To begin, it is important to recollect the kind of universe that is available in this role-playing game with a Japanese flavoring. In this chapter, you take on the role of Croix Bartel, an up-and-coming knight serving the Grand Bell, a quasi-governmental organization tasked with eradicating infectious pathogens known as I.P.D.s (infections that can only be contracted by women, more specifically by Reyvateils) and promoting the growth of human habitation in previously unexplored regions of the galaxy. Because it is true that, just like in a future that could be ours, the people who dwell on that globe run into some difficulties with regard to the surface they are forced to call home. With the exception of Ar Tonelico II, where it is caused by the disintegration of the earth and its subsequent fall into the lethal limbs that make up the shallows of the world, this phenomenon occurs everywhere else. This is not exactly the best environment in which to take pleasure in life and maintain an attitude of unwavering positivity. However, the Great Bell intends to rectify this situation, and their drastic answer is all that has been found: it is required to eradicate the Goddess Frelia, a celestial creature that keeps humanity from recovering.
From this starting pitch come a variety of meetings and events that will take you to the four corners of Metafalss, which is a universe in which you will evolve for a good number of hours that are more or less filled. The globe map, just like in the first phase, will show you the various locations that are reachable to you and will unload you after a fairly reasonable amount of loading time. The same system will be applied to the various parts of the cities that you will have to investigate. There has been no change in the exploration.
When it comes to the manner in which battles are fought, this translates to an unfailing ergonomic design from the very beginning, but one that, despite this, still produces encounters that are never boring. This second episode of Ar Tonelico reintroduces, of course, the Reyvateils in the middle of the combat, where you will shift from the phases of Attack to those of Defense in a turn-by-turn fashion at all times. Through careful timing and use of them, you will be able to defend your valuable singers against attacks launched by the opposition. The first two characters in the first line have each been given a key that may be used either for offense or defense, while a third key enables the player to use the symphonic magic that is mastered by the Reyvateils.
Let’s have a conversation about magic, shall we? Or, to be more precise, let us call to mind their clean aesthetic, which helps to construct the identity of the software. This game is a tribute to the old role-playing video games that were available on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The graphic style that is used can be confusing, but it is full of real beauty. Unfortunately, it is let down by rather uneven decors, which invite a moment of contemplation and then attack your retinas the next moment. The entirety of it is still gorgeous and a little bit more refined than it was in the first half, yet there are occasions when we lament this sawtooth realization.
