The sequel to an unforgettable masterpiece.
User Rating: 9 | Ar tonelico II: Sekai ni Hibiku Shoujo Tachi no Metafalica PS2
This game is awesome. I just beat this game last night, and I had a great time playing this game. The story is just plain awesome. Like in the first Ar Tonelico, you choose which path you want. In this game, you choose between Cloche and Luca. I chose Cloche the first time around because I like her much more than Luca; in fact Cloche is my favorite female character in the game. Croix is my favorite male character. The story is filled with love, betrayal, dark past moments and comedy. There are three main Reyvateils in the game: Cloche, Luca and Jacqli. Each of them have their own endings depending on who you chose to protect. If you chose to protect Cloche, you get Cloche's ending; If you chose to protect Luca, you get Luca's ending; If you chose to protect Jacqli, you get Jacqli's endng. There are four endings in this game: the three mentioned above and the neutral ending. It doesn't really matter what ending you chose just as long you feel comfortable with it. Levelling up in this game is different. Your Vanguard units level up the old-fashioned way, which is gain enough EXP. points to level up. Your Reyvateils however level up by taking a bath? There is a new item called Dualithnode Crystals. You use these to level up your Reyvateils. Have fun! Oh, and keep your pants on will ya! The graphics in this game are great. The characters are still 2D like in the first one, but this time the scenery is 3D. I liked it it's pretty nice and majestic. The music in this game is just as awesome as the first one. Like I said in my review for the first Ar Tonelico, which to me had one of the best soundtracks ever made. This game has another best soundtrack ever made. I really loved the music. Just like in the first one, you can dive into a Reyvateil to unlock new and powerful Song Magic. This also affects what ending you get in the game. A new interesting feature in this game are the I.P.D.'s. An I.P.D. is a Reyvateil that has been infected with a virus. The new Dive Therapy feature lets you cure any I.P.D. Reyvateils you have after of course you battled them. I.P.D. Reyvateils have a certain level; this level is it's strength. The level ranges from 1-9 (1 being the weakest and 9 being the strongest). This game has a lot and I mean a lot of text. If you like reading, then you probably enjoy this game, but if you don't like reading then I don't know what to say. The battle system in this game is much different from the first one. You have to protect your Reyvateils from attacks by hitting the X or Square button just as soon as the green line is over the red area for guarding. This sounds confusing at first but once you get used to it, it's very easy to do. You earn certain rewards after rewards on how well you did with guarding. The items usually vary. An underappreciated game and an unforgettable masterpiece. CAUTION: there is a glitch in this game when you battle Raki in Sol Marta. You have to defeat her in three Attack Phases or fewer because if you don't Raki will use a certain attack that will lock up your game, thus forcing you to restart, Overall, masterpiece game, unforgettable story, music, characters, adventure, awesome soundtrack, great graphics, fun battle system and a game that you HAVE to play!
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