TALES OF THE ABYSS

is a console role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco. It was released for the Playstation 2 on 15 December 2005 in Japan, celebrating the ''Tales'' series' 10th anniversary. The game is the sixth of the series to arrive in North America, and did so on October 10 2006. It features the Flex Range Linear Motion Battle System, which most resembles ''Tales of Symphonia's. The character designs are by manga artist Kosuke Fujishima.
''Tales of the Abyss'' is the eighth main game in the ''Tales'' series.

Contents

Gameplay

Battle system

Features

Plot

Story and setting

Characters

Audio

Music

Voice actors

Reception

Sales

References

External links

Gameplay

Battle system

The Flex Range Linear Motion Battle System is in real-time and allows characters to run anywhere on the field a la the ''Star Ocean'' series. A new feature, "Free Run", is initiated by holding L2, allowing the player character to run in any direction in which the left analog stick is tilted. Upon releasing L2, the character will be fixed on a straight line with the targeted enemy. In this way the game combines concepts from both the ''Star Ocean'' and ''Tales'' series.
Characters can learn additional "AD Skills", which can be equipped and unequipped at will, to help them in battles. The game features a large number of these skills, and they are acquired through the use of "Capacity Cores" — items that give stat bonuses when a character levels up. Once a certain statistic has a large enough bonus, the AD skill is learned automatically.
The game controls are very similar to other ''Tales'' games, bearing a large resemblance to ''Tales of Symphonia'' battles, except with increased maneuverability. The player can attack, defend, perform a skill or call up a menu with multiple functions, such as using items or command an ally to perform an action. This system, unlike ''Tales of Legendia's, offers multiplayer co-op battles, and the camera for this mode is improved over the one found in ''Tales of Symphonia'', zooming out as characters move away from each other. Other players will still need to adjust to slightly awkward angles, but they are now always on screen.
The game features many skills and spells to unleash upon enemies. A new addition to the system in this department is the "Field of Fonons" (often abbreviated as FOF). Whenever a spell or specific skill is performed, a circle will appear on the ground corresponding to the used element. Once that element has been used enough times, the circle will light up to signify that an FOF change is available. If a character stands in the circle and performs a specific skill that corresponds with the FOF circle, the skill will be upgraded into a more powerful elemental version. Enemies can also use and create these FOF fields.
''Tales of the Abyss'' also sees the return of Mystic Artes (Hi-Ougis), powerful skills that can only be performed when certain conditions are fulfilled. Every character has one standard Mystic Arte, along with an additional hidden one. Enemy boss characters have Mystic Artes as well, such as Sync's Akashic Torment, Arietta's Evil Light, and Legretta's Prism Ballet.
As with other ''Tales'' games, characters can also engage in "Over Limit" mode when their green OVL bar is full. This can be filled by completing combos and making critical hits. The player then presses the R2 button to go into Over Limit and, during this time, can perform their Mystic Artes.

Features

★ 'Grade' : ''Tales of the Abyss'' has a "grade" system, like most ''Tales'' games. Grade is awarded after each battle, either raising or lowering the player's total number of points depending on how the battle was played. For example, defeating the enemies within a short period or time or getting a large combo will increase the grade you get at the end of the battle; characters being killed or having negative status effects on them will lower the grade acquired. At the end of the game, players can purchase bonuses for the next playthrough, such as carrying over items and getting double the experience per battle.

★ 'Skits' : A tradition in the ''Tales'' series, skits make another appearance in ''Tales of the Abyss''. In ''Abyss'', a skit is triggered by pressing the select button when a skit title and prompt appears in the bottom-left corner of the screen. During a skit, anime-style faces of the characters taking part in the skit appear and interact with each other. The characters in skits are animated, sometimes shaking, growing larger, or moving across the screen to accentuate what is happening in the skit. Skits can range from dramatic to comedic, and address a wide range of subjects. Some skits are related to the main plot, and some can only be obtained through optional side events. The skits in the English version are not voiced.

★ 'Sorcerer's Ring' : The sorcerer's ring in ''Tales of the Abyss'' is a magical item that Mieu wears around his waist, and can be upgraded by the power of concentrated Fonons in certain dungeons to perform different helpful actions. These include: Mieu Fire, where Mieu blows a ball of fire straight forward, used to activate switches and solve various puzzles; Mieu Attack, where Mieu is propelled forward to break objects and hit switches; and Mieu Wings, where Mieu flaps his ears and lifts the player into the air, useful for reaching high platforms and ladders. There is also an upgrade to Mieu Fire, dubbed Mieu Fire 2, which has longer range.

★ 'Titles and Costumes' : ''Abyss'' also features its own set of titles which each character gains through a series of tasks or events. These titles have various effects, some of which are stat-related. In the tradition of newer ''Tales'' games, some of these titles also change costumes. Each character has unique costumes; to acquire additional costumes, the player must accomplish certain tasks, like playing the Dragon Buster mini-game. Unlike other "Tales" games, every title in ''Tales of the Abyss'' carries a special effect, varying from discounts in shops to recovering small amounts of HP periodically.

★ 'Cooking' : As with past ''Tales'' games, ''Abyss'' also features a cooking system. The player collects recipes and ingredients throughout the game, and can use them to cook. Different recipes require different items and have different effects. The player can increase characters' cooking stats for each recipe by having them cook the recipe frequently.

★ 'Sword Dancers' : As in ''Tales of Symphonia'', these optional bosses appear at certain parts of the game, and are only available to fight at that time. The Sword Dancers are usually fairly advanced enemies for their point in the game. To be able to fight each successive Sword Dancer, the player must first defeat the previous Sword Dancer. If the player misses the opportunity to fight a Sword Dancer, the succeeding Sword Dancers will not be available.

★ 'Planetary Fonic Arte Catalysts': ''Tales of the Abyss'' has an optional weapon-collecting sidequest. The player travels around the world to obtain the six Planetary Fonic Arte Catalysts, then brings them together and fights Gelda Nebilim. The quest is akin to the Devil Arms side quest in ''Tales of Symphonia''.

★ 'North America Exclusives' : Most ''Tales'' games have been mere localizations, but the North American version of ''Tales of the Abyss'' received extra features that are not present in the Japanese version. Guy, Natalia, Van and others gained new Mystic Artes; in addition to receiving a new Mystic Arte herself, Nebilim also gained the use of some of the playable character's Mystic Artes. Luke and Tear also received new Mystic Arte extensions. There are many minor monster statistic changes including a reduction to x3.5 in the Unknown Mode's stats multiplier.

Plot

Story and setting

The game takes place on the world of Auldrant, a planet composed of Fonons: a material energy found in all things. Long ago, a new kind of Fonon was discovered, but great chaos was brought with the finding. By using this newest Seventh Fonons, one could read the future. One such Seventh Fonist, Yulia Jue, put in place a future for the world for thousands of years to come. This prophecy of the future's set path became known as the "Score" and is documented on stone tablets which were scattered throughout the world. The nations of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear and Malkuth have fought over the fragments of these tablets for generations, each uncovering them and hoping to discover the future before the other.
As the game commences, the year is ND 2017. Luke fon Fabre, the son of Duke Fabre of the Kimlasca Kingdom, is 17 years old. He is the Light of the Sacred Flame who is destined to bring prosperity to Kimlasca. But since being kidnapped seven years ago by the Malkuth empire, he has been kept confined to the Fabre family mansion. The shock of the kidnapping erased all of Luke's memories prior to the event. But one fateful day, a mysterious woman breaks into the mansion and sets off a chain of events that will change the world forever...

Characters

Main articles: List of characters in Tales of the Abyss

The six main playable characters are Luke fon Fabre, the son of a noble from the kingdom of Kimlasca; Tear Grants, a soldier of the Order of Lorelei; Jade Curtiss, a colonel in the military of the Malkuth Empire; Anise Tatlin, a guardian of Fon Master Ion; Guy Cecil, a servant for the House of Fabre and Luke's best friend; and Natalia Luzu Kimlasca Lanvaldear, Luke's fiancee and princess of the Kimlasca Kingdom. They are accompanied by Mieu, a Cheagle who holds the Sorcerer's Ring.
The primary antagonists are the six God-Generals : Asch the Bloody, Sync the Tempest, Legretta the Quick, Dist the Reaper, Largo the Black Lion, Arietta the Wild.

Audio

Music

''Tales of the Abyss's soundtrack was mostly composed by Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura, though a few songs were also composed by Motoo Fujiwara, the lead vocalist of the Japanese band Bump of Chicken. The songs composed by him are on the album "Songs for Tales of the Abyss". Bump of Chicken also performed the game's opening song, Karma (from their Supernova / karma single). Different versions of the song are used throughout the game. Tear's Fonic Hymns that she frequently sings, Fuka, are sung by Yukana.
Like past localizations of ''Tales'' games, the opening song was replaced by another track. Instead of a completely different song, however, the game uses a new instrumental version of Karma.

Voice actors

Character	Japanese seiyū	English voice actor
Luke fon Fabre	Chihiro Suzuki	Yuri Lowenthal[1]
Tear Grants	Yukana	Heather Halley
Jade Curtiss	Takehito Koyasu	Kirk Thornton[2]
Anise Tatlin	Haruko Momoi	Jolie Jackson
Guy Cecil	Yasunori Matsumoto	Johnny Yong Bosch
Natalia Luzu Kimlasca Lanvaldear	Michiko Neya	Stephanie Sheh
Fon Master Ion	Ikue Ōtani	Erin Fitzgerald
Mieu	Miki Maruyama	Sandy Fox
Van Grants	Jōji Nakata	Michael McConnohie
Asch the Bloody	Chihiro Suzuki	Yuri Lowenthal
Legretta the Quick	Miki Itō	Cindy Robinson
Arietta the Wild	Satsuki Yukino	Kate Higgins
Dist the Reaper	Kazuki Yao	Liam O'Brien
Sync the Tempest	Ikue Ōtani	Erin Fitzgerald
Largo the Black Lion	Tesshō Genda	Jamieson Price
King Ingobert the Sixth	Katsumi Chō	N/A
Duke Fabre	Naomi Kusumi	Paul St. Peter
Emperor Peony the Ninth	Takumi Yamazaki	N/A
Nephry Osborne	Mariko Suzuki	Wendee Lee
Aslan Frings	Osamu Hosoi	N/A
Grand Maestro Mohs	Kaneomi Ōya	Terrence Stone
Astor	N/A	Liam O'Brien
Noelle	Chie Nakamura	N/A
Florian	Ikue Ōtani	Erin Fitzgerald
Gelda Nebilim	Mariko Suzuki	Tara Platt[3]

Reception

Overall, reviews for the game have been mostly positive, earning a 79% average on Game Rankings as of August 2007.^[4]
The game has been notably praised for its diverse, interesting cast with IGN particularly placing attention on the game's protagonist and his ensuing character development.^[5] Others likewise praised the game's dialogue and cut-scene direction, although some questioned the overabundance of "skits" which popped up from time to time and the localization team's decision to omit the voice-acting that accompanied the skits in the Japanese version.^[6][7]
Most reviewers praised the battle system, stating that it was an improvement from earlier ''Tales'' installments while at the same time noting that it often devolved into "mindless button mashing".^[8] The graphics have received mixed attention. In particular, 1UP.com felt that they were "rough around the edges" and GameSpot pointed out a drop in frame-rate on the world map, along with a generic mix of RPG locales.
Famitsu gave the title a 9 / 9 / 9 / 9 - (36/40) and ranked it at #44 in the Famitsu's 100 all-time favorite games list.

Sales

In its first year in Japan, ''Tales of the Abyss'' sold 440,225 copies.^[9]

References

1. ''What's New'' section on Yuri Lowenthal's website
2. Kumoricon
3. Tara Platt wrote this in her Yahoo! group: "I am still voicing characters for ongoing Cartoon Network show Naruto as well as working on manga KAMICHU, and video games VALKYRIE PROFILE and TALES OF THE ABYSS and on the Disney Video TWITCHES."
4. Tales of the Abyss Reviews
5. Tales of the Abyss Review IGN site staff
6. Tales of the Abyss PS2 Review 1UP site staff
7. Another week, another epic RPG... and yep, this one's worth your time, too GamesRadar site staff
8. Tales of the Abyss for Playstation 2 Review GameSpot site staff
9. 2005 Best Sellers Chart Japan

External links

★ Official ''Tales of the Abyss'' website

★

★ Official Japanese ''Tales of the Abyss'' website

★ A Japanese ''Tales of the Abyss'' Wiki

★ The Tales of Wiki - a Wikia of the The Tales of Series