"One of the most fun RPGs out there."

Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia is a fun RPG for those who are tired of doing frustrating sidequests and are burned out on the usual random battle system.

Story: 10/10

This game takes place in a place called the Tower of Ar Tonelico, a tower-like mass of land that features forests, fields, towns and mountains as well as some advanced technology. You play the role of Lyner, a Knight of Elemia, and your goal is to save the tower from the threat of viruses that have invaded. You set out on a journey and along the way you meet many characters, including two girls named Aurica and Misha, who are Reyvateils, a race of girls who can harness the power of songs and create magic. There is a "Dive" system which allows you to explore each Reyvateil's mind and iron out their psychological issues, and through this you will learn more about them and they will develop more as characters.

Gameplay: 10/10

Although Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia is easy, it is quite a bit of fun. The battle system is very simple. You have up to three normal characters and one Reyvateil, and your goal is to protect the Reyvateil at all costs while she sings songs to aid you in battle. If the Reyvateil is ever attacked she will likely die in one blow. Fortunately there aren't a lot of enemies that target the Reyvateil, and if that does happen you can guard her and unleash a massive counterattack. There are also abilities other than songs that the other characters can use which are quite powerful. The encounters are random, but there is a gauge in the corner of the screen that will gradually run out as you battle, and when it runs completely out there are no more battles in that area. This means you can run around a save point fighting, get the gauge to zero, then explore the dungeon without having to fight more battles.

Outside of battle the gameplay is very simple. You explore dungeons and towns, but the towns and the world map have a point-and-click style of play. If you click on one building in the town you enter it and can walk around and explore.

There is also an item creation system called Grathmelding which allows you to combine various items to create new ones. This allows you to make some very powerful equipment.

Graphics: 10/10

The graphics are actually very good even if this is a 2D game. People who enjoy any RPG from the 2D era will likely not be disappointed in them.

Sound: 10/10

Since this game's magic system is based around songs you would probably expect the soundtrack to be good, and you would be correct. Everything from the battle music to the music in towns and dungeons is great.

Replay Value: 10/10

This game has several different endings, so the replay value is high. Not only that, but the game is a lot of fun, so you will probably want to replay it. There are all sorts of Grathmelding recipes to collect and you can progress through the Dive system so the Reyvateils can gain new magic spells. There are also conversation topics that will appear that will appear when you fulfill certain requirements that offer more insight into the Reyvateils and develop them as characters.

Overall, this is an excellent game and one of my personal favorite PS2 games.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/10/07