Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia

"One of the better jrpg titles to hit US shores in a while"

Ar Tonelico is from the same team as the Atelier Iris series which I've come to enjoy despite them not really being anything grand. Well, I originally rented Ar Tonelico and after 10 minutes of play I decided to mail it back because I was going to buy it at some point. Well that time has come and I have now finished the game once.

Lyner comes from a world where woman harmonize to stop an evil known as the Virus. Things take a turn for the worse and Lyner is sent down below to the planet to find an artifact that will give them the power to stop this evil threat.

What Ar Tonelico does that not many role playing games do these days is provide a multiple branch story and about 6 endings. This will require a few play throughs but each is different enough that it's worth the player's time if you're enjoying the game. And while the characters fit a certain mold I did find them all enjoyable for their different qualities and they are always rotating in and out of your team so it feels a bit more realistic.

Ar Tonelico uses 2D sprites just like the Atelier Iris series and to be honest the two series have a lot in common. The sprites are large and nicely detailed. Enemies look really good even if the types feel a bit over used at times. The cut scenes are anime based as it pretty much everything in the game so haters of the style should look else where.

Music plays a key part in this game. The two harmonizers will sing during battle and some of their cut scene stuff is really nicely done. I really enjoyed the music in this game. It fit the mood perfectly. Sound effects are pretty much just your typical jrpg sounds. I played the game with the English voice actors on and I really enjoyed it. I also turned on the Japanese voice work to see how it was and it's one of the better ones I've heard recently. None of that high pitched stuff like Atelier Iris 2 had.

Like every other jrpg before it Ar Tonelico uses menu commands during battles and other wise you just hit X to interact with stuff and the left analog to walk around.

Sadly the game uses the now tired trend of not having a true world map to explore. Find a location, click its name and go there and explore. It gets tiresome after a while but unlike the other games the cities do allow for some exploration. Be it a small amount but it's better than just a list to pick from and then text.

The locations to explore are made up as tiny mazes. You can easily turn on a map which is very helpful when you have to backtrack or if you've missed something and not sure which path you didn't take.

The game has some interesting features not found in other jrpgs and it's those features that really made me want to buy this game. The battle system is your normal attack, item's guard kind of thing. What breaks it up is the harmonizer.

You can have her sing a song. The song uses her MP and it slowly drains as the spell charges or is being used. The longer you charge it the stronger its hit will be. Also, if the MP hits zero it recharges quickly but it's not always smart to let it go to zero.

See, there's something else that this harmonizer does and it's a special effects kind of thing. By harmonizing and reaching new levels of power she unlocks skills for your guys to use. These will be your main form of healing and attacking. Besides that it also adds bonuses to itself, causing faster charge times and other bonuses. I know it sounds complicated but the game explains it nicely.

Besides that there is also the dive option. Our harmonizer isn't always open with you but all over the game are tiny white dots. These are questions to ask at rest points. You will then fill in blanks in their personality and if you decide to dive into their minds you can learn a lot about there past. Not only that but it makes them stronger and gives them new moves. The diving aspect is pretty much just text based at first but as you advance bosses will show up.

But to do the dive correctly you need to have a good relationship with the harmonizer. Use her correctly in battle and don't have her charge and then never use her. Little quirks like that keep the game feeling alive.

The game is actually rather long. The branching story line and numerous endings really add to the replay value.

Ar Tonelico is a solid jrpg. It also brings some fresh ideas to the table and let's face it; the jrpg genre really needs some new ideas right now. I swear if I see one more prison I will just go psycho on a jrpg.

Story - 8/10
Graphics - 9/10
Sound - 9/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 9/10
Replay Value - 8/10

Final Score - 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/22/07

Game Release: Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia (US, 02/06/07)