Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia Critic Reviews

Because of its hybrid nature as an RPG/visual novel, it's quite different from our previous tastes of Gust (in Atelier Iris 1 and 2). And, when you stop and think about how rare the dating-sim, visual novel, and love adventure genres are in the US (some Hirameki titles and a few other obscure releases), it's great to see a game like this represent that faction of Japanese culture, on the PS2 no less.

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.

This is a very nice RPG, and if you enjoy Japanese RPGs at all you owe it to yourself to pick up this title.

This was the first time in a long time that I felt like I went on a real traditional RPG adventure.

A unique role playing experience and one that is dripping with sexual innuendo and overtones. However, if you can get over this fact (and I'm sure you can), you're going to find an adventure that is often amazingly fun, but ends up feeling rather dry and contrived at times. The concepts within are fantastic, but the combat, which makes up the majority of the game, is beyond tedious and that hurts the title quite a bit.

Despite its pedantic handling of some topics and questionable dialogue parts, the game never takes itself too seriously. That, and it's actually a pretty awesome RPG at that.

A very average game, enjoyable without standing out, and sadly forgettable.

If you’re looking for a unique RPG experience that graphical harks back to RPGs of the SNES or early PS1 era, this is your game.

While Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia may not be host to cutting-edge graphics, its script and game play make up for it, delivering solid turn-based entertainment for at least 50 hours of enjoyment. A solid choice for NIS America fans.

A solid RPG/dating sim that will please those that love all things Japanese.

What the game lacks in the battle and exploration departments, it more than makes up for in the experience of getting to know a girl intimately.

Its tone is a perfect balance—not cutesy and not over-serious. The characters may be stereotypical, but there’s a real sense of self-awareness and satirical humor in them as well.

Overall, this game offers a solid RPG experience despite its flaws it also has many things going for it, and makes a nice addition to the PS2s massive RPG collection.

It's not even so much that the game can come off as a surprising date sim-lite turn-based adventure. It's that a couple of less defined game features weaken a title that would've otherwise been impressive.

Ar Tonelico certainly wins points for originality but in the end it does very little to get past its boring combat and limited exploration options that drag this game down considerably.

If you've enjoyed the past two "Altelier Iris" games, tonelico is more of the same.

"Final Fantasy" followers might be looking for more. Even so, at times tonelico conveys more energy and thoughtfulness than most big-budget RPGs even attempt. It's primarily for the hardcore audience, though any gamer looking for another fantasy outlet should take a look.

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.

Whether you'll like Ar tonelico or not is dependent on how much of a sucker you are for a cute damsel in distress. These aren't helpless girls, mind you, and your relationship to them will provide the bulk of enjoyment that Ar tonelico has to offer.

Just as soon as I was ready to sing the praises of the game from my rooftop did the debilitating graphical and gameplay flaws begin to rain down on my happy-go-lucky concert, soaking down my scores.