compelled to play, I would not feel so anxious to split my time between these two. If I did not have children to help with the education and ongoing medical problems to deal with, I would be in the Japanese cartoon pig (or bear).
Instead, I sign in to my PlayStation 5 and scroll back and forth between these two game icons. I’m playing the PS5 version of Atelier Ryza 2 for a few hours. Then I start to feel negligent, so I switch to the PS4 version of Ys IX.
It would be helpful if one of these two games was bad, but no luck. Atelier Ryza 2 can be the best Atelier game since the 24-year-old series was switched from 2D to 3D. The absolutely delightful alchemist Ryza and friends have never looked as good as in the PS5 version of the game. The dynamic combat system, a combination of turn-based and active time battles, is even more exciting than when it was revamped Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout in 2019. I like the streamlined alchemy system, which sees Ryza use skill points to unlock new recipes in a big skill tree. And it’s nice to be accompanied by the young alchemist as she travels from her backwater island to a large metropolitan city.
Meanwhile, in Ice IX: Monster Nox, we are treated to a new version of Adol Christin, the incredibly unhappy adventurer who has been in trouble in his Nihon Falcom series since his 1987 debut. Upon his arrival in the prison city of Balduq, Adol finds himself “gifted” with the ability to transform into a Monstrum, supernatural warriors with alien powers who have the task of protecting the city from evil spirits known as Lemures. Adol soon finds that the city’s name has a double meaning, and that he as Monstrum is unable to escape the sprawling city. Adol and his constant companion, Dogi, set up shop in the city and gathered allies for their cause while trying to unravel the mystery of the Monstrums.
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What’s really cool about this latest Ice game – except that he finally admits that the trouble magnet Adol has become over the years through his fun, brutal dialogue – is the game’s new travel system. Instead of just running through streets, Adol and friends can use Monstrum forces to chase up walls and crawl to points, adding a new dimension to the action RPG. Coupled with a combat system that allows you to briefly switch between characters, these are very exciting things.
I just have to pick one game, work it through to the end and move on to the next. It would make sense, but I can not choose. Both Ys IX and Atelier Ryza 2 feeds different JRPG urges. Atelier Ryza 2 is about digging through the manufactured menus and exploring ancient ruins with friends. Ys IX is more immediate and action-packed. Atelier Ryza 2 let me jump in the field, dive, swim and swing in search of ancient secrets and alchemy ingredients. Ys IX let me fight in a prison through a sewer called Cloaca Maxima. Go ahead and Google ‘cloaca’. Maybe not looking for image.
That’s why I’m only five or six hours instead of being halfway through one game or another. I play Ryza for a bit, then I start to miss Ice. Amidst play Ice, I suddenly remember where to harvest materials for a recipe in alchemy Ryza, and I call back. If the PlayStation 5 had the Xbox One S / X fast-resume feature, the two games would be run in succession for easy switching.
Long story short, Ice IX: Monster Nox and Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy are two very good, very different JRPGs that are both worth your time. Just maybe not at the same time.
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