Tales of the Abyss [PS2]

It's not a marquee name in the States like Final Fantasy, but Namco's Tales series spans ten games, and has a full-fledged fanbase to support such a sprawling saga. The last release, Tales of Legendia, was arguably a step backward, but with Tales of the Abyss, Namco has come up with a new story that, if not a massive leap forward for the genre, at least takes some of the best RPG rules to heart.

Unfortunately, one of those rules is that every RPG has to start in basically the same place. This time, it's the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, which exists in an easy peace with the Malkuth Empire. Luke von Fabre is the only son of a prominent Kimlasca Duke, protected within a large manor after a kidnapping masterminded by Malkuth left him with amnesia seven years ago. Luke is rich, spoiled, bored and sullen, all of which make him an ideal leading man. Of course.

Things begin to change when Tear, an apparent assassin, attempts to take out Luke's mentor, then ends up spirited away to Malkuth with the young prince. Luke and Tear have to make their way back to Kimlasca, during which an unlikely alliance forms, at least until the first twists begin to hit. At first, the whole setup seems like RPG business as usual.

Surprisingly, however, depth begins to emerge as the characters interact. Sometimes it takes a while, but as Luke grows, Tear softens and the rest of the cast revolves around them, the focal point isn't merely the next plot twist. Even the post-battle exclamations pack in some development, as characters praise or ridicule each other in a less generic way than we're used to.

Namco does need to revisit some storytelling basics, though. A lot of the game's exposition is buried within optional cutscenes activated by pressing Select when a prompt appears onscreen. Do so, and an ugly talking head will appear with text that slowly updates, with no option for fast readers to skip through to the next line. Such a lame delivery of the game's script is a crime because, while the material is entertaining, the experience is boring, and you'll be tempted to skip the cutscenes altogether. And without building character through these extra scenes, Tales of the Abyss is far less interesting.