Tales of Vesperia

Tales of Vesperia
Xbox 360 American Boxart
Developer(s)	Namco Tales Studio
Publisher(s)	Namco Bandai Atari (Europe Only)
Designer(s)	Kōsuke Fujishima (Character design) Yoshito Higuchi (Chief director, producer)
Composer(s)	Motoi Sakuraba
Platform(s)	Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release date(s)	Xbox 360 JP August 7, 2008[1] NA August 26 2008[2] EU June 26, 2009 [3] PlayStation 3 JP September 17, 2009
Genre(s)	Console role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single Player, Multiplayer, Co-op
Rating(s)	CERO: Ages 12 and over (B) ESRB: Teen (T) OFLC: PG PEGI: 12+
Media	DVD-DL, Blu-ray Disc
Input methods	Gamepad

Tales of Vesperia (テイルズ オブ ヴェスペリア, Teiruzu obu Vesuperia^?) is the tenth mothership title in the Tales series. It was developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360.^[4] The title was announced on December 22, 2007 at Jump Festa, and was released on August 7, 2008 in Asia, and on August 26, 2008 in North America. On June 26, 2009 Tales of Vesperia was released in Europe making it the second console game in the Tales series to be released there. Tales of Vesperia's characteristic genre name is RPG to Enforce "Justice" (「正義」を貫き通すRPG, "Seigi" o tsuranukitōsu RPG^?). The game's character designer is Kōsuke Fujishima, the chief director and producer is Yoshito Higuchi (who previously worked on both Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss), and the animated movies were done by Production I.G. The game's theme song is "Ring a Bell" (鐘を鳴らして, Kane o Narashite^?) by Bonnie Pink.^[5]

A special limited edition was released in North America, including a metal case with unique cover art and a 22-track soundtrack.^[6] In April 2009 it was announced that those who purchased the special edition would be mailed a second 10th anniversary soundtrack CD.^[7]

A prequel to the game in the form of an animated film called Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike was released on October 3, 2009. A PlayStation 3 port was released including material not present in the original Xbox 360 version, such as a new playable character, named Patty Fleur^[8], on September 17, 2009.

Gameplay

Battle system

Tales of Vesperia uses an improved and evolved version of Tales of the Abyss's battle system, called the "Evolved Flex-Range Linear Motion Battle System" (EFR-LMBS). As with previous Tales games, characters can move freely around the battlefield to combat their enemies in real-time.

An added aspect to the game's world is the "Encounter Linking" system. If multiple groups of roaming enemies are in close proximity when a battle starts, the ensuing battle will contain all the enemies. Also returning from previous Tales games are "surprise encounters." Like in Tales of the Abyss, a surprise encounter rearranges the active party when taken into battle. Tales of Vesperia also makes use of "Secret Missions," special tasks or challenges that can be completed during boss fights for certain rewards.

Returning from Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss is the "Over Limit". As in Tales of the Abyss, it is marked by a visible gauge, but it comes in the form of a single bar that can be used by up to four party members at once, or used by a single character up to four levels to give more powerful effects. "Burst Artes", another new feature, are powerful attacks performed while in Over Limit mode and after using an arcane arte or a spell change. Depending on the Over Limit level, its duration increases, allowing players to add in more combos. As with previous Tales games, characters are able to pull off powerful Mystic Artes. Characters can also perform "Fatal Strikes", attacks capable of defeating enemies with one strike after a certain gauge is depleted. These attacks can also be chained for a higher score.

An In-game Screenshot of a Battle in Tales of Vesperia

Recurring features

As in previous entries, Tales of Vesperia features an arena where the player can battle a number of enemies for prizes. In the arena, one chosen character will have to challenge two hundred monsters. After enough monsters are defeated, the battle with the next contender is unlocked. The 4 contenders are: Dhaos, the final boss of Tales of Phantasia; Shizel, from Tales of Eternia; Barbatos, from Tales of Destiny 2; and Kratos Aurion, a playable character in Tales of Symphonia.

Tales of Vesperia also includes character costumes, which are dependent on the various titles that characters have obtained throughout the game. Equipping various accessories also affects the wearer's outfit. Tales of Vesperia also includes skits, short optional conversations that further character or plot development. Unlike the English releases of Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss, skits in the English release of Tales of Vesperia are fully voiced by the English voice actors, which is also the case in Tales of Legendia and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World.

Skill system

Tales of Vesperia introduces a new skill system to the series. They are found and used through equipment. Through fighting battles, characters gain Learning Points, which are assigned to all currently unlearned skills. When enough Learning Points are acquired, that character learns the skills. Learned skills can be equipped on a character without having the associated weapon equipped, but then they use up a certain number of Skill Points (SP), which are gained through leveling up. Through skills, characters are also capable of "Altered Artes," artes or spells that are created when a certain skill is equipped and a certain arte is used. Through using an Altered Arte enough times, the character learns that arte or spell and is capable of using it without having the skill equipped.

Online component

The game does not contain online multiplayer or competitive battles, but it does contain online leaderboards for things such as highest combo and minigame scores. The game also has downloadable content for items that are difficult to acquire in-game.^[9]

Story

Setting

Vesperia takes place on the planet Terca Lumireis. The people of Terca Lumireis have come to rely on "blastia", an ancient civilization's technology with a wide array of capabilities, such as providing water, powering ships, or creating barriers around major cities and towns to protect them from monsters. The Imperial Knights and Guild members also use "bodhi blastia" to enhance their abilities in combat. The blastia are created from a substance called "aer" that lends its power to the blastia's ability, but can be fatal to humans in large concentrations.

Plot

When the aque blastia core is stolen from Zaphias's lower quarter, denying water to the lower class that lives there, Yuri attempts to chase down the thief, but is arrested and jailed in the castle. He escapes and flees with Estelle, after discovering that she is searching for Flynn. The two, along with Repede, chase after both Flynn and the thief. They meet Karol and Rita, who takes great interest in Estelle's healing artes. The group is able to catch up with the thief, and, with Raven and Judith's help, recover the blastia core, thwarting the plans of an evil guild leader, Barbos, in the process. Yuri then turns the core over to Flynn to return to the city. As the group recovers, Rita discovers that Estelle does not actually use her bodhi blastia to cast healing artes. Estelle soon comes to learn that she is the Child of the Full Moon, and an omen of an impending disaster upon the planet.

Judith leads the group to Myorzo, the home of the Kritya, who explain that the Child of the Full Moon, if used as a tool, could bring forth the Adephagos, a being that feeds off aer and would convert all life on the planet back into pure aer due to their use of blastia; the group is encouraged to kill Estelle as soon as possible to prevent this from happening. As the group comes to terms with the revelation, Raven, revealed to be the Imperial Knight Captain Schwann Oltorain, kidnaps Estelle and takes her to Alexei. Alexei is able to take control of Estelle's power, and uses it to reveal the Enduring Shrine of Zaude before the group can save her. Raven has a change of heart and regroups with the team as they chase Alexei to the Shrine. Before Yuri can kill him, Alexei activates the huge blastia at the top of the Shrine, causing the Adephagos to break through a magical seal and send tentacle-like appendages across the planet, Alexei then dies. As the group recovers, Duke appears and states his intention to help destroy the Adephagos and save Terca Lumireis by sacrificing the life essence of all humanity, including himself.

The group comes up with a strategy for stopping the disaster, but at a cost: by creating spirits of the elements from the apatheia of the four Entelexeia (Belius, Phaeroh, Gusios, and Khroma), they will be able to convert all the blastia cores within the planet to an energy weapon that can destroy the Adephagos. The group decides to push forward with the plan and work their way through the tower of Tarqaron, a gigantic, hidden city-turned-weapon underneath Aspio that Duke activated, meeting Duke at the top. The group is able to defeat Duke, and Yuri attempts to convince him that all humans are willing to give up blastia to stop the Adephagos. Duke recognizes Yuri's honesty and assists the group. The combined power of the Elemental Spirits, the converted blastia cores, and Dein Nomos slices the Adephagos in two and destroys it.

Characters

Protagonists

Cast of Tales of Vesperia From Bottom Right (Clockwise) Raven, Flynn, Yuri, Karol, Estelle, Patty, Judith, Rita and Repede

Yuri Lowell (ユーリ・ローウェル, Yūri Rōweru^?)

Weapon: Swords and Axes

Sub-Weapon: Gloves

Voiced by: Kosuke Toriumi (Japanese) Troy Baker (English)

The main protagonist of the story, Yuri was born and raised in the Lower Quarter of the Imperial Capital, Zaphias. He was formerly a member of the Imperial Knights, but left after only three months of service due to his contempt for the Empire's treatment of its lower citizens. He is willing to help those in need, even if he has to take extreme measures to do so. He is an expert fighter, capable of wielding swords and axes. Together with Karol, he forms Brave Vesperia, a guild of which Judith also becomes a part.

Repede (ラピード, Rapīdo^?)

Weapon: Daggers

Sub-Weapon: Collars

Voiced by: Makoto Ishii (Japanese)

Repede is Yuri's loyal companion. He is an intelligent dog distinguished by a scar and a pipe, which he carries as a memento of his former master. He is friendly around people he trusts, but dislikes being approached by strangers.

Estellise Sidos Heurassein (エステリーゼ・シデス・ヒュラッセイン, Esuterīze Shidesu Hyurassein^?)

Weapon: Swords and Rods

Sub-Weapon: Shields

Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (Japanese) Danielle Judovits^[10] (English)

Estelle (エステル, Esuteru^?) for short, she is the princess and candidate to the imperial throne. Before meeting Yuri, she had not set foot outside the capital. As a result, she is very naive of the outside world. Because of her strong compassion, she never hesitates to help and heal anyone in need. During her time in the castle, she was trained by Imperial Knights, allowing her to wield a sword and shield efficiently in battle. She also spent much of her time reading books, allowing her to become knowledgeable in a wide range of fields. After traveling with Yuri for some time, she decides that she wants to continue her journey with him and the group in order to learn more about the world.

Karol Capel (カロル・カペル, Karoru Kaperu^?)

Weapon: Swords, Axes and Hammers

Sub-Weapon: Bags

Voiced by Kumiko Watanabe (Japanese) Julie Ann Taylor (English)

Karol is a young, eager, worldly yet naive member of the Hunting Blades guild, which hunts down monsters all over the world and believes that all monsters are evil. He was born and raised in Dahngrest, a city run entirely by members of guilds. Karol has a history of joining many guilds, only to be thrown out of them due to his cowardly tendencies. He later becomes the leader of the guild Brave Vesperia, which he started with Yuri and Judith.

Rita Mordio (リタ・モルディオ, Rita Morudio^?)

Weapon: Cloths and Whips

Sub-Weapon: Books

Voiced by:Rika Morinaga (Japanese) Michelle Ruff (English)

Rita is a young, ingenious, and eccentric but apparently infamous blastia researcher. She is born and raised in Aspio, a city of scholars. She has a quick temper and poor social disposition; without hesitation, she will execute her magic on any offender if provoked. She grows sisterly feelings for Estelle, and eventually bonds with Judith as the story progresses.

Raven (レイヴン, Reivun^?)

Weapon: Bows

Sub-Weapon: Short Swords

Voiced by: Eiji Takemoto (Japanese) Joe J. Thomas (English)

Raven is a shady, laid-back member of the group who seems to know more than he lets on. He first encounters Yuri in the castle prison and allows Yuri to escape by slyly sneaking him a jail key between the bars of his cell. Raven frequently causes the group to run into trouble early on, harboring feelings of unease from the rest of the party. He often complains about his age and work load, causing the group to refer to him as "old man." He is apparently a veteran of the Great War, which took place ten years before the story; however, he does not like to talk much about his experiences.

Judith (ジュディス, Judisu^?)

Weapon: Spears and Staves

Sub-Weapon: Boots

Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (Japanese) Megan Hollingshead (English)

Judith is a mysterious, mature and rational member of the group. She is a member of the Kritya (クリティア, Kuritia^?) tribe, which possesses expert knowledge of the blastia and has attempted to stop them in the past due to their dangers. She is decisive, persistent, witty, impulsive, bold, flirtatious, and seemingly carefree. She initially appeared as a nameless dragon rider who went about destroying blastia, causing her to receive much dislike from Rita; however, the two eventually become good friends after Judith explains the reasons for her actions.

Flynn Scifo (フレン・シーフォ, Furen Shīfo^?)

Weapon: Swords

Sub-Weapon: Shields

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese) Sam Riegel (English)

Flynn is a childhood friend of Yuri's, as well as a friend to Estelle. He joined the Imperial Knights at the same time as Yuri when they were younger for the purpose of "making a difference" in the world. But unlike Yuri, he stuck with it and has since continued to climb higher in rank, becoming the youngest to receive the title of Captain. He often helps the party deal with problems in their travels. He has a sense of justice similar to Yuri's, but he pursues it through a different method, attempting to solve matters through peaceful politics rather than forceful rebellion.

Patty Fleur (パティ・フルール, Pati Furūru^?)

Weapon: Knives

Sub-Weapon: Guns

Voiced by: Chiwa Saitou (Japanese)

Patty is a young pirate girl who travels around the world in search of romance and the legendary treasure of the notorious pirate Aifread. Despite her young appearance, she has a personality and manner of expression of that of an elderly person. She is an expert marksman, capable of using a gun and equally skilled at wielding a knife. She bears a resemblance to the pirate class of Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2. Although she is exclusive to the PlayStation 3 port of the game, she is still a major main character of the game..^[11]

Antagonists

Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (April 2009)

Zagi (ザギ, Zagi^?)

Voiced by: Akio Suyama (Japanese) Vic Mignogna (English)

Zagi is an assassin who holds a grudge against Yuri, mistakes him for Flynn upon their first meeting, and interferes at inappropriate times throughout the story. He sees Yuri as his equal because he was the first one to ever make him bleed in battle.{in their second battle.} He's fought five times of the course of the game until he is finally killed at the Tower of Tarqaron by Yuri and his friends.

Alexei Dinoia (アレクセイ ディノイア, Arekusei Dinoia^?)

Voiced by: Jurota Kosugi (Japanese) D.C. Douglas (English)

Arguably the game's main antagonist, Alexei is the Commandant (The highest ranking officer) of the Imperial Knights. However, he is secretly maneuvering events throughout the story to his own ends. He was in fact behind most of the events. He desires control of the Imperial Throne and world domination; however, his actions accidentally bring about a threat to the entire world. Alexei commits suicide after releasing the Adephagos (an apocalypse-like force) at Zaude, belatedly realizing the error of his ways.

Yeager (Alter ego Regaey) (イエガー, Iegā^?)

Voiced by: Mitsuo Iwata (Japanese) Spike Spencer (English)

Yeager is the leader of the mysterious Leviathan's Claw guild and wields a scythe that changes into a crossbow. He has two adopted daughters: Gauche (ゴーシュ, Gōshu^?) and Droite (ドロワット, Dorowatto^?) who follow his orders without question. He's later revealed to have been working for Alexei. Much like Raven, he has a blastia heart. He occasionally aids the party for his own reasons, but ultimately fights against them at Zaude, where he is finally killed. In the Japanese version, he occasionally speaks in English, while in the English version, he has a German accent.

Duke Pantarei (デューク パンタレイ, Dyūku Pantarei^?)

Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese) Jamieson Price (English)

Duke is a mysterious war hero who once fought for humanity's survival alongside the ancient king of the Entelexeia, Elucifer, in the Great War. He fights for his own cause, going against the party at times (but also assisting them at others), causing the party to doubt his trustworthiness. When the Adephagos is released, he plans to use an ancient weapon that would sacrifice all human lives to stop, revealing he had grown to loath other humans for releasing the Adephagos, and for killing his friend Elucifer after the Great War, whom was his close friend. When the Adephagos is released, he plans to use an ancient weapon called the Tarqaron to sacrifice all human beings, including himself. The party faces him as the final boss of the game. Duke manages to survive the fight, and then helps in destroying the Adephagos.

PlayStation 3 Enhanced Port

PlayStation 3 box art.

Tales of Vesperia was ported to the PlayStation 3 and released on September 17, 2009^[12] with additional content as well as a different logo. No Western release has been announced. The Tales of Vesperia PS3 demo was released July 13, 2009 in the Japan PSN store.

Additional Content

The PlayStation 3 version of the game features full voice acting which is almost double the script as compared to the of the original 360 version. The game also features various new characters such as Flynn as a fully customizable, playable permanent character as well as Patty Fleur who is an entirely new character; it also features unplayable characters from Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike which the game ties-in with.^[8] In addition, Repede, Flynn and Patty are selectable as on-screen avatars with new mini-games such as a racing mini-game for Repede, new subplots, skits and main game quests as well as side quests. The game also has new songs added to the game's soundtrack together with remodeled towns and new towns and dungeons. The game also includes new bosses such as the Sword Dancer from previous Tales games, Don White horse and Clint/Tison/Nan, players are also able to replay boss fights at Nam Cobanda Isle.

In addition there are also new gameplay elements such as higher Overlimit Levels up to 8, more Mystic Artes including a dual Mystic Arte with Yuri and Flynn, new Artes, skills and equipments for characters. A new key item has also been added called the "Artes Ball" which allows an additional 8 Artes Shorcuts can be assign to the left analog stick which allows for a maximum of 16 Artes. The game also features a wide variety of new character costumes which include cameo costumes based on characters from previous Tales games as well as a special Sgt. Frog costume.^[13] Also included is a scene-skip feature, a Team Arena in the Coliseum which also has new battles and modes together with Pre-Order Bonuses which are Tales of the Abyss character costumes. The game also features connectivity with the Tales spin-off, Tales of VS. for the PlayStation Portable.

Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike

Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike is the official name for the anime adaptation of Tales of Vesperia which will be released as an animated feature film in Japan in Autumn, 2009; this is the same season in which the PlayStation 3 port will be released. The movie will be a prequel to the game showing Yuri Lowell's time as an Imperial Knight.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	84%[14]
GameStats	8.1 of 10[15]
Metacritic	81 of 100[16]
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	B+[17]
Edge	8 of 10[18]
Electronic Gaming Monthly	B+[19]
Famitsu	35 of 40[20][21]
Game Informer	7.5 of 10[18][22]
GamePro	[23]
GameSpot	8.5 of 10[24]
GameSpy	[25]
GameTrailers	8.8 of 10[26]
IGN	8.2 of 10[4]
Official Xbox Magazine	8.5 of 10[27]
X-Play	4 of 5[28]
Hardcore Gamer Magazine	4 of 5[29]

Famitsu awarded Tales of Vesperia a score of 9/9/9/8, totaling 35/40.^[21] Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4 out of 5, praising the game for its anime-style graphics and characters.^[29] GameSpot gave it an 8.5/10, stating that "Tales of Vesperia is the best game yet in the series."^[24] In GameSpot's "Best of 2008" the game was nominated for "Best story"^[30] and "Best Graphics, Artistic"^[31] categories but it lost in both categories. While they criticized the visuals as being a little inconsistent, IGN gave it an 8.2/10, stating "Tales of Vesperia is a strong anime-style Japanese RPG with a wide-ranging story, compelling characters and an intense real-time battle system that keeps you on your toes." In IGN's "Best of 2008" awards it was nominated for "Best Xbox 360 RPG" and "Best Xbox 360 Original Score".^[4] X-Play gave the game a 4 out of 5 praising its characters and visuals.^[28] In X-Play's "Best Of 2008" it was nominated for best role-playing game. VG Chartz awarded Tales Of Vesperia "Best Game No One Played 2008" for the Xbox 360.

According to Famitsu's annual top 100, Vesperia was the 82nd best selling title in Japan in 2008 having sold 161,070 copies.^[32] The launch of Tales of Vesperia in Japan caused the Xbox 360 to sell out for the first time since the system's release in Japan. In North America, Tales of Vesperia sold 33,000 copies during the 4 days after its 26 August launch.^[33]

Famitsu awarded the re-released version of Tales of Vesperia for the Playstation 3 with a score of 9/9/9/8 totaling a 35/40 like its predecessor. Tales of Vesperia for the PlayStation 3 sold 147,000 copies on its opening day which is close to double that of the Xbox 360's version The Xbox 360 sold 71,000 copies on its opening day and a total of 140,000 in two weeks.^[34][35]

References

External links

• Official Xbox 360 Version Site  Japan
• Official Xbox 360 Version Site  United States
• Official Xbox 360 Version Site  Europe
• Official PlayStation 3 Version Site  Japan
• Tales of Vesperia at the Internet Movie Database
• Tales of Vesperia Page
• Tales of Vesperia @ Tales Union
• Tales of Vesperia Online Guide and Fansite