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Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia PlayStation 2
User Score
6.6 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 24 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 24
  3. Negative: 6 out of 24

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  1. MushaS.
    Feb 11, 2007
    10
    Finally a real 2d turn based RPG. If you like real RPGs this is for you. If you like watching movies then get FF or one of those other 3d games with real time battles that only work in theory.
    • 2 of 6 users said yes
  2. jessicom.
    May 7, 2007
    7
    Very boring at first but it gets addictive/enjoyable to play spcially when you get a new song/technique for your reyvateil.
    • 1 of 3 users said yes
  3. seieko_pherdo
    Jul 13, 2011
    7
    Ar Tonelico is a difficult game to judge, as fan of Japanese things and story I tend to like these kind of things. However my reviewer self is not a kind. This game excels in story, music, and character development. Not going to lie despite all the characters being generic I liked them a lot. I loved the concept of diving into people's minds to know more about them as well as the conversations after making a item. The encounter rate at bottom was a nice and once you killed enough things in a area they would all leave you alone. However the battles themselves are easy and boring. While I don't mind turn based combat this game does not do it well though the song magic was nice twist. However while you acquire new ways to kill foes by singing the you get overburdened with songs most of which you never use. It is quite possible to beat the game using the default beginners magic for the entire game. However I liked the concept of Ar Tonelico and while the combat isn't at all great a lot of detail went into the creation of it's world. While it's all done in sprite based artwork and doesn't look all Final Fantasy fantastic I enjoyed the look of it. Not to mention you can switch over the god awful English voices for the Japanese ones. While it's a nice treat for us fans of Japanese things it's easy to see why someone would get bored of it.… Expand
  4. vahn
    Feb 16, 2012
    7
    One of my favorite series! But since I did the third game, let's recover and do the first! "what's wrong with it"? Maybe the graphics, since they're old, but they aren't bad if you ask me: I always enjoyed 2d graphics and only those who HATE 2d graphics will reject it. Even though most of the characters are good, some just seem to disappear from the scenery and you hardly "notice" them later on: a pity because most of them are enjoyable. The battle system also is....boring. It takes time to do even some of the simplest battles and takes times to build your proper magical attacks and kill them all, making even the smallest battles a pain. This game isn't very long also: I finished it in less than 40 hours, even less if you don't reach the third phase (which can be done easily), so I was kinda disappointed from the length. Also, some people might not like the visual novels elements in the diving sections, in which you'll dive in the mind of your reyvateil in order to create more powerfull magics; only complain from me here is that actually two of them are almost too similar (the third one is different...but in a different way). Even though it's not perfect, I was engaged into the game! There's actually much to do and there are various endings to achieve, and they change based on the girl you choose, and they are 3. The "alchemy" system, always present from gust, it's also present here and...it doesn't bother much, mainly because it's easy to do and never so hard...but it wasn't always usefull...It was ok. But probably, one of the best thing of this game (maybe for me...but it's still a good reason) is the "lore": I actually enjoyed discovering how this word is made, the backstory behind it and how all of the history behind the reyvateils and the lands fits and makes sense into the main story (which is good by the way, but it's slow and can take time to hook you in). And even some complains abou it, I also liked the voice acting. If you love Jrpgs and you find this game, maybe give it a chance, because it's a great start for a series!… Expand
  5. Ahrun_Wolf
    Apr 30, 2012
    8
    Ar tonelico's main flaw is the fact this game is INSANELY EASY. However the game's storyline, musics (and the Hymmnos language used in most of them), world's lore and main characters' development compensates this flaw nicely.
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. Game Informer
    68
    Those who have fond memories of the PSone cult classic "Thousand Arms" will definitely enjoy Ar Tonelico's strange blend of action, dialog, and courtship. [Feb. 2007, p.101]
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  2. Play Magazine
    85
    Ar Tonelico pretty much has it all. The story and especially pacing is fantastic; the music is truly special, the battles are incredibly engaging via the Revyatelis, and the art is simply gorgeous. [Feb 2007, p.36]
  3. Worth Playing
    70
    If you're looking for a light RPG, then Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia definitely fits the bill because it's cheerful, well animated and utterly predictable. Combat is a breeze, even if you're farming for items, and the plot is lackluster at best.
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