These kind of games may not be for everyone, but Ar Tonelico stands out more if you play it.
- Colorful graphics
- Fun combat system despite its simplicity
- Great soundtrack
- Limited amount of enemy encounters
Negative
- Some slowdowns in battle
- Combat is easy, simple and might get repetitive
It may not seem much, since there are similar games on the PS2 today. Ar Tonelico isn't appealing enough to play especially not being a genre fan, but once you begin playing this game, there is a chance that you will absorbed into it like no other game can do. The gameplay is simplistic, but the variety of activities is high, the graphics are cute and anime-like and the soundtrack is good stuff. It is a slightly underrated RPG, but not everyone is in these kind of games.
The game's story is interesting, but standard in the genre. Ar Tonelico takes place in Sol Ciel, which consists of the Tower of Ar Tonelico and the Wings of Horus, a landmass connected to the lower portion of the Tower. The people who live there are known as the Knights of Elemia, who their job is to destroy creatures known as viruses. One day the tower is attacked by an unknown powerful virus which leaves no chose but for Lyner, a young knight, to be sent to the lower world to find a magic crystal to defeat the virus. Throughout his journey, he'll meet several people who will assist him. The characters are interesting and have personality. The one thing that is a bit off is that does he really have that much time to find the crystal?
If you played Atelier Iris before, the gameplay is a bit similar, but thankfully Ar Tonelico's gameplay is fun despite being very simple and straightforward. You control each player in the party, but you start off with just Lyner. The game is turn-based, but 2D. You just attack the enemy and defeat them, and thanks to the limited amount to how many random battles which you must endure in each stage relieve some pain. The meter on the lower right of the screen shows you the amount of enemies you might have to face off with. If the meter becomes yellow or red, you will most likely be assaulted by the enemy. If the meter is empty, you won't have to fight random encounters anymore, unless you rest or exit the dungeon. The downside is that you might not be able to level up more, but the level of challenge is easy. All characters have a different fighting style, but with just this the game would have been boring. Reyvateils are fragile and innocent looking girls with powerful songs to use as their magic. They stay behind the ones that attack and will charge their magic as the battle progresses. They can do several kinds of magic like healing and attack. Most enemies can't attack them unless they blow the front line, which doesn't happen often. Some enemies though can attack them. A special meter will appear if you ask them to sing a song, which sometimes even borders of 1000%. The more you let it charge, the more damage you will do to the enemy. Certain songs can be used endlessly, but some are limited like healing spells. You can stop their singing anytime and launch the attack, but remember the more you charge the more powerful the spell. Of course there is the MP restriction which limits how much you can do repeatedly, but their MP regeneration when doing nothing. Thanks to the Reyvateils, the battles have a slight change to them. Spells may feel a bit overpowered even against boss, if put to good use, making most battles challenge less. The blue/purple meter on the lower middle side can give you a boost, if the two colors are combined. Dealing damage and receiving none will fulfill the gauge.
There is also item crafting in the game, similar to what is found in Atelier Iris. You can produce a different number of items by learning their receipt, items such as missile, and healing items and such. By finding the necessary items to do it, you can do it. Necessary ingredients can be bought from shops or found in battles or even fields sometimes. Saves are found everywhere, in the form of a ring on fields, and in inns by talking to the cashier. You can rest and if you do you recover all HP & MP. Saves are often not very far from each other thankfully. Aside from resting, saving and loading you can also produce items, but item crafting can only be done when camping or in inns, it can't be done elsewhere. For each unique thing in the game, you will be assisted by a tutorial, which you can view at anytime by pausing the game. As an RPG, Ar Tonelico gives you EXP for every enemy you defeat. The game shows you the amount of EXP earned in battle, but after winning a battle won't show how much EXP needed to level up. It's no big thing, but it's rare to find something like this. By pausing the game you can check the amount of EXP needed to level up. You can change the formation of the game while you're at it. Items are awarded from each enemy you kill. If you kill the same enemy over and over, chances are you will get the same item over and over. Items can be put to good use don't worry.
Diving is a unique feature in the game. By diving (not literally diving), you can explore your Reyvateils soul and help her obtain new skills. DP points are needed to obtain new skills. If you try to unlock overpowered skill you can't must, you won't be able to unlock it. A part of the game feels like a dating sim, when you camp or rest. Sometimes a Reyvateils will come and talk to you, and if you have talking topics by finding them while exploring, you can have a conversation. The more you have, the more you can talk. Each conversation gives you a point after the conversation ends, depends on how much you have talked. You are not obligated to crawl through this part, since you can just not ask her anything, but it may become important to interact with your character.
The graphics are simple, clean and sort of cute. They have that anime feel, but familiar overall. Similar to Atelier Iris, you play as a small characters not real life one. The models are decent, but the backgrounds shine more. The cutscenes are all dialogue style and some rare occasion when an anime scene kicks in. There isn't as much voice acting as there is dialogue. Voices come in English and Japanese which you can change anytime you want. The English voices are passable, but the Japanese is at the same level. The soundtrack is actually the best of the sound part. Pretty fitting for this kind of game.
Some slowdowns can be noticed in battles. There is also a slight wait (a second or two) after an enemy finishes his attack and becomes your turn. The game freezes for a second each time a song is chanted. An annoying and repetitive thing is that the Reyvateils always say the same phrase when the battle starts. The gameplay takes place in 2D areas, and the exploration is something similar although you can move up and down. The camera is fixed all the time.
I never expected much from this game in the first place, but I ended up liking it. I played many games for the PS2 in the past, and recently I have none. But Ar Tonelico will at least serve for a week or two. If you have interest in these kind of games, or maybe if you still hang on to your PS2, or maybe not. Ar Tonelico is an underrated game overall, because it may not do what others haven't done, but does things better than others.
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Graphics = 7.6
The models are decent enough but they lack depth if you look at other characters from superior RPGs. The backgrounds are better.
Sound = 7.9
Soundtrack is pretty good. Available English and Japanese voices.
Presentation = 7.7
Dialogue cutscenes and some rare anime scenes. Loadings are fast. There are some slowdowns in battle which may irritate you. Camera can't be moved.
Gameplay = 8.0
The battle system is very easy to get used to, although it is fun to play. Multiple activities may seem to make things complicated but they are easy tasks which ease the game even more. Crafting items, diving and a part dating sim.
Story = 7.3
The story is interesting. Characters will join your party like in any RPG. Feels too similar to certain games though.
OVERALL = 76 / 100
These kind of games may not be for everyone, but Ar Tonelico stands out more if you play it.