Last November, Koei Tecmo’s studio Gust released Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack for PC (Steam), PS4/PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. The definitive edition of the anime-styled RPG series’ Secret Trilogy bundles some brand-new content alongside improved versions of the three original entries.
Around the time of the title’s release, AUTOMATON sat down with series producer Junzo Hosoi to look back on the production of the three games and discuss the refreshing change of pace Ryza brought to the Atelier franchise with her distinctively “plump” character design.
Hosoi said that, after the release of Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland and Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World, he felt like the series had become stagnant in a way, and that it needed a breath of fresh air with the following release. At that point, the team at Gust went on to conduct a thorough market analysis in order to decide what kind of game to create next. Since the first thing they wanted to do was settle on a character design for the new protagonist Ryza, the team started with researching the body types and depictions of women that were popular at the time.
Compared to the main heroines in previous entries of the series, who were mostly on the slimmer side, Ryza ended up having a much fuller figure, which was apparently the result of the studio’s meticulous market research. “After carrying out various analyses, we concluded that the plumpness of her figure was something our players would want. We also felt that body type preferences and character design trends vary depending on the culture and various individual circumstances. Taking such a wide spectrum into consideration, we wanted to make Ryza’s design somewhere in the middle of that range,” Hosoi told us.
The topic of Ryza’s character design being influenced by cultural and economic aspects of the time it was made in has been brought up numerous times in previous interviews, and according to Hosoi, Ryza’s design philosophy falls right in the middle of that character design trend spectrum. “I felt super relieved when I saw that the players positively received Ryza’s design,” he commented.
Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack is available for PC (Steam), PS4/PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.
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Real gamers, after all, don’t want to play as overweight, ugly or annoying characters. We want to play as those we want to be, not what we look like! So hopefully we can return to the era of attractive male and female characters that even the creators will respect. But I don’t have much hope.
We’re still in that era. Not sure what examples to the contrary you’re thinking of.
Are you frigin serious now bro?
Your reply must be a joke, right? If it isn’t I want to know what world you are living in because it definitely isn’t the same one the rest of us are.
That’s just a small vocal minority that wants the ugly characters.
Crazy to say “voluptuous” when she literally has a slim body that’s still skinnier than an average woman
If that’s true, then the average needs to come down. Cultural obesity is a scourge.
If you feel like educating yourself and challenging your own views (doubtful) read this article: “The unethical use of BMI in contemporary general practice” by
Stephen Humphreys.
Lol, did you read it? It argues for different standards of obesity based on race and mentions that Asians are obese at a lower BMI than most (25). Given that Ryza is a Japanese game this article seems to reinforce his position.
“We’ve conducted a thorough market research and came to the conclusion our heroine needs bigger thighs and ass”
Why, I could’ve told em the same thing for free!
Ok that explains the short shorts and thicc design.
But why did everyone in the village who presumably have seen her semi regularly have to make the comment “my how big you have grown” as they look at her boobs.
It’s fan service for the dweebgoons
Definitely some cultured fellows who cooked up Ryza’s design 😏.
I’m so proud of them for making Ryza thicc. That was a fantastic business decision. Look at all the memes that came out about her. Clearly they know what they’re doing.
Nah just horny straight Japanese developers as usual.
Japan understands the base desire to see yourself as a hot lady
And then KT’s higher ups, all of whom continue to proudly display the UN’s Agenda 2030 pins in each video and public appearance, made the programmers give her a featureless black void under every skirt and censored DOA6 and Nioh 3. That ESG money really is hitting hard for them.
Hell no
I’ve been playing atelier series since first entry, including Mana Khemia and similar games like Ar Tonelico. The only thing i want for the franchise is to bring back male mc.
Why tf atelier now mc-ed by female characters anw? Salburg was masterpiece, Arland trilogy was okay, cuz the continuation and the characters r engaging. But then Ryza, i swear this game created by people who lust for voluptuous character.
Bring back the old formula, bring back the great male mc, like klein, felt, edge, vayne, and raze. No more fan service characters, just pure great contents.
Those were spinoff.
The main series has always been female MC only. There has never been a mainline game with a Male MC.
Good. Body positivity is sexy.
Sure if you have a body worth being positive about. If you don’t, it’s toxic.
I’m all for body positivity, but to call that design “plump”, “voluptuous”, and “curvy” is bullshit. She’s a god damn twig with the barest hint of breasts and thighs. Has anyone in their design team even googled what a plump person looks like? This design has so little meat on her bones my grandma would ask if she’s getting enough to eat.
It’s insulting to actually curvy people to call this anything but slightly healthier. You could run a god damn train through that thigh gap it’s so big. Where’s the curvy? The plump? The voluptuous? Is it that slight squish under the thigh belt and legging? Cause I have news for you: that’s just the natural give to the body.
Congrats that she’s not anorexic, but holy shit ya’ll need to get out more if you think that’s “plump”.
Nah that’s voluptuous, anything bigger and you would be stepping into the overweight category.
You say stuff like this and actually think it’s real
Sure, “extensive market research” means virgin gooner pedos.
I mean- it’s a better direction, for sure, so I’m not going to blame them for having the slightest bit more backbone than any other developer of anime style games, and I appreciate that- but… that is not anywhere near “plump” or “voluptuous”. That is still a skinny woman who just looks a bit healthier than the average anime girl. To call her “plump” is… kind of shockingly unhealthy, anorexia-fuelling framing. That sort of crap is why people have body image issues and eating disorders, and that’s not cool.
Call me when we actually have ONE actually fat anime woman protagonist who’s depicted as cool and not just a joke. In literally anything. At all. Ever. I genuinely don’t think any example exists *at all* in anything but the most niche fan-work.