Tales of Eternia

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Tales of Eternia
North American cover of Tales of Eternia (Tales of Destiny II)
Developer(s) Telenet Japan/Wolfteam
Publisher(s) JP Namco
NA Namco
EU Ubisoft
Designer(s) Mutsumi Inomata (character)
Platform(s) PlayStation
PlayStation Portable
Release date PlayStation
JP November 30, 2000
NA September 10, 2001
PlayStation Portable
JP March 3, 2005
EU February 2006
AUS February 16, 2006
Genre(s) Action role-playing game
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s) CERO: A
ESRB: Teen
OFLC: PG
PEGI: 12+
Media 3 × CD-ROM (PlayStation)
1 × UMD (PlayStation Portable)

Tales of Eternia (テイルズ オブ エターニア Teiruzu obu Etānia?) is a Japanese PlayStation action role-playing video game released by Namco in 2000, and later ported to PlayStation Portable in 2005. Eternia is a 2D anime-style RPG with an original real-time battle system taken from its predecessors, Tales of Phantasia and Tales of Destiny. It is the third main game of the Tales RPG series; the Linear Motion Battle System, as well as various other aspects from previous Tales titles, still feature prominently.

Its North American release was titled Tales of Destiny II to avoid trademark infringement on the name Eternia, which is owned by Mattel in North America for the Masters of the Universe toyline. This is problematic, because there is now a PlayStation 2 game actually known as Tales of Destiny 2, which is a true sequel to Tales of Destiny and takes place in the same fictional world. Tales of Eternia is not directly related to Tales of Destiny, except for a few brief character cameos that are typical of all Tales series games after Tales of Phantasia.

Both the North American and Japanese releases of the game feature an anime introductory video; the Japanese version has an accompanying song called flying by GARNET CROW. The game inspired Tales of Eternia, a 13 episode anime series co-produced by Production I.G, which is loosely based on the game. The series focuses on the four main characters while introducing a few new faces in a subplot unrelated to the game's actual plot. All 13 episodes of the series were animated in early 2001.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

Following the precedent set by previous Tales games and the CRPG genre in general, Tales of Eternia has four major game modes: the 3D world map, 2D town/dungeon maps, the battle screen, and the menu screen. The overworld map is used to navigate from one location to another in the game's fictional world; the individual locations on the overwold map are represented with 2D backgrounds and sprites. Cities and towns, which are extensively populated with NPCs, are valuable sources of plot progression and background information. Additionally, city merchants will exchange Gald, the in-game currency, for items or equipment that can be vital to completing the game. Random encounter-based combat is resolved on the battle screen using the Linear Motion Battle System, a hybrid that combines fighting game and traditional role-playing game elements. The menu screen is where the player organizes and uses items, creates new magic spells, develops battle strategies, changes character equipment, and views character statistics. Selected features from the menu screen, such as item use and AI settings, are also available in battle. The player can also learn recipes throughout the game, using them to cook status-enhancing or healing food out of combat.

[edit] Battle system

A chaotic shot of Meredy (far left) casting Freeze Lancer, with (left to right) Keele, Farah, and Reid.
A chaotic shot of Meredy (far left) casting Freeze Lancer, with (left to right) Keele, Farah, and Reid.

Tales of Eternia carries on the tradition of the Linear Motion Battle System (LMBS), a system that is somewhat similar to a 2D fighting game. Commands are entered in real time, and both allies and enemies act out their orders in real time in the 2D plane. Normal attacks and special techniques are usually executed instantly, but spells have a chanting time that increases with the complexity of the spell. Unlike the previous two games in the series, Tales of Eternia executes spells in real time, probably due to the increased graphical capabilities of the PlayStation console. Therefore, spells no longer act as interrupts that freeze time, so spell effects can be dodged and evaded if the player is skilled enough, adding another dimension to the gameplay. Future games in the series would choose to retain the real-time chanting and casting system for spells.

Battle strategy options, such as individual character commands (AI behavior) and party orders, have been slightly expanded, but their functionality remains essentially intact. Much like its predecessors, Tales of Eternia gives the player a large degree of control over computer-controlled allies and the techniques they use. Since the player only directly controls one character at a time, all other characters are governed by the general rules of AI behavior set by the player before and during battle. During battle, the player can switch which character he or she is controlling, while issuing specific orders to other allies to execute certain techniques on command. However, totally controlling all of the characters' actions throughout a battle requires a large amount of micromanagement, and most players end up delegating control of allies to the AI during normal encounters. During important and difficult boss battles, the player may choose to take direct control and issue more forceful commands in order to keep the party alive and functioning at maximum efficiency.

[edit] Plot

Tales of Eternia follows Reid Hershel as he tries to prevent the Grand Fall, a cataclysmic event that would destroy his planet along with that of newly-found traveling companion Meredy. Specifically, the Grand Fall entails the violent collision of twin planets Inferia and Celestia. The journey takes Reid across both planets as he seeks out those responsible for this movement towards the brink of annihilation.

[edit] Setting

The story takes place in Eternia, a world where two planets, Inferia and Celestia, face one another, separated by the Orbus Barrier. Interaction between the two planets has been infrequent over the last few centuries despite their proximity; the Bridge of Light linked Inferia and Celestia in the distant past, but the link has been severed for an extensive period of time. The Aurora War, an ancient conflict that set Inferia against Celestia over two thousand years ago, continues to generate persistent mistrust between the two groups. The Orbus Barrier has shown recent signs of weakening and possible collapse due to the actions of an unknown external force.

[edit] Story

Reid Hershel, along with his childhood friend Farah Oersted, notice an unusual change in the color of the Orbus Barrier coupled with the flight of a strange ship from Celestia. When they go to see what happened, they meet Meredy, who is dressed in a strange fashion and speaks a bizarre foreign language, and her pet Quickie. Consequently, Reid and Farah visit their childhood friend, Keele Zeibel, in search of answers regarding the identity of Meredy. Reid learns that she speaks Melnics, an ancient civilization's language. After traveling to Morle, Reid's group receives a special translation earring that allows communication with Meredy.

Reid continues on to Inferia City, the global capital. The group asks the King of Inferia for help, but Reid is accused of spreading fear and confusion throughout the land; the punishment is a death sentence. The princess wants to know more about what Reid has to say, so the group is released. Reid explains the situation, and the leaders of Inferia hold an organizational conference. The Inferians announce they will uncover the Bridge of Light and stop the Celestians from executing the Grand Fall by taking aggressive military action. Reid is aided by Efreet, Undine and Sylph; the group is lead by Rem to the Bridge of Light, which resides atop the highest mountain in Inferia. After climbing the mountain, Reid locates the Bridge of Light in its stone sanctum. Reid's group is confronted by Ras, who tells them that his real name is Rassius Luine, a senor knight loyal to the Kingdom of Inferia. Ras loses to Reid in combat, and watches the group escapes via the Bridge of Light to Celestia as Inferian reinforcements arrive.

Upon arrival in Celestia, Reid is greeted by the citizens of Imen, Meredy's hometown. Reid travels by rail to the ruined city Luishka; a professor there examines Reid's body as he houses an unknown fibrill, or magical energy. Reid discovers the Greater Craymel Gnome in a nearby cave, and the group enlists his help. Reid stumbles upon Chat's hut, and the party is accepted into her crew after a series of puzzle-based tests; the group now has access to the sea-based form of transportation. Using the Van Eltia, Reid reaches Peruti, the frozen town near the dominion of Greater Craymel Celsius. Reid climbs the nearby mountain and helps Celsius regain her sanity, saving Peruti. Reid's group is invited by Max to join the Shileska liberation army in order to stop Balir, the cause of the Grand Fall; however, Meredy senses pain and suffering from Imen, so Reid decides to return there first. When the party reaches Imen, the city is in ruins with the majority of its citizens killed.

At the technologically advanced city of Tinnsia, Reid meets with Ayla and Max, the leader of the Shileska liberation army; Max joins the party. After finding the Greater Craymel Volt trapped in a machine at the Ruins of Volt, Reid frees him and receives his power. Using the Craymel Cannon combined with the support of Shileska, the group manages to break through the fleet loyal to Balir. Infiltration of Balir's Castle leads to Shizel, the ex-Queen, who is ruling in place of Balir; Reid is forced to retreat due to the powerful Dark Aurora Arte of Shizel. After improving the Van Eltia and enlisting the help of Greater Craymel Shadow, Reid is given the Divine Aurora Arte by Seyfert, the god who created Eternia. Seyfert wishes to preserve his creation, while Nereid desires the destruction of both planets; only Reid's Divine Aurora Arte can defeat the Dark Aurora Arte given to Shizel by Nereid.

The group is now free to travel between the two planets via the Orbus Barrier using the Van Eltia. Reid recruits the Greater Craymel Rem at Regulus Knoll in preparation for the final confrontation at Shizel's Castle. Both Shizel and Nereid are defeated by Reid, who uses his Aurora Arte to counter that of Shizel. However, the Grand Fall continues on unabated despite the banishment of Nereid. Reid's group is forced destroy the Seyfert Ring, which forcefully connects Inferia and Celestia, using the combined power of the two Aurora Artes; this action stops the Grand Fall, but the two worlds drift apart and the party is split. Despite the separation, Chat's modified Van Eltia can fly from Inferia to Celestia, reuniting Reid with his allies.

[edit] Characters

Reid Hershel (リッド・ハーシェル Riddo Hāsheru?)
Age: 18
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 137 lbs
Origin: Inferia
Class: Hunter
Japanese Voice: Akira Ishida
English Voice: Kevin Miller, Sam Riegel (Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology)
Reed is the red-haired protagonist of Tales of Eternia who wields a wide variety of melee weaponry, including swords, axes, and halberds. His main strength is his vast array of powerful close-combat special techniques that utilize his high physical power; Reed's high HP and defense statistics also help him survive close-quarters combat. Reed and Farah have known each other since childhood, growing up in the same small village, Rasheans, and have become close. Reid cannot use magic, but he has the special ability to use Fibril, the so-called "Power of the Gods", to execute some unique and powerful techniques late in the game.

Farah Oersted (ファラ・エルステッド Fara Erusuteddo?)
Age: 17
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 101 lbs
Origin: Inferia
Class: Farmer
Japanese Voice: Yuko Minaguchi
Farah is a hardheaded farm girl from the same village as Reed, Rasheans, and they are almost always together as childhood friends. Throughout the game, a light romantic relationship is implied between Reed and Farah; however, nothing substantial develops. Farah uses her martial arts prowess to inflict hand-to-hand damage on her enemies through punches and kicks and can link many of her special attacks into each other, and she also has a narrow selection of healing magic. Farah's weapons are knuckles that augment the strength of her physical blows, and she plays more of a supporting role than Reed both in and out of battle.

Keele Zeibel (キール・ツァイベル Kīru Tsaiberu?)
Age: 17
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 112 lbs
Origin: Inferia
Class: Mintche University Light Craymel Graduate
Japanese Voice: Soichiro Hoshi
Keele is a scholarly researcher who spends his time at Mintche University investigating Craymels and their applications. Keele has the ability to cast offensive magic and summon based on what Greater Craymels are assigned to him. Although he has a few innate spells that are gained automatically, the vast majority of Keele's spells must be gained through Greater Craymel assignment and fringing (combination) to develop new techniques. Therefore, both Keele and Meredy are highly customizable, but assignment of Greater Craymels among them is a zero-sum game, so a balanced selection of spells is optimal. Keele fights with staves and maces, but his physical attacks are unimpressive.

Meredy (メルディ Merudi?)
Age: 16
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 99 lbs
Origin: Celestia
Class: Craymel Engineer
Japanese Voice: Omi Minami
Hailing from Celestia and speaking a language alien to the Inferians, Melnics, Meredy is never without her companion Quickie. Meredy's home is Imen, the city of Craymels, in Celestia. Meredy has the same Greater Craymel options as Keele, including fringing, offensive spellcasting, and summoning. Like Keele, Meredy has a handful of innate offensive spells. Meredy uses whistles to command Quickie and attack from long range; she can obtain a special item late in the game to control him more accurately while defending or casting a spell, increasing her power as a stand-alone character.

Chat (チャット Chatto?)
Age: 12
Origin: Celestia
Class: Pirate
Japanese Voice: Junko Noda
Descended from a famous pirate, Aifread, Chat styles herself an oddball pirate who is the captain of an impressive ship, the Van Eltia, but she has no crew. Before meeting Reid in the course of the story, Chat lived in relative isolation and avoided contact with others.Also she is often called a boy when she is a girl.A unique and specialized character, Chat has the ability to steal from enemies; her weapons are handbags. She can perform a counterattack against enemies if she defends against their attacks with the right timing.

Max (フォッグ Foggu?)
Age: 38
Origin: Celestia
Class: Gunner
Japanese Voice: Masashi Ebara
The leader of the resistance group, Shileska, which is aligned against the de facto Celestian government; Shileska is headquartered in the Celestian city of Tinnsia. Max wields high-powered energy guns as a ranged attacker.

Rassius Luine (Ras) (レイシス・フォーマルハウト（レイス) Reishisu Fōmaruhauto (Reisu)?)
Age: 25
Origin: Inferia
Class: Merchant
Japanese Voice: Hiroshi Isobe
Ras originally appears to be on the party's side and serves as a playable character temporarily, but his true intentions as a Senior Knight of Inferia are eventually made clear. Ras is an agile swordsman who uses sabers in quick attacks and techniques. Despite his calm demeanor, Ras eventually becomes an adversary, opposing Reid's goal of traveling to Celestia and stopping the Grand Fall. Ras continued to meet up with the group, as he was following the Seyfert Key, which leads you to what Seyfert, the God of Creation, wants you to do for him. Ras believed that this meant that he must fight them, but during the fight he begins to realize (he was holding back during the fight) that perhaps Seyfert wanted him to join their quest, rather than to interfere with it. Ras has the same special powers as Reid regarding manipulation of the Fibril; this is another parallel with Reid, as they also share a common weapon and some sword techniques. As portrayed in the game, Reid is not on good terms with Rassius; the two often compete, with Reid shown as jealous towards Ras's relationship with Farah, as she shows a certain affection towards him.

Greater Craymels

  • Undine, the Greater Craymel of Water
  • Slyph, the Greater Craymel of Wind
  • Efreet, the Greater Craymel of Fire
  • Rem, the Greater Craymel of Light
  • Gnome, the Greater Craymel of Earth
  • Celsius, the Greater Craymel of Ice
  • Volt, the Greater Craymel of Lightning
  • Shadow, the Greater Craymel of Darkness
  • Maxwell, the Elemental Craymel
  • Sekundes, the Greater Craymel of Time

[edit] Audio

The soundtrack for Tales of Eternia was jointly composed by Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura, and the OST was released in Japan on March 16, 2001 by Marvelous Entertainment on two Compact Discs.

[edit] Reception and legacy

Review scores
Publication Score
IGN
8.5 of 10
Electronic Gaming Monthly
7 of 10
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine
3.5 of 5
GameSpot
7.1 of 10
Gaming Age
B+

Tales of Eternia, known as Tales of Destiny II in the North American market, received generally positive reviews upon its release, garnering a rating of 78 on the aggregation site Metacritic.[1] Multimedia website IGN appreciated the gameplay, citing "a great action-oriented battle system that has no close equivalent in any other game".[2] The Gamespot reviewer, Brad Shoemaker, stated that "Tales of Destiny II [Tales of Eternia] would not be out of place on the Super Nintendo about eight years ago" regarding graphics;[3] however, Doug Erickson of Gaming Age claimed that spell effects made up for this, with "boss encounters border on eye-flaying, with screen-filling alpha-loaded spells firing off every few seconds".[4] Namco's localization effort was generally seen as sufficient, with the humor of the script translated to the North American audience, but reviewers found the game's voice acting to be deficient and unremarkable.[2][3][4] Tales of Eternia generated enough popularity in Japan to support a thirteen episode anime series, which was run on television in 2001. Additionally, the game warranted a PSP re-release in Japan and the PAL territories.

[edit] Related Media

The original game made reference to a number of previous projects completed by Namco, and Tales of Eternia was popular enough in the Japanese market to justify an anime series that used the four main characters in an unrelated storyline. Melnics, an in-game original language, has been used outside of Tales of Eternia.

[edit] Tales allusions

Tales of Eternia contains a number of references to previous entries in the Tales series; these include character cameos, item names, and design similarities. Subsequent games in the series have included references to Tales of Eternia as well.

[edit] Tales of Phantasia

  • Tristan appears in Inferia; he mentions that Cless (NA: Cress) is preparing for the arena.
  • Klarth (NA: Claus) hosts the second Namco quiz.
  • Cless and Arche appear in a special arena battle with Chester, Mint, and Klarth in the audience.
  • Mint's face briefly appears on-screen when the Resurrection spell is cast.
  • Arche briefly appears as a playable character when Keele or Meredy casts Shooting Star under special conditions. Her attacks are a reference to the Groovy Arche shoot-em'up minigame found in the PlayStation version of Tales of Phantasia; they are the most powerful forms of her shots, which also appear as normal spells in Tales of Eternia.
  • Sekundes, the Greater Craymel of Time, is directly based on Dhaos. Apart from the striking similarity in appearance, he also shares the same battle theme, attacks, and vulnerabilities. Both characters are voiced by the same actor and both respond with the same line when hit with the Indignation spell. Besides the seconds pun in his name, Sekundes may have also been intended to be read as second Dhaos. Finally, the player receives the Derris-Emblem after beating Sekundes, which is an item associated with Dhaos's Castle and Dhaos's home planet, Derris-Kharlan.
  • Pluto, the Lich-like Summoning Spirit, is summoned by Shizel as one of her attacks, called "Summon Pluto".
  • The Vorpal Sword, Flamberge and Eternal Sword are all weapons used by Reid.

[edit] Tales of Destiny

  • Chelsea hosts the first Namco quiz.
  • The Swordian Clemente hosts the third Namco quiz.
  • Stahn's sister, Lilith, is the cooking champion in Chambard.
  • Irene is in Chambard and Tinnsia; she will you give prizes for collecting Lens.
  • Paintings of Stahn, Rutee, and Philia appear in the basement maze of Chat's house.
  • The thief costume that Farah tries on in Peruti is Rutee's outfit.
  • Bruiser (JP: Mighty Kongman) hosts the sushi eating mini-game in Tinnsia. He is erroneously referred as "Kong the Man".
  • The S.D. key item is the swordian Dymlos.
  • The Destiny summon spell brings forth Stahn, Rutee, Garr (JP: Woodrow), Philia, and Leon for a special attack, consisting Shikou Bakuenjin (Stahn), Snipe Air (Rutee), Dankuuken (Garr), Bomb Rain (Philia), and Marian (Leon).

[edit] Tales of Symphonia

  • In the Meltokio Coliseum, Meredy and Farah, along with Garr from Tales of Destiny, appear as a cameo battle after beating Advanced Mode Team Battles.
  • The Character Wonder Chef, who teaches the player how to Cook various dishes throughout the game, appears again with the same role in Tales of Symphonia.

[edit] Classic Namco references

Much like its predecessors, Tales of Eternia inserts many subtle references to classic Namco arcade games.

  • At Mintche University, the player can take three quizzes based on Tales of Destiny and various Namco games. Questions range from classics like Pac-Man and Dig Dug, to contemporary games such as Klonoa and Tekken. Even though the quizzes were changed as Tales of Phantasia had not been released in the North American market, there are questions about Namco products that never saw NA release, such as the Tower of Druaga board game.
  • Aifread's Tomb contains three distinct sections based on the Genji and Heike clans (Genpei ToumaDen), Shadowland (Yokai Douchuuki) and Splatterhouse.
  • Glimmer Spire features the main theme music of Legend of Valkyrie (JP: Valkyrie No Densetsu) and the central character as a boss.
  • The items Excalibur, Golden Armor, Golden Helmet, Red Shield, Blue Shield, Jet Boots, Hyper Gauntlet, and Crystal Rod are prominent items in the Tower of Druaga series.

[edit] Tales of Eternia anime series

A 13 episode anime series also called Tales of Eternia was inspired by the game; the series originally ran on Japanese television from 8 January 2001 to 26 March 2001. Tales of Eternia was licensed by Media Blasters on 6 July 2002 for North American distribution, but the company's license expired when it failed to release the series. Consequently, the series is currently unlicensed and available only through import. The plot of the anime series is completely unrelated to the story of the original game; common elements include the four main characters, Greater Craymels, and spells.

[edit] Melnics language

In the Japanese RTS game New Space Order, the Melnics language is used as the official language of the Sacred Religious State, which is one of the four interstellar nations available to players. The language is spoken in the web novel series New Space Order -Link of life-.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Tales of Destiny II (psx:2001): Reviews. Metacritic (2007). Retrieved on July 13, 2007.
  2. ^ a b IGN: Tales of Destiny II Review. IGN (2001). Retrieved on July 13, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Tales of Destiny II PlayStation Review. Gamespot (2001). Retrieved on July 14, 2007.
  4. ^ a b Tales of Destiny 2 Review for PlayStation. Gaming Age (2001). Retrieved on July 14, 2007.

[edit] External links

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Tales series
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Phantasia (Remake) • Destiny (Remake) • Eternia • Destiny 2 • Symphonia • Rebirth • Legendia • Abyss • Innocence • Vesperia
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