Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia

"A breath of fresh air in the land of irritating RPGs"

I just finished the game a few hours ago and decided to write this review of the game.

Ar Tonelico is another RPG made by NIS (Atelier Iris, Phantom Brave). This is my favorite game made by them, and my new second favorite RPG on the PS2 (Right below Ys VI)...

anyways, the game focuses on Lyner Barsett and his mission to help defend the world of viruses. He is an Apostle of Elemia, and lives in a tower city way above the normal citizens of the world.

Some events transpire, and Lyner finds himself on the Wings of Horus (the area where normal citizens live). He must then continue on his mission to rid the world of the virus plaguing the world...on the way he ends up meeting a pretty comical, and very diverse group of characters. He also goes to alot of places, and learns alot of things...

--Story: 10. The story is great. It sounds cliche when summarized, but it really isn't. The world is very unique, and the way the story of the virus attacks unfolds was very interesting. There are also multiple story arcs for each of the reyvateils. This makes the characters develop rather nicely. There is alot of character diversity!

--Graphics: 9. They could have been better ,but they are still really nice. They are the typical NIS style: lush 2d sprites and scenery. The anime paperdolls that appear periodically are also quite awesome. There are even a handful of quick anime cutscenes for various battle attacks. The spell effects in battle are really nicely done. The game was definitely not a bad game to look at...

--Sound/Music: 9. The sound effects are fitting, and so are the voice overs. The voice overs seem to fit the characters very well...

My only gripe is that some of the music is kind of annoying, especially one particular song that plays during a boss battle. The chanting was not pleasant on the ears. Other than that, the music is excellent. Especially the title and ending credit music...

--Gameplay: 10. This is one of the most unique game styles I have seen in awhile, and it doesnt remove the fun of the game. Something I consider a bit rare these days...

First, you have Reyvateils. Reyvateils are the female songstress characters in Ar Tonelico. You pick one to use in battle, and the sing powerful song magics that have various effects. Their power builds during battle and increases a Harmonics gauge. This allows the other characters to unleash powerful combat attacks.

Songs are crafted via diving. Diving involves Lyner entering the Reyvateils inner cosmosphere, and journeying through each level while solving problems along the way. Each level usually gets you 2-3 songs, and a new costume for the Reyvateil to wear. There are 10 levels for the reyvateils. New levels are unlocked through conversations with Reyvateils.

It is also possible to install crystals into both Reyvateils (enhancing each song), and equipment (enhances combat ratings). Its a nice touch, and a lot of customization can take place.

This game also has the first crafting system that I have actually liked to use: Grathmelding. It isnt one of those craft systems where you are forced to spend alot of time messing with it, or running around finding the right ingredients. Its very easy going, and doesnt suck up game time. You are able to craft some pretty useful stuff too!

The pacing of the game was also done really well. There was hardly any period in the game where the action stopped. Something new was always going on. This made the game much more enjoyable to continue playing...

A final note on the gameplay is the erm, ....innuendo that is present in the game. Throughout diving, conversations with Reyvateils, Grathmelding, and normal gameplay...there is alot of comical innuendo. Its great for alot of laughs, and it makes the game have its light hearted moments in the midst of the epic story taking place. It also fits the general atmosphere...

All in all, a very solid game to play...

In short... the game has a unique/indepth story backed with addicting well paced gameplay that implements a short & sweet crafting system, along with a new kind of character development process (Diving and Reyvateils). Its well worth the money to buy it new, and there are 4 endings that I have seen so far!

Lets hope Ar Tonelico II makes it stateside....

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/19/07