[PS2] Ar Tonelico II:�¢ŠE‚É‹¿‚*�*�—‚½‚¿‚Ì‘n‘¢Ž� (Metafalica) Review

[Toshiro]

Ar Tonelico II Import Review

Change text encoding if you want to read the Japanese

Used: Import copy of Ar Tonelico II
TV: LCD at 480i
PS2: Used HDLoader to speed up game load times

Website Homepage Information:

ƒAƒ‹ƒgƒlƒŠƒR‚Q�@�¢ŠE‚É‹¿‚*�*�—‚½‚¿‚Ì‘n‘¢Ž��iƒ�ƒ^ƒt ƒ@ƒŠƒJ�jŒöŽ®ƒTƒCƒg

Credit goes to the following wiki pages in helping me through the game:

¥¢¥�Eȥͥ�E³2 À¤³¦¤Ë¶Á¤¯¾¯½¿¤Á¤ÎÁϤ»�E¹¶Î¬¥¬¥¤¥Éwiki -¥¢¥�Eȥͥ�E³2 ¹¶Î¬¥µ¥¤¥È-

]Í*¸ú¤ÊWikiName¤Ç¤Ï¤¢¤ê¤Þ¤»¤�E¥¢¥�Eȥͥ�E³2¹¶Î¬ Wiki

http://www29.atwiki.jp/v-sw/pages/401.html]

Thanks to:
Bandpresto/Gust for making the game possible

Trailers:

Japanese Introduction:

Gametrailers.com - Ar Tonelico II Japanese Intro by MaverickHL


After two months, I have finally cleared the game in its entirety, so here is an in depth review of the sequel to one of the niche titles that will potentially be coming to North America.

When Ar Tonelico first came to North America it was given a mediocre welcome, but fans of the series know that this games has a lot of interesting elements that sets it apart from the typical "save the world from the evil entity" cliche. On October 22, 2007 Bandpresto with cooperation of Gust has released the sequel to Ar Tonelico:�¢ŠE‚Ì�I‚í‚è‚ÅŽ�‚¢‘±‚¯‚é�*�— or Melody of Elemia in North America.

Story:

The story of Ar Tonelico II takes place in the same world, but in a different area just a few years after the incidents in the first Ar Tonelico, where we move from Ar Ceil to Metafalse. In this area the people have lost connection with the main tower called Sol Marta due to a war that happened 400 years prior between "god" and the people of Metfalse.

This war that happened 400 years has many connections to two priestess one of fire and water who were to bring prosperity into the land of Metafalse by singing a special hymnose called Metafalica. Alas due to the failure it resulted in the war, and along with this war it brought forth a new type of problem called the I.P.D. disease (Infel-Phira Dependency) which affects Reyvatail in the area and cause them to go insane and attack the people of Metafalse indiscriminately .

Not to divulge any more of the deep storyline, but let us jump back to the present where you play as Croah Vatel a government soldier assigned to hunt Reyvatails who are stricken with the disease and of course confine them to the government to help them recover.

Upon doing these jobs Croah notices a lot of the people of Metafalse do not like the way they handle the situation with I.P.D Reyvatails and Croah has a moral dilemma with regards to whether the government he serves is doing the right thing.

As the story progresses you will be introduced to the two main heroines of the game, the first is Croche Latel Pastelie a priestess and spokes woman in the High Government and Luca Truelywaath a Dive Therapist working at Rakshyak and a childhood friend of Croah. These three along with the other party members will unravel the 400 year old war and the current conflict with the "god" of the tower and the reason behind the I.P.D disease. Be prepared as the story gets very complex later on but it is an interesting one, this is just something to wet your appetites.

Gameplay/Mechanics:

World System:

The world system is the same as first Ar Tonelico where you navigate each town by selecting a menu and doing to that specific place. The world map is also the same where you choose the main location and then go to it, this part is pretty much the only thing that has not changed since the first game.

Phase:

The Phase system from the first is also back, but it has a slightly different spin compared to the first one. There are now 5 Phases to go through instead of the regular 3 in the first Ar Tonelico. There will be a complete change in the Phase depending on which Reyvatail you choose to be with and the choice is very early in the game so be prepared for a long game.

Battle System:

Compared to the first Ar Tonelico the system has been totally revamped. They have taken two aspects of different styles of games and put them into a very interesting mix. The battles are divided into two modes, an Attack Phase and Defense Phase.

Battle System Tutorial:

Gametrailers.com - Ar Tonelico II Gameplay Tutorial by MaverickHL

Reyvatail System Tutorial:

Gametrailers.com - Ar Tonelico II Reyvatail Tutorial by MaverickHL

Attack Phase:

On the screen you will notice a circular timer on the lower right corner. This is the amount of time you have to attack the enemy, and you only have to press the square or X button corresponding to the person to attack. Sound familiar? It should be as it is from Valkyrie Profile.

During the attack phase on if you have a Reyvatail in your party the Emotion Indicator at the within the circular timer will change depending on how you attack. The attack can be Square + left arrow and it will push the indicator in that specific direction. In later parts of the game you will use this to evolve song magic into more powerful forms.

Defense Phase:

Defense phase with no Reyvatail means you will take full damage. It is unusual but it will be rare for this to happen. The defense phase is solely to protect the Reyvatail from taking damage and interrupting the song magic as it is being cast. The best way to describe the defense phase is DDR with your fingers.

The enemy will attack and it will translated into a series of green lines moving left to right and you as the player have to press your assigned button to block the attack. The closer to the edge before missing the better damage reduction, PERFECT guard rewards you with no damage and so getting practice on this is crucial especially in later battles.

This is the basics of the battle system and it will be a very challenging one if you don't get the hang of it, especially the Defense Phase portion.

Battle System (I.P.D and Replekia):

I.P.D Battle:

Gametrailers.com - Ar Tonelico II LVL09 I.P.D. Battle by MaverickHL

New to the series is some added tweaks. In the first Ar Tonelico Gathode crystals were used to power up everything (weapons, song magic armor etc). In Ar Tonelico II, the weapons do not have improved bonuses via crystals, but with the helped of cured I.P.D Reyvatails.

I.P.D System:

Before curing I.P.D you first need to hunt for them. As the above battle shows, they will be one of the hardest things in the game as they are deadly. The highest classification are LVL09 I.P.Ds and compared to your level you need to be about lvl 50 to survive the hits. Once you have subdued them, it would then be time to cure them.

Dive Therapy:

In Phase 1 Luca and Croche will each play a role in improving the overall battle system above. During the game you be introduced to I.P.D Therapy which involves Luca curing the I.P.D Reyvatails, this involves talking to the I.P.D's or administering certain drugs to help cure their state. You also might need certain items before you can start curing them, so it is best to check the requirements. Once they are cured, they can be enlisted to be Croche's body guards.

Replekia:


Replekia is a special song Croche can sing. It harmonizes the hearts of cured I.P.D to increase song magic output by a large amount (in the millions of percent)

After Luca cures the I.P.Ds certain condition still may need to be met in order for them to join the squad. These can include fighting a certain type of monster a number of times or creating certain items, but once they join, Croche can then use them as part of her specialize hymnose.

There are 100 I.P.Ds to hunt, cure and use for Replekia and this will be a long daunting task on its own so be prepared.

Other uses of cured I.P.Ds:

The other use for the cured I.P.D Reyvatails is that they can be augmented with the front row attackers. They will give certain properties (attack up, better guard, more attack time etc..) after you level them up of course. The max level of properties per I.P.D is 4 and with 100 I.P.D to level it will another task to add to the list.

EX Skills:

EX Skills are special skills the front line characters can perform. These moves are flashy and have associated anime cutscenes to go with them. They are triggered by getting a certain amount of harmonics ranging from: Burstech, Synchro, Harmonics, and Care. These are part of the Emotion Indicator in around the circular timer. These attacks varies and will depend on the enemy and their resistances.

Grathmelding:

The item synthesis in the first Ar Tonelico is back, but a little different. The system now involves shop keepers help in making certain items and they each have their own sub events and stories that goes along after a few of these synthesis are completed. The system of synthesizing has not changed from the first, they just added more depth by giving a story to it. One of them will make a return appearance from the first Ar Tonelico so enjoy that if you have not been spoiled by the youtube videos.

Cosmosphere and Song Magic:

This has not changed much since the beginning, where you will dive into the heroine Reyvatails and learn more about their psyche and who they are as a person. There is a catch however, unlike the first Ar Tonelico where you can dive pretty much all the way to LVL9 (most intimate level) only the chosen Reyvtail you choose will only let you get past LVL5. In other words, no playing hooky like Lyner did in the first Ar Tonelico. When you choose a path it will be pretty much dead set, with a few conditions of course.

Infel Sphere:

This is a specialize type of cosmosphere that will be later unlocked, it is used to increase the bonds of the two heroines and to unlock Synchronic Song Magic. This is a newly added system to the already long list of improvements. Be prepared as this will really reveal a lot of the story plot of each of the two heroines when you go through it.

Talk Matter and Dualstall:


Talk Matter:

There are two types of Talk Matter (Topics) in Ar Tonelico II. The regular one, and the Syncro Talk Matter. The regular one is just like the first Ar Tonelico, certain conditions need to be met or you find those sparkle talk matters to receive talk matters for the different Reyvatails. Again, depending on which girl you choose you will have a certain number of talk matters.

Synchro Talk Matter:

Synchro Talk Matter topics are conversation between the Reyvatails about certain themes and story events. There are no sparkles for these talk matters, but are triggered usually by using Dualstall. Getting a lot of these talk matters net you better Synchro to get Dual Song magic released. (See the I.P.D battle above to show how Dual Song magics are released).

Dualstall:

Dualstall is basically the Reyvatails taking a bath with Grathmeld Crystals. These crystals are used to level and power up Reyvatails. This is a bit of a random game of chance as you have to hope the Reyvatail passes across the crystal to get the stat boost. Certain bath toys and lotions can help keep them in the area where the crystal resides and retain the certain properties of the crystal as they sometimes get washed off every time you use the system. This is also where a majority of the Syncrho talk matters are unlocked, so it is best to invest a bit of time into letting the girls take a bath.


Conclusion:

If are still with me after the long list of improvements from the first Ar Tonelico then you better believe this will be an awesome game once it comes to North America. With a new story, and a boat load of changes to the system you will spend a good portion of time invested to this game. When you hear that announcement don't hesitate to pick this game up.

Score:

Story: 9/10

An excellent story with some decent plot twists and a good back story to weave the link between the past and present.

Gameplay: 10/10

Improve battle system, added I.P.D, Replekia and even improvements to the basic system from the first Ar Tonelico makes this game a better experience.

Graphics: 8/10

Graphics are improved compared to the first Ar Tonelico, but it does show its age with using the same method like all Gust based games, but none the less a tried and tested formula.

Sound: 10/10

The Hymnos scores alone make this one of the better game in the sound department, the voice acting is also top notch in my opinion.

Overall: 9/10

Replay Value:

Very high, you will have a lot to do in this game. There are 4 endings to acquire, and a Reyvatail from the first Ar Tonelico will be one of the main characters in the game.

Clear Game Extra:

I mention this because it will relieve of few questions of what you get after you beat it the first time. Here is what you get:

In Game Database containing the Reyvtail stats, what Cosmosphere you cleared, how many song magic acquired, costumes acquired, talk matters, and synchro talk matter completed.

You will also have access to replay all the Cosmospheres you cleared during you game, as well as view all the Talk Matter topics.

Database of I.P.D, monsters, and all the fun stuff that comes with the extra. Finally, what extra would not be complete without a picture gallery. Hope you enjoy this review, and please thank Bandpresto and Gust for making another awesome game.

Those in North America stay tuned and hope NISA can bring this game over.