Tales of the Abyss is a traditionally themed RPG with enough plot twists and political intrigue to keep your attention
Tales of the Abyss is anything but a rehash of Symphonia, though, providing a unique story in the face of RPG cliches and traditionalism. Namco has listened to their fan base and implimented many things that made both Symphonia and Legendia great while minimizing the negative aspects of both respective games. The result is an overall enjoyable experience providing a main story that exceeds 40 hours with optional side quests and events.
The visual presentation of Tales of the Abyss is a mixed bag. In general the game employs a decidedly anime style, from the well crafted character models to the crisp menu setup and the facial portraits found in the game's skits. Battle effects are fierce and punctual, providing an enjoyable visual presentation on every encounter. On the other end of the spectrum, slowdown is persistent on the world map, and many of the environments--while suitable to the area--can be bland and lifeless. This effect is almost fitting in contrast to the lively characters and other visual flair, and I found that all was in accordance with the world. That isn't to say these problems aren't problems, because they are. Camera control is tedious in the world map and in general I disliked the way the world map was presented.
Although the music in Tales of the Abyss is well crafted, it never exceeds the bounds of greatness that many other games have had. The result is a score that meshes well with the world and changes in accordance to events. Some tracks are better than others, but none of it is bad, and you'll notice the lack of music after you take it for granted and it cuts out. The team did a good job incorporating it in such a way that it wasn't a deciding point of the experience, and instead served as an aid in the overall beauty of the game.
There is a lot of voice acting in this game, and it is all well done. There is familiarity in all the voices because many of the VA's are persistently in our gaming media. I spent a good amount of time researching the VA's alone just to see what games they were in and why that voice I heard was so familiar. Some are better than others of course, Van for example being one of the better ones, but none of them are bad, so all the spoken text can be enjoyed throughout the game. The only thing I wished would of been implimented is voice-overs for the story skits. The skits are numerous, and during these skits everything is silent. It would have been nice to hear the voices with these.
The gameplay will instantly be recognizable, as it is a staple of the Tales franchise. If you were to compare it to any of the games, it would be with Tales of Symphonia. In fact, some of the Artes(character abilities) are taken from Symphonia. Fully 3D movement is put in place in this game, allowing you to move around an enemy for a flank, or to more effectively spread out your party, which is a welcome addition. The combat itself has a tendency to dissolve into button-mashing, at least for the generic fights. Boss battles run the spectrum of easy to hard, and toward the end you'll find yourself using much more strategy than the first hours of the game.
Character development has seen a nice overhaul in this game. C. Cores provide customization and bonuses gained per level, allowing you to tailor every character to your personal preference. Fon Slots allow even more customization, acting as individual ability customization. Luke's attack Artes for example can be tweaked to deal more damage, cost less to use, or provide special effects.
The story clocks in at over 40 hours of gameplay, and you can easily spend 50+ hours if you decide to go after the multiple side quests and optional events that cover the game. I was pleased with the amount of things to do and see, all the backstory to be had and the depth given to the characters. Plot twists are numerous, and the game provides enough to keep your interest through the whole game. It starts out slow, as most RPGs are prone to do, but traditional to the Tales franchise, the story blows open and you sit back for a treat.
While hardly a breakaway from the rest of the Tales games, Namco is doing an admirable job in providing fresh features and keeping the things we love about the games intact. A great--albeit traditional--story, character customization, wonderful graphics and presentation, Tales of the Abyss will keep you up late at night and solidify why you play these games.