With each new Atelier game on Nintendo Switch, Koei Tecmo and Gust made technical improvements and the ports started becoming great. Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout was the first new multi-platform release from Koei Tecmo on Nintendo Switch that was comparable to the PS4 version and a great way to play the game in general.
In most of these comparisons, PS4 is usually the way to go because it is more powerful and many multi-platform releases have noticeable downgrades on Nintendo Switch. With Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy, Koei Tecmo and Gust delivered a fantastic conversion for Nintendo Switch and a good upgrade for PS4 owners. In this Atelier Ryza 2 PS4 vs Nintendo Switch feature, I will compare the graphics and performance of the game on both platforms.
Atelier Ryza 2 PS4 vs Nintendo Switch graphics
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy looks gorgeous across the large city, dungeon ruins, open fields, and even in Ryza’s atelier. The visuals are a noticeable step above Atelier Ryza which was already a big upgrade over past games. Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy features effects like depth of field, reflections in puddles on the ground, high quality lighting, and more. Most of these translate over to Nintendo Switch well.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy looks great both docked and handheld on Nintendo Switch. There is some dithering visible though. On PS4 Pro, the big issue I had with the original Atelier Ryza game is still present here which is shimmering in the grass. Barring those two issues across PS4 and Nintendo Switch, there isn’t much to complain about.
The differences between both PS4 Pro and Nintendo Switch are visible in draw distance, shadow quality, and texture quality with PS4 Pro being noticeably better almost across the board. Despite the cutbacks, the Atelier Ryza 2 aesthetic scales well on Nintendo Switch (and even on low settings on PC). PS4 Pro is definitely the way to go if you want the best quality visuals on console and don’t own a PS5.
Atelier Ryza 2 PS4 vs Nintendo Switch frame rate
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy on PS4 Pro and Nintendo Switch (both docked and handheld) targets 30fps. It holds that frame rate well on Nintendo Switch with some drops under certain situations but it never becomes bad. On PS4 Pro, the frame rate is stable. I had no issues during combat on either platform with all the particle effects and camera cuts either which is good to see.
Menus are responsive across the board but initial load times are surprisingly long on both PS4 Pro and Nintendo Switch. Barring that initial load, getting into a save, fast travelling, and entering and exiting locations is quick on both systems. Both consoles struggle compared to the PC version running off an SSD though.
Atelier Ryza 2 PS4 vs Nintendo Switch what to buy
Overall, Atelier Ryza 2 follows Atelier Ryza in being a great Nintendo Switch port. While earlier Atelier games ran pretty badly on Nintendo Switch and were fine on PS4, Atelier Ryza 2 is great on both platforms. Both PS4 Pro and Nintendo Switch target 30fps so you aren’t gaining anything performance wise by picking PS4 Pro over Nintendo Switch when it comes to frame rate. If you do buy it on PS4, you can upgrade to the PS5 version for free.
The resolution and some effects are much better on PS4 Pro so it is worth getting there if you were planning on playing mostly or only docked on Nintendo Switch. If you’d like to get it on Nintendo Switch for the hybrid nature of the system or for portable play, you can rest assured it is a great conversion of an excellent game. Since there is DLC planned, I hope a few patches can iron out the few performance issues on Nintendo Switch because the hybrid nature of the system makes this a better overall choice for many considering the lack of any frame rate or performance advantage on PS4 Pro.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is out now on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
