Tales of the Abyss

The series "Tales of" has always been something of an anomaly in the landscape of Japanese RPGS. Where most of the software you are interminable sagas, often changing only the number after the title and a few other things, Namco almost always divided by zero, changing not only the name but also the main characters, settings and gameplay of each chapter.

Sometimes this choice gave life to titles not just memorable, but in other cases, fans got little gems of great value. Some of these have unfortunately remained confined on Japanese soil while others arrived in the West but an accomplice, not just launch counterattack and pharaonic, passed almost unnoticed by the general public.

Tales of the Abyss lies precisely in the latter category. Launched in the PS2 version in 2006 in the United States, some fans of the old continent were forced to retrieve it at version import because the game does not come from us. For those who did not do so and even if he regrets, there time to remedy since this version 3DS gi was confirmed for Europe and should be out by the end of this year.

The Namco game is part of that crowd of GDR who prefer the action in real time to pure tactic. Exploring free (but still fairly linear) and also the fighting did not take place through the usual consultation of lengthy menus and articulated lists of spells and powers. Everything happens in a highly dynamic IP, but no less profound.

You have found the combat system of Eternal Sonata? Behold, we are more or less on the genre, but with a little (and I emphasize "pinch") strategy in pi, the chance to make a series of predefined actions but at the same time, customizable depending on your style of play.

Lovers of spells and incantations fairytale by the so-called AD Skills, a series of special skills that can be selected, select (or deselect) at any time during the game. Many of these, obviously, will be the most powerful acquired throughout history, when the protagonists will go up, while others are based, will be available shortly after the start of the adventure.

All this too classical for your tastes? Then what about the Field of Fonons? What seems like a short tongue-twister in fact another of the features that make this Tales of different from many other role-playing games, Japanese style.

This system will ensure that any magic or technology connected to an elemental alignment do appear a circle on the battlefield. This circle will be enhanced whenever the same element will be used until they give to one of the characters to increase the level of a skill in its possession, provided that this belongs to the same alignment. Ok, I admit to explain difficult but once field-tested you will realize how simple and useful.

Believe it or not, That of the Abyss a "Simulator". No, nothing comparable to Cooking Mama (fortunately)! Simply, in the course of the game it will be possible to retrieve the ingredients and recipes that will then be prepared between battles. Easy to guess that every dish cooked give a different effect upon him that decider of, er ... taste it. Also the cooking skills will be enhanced to allow the character to turn out more complex recipes and, of course, useful.

Things to say about Tales of the Abyss there are still many, from costumes that can be earned by completing side-quests to the economic system, which can be altered according to the decisions that we take. Time to talk about it we will have enough before the arrival of the game on the shelf, but I'm sure that right now some mouth-watering there coming.

Unfortunately, Namco did not want to even reveal if this version I will give you bonuses or 3DS exclusive content. Obviously we already support 3D and the transition from the 4: 3 format to 16: 9, and touch screen that will be used to display maps and use "shortcuts" for the combat system ... but there would, for once, have some nice surprise.