"In the depths of the Abyss..."

Namco has done well with most of their “Tales of” games, only creating one that was below standards, but this one certainly isn't it. If anything, it's one of the best “Tales of” type games I've played in a long time. Before you read my review, I'll note that unlike other reviewers that have played Symphonia that I have not. The last “Tales of” game I've played that I enjoyed was Tales of Eternia, so it has been quite a while.

Story: 9.5/10
From the beginning, you'll get to know Luke. Luke definitely fits the “spoiled-brat” description at this point, and unfortunately will for some time. As a result, he's easily one of the worst characters imaginable. Fortunately, after a decent amount of time with the story, he will grow up and really become a hero, leaving his old character behind, not to mention the change was done quite well as I went from having almost no respect for him, to liking him as much as the rest of the cast.

Along Luke's adventure, he will meet Tear, Jade, Guy, Anise, Natalia, and Asch. Before you even swing your first sword against an enemy in battle, you'll meet Tear, who at the first moments of the game will hate Luke as much as he hates her. Of course, time will pass and it will get interesting. Then there's Jade, who is undoubtedly awesome as a character. The way he acts from the moment you get him, up to the end is what makes Jade such a great character. Guy is Luke's servant, who goes looking for him after the beginning event with Luke and Tear. He's pretty easygoing, except he does have a phobia of women getting near him… just watch. Anise is a Fon Master Guardian, who has a close relation to an important character you'll meet. Natalia is a princess from her country, and wants what's best for it. Asch is, well, I can't really describe him without spoiling the story. You could take this as a general explanation of the characters you'll get in your party, but there's more to know.

Of course, it wouldn't be a “Tales of” game (or an RPG for that matter) if something wasn't wrong with the world they live in. The possibility of war between two opposing countries is happening in Auldrant, and it's your job to stop that. Of course, that war is caused by something of a much greater evil… the Score. The Score is the way people live their lives. They read it, and think nothing more than to do it. Ultimately, the Score is the reason why Auldrant's condition deteriorates, at least until Luke and the rest of the party start fixing that.

Graphics: 9/10
At first glance, it has a simple anime-ish cel-shaded look. However, this allows the game to display with quite a number of details. From the first town you visit, it's established that this game is going to look impressive. It's the small details that are done in houses, to the larger details such as how your character looks, the people around him, and everything in between that makes everything a sight to behold. Enemy graphics are good as well, as they can animate as much as your own characters for bosses. Normal enemies also have a sharpness that's good to look at, but it's not as refined. Glowing and particle effects also play a bit of a role here, and these are exceptional when used.

Gameplay: 9/10
Outside of battle, you'll do things related to the quest, which basically plays like any other RPG, but there are some unique things. First of all, there are no random encounters whatsoever. You'll see your enemies on the field trying to run towards you, and you can choose to ignore them or just run up to them. Once the fighting starts, it takes place in real-time on a large battle screen. Here, any Artes you have, you can use, along with any normal attacks and strategies. Also, any active AD skills and Fon Slot Chambers are used as well.

AD skills are passive skills that your characters will learn depending on what stats are raised with Capacity Cores. These skills can range from being able to link up to four hits in a combo, casting a Spell in less time, running faster, and even gaining experience faster. Once a certain stat reaches a certain number, you'll learn an AD skill, but finding out the right Capacity Core can take some time.

Of course, you could always just make generalizations about characters, and give Luke attack Capacity Cores. Of course, that is the best choice of action given Luke's Artes. For someone like Anise, though, who has a combination of Artes and Spells, you may want to consider what you want to do with her. For an added bonus to all skills, Fon Slot Chambers can be used. These chambers, when added to a skill, give a certain percentage to do an added effect when used. They come in four colors and generally each color does something specific.

Unlike Tales game such as Tales of Destiny, this happens on a 3D field as opposed to the 2D one. However, you won't miss anything considering how crazy the action is while battling. Since it happens in real-time, anything you can dish out at the enemy can be done to you as well if you aren't careful. This is especially true if you're playing on higher difficulties. (I played on Hard my first playthough, because Normal was kind of easy, while Hard gave me quite a good challenge during some boss fights.)

I only had one thing that bothered me though a small portion of the game, and that was the lag on the map. At first, it's bothersome, but with some time, you get used to it.

Music/SE: 9/10
It ranges from decent, to excellent. Some places have very good tunes that one could listen to all day, and other places sound pretty much like they supposed to. Sound effects are very good, as well. Your characters speak well both on and off the battlefield. Swords will be slashing, fonic artes will be casted, and all hell will break loose as everything happens. Nothing sounds out of place or is bothersome in the least.

Length: 10/10
Depending on your playing style, if you're one not to look around and go straight through the story, then it will last you at least 40 hours. If you're the type that likes fighting a lot, finding items, and doing as many side-quests as you can find, then it will easily reach the 90-100 hour mark. Depending on how much you like the mini-games, they will add a few hours or more to that time as well. There's also playing a second time which will add more things to the mix. On your second playthough, you have the option of starting off fresh, but you don't have to with the GRADE shop. With it, you're able to retain such things as AD skills and Artes, but not everything, so it won't be broken for your next game.

From what Tales of the Abyss does makes it an overall impressive game, from its memorable characters, excellent battle system, and grand sense of adventure. It's definitely worth picking up, for any gaming occasion.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/01/07, Updated 02/05/07