Gamertell

Title: Ar Tonelico 2: Melody of MetaFalacia
Price: $39.99
System: Playstation 2
Release Date: January 20, 2009
Publisher (Developer): NIS America (Gust)
ESRB Rating: Teen
Pros: Wonderful and enchanting musical score, fast-paced battle system, delightful cast of characters, entertaining dialogue, original Japanese voices option included
Cons: storyline is a tad bit confusing to grasp at first, unavoidable glitch near end of the game
Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 88/100; B+; ***1/2 out of five

At my point in the game, I’m a little unclear about what exactly is happening in the beautiful world of Metafalss except that there’s a viral epidemic that causes the Reyvateils of the region to go insane and become malicious.

A Reyvateil is a person (usually a girl) blessed with the power to invoke magic from song. The protagonist of this story, Croix Vatel, is a member of the Grand Bell and he is part of the force charged with the responsibility to contain the infected Reyvateils. During his travels, Croix is joined by a colorful cast of characters that includes a peppy lolita named Cocona who fights with her hair barrettes, the haughty yet soft-hearted dominatrix-looking priestess Cloche and Croix’s childhood friend and girlfriend Luca.

Vanguards Are to Weapons as Reyvateils Are to Music

Battles in Ar Tonelico 2 play out in two phases: Attack and Defend. During the attack phase, characters can perform a multitude of actions until the time gauge runs out. Also available during this phase is the menu which controls what type of magic the Reyvateils will cast as well as when they should release it. When the defend phase commences, enemies will take full advantage of their turn and launch a full out attack against your Reyvateils during which the player must utilize timed defensive moves to prevent them from connecting. Simital to real life, if something smacks you in the head, you’d naturally lose your concentration, and therefore your pretty little Reyvateils must always be protected.

During battle, characters are sorted into two lines: Vanguard and Reyvateils. Vanguard characters are placed in the front line and take the brunt of enemy assaults. These characters also have four different types of moves with varying effects that directly influences the performance of Reyvateils during a battle.

Reyvateils reside in the back line and although relatively weak in comparison to Vanguard characters, their song spells can unleash devastating effects or life-saving health boosts.

You Don’t Need to Know How to Swim to Be Able to Dive

In addition to an intuitive battle system, there are several other elements that both contribute to the story as well future encounters. I’m just going to name a couple of the more interesting aspects though, since it’s much more rewarding to discover them through actual game play:

The Dive System – Allows Croix to enter the mind of a Reyvateil (Cosmosphere) where he will be able to see her true emotions and feelings, among other things. Through this system, new song magic is discovered. However, Croix is only able to venture further into a Reyvateils mind by becoming more intimate with her. (No, not like that, as in the art of communication.) Players are encouraged to converse with Reyvateils at rest stops, inns or one of the many save points littered on the field map. Significant events and topics that can be found like items are what fuels these interactions. Unlike the real world, though, if you neglect to give her enough attention, she won’t dump you. She’ll just be the weakest player in your party.

Dualstall – Unlike other characters, Reyvateils are only able to increase their levels by utilizing Dualalithnode crystals. Since these enigmatic crystals only unleash their powers when submerged in water, Reyvateils must bathe together (enter gratuitous pixelated fudgie bath orgy) to receive their rewards. Various effects occur depending on the position of the crystal as well as the position of the Reyvateils. During these sequences, players will be treated to entertaining dialogue between the girls which encourage intimacy and friendship that manifests itself in battles. You can also coax them into becoming friendlier and quicker through the use of certain items like bath toys. The old concept never fails - girls, bubbles, and bath toys always equals a grand ol’ time for everyone!

A Single, Fatal Flaw

Unfortunately, Ar Tonelico 2 is marred by a pretty nasty scab of a wound. Players won’t notice this until near the end of the game but, during a specific boss battle, there is a move that this creature unleashes that causes the game to glitch. Unfortunately, this isn’t just some little skip in the animation, it’s a pretty big glitch and it’s not about to disappear. Therefore, I will share with you some pearls of wisdom - be sure to over-level your characters until you can defeat this boss in one to two turns, unless you want to try your luck and see if this menacing, literally game-ending beast doesn’t use this move on you.

Glitched But Still Good

While this bug would be a major turn-off for most gamers, I am still vouching for its credibility. Ar Tonelico 2 is definitely a unique experience with a magnificent soundtrack to match. The voice acting is actually skillfully translated and even if you still don’t like it, you can easily switch to the Japanese track. Not many other games incorporate a dating simulation aspect that’s required to encourage growth of and between characters.

The battles are a fast-paced adrenaline rush that doesn’t allow the laziness of players who like keep one finger glued to a certain button during all battles like most other RPGs. The dialogue is indeed charged with a rampant amount of sexual innuendo, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It actually makes for some pretty humorous banter between the characters. Who said that sex doesn’t sell?

Site [Ar Tonelico 2: Melody of MetaFalacia]