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– Tales of the Abyss-
One of the series most cherished entries! Tales of Arise may be just around the corner, but my “Tales of” itch was becoming very hard to ignore, so, before Arise dropped I figured it’d be a good time to look back at this game again and give it a proper, critical inspection.
TIME CODES
0:00 – Intro
2:50 – Ad
4:14 – Story
10:04 – Combat
16:02 – World and Exploration
19:09 – Technical Issues
23:37 – Characters and Themes
28:05 – Outro
29:30 – The Moves
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33 Comments
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Otherwise, I hope you guys enjoyed this look back! Tales of the Abyss is an incredible tales game from a story perspective and deserves a place in the JRPG hall of fame, though It really cannot be done justice in a standard review-structure video like this. Also, I quote the runtime in the vid as 55-70 hours but it can probably be completely in 44-ish if you just B-line your way through. My play for this video was 70 hours, but the last completed play on my memory card was 55 so I kind of just took them as 2 averages. More Abyss content will be coming, but it might be a bit to get it together. Hope to see you all again then!
I've been meaning to pick this up on the 3ds for a while. Now it's at the top of the list
OST ? no no no
Karma is still the franchise one of best opening song
The gameplay is definitely dated. "Vesperia" had already rendered it obsolete just 3 years later, and the series has never looked back.
But when it comes to narrative, "Abyss" is the absolute peak of the series. Yeah, the third act is bloated, they went a bit overboard with the technobabble and there are a few instances where the characterization takes maybe one or two steps too far. But the plot, the character development, their relationships, the lore, the themes, the emotions… It's just masterful. There are very few games in the entire genre which can compete with it, let alone surpass it.
This is definitely a game that needs a remake, one that keeps that story intact, but uses a more modern battle system. And who knows, maybe we'll get it? Namco knows "Abyss" is a fan favorite, and the least accessible one at that. So who knows…
Will try this. Have this on 3DS
Thank you for this comprehensive walk down memory lane. Tales of the Abyss is a game whose story remained in my mind ever since I played it over a decade ago. Cheers
Fabulous video, Tarks. And thank you for your excellent presentation.
It seems that rather going forward in anticipation, we are looking over our shoulder for masterpieces of the past. This can be taken positively or negatively, but I believe there is no use in complaining. We have a near-infinite amount of media to enjoy up to this point, so let's start picking away at that backlog. Perhaps we knew that the golden age of video games would come to an end, and now we can wallow in our own crapulence.
As you, Tarks, continue with your career and hobbies, I urge you to take your health to heart (no pun intended). Make sure your ability and agility do not suffer over time. Exercise and nutrition will take you far. Never neglect yourself.
Amazing review. Bravo!
Don’t know if it is the best, but certainly one of the best in the series.
Think about watching the anime, never gave it a chance.
Playing Co-op with my brother and Fighting the Cameo Battle in Tales of the Abyss is still, My MOST EPIC MOMENTS in any RPG I play!!!
Just in case this isn't mentioned before the end of the video,
Motoo Fujiwara is a member of Bump of Chicken, one of the best japanese bands.
Definitely check them out, some of their songs have been featured in various anime series, such as Blood Blockade Battlefront, March comes in like a lion and even One Piece.
Man……Wow…….ok so I got this game CIB for the PS2 for $30 a few months ago. It’s definitely in my backlog to play. I’ve heard nothing but praise from most people about this game and this video was quite good and thankfully didn’t spoil anything for me about the story. Here is the thing though. I have never played a Tales game yet. I own this one and Xillia and Xillia 2 and I intend to get more. I am really inclined to play this after I’m done with Xenosaga 3. However do I really want to start with the best tales game out there and then go into other ones knowing they aren’t going to be as good? Decisions decisions. Any advice for me?
The only Tales of game I've ever played was Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology on the PSP because it was the first new title to come out after I promised I'd play one…didn't know at the time that was the crossover title that is NOT super friendly to people who have no idea what's going on. Honestly, haven't touched the series since, but yeah, I've always heard great things about Abyss and after watching this video I feel like I have a much better understanding as to why.
Damn remember it looking much better
Just discovered your channel really enjoyed the video👍🏻! My first & to this day still my favorite Tales of & PS2 game. The story was breath taking, characters were well written, gameplay is fast & fluid with no input delay & OST is awesome. This game absolutely requires the same treatment as Vesperia Definitive Edition.
I absolutely agreed with all your points on the modern JRPGs not having an Overworld. I feel a lot of magic was lost with their retirement if Overworld doesn't return to JRPGs then the best days are behind us. Any chance of a video on Overworlds?
1) Abyss is fantastic
2) I see that Belldandy piece in the back at 1:26 😍 Love her
One of my favourite games of all time.
This was my first and favorite Tales of game. Think its the only one I have replayed so many times.
Tales of the Abyss was the reason I got a 3DS back in the day since we only got that version here in Europe. It was the second Tales of game I played(Vesperia being the first) and this game's story is something really special. I thought it was brilliantly done. My fav Tales game now is still Xillia 1 as I enjoy the combat in that one a lot more than the combat in Abyss but everyone who loves a RPG with a compelling story owe it to themselves to play this game at least once!
100% agree. This is fighting for the spot of my favorite Tales game with Symphonia for a reason, and the latter might just even be in the competition because nostalgia – while I have played Abyss last in 2016 (thanks 3DS port) the last time I played Symphonia was 2008.
So my view of Abyss isn't tinted with nostalgia glasses, Symphonia might be. Either way Abyss has the best character development I have seen in a JRPG while also having a protagonist so unconventional, he almost turned me off of the game if it hadn't been for the plethora of people telling me there is a point to all of it. And boy, was there a point. I just hope that every single person who feels like I did while playing the first portion of the game has other people telling them to keep going like it did, lest they would miss out on one of the most impressive JRPG journeys of all times.
I honestly think that aside from the game obviously showing its age, the biggest weakness is the character bonds in this game. The group seems less jolly and also less tight than most other Tales casts. That makes sense within the confines of the story, so it's not necessarily a bad thing. But it's something I missed because I was so used to seeing it from all the other Tales games. But like I said, not bad, just unexpected.
This was the last game I finished before selling ps2 many years ago. And I still think this was one of the best stories and characters I've witnessed in my life. I rarely see something that well written this days.
its simply my favorite game ever
Luke has the best character development out of all the protagonist in the Tales of series and Asch was an amazing Anti hero
dragon quest 8 or 11 (for a more recent example) did a good thing with the overworld you only see it when you use a ship or travel trough the sky the rest is zone like
I miss overworlds too.
Yes
I play berseria now
Best Tales ever made.
I hated finding feres island
This was a excellent review
1. Berseria
2. The Abyss
3. Symphonia
4. Xillia
5. Phantasia (PS1 version)
I don't know If I would call Abyss better than Symphonia…..
Best Tales Game if point on the story. Very drama for characters background, have to face old opponents many times for reasons
and done very well in recycling maps, towns, dungeons.
But I like Destiny DC slightly more than Abyss in case of Equipments and Dungeons.
Abyss still remains my favourite Tales of game, though I needed to play the story twice back in the day to really appreciate it. So wish it would get ported to modern consoles, I’d love to trophy hunt and perfect a file of it again. I still have fun memories of beating Unknown Nebilim with my cousin, only took like 4 hours lol, him controlling guy and baiting her and me controlling Tear/Natalia trying to keep life potions by using revive spells while we abuse the fof circles for invincibility frames. Great video!