First Look: Ar Tonelico
Can NIS America strike again with this strategy RPG?
Tags: Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia Categories: PS2 Previews, Previews
Posted by Craig "American Idle" Hansen on Jan 12th, 2007
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Ar Tonelico is a strategy RPG in the best tradition of the genre, as established by previous NIS America hits in this cult genre. Gust, best known in the US for Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana and Atelier Iris 2: Azoth of Destiny, as well as Banpresto, whose games have been largely unreleased outside of Japan, the game, which is scheduled for a February release, is a union of solid tactics-style RPG minds.
The story begins on the island of Sol Ciel (sun sky) with a tower called Ar Tonelico that stretches into the heavens, beyond the sight of mortal man. The game’s theme revolved around the relationship between the game’s human race, and an alien race known as the Revatail.
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You see, the world used to be normal. It had land and skies and seas and everything most worlds had. But two disasters changed all that. One was a disaster involving a biological disaster, the release of a material called Glasno. The other disaster involved the rise of the Revetail race.
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Revetails are mostly the same as humans visually, but there are only female members of this race, and each has an “install point” tattoo that human women do not have. Revetails are classed into “blood purity” types, which sounds a bit disturbing, though we’ll have to reserve judgment for now. Because Revetails don’t live very long, many join either the church of Jere Jermiah or Tenpa to obtain a life-prolonging substance called daiquility.
The tower is made of ancient technology and is filled with monsters called viruses. This makes it a natural spot for adventurers to venture forth, hoping to recover lost treasures or simply stem the tide of viruses running rampant throughout the tower. In the middle of the tower is a city called Im Fiena who are imbued with magic powers. Near the top is a holy city called Platina.
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The main character is Lyner, a teen whose dad is involved in the political structure of one of the other cities in the tower, Puratina. Naturally, he’s bored by politics and longs for adventure. Joining him are two Revatails; Aurica, a half-breed between human and Revetail parents and a pureblood Revetail named Misha.
The developers are promising a game that mixes simulation with RPG game play, though the end result is not expected to be dramatically different than Gust’s Atelier Iris games, though time will tell. They are also promising a unique level of customization to weapons, items, personalities, skills and even a character’s appearance.
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“Ar Tonelico signals a welcome change to ordinary RPGs,” NIS America said in a recent press release on the game, which is due in February. “It’s ambitious, with a new range of unique characters, frequently shifting moods, and a witty storyline. It is a title that hardcore RPG fans will rejoice about, and also satisfy North American gamers.”
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Tags: Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia
Posted by Craig "American Idle" Hansen on Jan 12th, 2007 and is filed under PS2 Previews, Previews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
