Melody of Midtafalica
This review contains spoilers
I joked to my friend about this game being the "Xenosaga Killer" and I'll be damned. They did it. And How. How did they do it? I love Xenosaga 3 to death, and this review is not about that game, this game is about Ar Tonelico 2. Also, I know the spoiler warning is here, but we're spoiling the whole game baby. DON'T READ IT UNLESS YOU'RE DONE. I AM BEGGING YOU.
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This review will mainly be covering 2 things, Party Dynamics; and Music. As I think that is what this game does the best above all. I mean yeah, the story is great, makes sense thematically, all that good stuff, but a story is a canvas for characters to grow and to experiment with all sorts of crazy ideas.
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I personally love party members being honest. I think games thrive when the party members can sit down and talk to each other about their sincere feelings about each other, negative or positive. Because that's how a real human relationship is; we fight; we love; we hate; we argue; it's just part of reality.
Luca Trulyworth. That smiling little lady on the box art, I embarked on my journey. I checked both of the Phase 1 Route splits, because I wanted to learn. I ended up going with Luca's.
But why? Why did I go with Luca. Well. I sit down in the prison and she goes up to Cloche and calls her (paraphrased) a murdering bitch, who killed her sister, goes up to the main character Croix, and tells him that she's been using him the whole time.
What goes through my mind during scenes like this; first off; Holy shit. I am like 7 hours in. How did we even get here to begin with?
Second off; I realize the game is already up my alley. Why? Because it is willing to make a party member aggressive. My party member is allowed to think for themselves, they don't need to prevent to be likable. This expression is something that I love.
So Luca. I double down, I need to understand Luca. I am now fully drawn into the situation.
Before this; Luca also tells Cloche to her face that she's privilaged princess who has never had to worry about a penny, has always had people their to support her, and that she'll never understand.
Cloche of course, defends herself. Why wouldn't you? If someone shits all over you without a tiny bit of knowledge of you outside of your position of a princess, of course you would be mad.
We have created a rivalry. A route split, if you will.
Then in Phase 2, Luca's unfiltered feelings come in to Cloche to understand, Luca being casually s***lly harassed at work, her relationships being flimsy due to Dive Therapy and feeling like she always exposes herself to people, her strained relationship with her Mom due to lack of communication, all of these issues pile up before she explodes, all on top of this is Cloche; who if she denies it or not; is adjacent to the deaths of thousands of IPDS; and more importantly; Luca's sister.
I am left in shock. The first game has some good themes, but this game is feisty. The main conflict in this game; is it better to suffer through life; or dream on in our own minds forever; and the two leads live their life suffering; all they can do is release their rage on each other.
But there's a light. A light that progresses and gets brighter and brighter. The fight of humans is what makes us closer. The only way to evolve as people is to face these issues forward and learn, why did we do this? Why do we act like this?
Are any of these people's issues invalid? Of course not. They should be mad, they should be frustrated, These struggles build us up, and break us down. When Luca looks at Cloche, all she sees for a while is class, and the blood that has stained Cloche's hands.
But Cloche has her own trauma. A caged bird, not able to spread wings, while also watching all of her fellow birds burn around here. She watches, that's all she can do. And the princess is not even what she is; Luca ends up being the one holding the Crown. So what is Cloche? A puppet to the government? Is she any better than any other person in the world?
Alice. Alice is part of Cloche. Luca is part of Luca, Cloche is part of Luca; and Luca is part of Cloche.
The puzzle starts adding up. The tension is at an all time high, but the Infel wants Luca and Cloche to learn something before all of it boils over. The sister that Luca has been fighting for; basically her whole life; is Cloche.
The fog has lifted, and the perspective has changed. Cloche who has never had any sort of family, and has been chained to the ground, Luca who's mom; who she already has a strained relationship with; had her real child right in front of her eyes. This fixes some issues, but it can not fix the IPDS, it can not fix Luca manipulating Croix's emotions, there are things that can not be fixed.
But they can be forgiven. Cloche can atone for her sins, make a real Metafalica where there is no need for warfare, where the IPDS can be cured with Dive Therapy. Luca needs to communicate; make real friends; craft real relationships with her family; including Cloche as a start to creating the perfect world.
And they do. They understand humanity at it's core; people contradict, people make terrible decisions they can't even comprehend, but do they understand them? Can they recover from them?
Jakuri; The last of the singers; feels that Humans can not recover from them.
Another caged bird, stuck to human will, demanded to do anything that people demand. If she cannot preform for warfare, why does she exist?
She cannot give people hope, the people have given her no hope to begin with; the one song that she created; has been thrown away because; it's just useless. Why would humans need to do anything other than win the fight?
She cannot fully accept humans, but she watches as Luca and Cloche create this world, this new world. She knows that it is possible for humans to work together, but she's also seen what they've done to Reyvateils, in the first Ar Tonelico, they're basically slaves to human will, they are created for power. At some point, this paradise has a chance of ending.
But paradise even for a limited time, is still a eutopia, we can be human. We can still fight, and argue, and still live in a world that we want to live in. A full life is one full of conflict and reflecting on that conflict. Croix realizes the only way he can truly reach Jakuri's heart and it is through Song. "The Heart Talks"
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Music is the secret backbone to any RPG. Sometimes I wonder if games like Xenoblade would be nearly as good without the score. And Music, music is the thing that gives Ar Tonelico 2 a real identity.
The Hymmos is something that has never really been replicated to me; They can show any emotion; Fear; Anger; Sadness; Happiness; Calm; Serene; Destruction; Death. This is all within human range. These are something that humans go through everyday. The lyrics perfectly reflect this, the composition is all beautiful. The flexability within these songs is something that I don't know will ever be matched. It's hard for me to really articulate why it is so special without just listening to it.
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I apologize if this has been worded a little clunky, or a little scattershot at time, but when I feel passionate about something it just comes in waves. I just hope I portrayed how I felt about this game in a way that is easy enough to understand. It is a game that makes me love being human, and love being in this world.
"We must appreciate that the world allowed us to exist"
------
This review will mainly be covering 2 things, Party Dynamics; and Music. As I think that is what this game does the best above all. I mean yeah, the story is great, makes sense thematically, all that good stuff, but a story is a canvas for characters to grow and to experiment with all sorts of crazy ideas.
-----
I personally love party members being honest. I think games thrive when the party members can sit down and talk to each other about their sincere feelings about each other, negative or positive. Because that's how a real human relationship is; we fight; we love; we hate; we argue; it's just part of reality.
Luca Trulyworth. That smiling little lady on the box art, I embarked on my journey. I checked both of the Phase 1 Route splits, because I wanted to learn. I ended up going with Luca's.
But why? Why did I go with Luca. Well. I sit down in the prison and she goes up to Cloche and calls her (paraphrased) a murdering bitch, who killed her sister, goes up to the main character Croix, and tells him that she's been using him the whole time.
What goes through my mind during scenes like this; first off; Holy shit. I am like 7 hours in. How did we even get here to begin with?
Second off; I realize the game is already up my alley. Why? Because it is willing to make a party member aggressive. My party member is allowed to think for themselves, they don't need to prevent to be likable. This expression is something that I love.
So Luca. I double down, I need to understand Luca. I am now fully drawn into the situation.
Before this; Luca also tells Cloche to her face that she's privilaged princess who has never had to worry about a penny, has always had people their to support her, and that she'll never understand.
Cloche of course, defends herself. Why wouldn't you? If someone shits all over you without a tiny bit of knowledge of you outside of your position of a princess, of course you would be mad.
We have created a rivalry. A route split, if you will.
Then in Phase 2, Luca's unfiltered feelings come in to Cloche to understand, Luca being casually s***lly harassed at work, her relationships being flimsy due to Dive Therapy and feeling like she always exposes herself to people, her strained relationship with her Mom due to lack of communication, all of these issues pile up before she explodes, all on top of this is Cloche; who if she denies it or not; is adjacent to the deaths of thousands of IPDS; and more importantly; Luca's sister.
I am left in shock. The first game has some good themes, but this game is feisty. The main conflict in this game; is it better to suffer through life; or dream on in our own minds forever; and the two leads live their life suffering; all they can do is release their rage on each other.
But there's a light. A light that progresses and gets brighter and brighter. The fight of humans is what makes us closer. The only way to evolve as people is to face these issues forward and learn, why did we do this? Why do we act like this?
Are any of these people's issues invalid? Of course not. They should be mad, they should be frustrated, These struggles build us up, and break us down. When Luca looks at Cloche, all she sees for a while is class, and the blood that has stained Cloche's hands.
But Cloche has her own trauma. A caged bird, not able to spread wings, while also watching all of her fellow birds burn around here. She watches, that's all she can do. And the princess is not even what she is; Luca ends up being the one holding the Crown. So what is Cloche? A puppet to the government? Is she any better than any other person in the world?
Alice. Alice is part of Cloche. Luca is part of Luca, Cloche is part of Luca; and Luca is part of Cloche.
The puzzle starts adding up. The tension is at an all time high, but the Infel wants Luca and Cloche to learn something before all of it boils over. The sister that Luca has been fighting for; basically her whole life; is Cloche.
The fog has lifted, and the perspective has changed. Cloche who has never had any sort of family, and has been chained to the ground, Luca who's mom; who she already has a strained relationship with; had her real child right in front of her eyes. This fixes some issues, but it can not fix the IPDS, it can not fix Luca manipulating Croix's emotions, there are things that can not be fixed.
But they can be forgiven. Cloche can atone for her sins, make a real Metafalica where there is no need for warfare, where the IPDS can be cured with Dive Therapy. Luca needs to communicate; make real friends; craft real relationships with her family; including Cloche as a start to creating the perfect world.
And they do. They understand humanity at it's core; people contradict, people make terrible decisions they can't even comprehend, but do they understand them? Can they recover from them?
Jakuri; The last of the singers; feels that Humans can not recover from them.
Another caged bird, stuck to human will, demanded to do anything that people demand. If she cannot preform for warfare, why does she exist?
She cannot give people hope, the people have given her no hope to begin with; the one song that she created; has been thrown away because; it's just useless. Why would humans need to do anything other than win the fight?
She cannot fully accept humans, but she watches as Luca and Cloche create this world, this new world. She knows that it is possible for humans to work together, but she's also seen what they've done to Reyvateils, in the first Ar Tonelico, they're basically slaves to human will, they are created for power. At some point, this paradise has a chance of ending.
But paradise even for a limited time, is still a eutopia, we can be human. We can still fight, and argue, and still live in a world that we want to live in. A full life is one full of conflict and reflecting on that conflict. Croix realizes the only way he can truly reach Jakuri's heart and it is through Song. "The Heart Talks"
---------
Music is the secret backbone to any RPG. Sometimes I wonder if games like Xenoblade would be nearly as good without the score. And Music, music is the thing that gives Ar Tonelico 2 a real identity.
The Hymmos is something that has never really been replicated to me; They can show any emotion; Fear; Anger; Sadness; Happiness; Calm; Serene; Destruction; Death. This is all within human range. These are something that humans go through everyday. The lyrics perfectly reflect this, the composition is all beautiful. The flexability within these songs is something that I don't know will ever be matched. It's hard for me to really articulate why it is so special without just listening to it.
-------
I apologize if this has been worded a little clunky, or a little scattershot at time, but when I feel passionate about something it just comes in waves. I just hope I portrayed how I felt about this game in a way that is easy enough to understand. It is a game that makes me love being human, and love being in this world.
"We must appreciate that the world allowed us to exist"
If Frelia has a million fans I am one of them.
If Frelia has ten fans I am one of them.
If Frelia has one fan then that is me.
If Frelia has no fans then I am no longer on this earth.
If the world is against Frelia I am against the world.
I love Frelia until my last breath.
I wouldn't be here without Umineko, Akiko Shikata and a random video in my home (Looking Back at the Ar Tonelico Trilogy - Tarks Gauntlet).
Thank you Will of Ar Ciel.
If Frelia has ten fans I am one of them.
If Frelia has one fan then that is me.
If Frelia has no fans then I am no longer on this earth.
If the world is against Frelia I am against the world.
I love Frelia until my last breath.
I wouldn't be here without Umineko, Akiko Shikata and a random video in my home (Looking Back at the Ar Tonelico Trilogy - Tarks Gauntlet).
Thank you Will of Ar Ciel.
I don't know how the creator managed to put my entire being in one character but I guess they just did, all of my traits, all of my trauma, all of my psyche, everything. The way I act, the way I talk, the way I think. It's so strange, scary even, but I also felt relieved; relieved that someone could understand me in such ways.
Cloche's cosmosphere can explain in depth how my mind works, from start to finish and it's... honestly so reassuring, I never felt such deep emotional connection to a character. I know I will never find another character like Cloche in my entire lifetime, because no one can replicate to such levels my and her mind. Every level I went through was like a trip inside my head, and every level I felt more and more connected to her and sympathized more and more, but also came to understand ME more, and that is something I can never feel again(unless I go to therapy I guess huh).
To feel so connected to a character and so understood is what really stood out to me, and I know that I can never find something like this in another game. To the end Cloche acted and thought exactly just like me and god I want to hug her so much it hurts, maybe because I also want to hug myself deep down.
Cloche will now be my hyperfixation for god knows how long and I don't even need to copy her personality.
I love Cloche with all my being
Oh ye, the story's alright i guess
Cloche's cosmosphere can explain in depth how my mind works, from start to finish and it's... honestly so reassuring, I never felt such deep emotional connection to a character. I know I will never find another character like Cloche in my entire lifetime, because no one can replicate to such levels my and her mind. Every level I went through was like a trip inside my head, and every level I felt more and more connected to her and sympathized more and more, but also came to understand ME more, and that is something I can never feel again(unless I go to therapy I guess huh).
To feel so connected to a character and so understood is what really stood out to me, and I know that I can never find something like this in another game. To the end Cloche acted and thought exactly just like me and god I want to hug her so much it hurts, maybe because I also want to hug myself deep down.
Cloche will now be my hyperfixation for god knows how long and I don't even need to copy her personality.
I love Cloche with all my being
Oh ye, the story's alright i guess
As a sequel, Ar Tonelico 2 is one of the most impressive upgrades i've seen in the genre. The story is much more involved, the characters generally better rounded, the gameplay reworked into something even more engaging and the general themes by which the first game shone are very much still present, and only flourish further with the added stakes and conflicts.
But if I had to pinpoint one aspect in which this entry shines the brightest, it would be in its use of previously set up concepts, gameplay and lore ones alike, to greater effect than its predecessors. The cosmospheres especially play a lot with one's expectations from 1 and a lot of the player's preconceived notions are taken advantage of in clever ways.
However, you are actually locked from progress in other cosmospheres than the reyvateil whose story split you choose, something that mildly upsets my completionist side, but absolutely works better within the context of the game.
So what I say can't fully apply to Cloche or Luca's cosmospheres, because I ended up doing and (extremely painfully, thanks to a terrible grind) finishing Jakuri's cosmosphere, which had some of the most beautiful, sincere and heartfelt character writing i've seen across these two games. Holy shit I love her so fucking much.
Another thing I HAVE to mention desperately is the focus on Cloche and Luca's relationship throughout the game. The first game had been fairly lackluster in terms of inter-party dynamics, but the second remedies that by giving every character a foil, which further gives way to exploration of other types of dynamic, like fraternal or paternal love. And amongst these differing dynamics, the one Cloche and Luca share, which develop over the course of the whole game, is legitimately so emotional and made me cry multiple separate times. The game is genuinely great at letting the girls breathe and write themselves, instead of relying too heavily on the male protagonist, who this time around is often on the side as a supportive, yet helpful entity. Croix also feels more flawed and sympathetic than the A Little Too Shonen Lyner.
Overall the game follows suit to Ar Tonelico 1 in the way it delves into our mutual understanding and relationships between people, and it does so with a genuinely exciting plot, incredibly likeable characters, and a very loving message about the need to live our lives together, with the people we love and understand. Also Holy Fucking Shit Jakuri Deserves The World.
I had such a great time going through this game, and it was made even better by playing it with a close, genuine friend. It only strengthened my appreciation for the themes at play.
Thanks Radd, sorry for the fan club grind, that really sucked lmao.
But if I had to pinpoint one aspect in which this entry shines the brightest, it would be in its use of previously set up concepts, gameplay and lore ones alike, to greater effect than its predecessors. The cosmospheres especially play a lot with one's expectations from 1 and a lot of the player's preconceived notions are taken advantage of in clever ways.
However, you are actually locked from progress in other cosmospheres than the reyvateil whose story split you choose, something that mildly upsets my completionist side, but absolutely works better within the context of the game.
So what I say can't fully apply to Cloche or Luca's cosmospheres, because I ended up doing and (extremely painfully, thanks to a terrible grind) finishing Jakuri's cosmosphere, which had some of the most beautiful, sincere and heartfelt character writing i've seen across these two games. Holy shit I love her so fucking much.
Another thing I HAVE to mention desperately is the focus on Cloche and Luca's relationship throughout the game. The first game had been fairly lackluster in terms of inter-party dynamics, but the second remedies that by giving every character a foil, which further gives way to exploration of other types of dynamic, like fraternal or paternal love. And amongst these differing dynamics, the one Cloche and Luca share, which develop over the course of the whole game, is legitimately so emotional and made me cry multiple separate times. The game is genuinely great at letting the girls breathe and write themselves, instead of relying too heavily on the male protagonist, who this time around is often on the side as a supportive, yet helpful entity. Croix also feels more flawed and sympathetic than the A Little Too Shonen Lyner.
Overall the game follows suit to Ar Tonelico 1 in the way it delves into our mutual understanding and relationships between people, and it does so with a genuinely exciting plot, incredibly likeable characters, and a very loving message about the need to live our lives together, with the people we love and understand. Also Holy Fucking Shit Jakuri Deserves The World.
I had such a great time going through this game, and it was made even better by playing it with a close, genuine friend. It only strengthened my appreciation for the themes at play.
Thanks Radd, sorry for the fan club grind, that really sucked lmao.
I clapped when the two Ar Tonelicos sung the Melody of Metafalica
I fucking love Ar Tonelico II. The plot, the theming, the battle system, the world, the music, the aesthetic, everything is extremely good. (For reference, I played Luca route and got 2/3 main endings). PLEASE play the retranslation and not the original. It gives proper respect to the original game by translating the game better than the original (there are numerous localization issues including changing names that were meaningful in the in-universe language hymnos) and also fixes the bugs that were introduced with the translation like the raki bug that makes the game crash on the last normal boss unless you kill it fast enough (Thanks NISA LMAO)
I do have to say that this game has some problems and there are ways that it could be improved, but it's still this good.
I do have to say that this game has some problems and there are ways that it could be improved, but it's still this good.
This game I have so many mixed feelings about, I love the characters and their conflicts really hit too close to home for me. Story is amazing too and gameplay is arguably better than the last game.
With that said, it’s so emotionally draining to play with the crazy amount of cutscenes and dialogue. Like, there’s a cutscene that plays when you do about thing like going to the store and what not. Can’t go more than 10 minutes on average without a cutscene and that isn’t a hyperbole. I prefer 1’s more show than rather tell and focus on worldbuilding than this game focus on in game politics and what not.
I’m sure this game is amazing and great experience but I’m putting it up for now.
With that said, it’s so emotionally draining to play with the crazy amount of cutscenes and dialogue. Like, there’s a cutscene that plays when you do about thing like going to the store and what not. Can’t go more than 10 minutes on average without a cutscene and that isn’t a hyperbole. I prefer 1’s more show than rather tell and focus on worldbuilding than this game focus on in game politics and what not.
I’m sure this game is amazing and great experience but I’m putting it up for now.
jogo preferido do Teixeira
Ar Tonelico 2: Melody of Metafalica didn't fare much better than the first. A confused, incoherent mess of both mechanic and dialogue bloat that faithfully indulges in stereotypes. A couple of ideas are inspired, namely its reimagined combat system mixing chain attacks with cues from Super Mario RPG, and the Dualstall mechanic is a unique approach to levelling up. Each of those could've been the highlight had they been fleshed out properly.
amazing sound track, horrible translation (but i didnt know much english either, so it makes it 100% harder), cute anime girls. Played more than 25 hours and didnt achieve the ending. Maybe i was just bad at it
NISA's terrible translation of this game was the direct impetus for me to learn Japanese, so I guess I should thank them.
"We must appreciate the fact that the world allowed us to exist."
This is one of the highest peaks a JRPG can reach with a narrative and character-driven story, yes, it has both.
t-h-a-n-k y-o-u
The Legend of Ar tonelico.
The best series I have consumed in the last 11 months, and I'm so happy that I finally had the courage to play it, and the fact it's this incredible.
Four-dimensional characters (saying they are only three-dimensional is disrespectful).
Impeccable and frenetic writing, it doesn't divert the focus for a single minute, having perfect pacing.
AT's soundtracks are the most unique you're able to listen in the medium
there is no comparison.
It's better than its successor in literally every aspect and literally even improves a little on the first game's plot.
Jakuri and Croix my GOATs
Luca and Cloche's relationship is one of the BEST RELATIONSHIPS I'VE EVER SEEN IN A JRPG
In this story we see what it really means to be human. Ar Tonelico would be the first story I'd present to a robot. Its ability to have explored the human mind, our greatest flaws and goods, is something I have rarely seen in any story I've ever read. Even a robot would've a doctorate in the human mind after finishing this game.
It's a dive into the human mind, into our deepest depths, into our greatest perversities and evils, but also into our greatest brilliance as a human being. What an immersive experience that leaves me speechless.
All characters have masterful writing. Through the music, manages to increase the impact of its plot and twists beautifully.
A great conductor in worldbuilding, Ar Tonelico has its mastery especially in music. It's a game about the art of music.
Those songs are among the most beautiful and well-written songs I've ever seen in gaming medium, and only playing it to understand, I'm saying this as a person who has a high understanding of music and experience in orchestras, as I am a violinist although not a professional one
Just
Unique.
The story is dense, complex, extremely creative and with heaps of dynamism, between the characters themselves and the world itself, which has a wonderful construction. There are literally no bad or irrelevant characters, everyone fulfills their role, everyone has their reasons, they are ALIVE and are part of this journey.
For me, this game becomes a classic of the century among JRPGs, a hidden gem that I hope one day will receive more applause and recognition for conveying such a fantastic story that I've only praises.
The creator of this story, genius Akira Tsuchiya, created an entire new language for the game called Hymmnos, is the official composer of Ar Tonelico, director and writer of this story, who spent 5 to 6 years writing it.
Thank you, simply thank you. For me, you wrote one of the greatest JRPG classics and marked your story in my books.
"My song gives you endless courage."
This is one of the highest peaks a JRPG can reach with a narrative and character-driven story, yes, it has both.
t-h-a-n-k y-o-u
The Legend of Ar tonelico.
The best series I have consumed in the last 11 months, and I'm so happy that I finally had the courage to play it, and the fact it's this incredible.
Four-dimensional characters (saying they are only three-dimensional is disrespectful).
Impeccable and frenetic writing, it doesn't divert the focus for a single minute, having perfect pacing.
AT's soundtracks are the most unique you're able to listen in the medium
there is no comparison.
It's better than its successor in literally every aspect and literally even improves a little on the first game's plot.
Jakuri and Croix my GOATs
Luca and Cloche's relationship is one of the BEST RELATIONSHIPS I'VE EVER SEEN IN A JRPG
In this story we see what it really means to be human. Ar Tonelico would be the first story I'd present to a robot. Its ability to have explored the human mind, our greatest flaws and goods, is something I have rarely seen in any story I've ever read. Even a robot would've a doctorate in the human mind after finishing this game.
It's a dive into the human mind, into our deepest depths, into our greatest perversities and evils, but also into our greatest brilliance as a human being. What an immersive experience that leaves me speechless.
All characters have masterful writing. Through the music, manages to increase the impact of its plot and twists beautifully.
A great conductor in worldbuilding, Ar Tonelico has its mastery especially in music. It's a game about the art of music.
Those songs are among the most beautiful and well-written songs I've ever seen in gaming medium, and only playing it to understand, I'm saying this as a person who has a high understanding of music and experience in orchestras, as I am a violinist although not a professional one
Just
Unique.
The story is dense, complex, extremely creative and with heaps of dynamism, between the characters themselves and the world itself, which has a wonderful construction. There are literally no bad or irrelevant characters, everyone fulfills their role, everyone has their reasons, they are ALIVE and are part of this journey.
For me, this game becomes a classic of the century among JRPGs, a hidden gem that I hope one day will receive more applause and recognition for conveying such a fantastic story that I've only praises.
The creator of this story, genius Akira Tsuchiya, created an entire new language for the game called Hymmnos, is the official composer of Ar Tonelico, director and writer of this story, who spent 5 to 6 years writing it.
Thank you, simply thank you. For me, you wrote one of the greatest JRPG classics and marked your story in my books.
"My song gives you endless courage."
Somehow i got the evil goth gf ending
Really kino story and gameplay. Im glad i play the de-anglicisation ver.
Really kino story and gameplay. Im glad i play the de-anglicisation ver.
I highly recommend you don't play this in english dreadful translation. Otherwise great game.
Normally something like this would be my jam, but the translation was quite...bad. To top it off this game released in the Before Times when a game breaking bug just...stayed in the game. Like this one has done.
Unique combat mechanics and the soundtrack is pretty good at least.
Unique combat mechanics and the soundtrack is pretty good at least.
We must appreciate the fact that the world allowed us to exist.
Jakuri's dance every time you finish a battle made me realize the love that the developers put into the game
I first have to say that this is a review coming from someone who particularly doesn’t care for, or can stand JRPG’s. I forced myself to play this, and I am very glad I did. Ar Tonelico II strays from the typical JRPG battle system and story with a little sexually confused boy trying to save some generic fantasy world with generic fantasy characters. You play as an entire team of people whose balance of Ar Tonelico (the world they live in) is resting on two Song Maidens. The game is full of political schemes, betrayals, and deception. These two maidens must also get to know each other more before they can sing Metafalica and bring about paradise to Metafalss. The characters are very well designed and because of how the story is developed you get to love these characters more than you probably would in any JRPG.
The main design behind the characters and story is getting to know their deep dark secrets. This is done through Diving into Reyvateil’s minds at a Dive Shop. There are different levels of their Cosmosphere that you must explore, and these are played through dialog. You need Dive Points to trigger certain events, but this is where you really get to know the characters. After completing each level you will unlock new Song Magic which is essential for battle. Without Song Magic, you will not get anywhere in the game. You can also unlock new costumes for the three Reyvateils that will increase their stats. The Diving gets really deep into the character’s minds and actually is quite interesting. These are some very deep and well-developed characters with some serious issues that make you even question your own. There is also the Infelsphere which is where two of the three Reyvateils need to learn to understand each other and get out their deepest darkest secrets and thoughts about each other out (the two depending on how you play the story).
The main protagonist, Croix, is caught in a love triangle between these two Song Maidens and the third Reyvateil. There’s sexual tension between them, which can be awkward in the game, but by the end, there are some pretty good scenes that will tug at your heart-strings. Overall, the story is well-developed, deep, and intelligent and very self-aware. When you Rest at saves you can talk to the Reyvateils and bring your relationship closer which will unlock different levels of their Cosmosphere that you can dive into. Of course, the game can’t just wing it on the story, so let’s get to combat.
The game uses mini-games during battle. There are two phases: Attack and Defense. When you attack you have to use the D-pad along with each of the two characters assigned attack button. This will help your Reyvateils sing better depending on what directional attack you’re using. There’s a meter that will show their desires for what direction they want. You’re banking on your Reyvateils song magic to do the most damage. You are just whittling down health and protecting them while they charge. There are different phases of each song tree that do different attacks. Thankfully there are also healing songs that you can use as many times as you want, but when you switch to another song in the same attack phase the points will carry over so you don’t have to charge again. I found myself charging a song tree as far as I could go and then unleashing the attack and then using a healing song. This also reduces a number of potions and healing items you need to use which removes that headache that most JRPGs have. This makes combat exciting because you aren’t just mashing X until the enemy dies. Those attack buttons have meters on them and you have to press the button when the green line goes by otherwise you won’t defend your Reyvateil and they will take damage. They are fragile and can’t take much so you must be on your guard and press that attack button quickly. If you get a perfect rating you won’t take any damage! But this is hard and requires precise timing. Depending on which two Reyvateils got along and went through the Infelsphere they can synch during combat and bring out devastatingly powerful dual song magic. This can only be done towards the end of the game, but it also requires doing the same attacks with your Vanguards so the girls synch.
Other than that the combat is pretty straightforward. Each Vanguard’s attacks will increase in levels during fights so you can do more deadly attacks. The main issue I have with JRPGs are random battles. These usually keep me from completing them, but Ar Tonelico II skirts this by making random battles limited. There is a meter that goes down as you do each battle. Each dungeon only has about 10 (until the last dungeon which is infinite), but it also turns from blue to flashing red that will indicate you are about to get into a fight. This lets you explore dungeons freely without getting frustrated. Once that meter runs down there are no more battles until you leave the dungeon. Even the map system is very useful when most JRPGs don’t even have one.
Of course, there are some side things you can do like synthesizing items with shop owners. As you advance the story you will get new recipe cards from them, but unlike most games, this isn’t just menu driven. When you synthesize it brings the characters together more and dialog plays through. Sometimes the item may not even be what was on the recipe! After a while, you can go back and try again to improve on it. Lastly, you will run into I.P.D. victims in dungeons which are high-level Reyvateils that you have to battle. If you can beat them you can do Dive Therapy on them which will give you Girl Power that can raise your stats quite a bit. You can even Dualstall during saves and level up your Reyvateils by doing onsen baths! You find Dualithnode crystals and put them in this bath and the girls will absorb them. It is not recommended doing solo baths because the effects aren’t that strong.
The game isn’t perfect though. The very last dungeon (Sol Morta) is a long frustrating nightmare with endless random battles and too much backtracking. The visuals are disapprovingly 2D and not very good-looking. During dialog, characters pop up with different facial expressions, but there are some anime cutscenes, but not nearly enough. There’s even a lack of spoken dialog, but at least the game includes the Japanese tracks. The English voices are hilariously bad and make you want to tear your ears off. There’s also a few game breaking glitches as well as typos. The last 20% of the game is just really tough and the game stops giving you a sense of direction. This last 20% really disappointed me and was kind of drawn out and long-winded. If it weren’t for these issues I would give this game a higher score. One plus for me is the amazingly beautiful music in this game. The Hymnos are beautiful and I loved them so much I downloaded the songs and listen to them often.
Overall, Ar Tonelico II breaks the JRPG mold with unique gameplay elements from combat, to leveling up Reyvateils via baths, and synthesizing. The music is beautiful, and the story is deep with political intrigue and revealing the deepest darkest secrets a person can hold. However, that are some issues that hold this otherwise wonderful game back. If you hate JRPGs I recommend giving this one a shot.
The main design behind the characters and story is getting to know their deep dark secrets. This is done through Diving into Reyvateil’s minds at a Dive Shop. There are different levels of their Cosmosphere that you must explore, and these are played through dialog. You need Dive Points to trigger certain events, but this is where you really get to know the characters. After completing each level you will unlock new Song Magic which is essential for battle. Without Song Magic, you will not get anywhere in the game. You can also unlock new costumes for the three Reyvateils that will increase their stats. The Diving gets really deep into the character’s minds and actually is quite interesting. These are some very deep and well-developed characters with some serious issues that make you even question your own. There is also the Infelsphere which is where two of the three Reyvateils need to learn to understand each other and get out their deepest darkest secrets and thoughts about each other out (the two depending on how you play the story).
The main protagonist, Croix, is caught in a love triangle between these two Song Maidens and the third Reyvateil. There’s sexual tension between them, which can be awkward in the game, but by the end, there are some pretty good scenes that will tug at your heart-strings. Overall, the story is well-developed, deep, and intelligent and very self-aware. When you Rest at saves you can talk to the Reyvateils and bring your relationship closer which will unlock different levels of their Cosmosphere that you can dive into. Of course, the game can’t just wing it on the story, so let’s get to combat.
The game uses mini-games during battle. There are two phases: Attack and Defense. When you attack you have to use the D-pad along with each of the two characters assigned attack button. This will help your Reyvateils sing better depending on what directional attack you’re using. There’s a meter that will show their desires for what direction they want. You’re banking on your Reyvateils song magic to do the most damage. You are just whittling down health and protecting them while they charge. There are different phases of each song tree that do different attacks. Thankfully there are also healing songs that you can use as many times as you want, but when you switch to another song in the same attack phase the points will carry over so you don’t have to charge again. I found myself charging a song tree as far as I could go and then unleashing the attack and then using a healing song. This also reduces a number of potions and healing items you need to use which removes that headache that most JRPGs have. This makes combat exciting because you aren’t just mashing X until the enemy dies. Those attack buttons have meters on them and you have to press the button when the green line goes by otherwise you won’t defend your Reyvateil and they will take damage. They are fragile and can’t take much so you must be on your guard and press that attack button quickly. If you get a perfect rating you won’t take any damage! But this is hard and requires precise timing. Depending on which two Reyvateils got along and went through the Infelsphere they can synch during combat and bring out devastatingly powerful dual song magic. This can only be done towards the end of the game, but it also requires doing the same attacks with your Vanguards so the girls synch.
Other than that the combat is pretty straightforward. Each Vanguard’s attacks will increase in levels during fights so you can do more deadly attacks. The main issue I have with JRPGs are random battles. These usually keep me from completing them, but Ar Tonelico II skirts this by making random battles limited. There is a meter that goes down as you do each battle. Each dungeon only has about 10 (until the last dungeon which is infinite), but it also turns from blue to flashing red that will indicate you are about to get into a fight. This lets you explore dungeons freely without getting frustrated. Once that meter runs down there are no more battles until you leave the dungeon. Even the map system is very useful when most JRPGs don’t even have one.
Of course, there are some side things you can do like synthesizing items with shop owners. As you advance the story you will get new recipe cards from them, but unlike most games, this isn’t just menu driven. When you synthesize it brings the characters together more and dialog plays through. Sometimes the item may not even be what was on the recipe! After a while, you can go back and try again to improve on it. Lastly, you will run into I.P.D. victims in dungeons which are high-level Reyvateils that you have to battle. If you can beat them you can do Dive Therapy on them which will give you Girl Power that can raise your stats quite a bit. You can even Dualstall during saves and level up your Reyvateils by doing onsen baths! You find Dualithnode crystals and put them in this bath and the girls will absorb them. It is not recommended doing solo baths because the effects aren’t that strong.
The game isn’t perfect though. The very last dungeon (Sol Morta) is a long frustrating nightmare with endless random battles and too much backtracking. The visuals are disapprovingly 2D and not very good-looking. During dialog, characters pop up with different facial expressions, but there are some anime cutscenes, but not nearly enough. There’s even a lack of spoken dialog, but at least the game includes the Japanese tracks. The English voices are hilariously bad and make you want to tear your ears off. There’s also a few game breaking glitches as well as typos. The last 20% of the game is just really tough and the game stops giving you a sense of direction. This last 20% really disappointed me and was kind of drawn out and long-winded. If it weren’t for these issues I would give this game a higher score. One plus for me is the amazingly beautiful music in this game. The Hymnos are beautiful and I loved them so much I downloaded the songs and listen to them often.
Overall, Ar Tonelico II breaks the JRPG mold with unique gameplay elements from combat, to leveling up Reyvateils via baths, and synthesizing. The music is beautiful, and the story is deep with political intrigue and revealing the deepest darkest secrets a person can hold. However, that are some issues that hold this otherwise wonderful game back. If you hate JRPGs I recommend giving this one a shot.
If the protagonist was Rean it would be better
One of the best JRPGS I've played
Ar Tonelico 2 is a frenetic JRPG: from its mix of real time and turn-based combat to the rampaging story of a land in chaos, added to the appropriately compressed Pastalian dialect for its song magic, there is very little bloat that breaks the flow and urgency the game sets for itself since the beginning.
The first entry introduces the world's building blocks that this game exploits to build a much more complex and restless setting. In it, a wide array of diversely troubled, anxious and complex characters tread through the narrow reaches of Metafalss on a journey that's deep down an optimistic and compelling story underscored by strong themes of -among other things- existential environmentalism.
This score is for Metafalica Project's fantastic relocalization of the game, played through PS2 emulation.
The first entry introduces the world's building blocks that this game exploits to build a much more complex and restless setting. In it, a wide array of diversely troubled, anxious and complex characters tread through the narrow reaches of Metafalss on a journey that's deep down an optimistic and compelling story underscored by strong themes of -among other things- existential environmentalism.
This score is for Metafalica Project's fantastic relocalization of the game, played through PS2 emulation.
The most varied and amazing soundtrack i've listen to. Songs in made-up languages are my absolute weakness and the energy it brings is nothing short of stunning.
oh right this is a video game uhh...
You're honestly better off learning japanese, watching a walkthrough or reading the indepth wiki for the game.
NISA and their awful translation works turns a strange game with a silly idea into a pretty stale by the books anime trope story which has a shit ton of bugs in it for no reason apart from put together with hopes, dreams and glue.
oh right this is a video game uhh...
You're honestly better off learning japanese, watching a walkthrough or reading the indepth wiki for the game.
NISA and their awful translation works turns a strange game with a silly idea into a pretty stale by the books anime trope story which has a shit ton of bugs in it for no reason apart from put together with hopes, dreams and glue.
eternally fascinated that super average, poorly translated, extremely horny anime cringe jrpg franchise has literally the most stunning neoclassical choral soundtrack of all time