Further Info: This game was released in Japan on December 15th, 2005, and on October 11th, 2006 in America. Six party members are allowed to be in the same party. Curing items, spells/skills can be used outside or inside of battle. In the menu, you can set the battle strategy and formation for your party, check the status for a character, and customize menu colors, sounds, buttons, battle targeting and voices. Saving is allowed on "Save Points" throughout dungeons, cities, and houses; and on the World Map.
Story Info:
This game has a wonderful story, with plenty of twists. It features the new camera angle used for "Tales of..." games, which is a bit closer-up to the characters' faces than the earlier "Tales of..." games. Similar to "Tales of..." games past, the storyline deals with societal issues like utopianism, and slightly about prejudice/racism. Some other things like pragmatism, religious piety, individualism are in the story, as well. Abyss is a bit more on the psychlogical side, as the main character "finds out who he is", and talks you through all of his thought processes, and discusses them with the other party members, as well. The screen chats were an integral part of understanding the characters in this game. To compare this game with Tales of Symphonia, it feels very similar, except Abyss feels a bit more "grown-up", and seems to develop the playable characters more. As you move through the game, each and every playable character ends up having their own story and stake in the main story because of their past. Symphonia did develop each character's past, but Abyss overall seems to tie each character in with the main story (which is not always explicit) moreso than Symphonia. The degree that you as the player pay attention to the skits is the degree of understanding you have of the characters. Also, this game allows you to read the game's "Synopsis", which is the story from Luke's point of view, at any time you wish, via the menu.
Characters:
- Luke fone Fabre (Luke fon Fabre), voiced by Chihiro Suzuki in Japan, and Yuri Lowenthal in America
- Tear Grants, voiced by Yukana in Japan, and Heather Halley in America
- Jade Curtiss, voiced by Takehito Koyasu in Japan, and Kirk Thornton in America
- Anise Tatlin, voiced by Haruko Momoi in Japan, and Jolie Jackson in America
- Guy Cecil, voiced by Yasunori Matsumoto in Japan, and Johnny Yong Bosch in America
- Natala Luzu Kimuelasca-Lanvaldear (Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear), voiced by Michiko Neya in Japan, and Stephanie Sheh in America
Skill/Spell System:
Every character has skills/spells. Curing spells can be used outside of battle, as well as in battle. Characters learn new skills/spells by mastering a skill, and leveling up. With a character that is set on "S. Auto" or "Manual" for battle mode (I will say "Luke" here, because Luke is the default main character for battle), one configures eight skills/spells to be used with buttons. The first four skills/spells can be set to be used in conjunction with a combination of a D-Pad direction button and the skill button. i.e., one skill is performed by pressing the skill button by itself, another skill can be done by pressing the up button+skill button, another with down button+skill button, and another with left or right+skill button. The second four skills/spells can be set to be used in conjunction with the right analog stick. i.e., one skill is performed by tapping the right analog stick up, another skill is performed by tapping the right analog stick down, another skill is performed by tapping the right analog stick to the left, and another skill is performed by tapping the right analog stick to the right. These four skills used via the Right Analog Stick can be linked to another character and their skill/spell in order to prompt them to use the skill/spell, as well. Throughout the game, you can learn new skills/spells by "Mastering" the skill/spell. This means a skill must be used 100 times--and you can check skill usage in Luke's skills/spells menu.
Battle System Info:
There are many aspects to the battle system in this game:
- The battle-system in this game is called "Flex Range Linear Motion Battle System" (Or as it is popularly known as, "FR-LMBS"). Four characters make up your battle party--the party you use to fight battles. The players fight on a multi-line plane with enemies. Initially, while the battle is multi-line, the player can only fight a targetted enemy on one line. But when the character hits level 5, he learns an "AD Skill" (explained later) that allows the character to "Free-Run". That is, the character can run around at will in the battle stage. Human players must hold the L2 button in order to free-run. In battle, the player may control any playable character. One can toggle the battle mode for one's character by pressing select button. Initially, the two battle modes are S. Auto (Semi-auto) and Auto. S. Auto means the human player controls the character (but with limited control over character's movement), and Auto means the character is AI-controlled. Later in the game, when one finds and equips the "Technical Ring" item in the game, a third battle mode may be accessed, called "Manual". This also means human control, but gives the human player more control over character's movement. By default, the player controls Luke fon Fabre in the S. Auto battle mode. Luke can attack normally, attack with skills, or block. The "Attack" button itself, as well as different combination of Direction Pad+Attack button are various combinations for attack. However, one can switch Luke from the first position to any other position, and control any character in the 1st player slot. Also, 0-4 human players can control characters in battle.
- "AD Skills" are one of the elements of the battle system in Tales of the Abyss. These are skills that each characters learns as they level up. Certain AD skills exist that every character in the game learns, while other AD skills are for certain character(s). These skills do not take any type of points in order to be able to be used--they are simply activated automatically in battle, based on certain conditions, depending on which skill. For instance, one AD skill called "Item Thrower" allows the character to use items on an ally. Another skill called "Free-Run" allows the player to have free-run on the map, when holding the L2 button. There are a large number of AD skills that are available in the game.
- Another element of the battle system is called "Capacity Core". There are six stats in the game that each character has, "Physical Attack", "Fonon Attack", "Physical Defense", "Fonon Defense", "Agility" and "Enhance". Capacity cores allow various combinations of stats to be upgraded, depending on which capacity core is equipped on a character.
- Third, the "Fon Slot Chamber" allows the skills/spells for characters to have extra effects when a character uses a particular skill/spell. There are four colors of fon slot chambers: red, blue, green, and yellow. Whenever a fon slot chamber item is found, it can be equipped on any character, and on any skill/spell for that character, and depending on what color the fon slot chamber is, it will enhance the ability of that skill/spell in a different way.
- Here are the following actions that can be performed in battle, based on buttons:
- The Directional Pad allows you to move your character, in battle.
- The Left Analog Stick allows you to move your character, in battle.
- The Right Analog Stick is used with the Skills/Spells for a human-controlled character (See "The Skills/Spells Button", below).
- The L1 Button is used to cancel a use-item request.
- The L2 Button is used to free-run around the battle-stage.
- The R1 Button is used to target an enemy.
- The R2 Button is used to taunt, and to engage "Overlimit" mode when the Overlimit gauge is filled up.
- The Select Button is used to swtich between battle modes ("Auto", "S. Auto", "Manual")
- The Start Button is used to pause the game.
- The Attack Button itself, as well as different combination of Direction Pad/Left Analog Stick+Attack button, are various combinations for attack.
- The Defend Button makes a character defend; combinations of the Direction Pad/Left Analog Stick with the defend button caues your character to defend/ or dodge in different ways.
- There are two Skills/Spells Buttons, with which a human player configures eight skills/spells for a character. The first four skills/spells can be set to be used in conjunction with a combination of a D-Pad direction button and the skill button. i.e., one skill is performed by pressing the skill button by itself, another skill can be done by pressing the up button+skill button, another with down button+skill button, and another with left or right+skill button. The second four skills/spells can be set to be used in conjunction with the right analog stick. i.e., one skill is performed by tapping the right analog stick up, another skill is performed by tapping the right analog stick down, another skill is performed by tapping the right analog stick to the left, and another skill is performed by tapping the right analog stick to the right. These four skills used via the Right Analog Stick can be linked to another character and their skill/spell in order to prompt them to use the skill/spell, as well.
Audio/Music:
Motoi Sakuraba returns as this game's composer. While I think the music from Tales of Destiny and Tales of Legendia is better than this game, the music in Abyss is very well-done, and adds to the emotion of the scences. Further, some of the songs sound like remixes/ or remakes/ or mixtures of songs from "Tales of.." games past.
Graphics:
The "Tales of..." games have never necessarily been on the cutting edge of computerized wonder, or creating stunningly life-like images, and Abyss is no different. However, it definitely holds on to the anime feel with the art-style, the characters' actions and emotions, the face chats, and the FMV's. The intro and ending anime FMV's are wonderfully done. Similar to "Tales of..." games past, the FMV's that are throughout the game usually lack people/characters, and instead focus on action or vehicles. This game also utilizes the new close-up camera angle during plot scenes/dialogue scenes.
Difficulty:
This game has two difficulty settings, "Normal" and "Hard", which can be switched to via the "Config" option under "System", in the menu. The normal difficult is similar to Symphonia, in that early on when money (thus items) is scarce, it is tougher to heal. As the game progresses, and you procure money and items so that you can heal, the game is a bit easier to manage. However, certain bosses later in the game can be a bit rough, particularly when using"Mystic Artes". Mystic Artes are ultimate attacks that can be used and learned by boss characters and playable characters.
Replay:
Tales of the Abyss has high replay value for numerous reasons. First, there are many sidequests one can perform, which branch off of the main story. Second, the grade system (Just like Tales of Symphonia) allows one to choose various bonuses when one finishes the game which carry over to the player's next play-through, and collecting all of these bonuses requires multiple playthroughs.
Click here to check "japanvideogames.com's" availability for "Tales of the Abyss" for PS2 (Japanese version (?)).
Click here to check "Amazon's" availability for "Tales of the Abyss" for PS2 (American version).
Click here to check "VideoGameCentral.com's" availability for "Tales of the Abyss" for PS2 (Pre-Order American version).
