Tales of the Abyss is an action role-playing game created by Namco Tales Studio. It is the eighth main game in the Tales series and was released to celebrate the series' 10th anniversary. The game was first released for the PlayStation 2. In Japan, it was published by Namco in December 2005, and in North America, it was published by Bandai Namco Games in October 2006. The development team included director Yoshito Higuchi, producer Makoto Yoshizumi, and character artist Kōsuke Fujishima. The game’s music was composed by Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura. The opening theme song, "Karma" by Bump of Chicken, was replaced with an instrumental version in the western release due to licensing issues. Namco labeled the game as a type of RPG called To Know the Meaning of One's Birth RPG. A version for the Nintendo 3DS was released in Japan in June 2011, followed by releases in Australia and Europe in November 2011, and in North America in February 2012.
The story takes place in a fantasy world and follows Luke fon Fabre, a young swordsman. His comfortable life changes when he unknowingly becomes the target of the Order of Lorelei, a military-religious group that believes he is key to an ancient prophecy. With the help of his friends, Luke tries to learn the truth about his birth and uncover the mystery of The Score, a prophecy that has influenced human actions for thousands of years.
Reviews of the original PlayStation 2 version and the handheld release were mostly positive. Critics praised the game’s combat system but noted that the story moved slowly and followed common patterns found in many Japanese role-playing games. The PlayStation 2 version sold about 734,000 copies worldwide. A 26-episode anime adaptation by BN Pictures was also made. It first aired in Japan on MBS from October 2008 to March 2009.
Gameplay
The game uses a real-time battle system called the "Flex Range Linear Motion Battle System" (FR-LMBS). Controls are similar to other Tales games, like Tales of Symphonia, but allow for more flexible movement. Players can attack, defend, use skills, or open a menu to access functions such as using items or telling allies to act. This system supports multiplayer co-op battles, and the camera in this mode improves on Tales of Symphonia by zooming out as characters move apart, ensuring all players remain visible on screen. A new feature called "Free Run" lets players move in any direction, which is different from earlier Tales games.
The game includes many skills and spells for fighting enemies. Characters can learn "AD Skills," which can be added or removed as needed. These skills are obtained through "Capacity Cores," special items that provide stat boosts when a character levels up. Once a stat has enough boosts, the corresponding AD Skill is automatically learned. A new system called the "Field of Fonons" (FOF) appears when characters use spells or techniques tied to an element. A circle on the ground shows the element, and after using more techniques of the same type, the circle lights up in that element's color. If a character stands in the circle and uses a skill that matches the FOF, the skill becomes stronger. Enemies can also use and create FOF fields. Like other Tales games, characters can enter "Over Limit" mode when their green OVL bar is full. This bar fills by landing combos or critical hits. In Over Limit mode, characters can use "Mystic Artes" (Hi-Ougis), powerful skills that require specific conditions. Each character has one standard Mystic Arte and one hidden one that unlocks only on repeat plays. Enemy bosses also have Mystic Artes.
The game includes returning features from the Tales series, such as skits, grade, cooking, and titles. Skits are short conversations that appear during the game, showing anime-style character expressions. "Grade" is given after each battle and changes the player's total points based on how the battle was played. For example, defeating enemies quickly or landing long combos increases the grade, while losing characters or having negative effects lowers it. At the end of the game, players can use earned Grade points to unlock bonuses for future playthroughs.
The game also has a cooking system. Players collect recipes and ingredients throughout the story and can cook meals after or between battles. Unlike Tales of Symphonia, up to four recipes can be assigned to the control pad for easy use after battles. Each recipe requires specific items and has different effects. Cooking a recipe repeatedly improves a character's cooking stats for that recipe.
Characters earn "titles" by completing tasks or events. Titles have different effects, some of which improve stats. As in newer Tales games, some titles also change a character's costume. Each character has unique costumes, and additional ones can be earned by completing specific tasks. Unlike some other Tales games, every title in Tales of the Abyss has a special effect, such as discounts in shops or periodic HP recovery.
Plot
Tales of the Abyss is set on a planet called Auldrant, which is made up of tiny particles called "Fonons." For most of Auldrant's history, only six Fonons were known: Shadow, Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Light. Later, a seventh Fonon, which controls Sound, was discovered. This discovery caused problems because the new Fonon allowed people to see the future. A religious leader named Yulia Jue used this ability to create a plan for the world's future, promising endless prosperity. This plan became known as the "Score" and was written on special stones called "Fonstones" scattered across the planet. Two nations, Kimlasca-Lanvaldear and Malkuth, have fought for centuries over these stones, hoping to learn the future before the other. A group called the "Order of Lorelei" was formed to read the Score and maintain peace. This group is led by a Fon Master and has religious, political, and military roles. However, the promise of prosperity in the Score led people to become careless. For example, the destruction of an island called Hod, which was predicted in the Score, was allowed to happen.
The story follows Luke fon Fabre, a teenager who has lived in a manor for years after being kidnapped and losing his memory. Luke meets Tear Grants, a member of the Order of Lorelei who wants to kill his teacher, Van Grants. When Luke and Tear return to Kimlasca, they meet other characters, including Jade Curtiss from Malkuth's military, Fon Master Ion from Daath, and his guardian Anise. Luke is also joined by his servant and best friend, Guy Cecil, and his fiancée, Princess Natalia. A character named Asch the Bloody acts as an anti-hero in the game.
Van, Luke's teacher, is a major antagonist, along with Mohs, a leader of the Order who follows the Score. Other antagonists include the six God-Generals of the Order: Legretta, Tear's former master; Arietta, who has a rivalry with the group; Dist, a scientist connected to Jade; Sync, a mysterious strategist; and Largo, the leader of the Oracle's shock troops.
Luke has been kept in his manor by his uncle, the King of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, after being kidnapped. Van, as Luke's teacher and the leader of the Oracle Knights, must leave to find Fon Master Ion. Tear, who believes Van is planning to harm the world, tries to kill Van. When Luke stops her, the Seventh Fonons in their bodies cause a powerful reaction called "hyperresonance," sending them to a distant land. Tear then helps Luke return to Kimlasca but ends up in Malkuth, where they meet Fon Master Ion and Colonel Jade Curtiss. Jade tells them about an upcoming war and asks Luke to use his noble status to stop it.
As Luke's group returns to Kimlasca, they are joined by Anise and Guy Cecil. Luke learns that Tear is Van's younger sister and suspects Van of plotting against the world. They also meet members of the Oracle Knights, including Asch, who looks like Luke. In Kimlasca, Luke, Jade, and Ion warn the King about the war. Luke is made an ambassador and sent to Akzeriuth to help people poisoned by miasma. Van tells Luke he can neutralize the miasma using his hyperresonance, a power the King has known about. Luke follows Van's plan, but his hyperresonance destroys the town's Sephiroth tree, causing the miasma to spread.
Asch reveals that Luke is a replica created through fomicry, a process that made him a copy of the real Luke. Luke's friends abandon him after the destruction in Akzeriuth, and he vows to change. He works with Jade to protect the people of St. Binah, whose town is also collapsing. The group uses Luke's hyperresonance to move land to the subarea called Qliphoth. They face opposition from Van's forces, except Asch, who opposes Van's plan to create a new world of replicas. After a peace treaty between Kimlasca and Malkuth, Luke's group defeats Van, who falls into the Planet's Core.
A month later, the miasma begins to harm people, and many replicas appear. Luke and Asch learn from the spirit of the Seventh Fonon, Lorelei, that Van survived and took her. Grand Maestro Mohs forces Fon Master Ion to read the Planet Score, killing him. Mohs forms a new Order of Lorelei with the Oracle Knights, waiting for Van's return. Jade reveals that the miasma can be stopped through a hyperresonance that requires many lives. The replicas offer themselves to save others, and Luke agrees to perform the hyperresonance. Though the plan works, Luke is left with little time to live.
Luke's group confronts the New Order of Lorelei, who follow Van's will. During the battle, Asch dies helping Luke reach Van. The group defeats Van, who had trapped Lorelei in his arm, and kills him. As the area collapses, Luke stays behind to free Lorelei. Two years later, he returns to meet Tear and his friends.
Development
The first mention of Tales of the Abyss happened when Namco registered a trademark for the game in December 2004. The title was officially announced in an August 2005 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. Namco also said the game would be released to celebrate the series’ tenth anniversary. The first gameplay trailer was included on a pre-order bonus DVD that came with Tales of Legendia, released later that month. This DVD also revealed that the game would be developed by the same team that made Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube and PlayStation 2, including producer Makoto Yoshidumi and character designer Kōsuke Fujishima. In April 2006, four months after the game’s Japanese release, Namco Bandai Games announced that Tales of the Abyss would be released in North America the following fall. The game was later shown at the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in June.
The game was directed by Yoshito Higuchi, who also directed Tales of Symphonia. He previously worked on development teams for Namco’s fighting games Tekken and Soulcalibur. The Free Run battle system used in Abyss was first designed for Symphonia but was removed during development because players might have exploited the game’s enemy AI, making battles too easy. This issue was avoided in Abyss by designing the battle system around the Free Run feature from the start. The “Field of Fonons” (FOF) feature was added to help players use Free Run more effectively. Higuchi said the team wanted battle positioning to be more important for the system to work well. The North American version of Tales of the Abyss includes new Mystic Arte attacks for most main characters not seen in the original Japanese release. However, it removes all spoken dialogue from optional skit cutscenes, keeping only the text.
The 3DS version of Tales of the Abyss was first announced in September 2010 during Nintendo of Japan’s “Nintendo Conference” press event, with a planned release in spring 2011. In April 2011, Namco Bandai said the Japanese 3DS version would be delayed and would not meet its original release date. It was finally released in June 2011. In May 2011, Namco Bandai confirmed a North American release alongside Tales of Graces F later that year. A European release was confirmed a few days later for spring 2012, marking the first official release of the game in that region. Namco’s European branch later showcased the game at the 2011 Gamescom event in Germany.
The 3DS version used the handheld’s 3D and dual-screen features, such as registering combat skills on the bottom screen for quick access during battles. This screen shows a world map when players are not in battle. Artist Kōsuke Fujishima, who worked on the original game, created a new title logo and promotional art for the 3DS version. The Japanese version also includes the new Mystic Arte attacks added to the original North American PlayStation 2 version.
The music for Tales of the Abyss was mostly composed by series veterans Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura. The Japanese version includes the theme song “Karma” by J-Rock group Bump of Chicken. The group’s lead vocalist, Motoo Fujiwara, also composed some songs in the game that later appeared on his album Song for Tales of the Abyss. “Karma” was also used as the opening theme for the anime adaptation. The Western version uses the instrumental version of the theme song due to licensing rights. The incidental vocal theme performed by Tear throughout the game, “Fu Uta” (Tone Song), was sung by Yukana.
A commercial soundtrack with 115 tracks across four discs was released in Japan in March 2006 by King Records. Frontier Works also produced several radio drama albums featuring the Japanese voice cast. These included a five-volume set titled Drama CD Tales of the Abyss released between September 2006 and February 2008, and a two-volume set called Anthology Drama CD Tales of the Abyss released in July and August 2008.
Reception
Tales of the Abyss received good reviews in Japan. Weekly Famitsu magazine gave it a score of 36 out of 40, based on four individual scores of 9 each. This earned the game Famitsu's Platinum Award. In March 2006, the game was ranked 44th in a Famitsu reader poll of the 100 greatest games of all time. By the end of 2005, the game sold 440,225 copies in Japan, making it the 23rd most-bought software title that year. By the end of 2006, sales reached 556,000 copies in Japan, and worldwide sales totaled about 734,000 copies by December 2007.
English reviews for the game were described as "favorable" by Metacritic, a website that collects game reviews. The game was praised for its diverse characters, with IGN highlighting the main character's development. Many reviewers also liked the game's dialogue and cut-scene direction. However, some critics noted that the game had too many short comedic scenes, called "skits," and that the English version did not include voice-acting from these scenes in the Japanese version. Most reviewers liked the battle system, saying it was better than earlier games in the Tales series. However, some said the system sometimes became too simple, requiring quick button presses without much strategy. Opinions on the graphics were mixed. One website said the graphics looked rough, while another noted that the game's frame rate dropped on the world map and that the settings felt generic.
Famitsu gave the 3DS version of the game a lower score than the original, based on individual scores of 8, 8, 7, and 8. This was mainly because the 3DS version did not include many new features compared to the original. One editor said the game was well-made and did not feel outdated, but few new features were added. The 3DS version sold 74,173 copies in its first week in Japan, becoming the top-selling game of that week. By the end of 2011, the game sold 126,808 copies in Japan.
The 3DS version received "favorable" reviews, though slightly lower than the original PS2 version, according to Metacritic. GameSpot called the game "entertaining" and "engrossing," but said it was not well-suited for the 3D effects of the 3DS. They noted that for players who already owned the PS2 version, the 3DS version was harder to recommend because the new feature made the game less enjoyable. IGN said the portable version kept all the features from the console version but noted that the game had not aged well. They said that newer games, like Xenoblade Chronicles and Dragon Quest IX, made it harder to enjoy the older style of the game. Game Informer called the 3DS version a "well-executed port" but said the story moved too slowly and followed common patterns seen in many Japanese role-playing games. In 2012, a magazine named Jade and Tear as two of the best characters in the Tales series. The same year, another magazine listed the 3DS version as the 228th greatest game released for a Nintendo console in its farewell issue.
A representative from Namco Bandai said that sales of the game in Europe were higher than expected. The company had to reprint the game three or four times to meet demand. The game's success in Europe encouraged the publisher to consider bringing more Tales games to Western markets in the future.
Adaptations
An animated TV series based on the game Tales of the Abyss was created and produced by Bandai Visual, Namco Bandai Games, and Sunrise. The series began airing on October 4, 2008, and ended on March 28, 2009. Kenji Kodama directed the episodes, and Akemi Omode wrote the scripts. The game’s theme song, "Karma" by Bump of Chicken, was used again as the opening theme. Most of the voice actors from the game returned to play the same characters in the anime.
On July 22, 2010, Anime News Network reported that Bandai Entertainment, a company that distributes anime in North America, received the rights to release the Tales of the Abyss anime. The release was originally planned for July 7, 2011, but was later moved to October 11, 2011. After Bandai Entertainment closed in 2012, Sunrise USA announced at Otakon 2013 that Funimation (later known as Crunchyroll) took over the rights to the series, along with other titles previously handled by Bandai Entertainment.
Three manga adaptations of the Tales of the Abyss game were released in Japan. The first, titled Tales of the Abyss, was written and illustrated by Rei and published in the magazine Dengeki Maoh. The second, Tales of the Abyss: Asch The Bloody, was written by Rin Nijō and illustrated by Hana Saitō. It appeared in the official Tales of Magazine. The third adaptation, Tales of the Abyss: Jade in My Memories (Tsuioku no Jade), was written by Ayumi Kano and focuses on the background story of the character Jade Curtiss. The first chapter of this manga was published in the April 24, 2009, issue of Asuka magazine.