Ar Ciel was once a planet that was lush with many different inhabitants. The humans of this planet created a new species, Reyvateils, with the power to convert songs into energies.
A release of tremendous energy caused a global catastrophe, destroying the land. The planet of Ar Ciel was suddenly shrouded by deadly clouds, later to be called the Sea of Death. The survivors sought refuge in three artificial towers left behind by the disaster. The third tower world is occupied by the Reyvateils. The Reyvateils that reside in the upper part of the third tower carry out human genocidal campaigns to purify humans into slaves. They annihilate any human cities or towns that defy this purification.
Aoto, a young Steeplejack apprentice from Blue Canyon Hamlet, finds himself in a unique situation when his village is attacked by the Clustanian Army. During the skirmish, he discovers a young female warrior defending an older man from the invading army. Once the encounter comes to an end, the female warrior vanishes and a young girl – who suddenly faints – is left in her place.
Mr. Kiraha, the old man the female warrior was protecting, hands a necklace to Aoto and asks to have it delivered to his son. To Aoto’s amazement, the necklace resembles his father’s keepsake. After realizing that Mr. Kiraha can’t be saved from his wounds, Aoto revives the young, disoriented girl. Unfortunately, the young lady has no recollection of the female warrior, who she really is or why the Clustanian Army was attacking. The only thing she can remember is her name – Saki.
As Aoto and Saki try to escape the village, they come across Tatsumi – an acquaintance of Aoto’s. Together they try to uncover the mystery surrounding Saki’s Reyvateil powers and defeat the Clustanian Army.
Unlike previous versions, Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel is an action role-playing game. While a good portion of the story is spent discovering Saki’s powers, gaining new allies and synthesizing items from ingredients, the bulk of the game will be spent enticing your Reyvateils into Talk Topics and battling the Clustanian Army.
ATQ’s combat system is an isolated battlefield that rotates with the action. The left analog stick moves your character and the Square button attacks. You can attack up to 3 times before the attack system resets. When you are attacked while stationary (i.e. standing still, etc.) Aoto (or the selected hero) will guard incoming attacks, reducing damage by half. Once your party increases, allies will participate in battle. Since you can only control one character at a time, the CPU controls the actions of your group until the encounter is over. There is an option to switch between characters from the battle menu, so there is plenty of flexibility during combat.
Since ATQ is an action RPG, you can roam freely during combat and also jump. The controls feel solid overall, but jumping feels a bit floaty. While it isn’t necessary during combat, jumping does come in handy when avoiding attacks.
Reyvateils really add to the combat experience. Surrounded by a circle called the Heroine Field, Reyvateils will sing and store energy while the other group members fight. When a party member comes in contact with the Heroine Field, bonuses are given and HP is healed. However, the Reyvateil becomes vulnerable and loses HP when an enemy enters the circle. The only way to avoid additional damage is to ‘blow away’ the enemy by pressing the Circle button.
Additionally, a Harmograph is displayed at the bottom of the screen. The purpose of this graph is to sync your attacks with the highest peak readings to activate certain Reyvateil spells. Syncing attacks with the Harmograph will require some practice, but once you find the proper rhythm, it becomes second nature.
Ironically, your Reyvateil must remove articles of clothing for her magic to increase in power. For this to happen, you must excite the Reyvateil with attacks that match the highest peaks in the Harmograph. If performed successfully, a ‘Purge Ready’ message will appear. When this occurs, press and hold L1, L2, R1 or R3 and shake the controller to execute her song magic.
As the adventure progresses, new ‘Talk Topics’ will appear when your group camps or visits the inn. These topics will help build an intimate relationship between you and the Reyvateils in your group. The subjects may cover fears, likes and dislikes, or a particular subject from the story. For example, when you eventually meet up with Hikari Goio (a Reyvateil doctor) to help Saki understand her powers, the information you learn can be discussed later with Saki. The ‘Talk Topic’ feature keeps the game feeling fresh and it adds to the ever-evolving story.
The Image Synthesis system allows you to create medicine, skills, etc., while at the inn. If you have enough ingredients, you can decide how many units to create. Crafting systems have been in role-playing games for a long time, and while the Image Synthesis system doesn’t offer anything new, it still functions smoothly and makes crafting easy.
ATQ is entertaining from start to finish. The character development is top-notch; the story is engaging; and the combat system – despite having a slight learning curve – will keep any hard-nosed gamer busy. The lush, 3D graphics – another common staple of NIS America releases – will no doubt please fans and their appetites for beautiful Japanese imagery. Even newcomers unfamiliar with the series will appreciate the effort spent on the 2D cinemas and 3D models.
The premium edition of ATQ is the best choice for fans. It comes replete with a full-color art book and music CD inside a large, collectable box with beautiful character art on the cover. Newcomers looking for a new and unique role-playing experience will find the standard edition a worthy addition to their gaming library.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Playstation 3
Developer: NIS America
Publisher: NIS America
ESRB: M (Mature)
Price: $59.99
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| The graphics are colorful and vibrant. | |
| Sound | |
| Good voice acting enhances the experience. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Despite feeling a bit floaty, the combat system is solid and innovative. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel is a must-have for fans of the series. | |
