Review: Tales of the Abyss
Namco Bandai's Tales series never strays far from familiar RPG conventions in terms of characters and basic plot. Tales of Symphonia was guilty of using nearly every cliched plot point. (For example, the world of Symphonia could only be saved by a young girl with special powers and her entourage.) Tales of the Abyss begins with a similar cliche: you must avert war by sending a group of key characters from both sides to act as diplomats. However, Tales of the Abyss takes those RPG conventions in new directions and keeps the action moving with great characters, creating what is by far the best installment in the Tales franchise.
The Power is Yours
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Tales of the Abyss' story revolves around a 17 year old red-head named Luke fon Fabre who just happens to be the key to an ages old prophecy. Luke is the rude and naive son of a duke who was the victim of a kidnapping seven years ago. He was rescued, but has lost all memories of his life before the kidnapping. He is now kept immured in his manor with his parents for his own safety, and hasn't set foot in the outside world for seven years.
One day, a young girl named Tear sneaks into the manor intent on killing Luke's sword master, Van. Luke crosses swords with her, and in a flash of light, the two are transported halfway across the world. From there, Luke is launched unwillingly into an adventure as he discovers the truth about himself and the world that he must ultimately save.
PROTIP: Are your mage's physical attacks weak? Use the C.Core system to adjust which bonus stats they receive.
The plot of Tales of the Abyss is long and complex, and although most of it is initially based on typical RPG conventions, there are plenty of twists that keep the story moving and the player guessing. Like past games in the franchise, Abyss is dialogue-heavy and employs numerous optional skits that are animated with character images and subtitles to either explain a situation, give hints or flesh out characterization. These skits, though easily bypassed, are actually integral to getting the full experience of Abyss' expansive story. Unfortunately, there is still no option to speed up the text or scroll through at your leisure, making the skits frustratingly slow.
Individual Karma
Though Tales of the Abyss adopts stereotypical character models, each character is distinct and well thought-out. They each have their own motivations and goals, as well as personal secrets that are slowly revealed as they journey together. Luke is one of the most obnoxious, whiny, spineless main characters we've come across in a long time, but it's just a testament to the overall story that we were able to find reasons to like him. The voice acting is surprisingly well-done, though the game's obligatory "cute mascot" Mieu, is one of the most annoying characters ever seen in any game, period.
PROTIP: Don't forget to set all of your shortcuts in your Artes menu so you can pull off better combos or heal yourself in battle.
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