Tales of Hearts
Encyclopedia
is the eleventh mothership title in the Tales series exclusively for the Nintendo DS
, which was released on December 18, 2008 in Japan
. Tales of Hearts' characteristic genre name is . The producer
is Hideo Baba, the director
is Kazuhisa Oomi, the Scenario Writer is Naoki Yamamoto, and series veterans Mutsumi Inomata
and Motoi Sakuraba
are the character's designer and composer, respectively. The game uses 2D sprites, 3D backgrounds, and is the first entry in the series to use CG for the characters in event movies. The theme song, is performed by Deen, who previously performed Tales of Destiny
s theme song. The game is available in two versions: the using animation produced by Production I.G.
, and the using CG produced by Shirogumi.
replaces the common cooking system of the series. The recovery stone can be set to be used at various times during battle to recover HP, or for other effects. When the stone is used it consumes "Heal Energy", which can be recharged at a recovery stone shop, or in dungeons. At the shops the player can also pay to increase the number of effects that can be set to the stone, increase the amount of heal energy, or buy more effects that the recovery stone can use.
By going to accessory shops, the player can make different accessories through materials found throughout the game, all with different effects or benefits. Accessories can also be reverted back into the materials used to create it for other uses.
Customization in the game is handled through the "Soma Build" system, through which the player upgrades the Soma (weapons) of the party and control their growth. The player can use raw materials found throughout the game to learn various abilities, or "Soma Skills" (of which there are four types: Parameter, Battle, Action, and Support), or to add various stat bonuses to a character.
When Soma Build is performed on a weapon enough times, the weapon can go through a process called "Soma Evolve", in which the Soma will take on a new form and name, and unlock new Soma Skills and stat bonuses.
Throughout the game there are various events in which the player can choose different options towards another character, called a "Soma Link". Through certain choices it will cause the outcomes of scenes to change, and the character may gain points towards their "Soma Link Value". Once it becomes high enough, the character can learn various skills.
By using Soma, the party can go into one's heart, called a "Spir Link". The person's mind is like a labyrinth, called a
"Spir Maze", a place with various rare items and other things to find. There are chances to go into these during both the main scenario and with NPCs throughout the game.
and Tales of Innocence
, only three party members are on the battlefield, but it allows the player to let party members not currently in battle participate, along with using aerial combat, first introduced in the "Aerial Linear Motion Battle System" (AR-LMBS) of Tales of Destiny
.
Instead of TP seen in other entries of the series, all party members have an "Emotional Gauge", or "EG". It is based on the CC system of Tales of Destiny, in that the player is free to create any chain of attacks, skills, or spells until the meter is depleted, and the meter automatically refills upon finishing the chain of moves.
Every party member also has a "Combination Gauge", or CG. Through any kind of actions, like skills, jumps, backsteps or even basic attacks, the gauge is increased. This gauge is consumed when the player calls a non-battle party member to battle to perform one of that character's attacks, or commands a battle party to do a move, this is called a "Connect Command". The player is also able to use unison attacks, by using a certain skill with the currently-controlled character and having another party member use another certain attack. The player also has the option of calling in characters from previous games in the series to use an attack, such as Guy, Jade, Anise and Natalia from Tales of the Abyss
, Reid from Tales of Eternia
, Lloyd and Presea from Tales of Symphonia
, Caius and Rubia from Tales of the Tempest
, Yuri from Tales of Vesperia
, Mao and Tytree from Tales of Rebirth
, Judas and Loni from Tales of Destiny 2
, Arche from Tales of Phantasia
, Senel from Tales of Legendia
, Stahn and Rutee from Tales of Destiny
, Ruca and Iria from Tales of Innocence
, and even characters from other Namco products, such as Yayoi Takatsuki from The Idolmaster, Klonoa from Kaze no Klonoa
, Gilgamesh from The Tower of Druaga, Wagyan from Wagyan Land, Valkyrie from Valkyrie no Densetsu
, Heihachi from Tekken, and KOS-MOS from Xenosaga
.
There are also nine attributes: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, Dark, Slash, Strike, and Shoot. Through attacking these weak points, damage, hit ratio, and the critical ratio will increase.
During that time, Incarose makes an appearance once more; this time she manages to attack Kohak and Shing's grandfather, Zeks. Since Shing has a soma he intends to go within Kohak's Spir Maze in order to cure her. But, the plan doesn't go well and Kohak's spiria ends up shattered into pieces and placed everywhere around the world. From there Shing's adventure of recovering Kohak's spirune begins. During that time Shing befriends several others and together has to overcome many obstacles and antagonists who are also looking for spiria. During his travels, Shing discovers more and more about the world, Richea, Spirune, Zerom, etc.
Eventually, it is revealed that Creed Graphite, the ruler of Quartzia, was hidden away within Shing and is eventually drawn out by Incarose. The ancient defense system, Gardenia, is revived, though Creed is shocked at its nature. With the aid of Calcedny and his Spiria, Shing and the party are able to infiltrate Gardenia and defeat Creed, but through sacrifice. As a result, Gardenia is destroyed, and Creed and Flora are killed in the process.
Age: 16
Height: 167 cm
Weight: 54 kg
A boy with an unusually strong curiosity for the world, Shing lives with his grandfather Zeks in the town of Seeble. He inherited the ability to use Soma from his Grandfather and mother. Because of his curiosity and personal inexperience, he lacks delicacy in his speech and conduct. He notices his mistakes, and is able to properly reflect upon them. He was given the Soma by his grandfather, passed down by their ancestors. After an attack by the sorceress Incarose, pieces of Kohak's Spirune scatter across the world, removing her emotions, and his grandfather is killed, causing Shing to join Hisui and Kohak in an effort to save her. At Niberg, it is revealed that Creed Graphite, who awakens when Incarose draws out Shing's anger and hatred, was sealed into his heart. His last name is based on meteorite
s, stone or metallic objects from space, and his first name is based on the Japanese words and , which was intended to mean that he "is armed with a heart."
Japanese Voice: Marina Inoue
Age: 17
Height: 158 cm
Weight: 45 kg
A girl setting off from her home town for a certain reason, she comes to Seeble in need of Soma. Shing found her collapsed on the beach. She sometimes refers to a being known as "her" and is later discovered to be the vessel of Richea, who was sealed into Kohak's heart just as Creed was sealed into Shing's. She is the owner of the Soma , Shing's memento of his deceased mother. She is the daughter of Iola. Her name is romanized as , which in Japanese means "amber
", an organic gemstone. As the story progresses, she eventually develops feelings for Shing.
Japanese voice: Masaya Matsukaze
Age: 18
Height: 184 cm
Weight: 70 kg
Kohak's older brother. Because he lost a relative when he was young, he has a strong sense to excessively try to protect his younger sister. He has a rough outward appearance and acts cool, but inside he has a stubborn heart and is hot-headed. He possesses the Soma . In Japanese his name means "jade
", a mineral gemstone.
Japanese voice: Shizuka Itō
Age: 24
Height: 168 cm
Weight: 54 kg (Her claim)
A woman outside the norm with superhuman strength and a glamorous body. She is the manager of the transport shop "Every Day is a Peaceful Day" and is the sole employee of it as well. She gently smiles, though with no breaks in her speech and conduct. The Hearts siblings ask her for Soma, which for some reason she is handling. She possesses the Soma named . Her name is based on the minerals inesite and lorenzenite
.
Japanese voice: Saeko Chiba
Age: 18
Height: 148 cm (she claims it's 155, but requests that it be rounded up to 160)
Weight: 38 kg
A complex girl with a childish face and a short height, that basically ran away from her hometown in order to become the court painter. She has no aims and is undecisive, making her an uncooperative child. She possesses the Soma named . She is named after the minerals beryl
and benitoite
.
Japanese voice: Hozumi Gōda
Age: Over 2000 years old
Height: 193 cm
Weight: 77 kg (without armor)
A machine with a heart, he is a mechanical guardian knight that was operating more than 2000 years ago. Created to protect Richea, he has a heartless-looking face and doesn't choose any means to reach that goal. He attacks Shing when they meet for the first time, since he thought he was a threat to Kohak (Richea's vessel). He possesses the Soma . He is named after the gemstone kunzite, a variety of spodumene.
Age: 16
Height: 162 cm
Weight: 48 kg
The commanding officer of the thirteenth unit of the Crystal Knights, a force organized by the Baraya faith. His Soma,, is in the form of a sword and armor and gives him the ability to fly. He respects those that are just and fair, and hates cowardly acts. His name is based on chalcedony
, a mineral.
Japanese voice: Sakura Nogawa
One of Calcedny's companions. She is named after the mineral peridot
.
Japanese voice: Kenta Miyake
The other of Calcedny's friends.
Japanese voice: Mamiko Noto
The empress of Estrega, the imperial capital. She first appears in Chaurault by the name of Marine, though the party does not know her status until they meet her again in Estrega. She is a close friend of Calcedny. Her name is based on paraiba tourmaline.
Japanese voice: Kenyuu Horiuchi
The captain of the Imperial Military Special Operations Soma Unit. Before revealing his true identity, he assumes the role of Garnet, helping Shing and his crew at various points throughout the story. He is the husband of Pearl, a woman who died attempting to create a cannon powered by psistone, and the father of Lapis, a girl who has suffered from Despir Sickness since the age of three. After fusing with a Mother Zerom, he attempts to kill the party but is defeated and begins to calcify. He expresses his regret for being unable to protect Pearl and Lapis, causing the Spirune of Love to appear and the calcification to reverse. He returns Kohak's Spirune and apologizes for his actions, but he is ultimately killed by Incarose. His alias is based on the mineral garnet
, while his real name is based on the metal silver
.
Japanese Voice: Kaori Shimizu
Age: Over 2000
Height: 149 cm
Weight: 71 kg
One of the last surviving members of the , she is a woman with emerald green hair and matches the description of the sleeping princess of the fairy tales. She is the sister of Flora and the master of Kunzite. She lies dormant in Kohak's heart until she is called upon by Creed and returns to her true body at Cendrillon. She appears fickle, but she has a strong will and won't change her mind once she's made a decision. Her last name is based on spodumene
, the mineral from which kunzite is derived. Her first name comes from , the Japanese name for spodumene.
Also known as the Scarlet-Haired Devil, he is one of the last descendants of Quartzia and the master of Incarose. He lives in Shing's heart until he returns to his real body at Cendrillon. He inadvertently destroyed Quartzia when he unleashed upon it Gardenia, a Queen Zerom created to destroy all Spiria with feelings of war. He appears to have been Flora's lover, as part of his motivation for unsealing Gardenia is to free her. His name is based on the minerals creedite
and graphite
.
Japanese voice: Junko Minagawa
A mysterious sorceress who chases Kohak and Hisui, she is one of Creed's loyal servants and a mechanical guardian like Kunzite. Her name is based on Inca Rose, a term sometimes used to describe the mineral rhodochrosite
. She was named by Creed after the color of her eyes, which he complemented as beautiful upon first seeing her. She is a Queen type mechanoid and an experimental type that linked 7 separated bodies with a single spiria. Creed nicknamed her Inca, and Shing also calls her such several times. Her Hi-Ougi is named , meaning Rose Thorn.
Japanese voice: Kouji Ishii
A man with a twisted obsession for collecting Spiruuns. His name is based on the Greek word for "earth" and the mineral striegovite.
Japanese voice: Kouji Yusa
A mechanical guardian of Flora Spodune and brother of Crinoseraph. Also referred to as 'Roa,' a shortened form of his name. He appears to serve Creed, although in truth he has a hatred for humans. He also has a strange attraction and interest towards Kunzite. According to both Kunzite and Chlorseraph himself, he and his brother are Ace type mechanoids, the strongest battle oriented type, and are also capable of linking with each other to increase their combat abilities in a similar manner to the protagonists' Spirlink. The Seraph Brothers' names are based on the minerals clinochlorite and seraphinite
.
Japanese voice: Kenjiro Tsuda
A mechanical guardian of Flora Spodune and brother of Chlorseraph. Also referred to as 'Rino,' a shortened form of his name. Unlike his brother, he does not ally himself with Creed. On the contrary, he plans to kill both Creed and Richia for working against Flora's wishes. The Seraph Brothers' names are based on the minerals clinochlorite and seraphinite
.
Japanese voice: Tomoko Kaneda
A mechanical guardian who serves Creed. While she is actually neutral, curiosity is the primary source of her actions. Due to her nature, she assists Creed's endeavors- more or less to satisfy her 'hunger' for data. Corundum is a Joker type mechanoid, which is meant for more practical use and not suited for battle. She is named after the mineral corundum
. She also has an attack named , that can be used after finishing a side quest that involves entering her spirmaze.
Shing's grandfather, a refined and disciplined wielder of Soma. He is mortally wounded by Incarose, and shortly dies thereafter. With his dying breath he passes on his Soma- Asteria- to Shing.
Japanese voice: Takashi Matsuyama
Calcedny's father. His name is based on the mineral labradorite
.
A government official. He is named after the mineral grossular
.
, , and
A family of traveling merchants. Their names put together sound like obsidian
, a mineral-like glass.
Japanese voice: Rieko Takahashi
Sister of Richea and inventor of Soma. She sacrificed herself to seal Gardenia. Flora
means "plant life." Her last name is based on spodumene
, a mineral.
. It was later shown at the 2008 Fiscal Year presentation for the series, where it was announced that it was the first game in the series for the DS that would be developed by Namco Tales Studio
, to use both anime or CG for movie scenes, and that Deen would be the one to create the theme song for the game, though it was currently unknown if the movie scenes would be on two separate cartridges. In an interview with producer Hideo Baba, it was said that the game began development during Winter 2006, after the debugging of the PlayStation 2
remake of Tales of Destiny was completed. It was also revealed that the game was being developed by a new team, made up of members of both the Tales of Destiny (PS2) team and "Team Symphonia". It was eventually announced that the anime and CG movies would be released in two separate editions, and would release on the same date.. It was confirmed at the "Tales of Festival 2008" that the game would be using a 2 Gigabit cartridge. It was revealed that the preordered Anime Edition would include a Chat Drama DVD, while those who preordered the CG edition would receive a Visual and Original Soundtrack DVD, both DVDs also containing the first unveiling of the promotion video for the next mothership entry in the series, and information on a new project by Bandai Namco Games. On November 20, 2008, it was announced that the game's release would be delayed a week to December 18, 2008.
Track listing
gave the game a 33 out of 40 based on the opinions of four reviewers. They noted that the battles are "plain fun" and that there is a "tonne of volume" to the game's story, but wished that the two versions of the game had more differences. Tales of Hearts was the fifth best-selling game during its week of release in Japan at 124,000 copies.
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, which was released on December 18, 2008 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Tales of Hearts
Game producer
A video game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game.The earliest documented use of the term producer in games was by Trip Hawkins, who established the position when he founded Electronic Arts in 1982...
is Hideo Baba, the director
Game director
Game director may refer to:* Video game producer, the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game* Technical director, usually a senior technical person within creative group...
is Kazuhisa Oomi, the Scenario Writer is Naoki Yamamoto, and series veterans Mutsumi Inomata
Mutsumi Inomata
is a Japanese illustrator and animator.-Biography:An anime fan, Inomata began her career as an animator with Toei Animation, soon after graduating from her senior year at high school...
and Motoi Sakuraba
Motoi Sakuraba
is a Japanese composer of video games, anime series, and television dramas as well as independent progressive rock albums.-Biography:Motoi Sakuraba was born in Akita Prefecture, Japan...
are the character's designer and composer, respectively. The game uses 2D sprites, 3D backgrounds, and is the first entry in the series to use CG for the characters in event movies. The theme song, is performed by Deen, who previously performed Tales of Destiny
Tales of Destiny
is a video game in the RPG genre published for the PlayStation console by Namco on December 23, 1997 in Japan, selling 1,139,000 copies. Tales of Destiny's characteristic genre name is...
s theme song. The game is available in two versions: the using animation produced by Production I.G.
Production I.G.
is a Japanese anime studio and production enterprise, which was founded on December 15, 1987 by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa. It is headquartered in Kokubunji, Tokyo, Japan....
, and the using CG produced by Shirogumi.
Gameplay
Out of battle, Tales of Hearts has similar gameplay to other titles in the series. The player visits various towns throughout the game, in which they can talk to various NPCs, buy items, and progress the story. The player also goes to dungeons, which contain various enemies, treasures, and puzzles, in which the Sorcerer's Ring, a recurring item in the series, may play a part in solving. After battles, the player acquires gald to buy various things, and experience points, which goes toward leveling up the party. When traveling between towns and dungeons, the player travels through the field map, which contains no enemies. While on the field map the player may go through "field dungeons", which do contain enemies. In both dungeons and field dungeons, enemies are visible, and can be engaged in battle when touched.replaces the common cooking system of the series. The recovery stone can be set to be used at various times during battle to recover HP, or for other effects. When the stone is used it consumes "Heal Energy", which can be recharged at a recovery stone shop, or in dungeons. At the shops the player can also pay to increase the number of effects that can be set to the stone, increase the amount of heal energy, or buy more effects that the recovery stone can use.
By going to accessory shops, the player can make different accessories through materials found throughout the game, all with different effects or benefits. Accessories can also be reverted back into the materials used to create it for other uses.
Customization in the game is handled through the "Soma Build" system, through which the player upgrades the Soma (weapons) of the party and control their growth. The player can use raw materials found throughout the game to learn various abilities, or "Soma Skills" (of which there are four types: Parameter, Battle, Action, and Support), or to add various stat bonuses to a character.
When Soma Build is performed on a weapon enough times, the weapon can go through a process called "Soma Evolve", in which the Soma will take on a new form and name, and unlock new Soma Skills and stat bonuses.
Throughout the game there are various events in which the player can choose different options towards another character, called a "Soma Link". Through certain choices it will cause the outcomes of scenes to change, and the character may gain points towards their "Soma Link Value". Once it becomes high enough, the character can learn various skills.
By using Soma, the party can go into one's heart, called a "Spir Link". The person's mind is like a labyrinth, called a
"Spir Maze", a place with various rare items and other things to find. There are chances to go into these during both the main scenario and with NPCs throughout the game.
Battle system
Tales of Hearts uses the "Combination Aerial Linear Motion Battle System", or CNAR-LMBS. Like previous games in the series, Tales of Hearts uses 2D sprites, with combat taking place on a single two-dimensional line, and is completely real-time, with the player controlling one person and the others being controlled by A.I. if another person isn't controlling them. Similar to Tales of the TempestTales of the Tempest
is a console role-playing game in the Tales series developed by Dimps and Namco Tales Studio's sound staff for the Nintendo DS. The game, was released in Japan on October 26, 2006. Tales of the Tempest 's characteristic genre name is . The theme song is "VS" by Misono...
and Tales of Innocence
Tales of Innocence
is the ninth mothership title in the Tales series for the Nintendo DS. The game was developed by Alfa System, and was released on December 6, 2007 in Japan. Tales of Innocences characteristic genre name is . The game has not been released outside of Japan although there is a full fan translation...
, only three party members are on the battlefield, but it allows the player to let party members not currently in battle participate, along with using aerial combat, first introduced in the "Aerial Linear Motion Battle System" (AR-LMBS) of Tales of Destiny
Tales of Destiny (PS2)
is a video game remake in the RPG genre published for the PlayStation 2 console by Namco Bandai Games on November 30, 2006 in Japan.It is a remake of the second game in the Tales series, the original PlayStation Tales of Destiny, which was released on December 23, 1997.Tales of Destiny 's...
.
Instead of TP seen in other entries of the series, all party members have an "Emotional Gauge", or "EG". It is based on the CC system of Tales of Destiny, in that the player is free to create any chain of attacks, skills, or spells until the meter is depleted, and the meter automatically refills upon finishing the chain of moves.
Every party member also has a "Combination Gauge", or CG. Through any kind of actions, like skills, jumps, backsteps or even basic attacks, the gauge is increased. This gauge is consumed when the player calls a non-battle party member to battle to perform one of that character's attacks, or commands a battle party to do a move, this is called a "Connect Command". The player is also able to use unison attacks, by using a certain skill with the currently-controlled character and having another party member use another certain attack. The player also has the option of calling in characters from previous games in the series to use an attack, such as Guy, Jade, Anise and Natalia from Tales of the Abyss
Tales of the Abyss
is a console role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco in Japan and Namco Bandai Games in North America. Tales of the Abyss's characteristic genre name is The Meaning Of Birth RPG . It is the eighth mothership title in the Tales series, and was released for the...
, Reid from Tales of Eternia
Tales of Eternia
is a Japanese PlayStation action role-playing video game released by Namco on November 30, 2000, selling 873,000 copies and later ported to the PlayStation Portable on March 3, 2005, selling 398,000 copies. Tales of Eternia's characteristic genre name is...
, Lloyd and Presea from Tales of Symphonia
Tales of Symphonia
is a video game first released for the Nintendo GameCube and later for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. It debuted in Japan on August 29, 2003, selling 953,000 copies, in Canada and the United States on July 13, 2004, and in Europe on November 19, 2004. The game received a Japanese-only PlayStation 2...
, Caius and Rubia from Tales of the Tempest
Tales of the Tempest
is a console role-playing game in the Tales series developed by Dimps and Namco Tales Studio's sound staff for the Nintendo DS. The game, was released in Japan on October 26, 2006. Tales of the Tempest 's characteristic genre name is . The theme song is "VS" by Misono...
, Yuri from Tales of Vesperia
Tales of Vesperia
is the tenth main title in the Tales series. It was developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360. 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...
, Mao and Tytree from Tales of Rebirth
Tales of Rebirth
is the sixth mothership title in Namco's Tales RPG series. It was released on December 16, 2004 in Japan for the Sony PlayStation 2. Tales of Rebirth's characteristic genre name is . Tales of Rebirth has an anime introductory video accompanied by the song Good Night by Every Little Thing. Notably,...
, Judas and Loni from Tales of Destiny 2
Tales of Destiny 2
is the fourth mothership title in Namco's popular Tales RPG series, a true sequel to Tales of Destiny that takes place in the same fictional world...
, Arche from Tales of Phantasia
Tales of Phantasia
is a Super Nintendo game in the RPG genre published by Namco and released in Japan in 1995, selling 212,000 copies. It is the first mothership title in the Tales RPG series and was later remade/re-released on the PlayStation, Game Boy Advance and PlayStation Portable...
, Senel from Tales of Legendia
Tales of Legendia
, is a role-playing game that was developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was released in Japan on August 25, 2005 and in the United States on February 7, 2006. Tales of Legendia's characteristic genre name is . It is the seventh mothership title in the Tales...
, Stahn and Rutee from Tales of Destiny
Tales of Destiny
is a video game in the RPG genre published for the PlayStation console by Namco on December 23, 1997 in Japan, selling 1,139,000 copies. Tales of Destiny's characteristic genre name is...
, Ruca and Iria from Tales of Innocence
Tales of Innocence
is the ninth mothership title in the Tales series for the Nintendo DS. The game was developed by Alfa System, and was released on December 6, 2007 in Japan. Tales of Innocences characteristic genre name is . The game has not been released outside of Japan although there is a full fan translation...
, and even characters from other Namco products, such as Yayoi Takatsuki from The Idolmaster, Klonoa from Kaze no Klonoa
Klonoa
is a video game series created by Namco and Klonoa Works, as well as the name of the titular character of the series.-Setting and gameplay:The games are set in different worlds, though the primary and known ones are Phantomile and Lunatea. It revolves around Klonoa and how he, the Dream Traveler,...
, Gilgamesh from The Tower of Druaga, Wagyan from Wagyan Land, Valkyrie from Valkyrie no Densetsu
Valkyrie No Densetsu
was released by Namco in 1989 in Arcades and in 1990 on the PC Engine only in Japan. It is a sequel to a Japan-only 1986 Nintendo Family Computer game entitled Valkyrie no Bōken: Toki no Kagi Densetsu. For the first time, Valkyrie no Densetsu was translated into English and released in the Namco...
, Heihachi from Tekken, and KOS-MOS from Xenosaga
Xenosaga
is a series of science fiction video games developed by Monolith Soft and published by Namco Bandai. Xenosaga's main story is in the form of a trilogy of PlayStation 2 video games. There have been three spin-off games and an anime adaptation. The Xenosaga series serves as a spiritual successor to...
.
There are also nine attributes: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, Dark, Slash, Strike, and Shoot. Through attacking these weak points, damage, hit ratio, and the critical ratio will increase.
Setting
Zerom, monsters that eat individuals Spiria or hearts have spread around the world therefore weapons called Somas were created in order to banish all Zerom. People who possess somas manage to enter someone Spir-Maze or Heart Maze.Story
Kohak Hearts, who happens to be the vessel for Richea Spodune, was in search of a Soma together with her brother, Hisui Hearts. Along the way an enemy, Incarose assaults them, but they manage to escape to the sea. They are brought into a little village of Seeble, where they meet the protagonist, Shing Meteoryte. There Shing took care of both of them and introduced them to the Soma they're looking for.During that time, Incarose makes an appearance once more; this time she manages to attack Kohak and Shing's grandfather, Zeks. Since Shing has a soma he intends to go within Kohak's Spir Maze in order to cure her. But, the plan doesn't go well and Kohak's spiria ends up shattered into pieces and placed everywhere around the world. From there Shing's adventure of recovering Kohak's spirune begins. During that time Shing befriends several others and together has to overcome many obstacles and antagonists who are also looking for spiria. During his travels, Shing discovers more and more about the world, Richea, Spirune, Zerom, etc.
Eventually, it is revealed that Creed Graphite, the ruler of Quartzia, was hidden away within Shing and is eventually drawn out by Incarose. The ancient defense system, Gardenia, is revived, though Creed is shocked at its nature. With the aid of Calcedny and his Spiria, Shing and the party are able to infiltrate Gardenia and defeat Creed, but through sacrifice. As a result, Gardenia is destroyed, and Creed and Flora are killed in the process.
Player Characters
Japanese voice: Tetsuya KakiharaTetsuya Kakihara
is a Japanese voice actor who is affiliated with 81 Produce . Until the age of 18, he resided abroad in Düsseldorf, Germany.He is currently affiliated with "Kiramune" in 2010, a music label by Bandai Visual Co., Ltd...
Age: 16
Height: 167 cm
Weight: 54 kg
A boy with an unusually strong curiosity for the world, Shing lives with his grandfather Zeks in the town of Seeble. He inherited the ability to use Soma from his Grandfather and mother. Because of his curiosity and personal inexperience, he lacks delicacy in his speech and conduct. He notices his mistakes, and is able to properly reflect upon them. He was given the Soma by his grandfather, passed down by their ancestors. After an attack by the sorceress Incarose, pieces of Kohak's Spirune scatter across the world, removing her emotions, and his grandfather is killed, causing Shing to join Hisui and Kohak in an effort to save her. At Niberg, it is revealed that Creed Graphite, who awakens when Incarose draws out Shing's anger and hatred, was sealed into his heart. His last name is based on meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
s, stone or metallic objects from space, and his first name is based on the Japanese words and , which was intended to mean that he "is armed with a heart."
Japanese Voice: Marina Inoue
Marina Inoue
is a voice actress and singer. She is signed onto Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex division. As for voice acting career, she's employed by Sigma Seven...
Age: 17
Height: 158 cm
Weight: 45 kg
A girl setting off from her home town for a certain reason, she comes to Seeble in need of Soma. Shing found her collapsed on the beach. She sometimes refers to a being known as "her" and is later discovered to be the vessel of Richea, who was sealed into Kohak's heart just as Creed was sealed into Shing's. She is the owner of the Soma , Shing's memento of his deceased mother. She is the daughter of Iola. Her name is romanized as , which in Japanese means "amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
", an organic gemstone. As the story progresses, she eventually develops feelings for Shing.
Japanese voice: Masaya Matsukaze
Masaya Matsukaze
is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and radio personality who is formerly affiliated with Big Apple and now affiliated with Radix Mobanimation's Multicye division...
Age: 18
Height: 184 cm
Weight: 70 kg
Kohak's older brother. Because he lost a relative when he was young, he has a strong sense to excessively try to protect his younger sister. He has a rough outward appearance and acts cool, but inside he has a stubborn heart and is hot-headed. He possesses the Soma . In Japanese his name means "jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
", a mineral gemstone.
Japanese voice: Shizuka Itō
Shizuka Ito
is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is currently represented by Ken Production. When voicing adult games, she is also known as , , , , or .Itō and fellow voice actress Hitomi Nabatame formed a voice acting unit called "Hitomi Nabatame and Shizuka Itō"...
Age: 24
Height: 168 cm
Weight: 54 kg (Her claim)
A woman outside the norm with superhuman strength and a glamorous body. She is the manager of the transport shop "Every Day is a Peaceful Day" and is the sole employee of it as well. She gently smiles, though with no breaks in her speech and conduct. The Hearts siblings ask her for Soma, which for some reason she is handling. She possesses the Soma named . Her name is based on the minerals inesite and lorenzenite
Lorenzenite
Lorenzenite is a rare sodium titanium silicate mineral with the formula Na2Ti2Si2O9 It is an orthorhombic mineral, variously found as colorless, grey, pinkish, or brown crystals.It was first identified in 1897 in rock samples from Narsarsuk, Greenland...
.
Japanese voice: Saeko Chiba
Saeko Chiba
is a prolific Japanese seiyū and singer, born on August 26, 1977 in Hachinohe, Aomori. She grew up in Tokyo, Japan, and married on her 30th birthday: August 26, 2007. She is contracted to the Space Craft Group...
Age: 18
Height: 148 cm (she claims it's 155, but requests that it be rounded up to 160)
Weight: 38 kg
A complex girl with a childish face and a short height, that basically ran away from her hometown in order to become the court painter. She has no aims and is undecisive, making her an uncooperative child. She possesses the Soma named . She is named after the minerals beryl
Beryl
The mineral beryl is a beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be3Al26. The hexagonal crystals of beryl may be very small or range to several meters in size. Terminated crystals are relatively rare...
and benitoite
Benitoite
Benitoite is a rare blue barium titanium silicate mineral, found in hydrothermally altered serpentinite. Benitoite fluoresces under short wave ultraviolet light, appearing bright blue to bluish white in color. The more rarely seen clear to white benitoite crystals fluoresce red under long-wave UV...
.
Japanese voice: Hozumi Gōda
Age: Over 2000 years old
Height: 193 cm
Weight: 77 kg (without armor)
A machine with a heart, he is a mechanical guardian knight that was operating more than 2000 years ago. Created to protect Richea, he has a heartless-looking face and doesn't choose any means to reach that goal. He attacks Shing when they meet for the first time, since he thought he was a threat to Kohak (Richea's vessel). He possesses the Soma . He is named after the gemstone kunzite, a variety of spodumene.
Non-Playable Characters
Japanese voice: Hiroshi KamiyaHiroshi Kamiya
is a Japanese voice actor who works for Aoni Production. He is best known for being the voice of Nozomu Itoshiki from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and Tieria Erde from Mobile Suit Gundam 00. He won "Best Lead Actor" and "Best Personality" at the Third Seiyu Awards, and "Best Supporting Actor" at the...
Age: 16
Height: 162 cm
Weight: 48 kg
The commanding officer of the thirteenth unit of the Crystal Knights, a force organized by the Baraya faith. His Soma,, is in the form of a sword and armor and gives him the ability to fly. He respects those that are just and fair, and hates cowardly acts. His name is based on chalcedony
Chalcedony
Chalcedony is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of the minerals quartz and moganite. These are both silica minerals, but they differ in that quartz has a trigonal crystal structure, while moganite is monoclinic...
, a mineral.
Japanese voice: Sakura Nogawa
Sakura Nogawa
' is a voice actress born in Toyohashi, Aichi on March 1, 1978. Her height is 153 cm and her weight is 54 kg.-Notable voice roles:*Ryunmei Ranka in Arad Senki: Slap Up Party*Tsubasa in Angel Tales*Misha Arsellec Lune in Ar tonelico...
One of Calcedny's companions. She is named after the mineral peridot
Peridot
-Chemistry:The chemical composition of peridot is 2SiO4, with Mg in greater quantities than Fe.-Etymology:The origin of the name "peridot" is uncertain...
.
Japanese voice: Kenta Miyake
Kenta Miyake
is a Japanese voice actor who is affiliated with 81 Produce.He is known for his unusually low voice .After the death of Hirotaka Suzuoki in 2006, Kenta took over the role of Giovanni during Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. He has since expanded this role into the new series, Pokemon Best Wishes...
The other of Calcedny's friends.
Japanese voice: Mamiko Noto
Mamiko Noto
is a Japanese voice actress working under Office Osawa. She was born in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, and graduated from Hokuriku Gakuen Senior High School.-Voice:...
The empress of Estrega, the imperial capital. She first appears in Chaurault by the name of Marine, though the party does not know her status until they meet her again in Estrega. She is a close friend of Calcedny. Her name is based on paraiba tourmaline.
Japanese voice: Kenyuu Horiuchi
The captain of the Imperial Military Special Operations Soma Unit. Before revealing his true identity, he assumes the role of Garnet, helping Shing and his crew at various points throughout the story. He is the husband of Pearl, a woman who died attempting to create a cannon powered by psistone, and the father of Lapis, a girl who has suffered from Despir Sickness since the age of three. After fusing with a Mother Zerom, he attempts to kill the party but is defeated and begins to calcify. He expresses his regret for being unable to protect Pearl and Lapis, causing the Spirune of Love to appear and the calcification to reverse. He returns Kohak's Spirune and apologizes for his actions, but he is ultimately killed by Incarose. His alias is based on the mineral garnet
Garnet
The garnet group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" may come from either the Middle English word gernet meaning 'dark red', or the Latin granatus , possibly a reference to the Punica granatum , a plant with red seeds...
, while his real name is based on the metal silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
.
Japanese Voice: Kaori Shimizu
Kaori Shimizu
Kaori Shimizu is the name of:*Kaori Shimizu , Japanese voice actress*Kaori Shimizu , '80s Japanese idol known for the video game Psycho Soldier...
Age: Over 2000
Height: 149 cm
Weight: 71 kg
One of the last surviving members of the , she is a woman with emerald green hair and matches the description of the sleeping princess of the fairy tales. She is the sister of Flora and the master of Kunzite. She lies dormant in Kohak's heart until she is called upon by Creed and returns to her true body at Cendrillon. She appears fickle, but she has a strong will and won't change her mind once she's made a decision. Her last name is based on spodumene
Spodumene
Spodumene is a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminium inosilicate, LiAl2, and is a source of lithium. It occurs as colorless to yellowish, purplish, or lilac kunzite , yellowish-green or emerald-green hiddenite, prismatic crystals, often of great size...
, the mineral from which kunzite is derived. Her first name comes from , the Japanese name for spodumene.
Antagonists
Japanese voice: Shinichiro MikiShinichiro Miki
is a Japanese voice actor. He is a member of 81 Produce.Miki is most known for the roles of Kojiro , Takumi Fujiwara , Kisuke Urahara , Akira Yuki , Lockon Stratos , and Roy Mustang .According to the Anime News Network, as of Spring 2007, Miki is...
Also known as the Scarlet-Haired Devil, he is one of the last descendants of Quartzia and the master of Incarose. He lives in Shing's heart until he returns to his real body at Cendrillon. He inadvertently destroyed Quartzia when he unleashed upon it Gardenia, a Queen Zerom created to destroy all Spiria with feelings of war. He appears to have been Flora's lover, as part of his motivation for unsealing Gardenia is to free her. His name is based on the minerals creedite
Creedite
Creedite is a calcium aluminium sulfate fluoro hydroxide mineral with formula: Ca3Al2SO410·2. Creedite forms colorless to white to purple monoclinic prismatic crystals. It often occurs as acicular radiating sprays of fine prisms. It is translucent to transparent with indices of refraction of nα =...
and graphite
Graphite
The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Ancient Greek γράφω , "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead . Unlike diamond , graphite is an electrical conductor, a semimetal...
.
Japanese voice: Junko Minagawa
Junko Minagawa
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Haikyo. She is well known for voicing young boys, although she has done "feminine" lady roles, as well as flirtatious women. She has also sang some of the openings and endings of the anime Prince of Tennis as well as vocal tracks and singles for this...
A mysterious sorceress who chases Kohak and Hisui, she is one of Creed's loyal servants and a mechanical guardian like Kunzite. Her name is based on Inca Rose, a term sometimes used to describe the mineral rhodochrosite
Rhodochrosite
Rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate mineral with chemical composition MnCO3. In its pure form, it is typically a rose-red color, but impure specimens can be shades of pink to pale brown. The streak is white. Its Mohs hardness varies between 3.5 and 4. Its specific gravity is 3.5 to 3.7. It...
. She was named by Creed after the color of her eyes, which he complemented as beautiful upon first seeing her. She is a Queen type mechanoid and an experimental type that linked 7 separated bodies with a single spiria. Creed nicknamed her Inca, and Shing also calls her such several times. Her Hi-Ougi is named , meaning Rose Thorn.
Japanese voice: Kouji Ishii
A man with a twisted obsession for collecting Spiruuns. His name is based on the Greek word for "earth" and the mineral striegovite.
Japanese voice: Kouji Yusa
A mechanical guardian of Flora Spodune and brother of Crinoseraph. Also referred to as 'Roa,' a shortened form of his name. He appears to serve Creed, although in truth he has a hatred for humans. He also has a strange attraction and interest towards Kunzite. According to both Kunzite and Chlorseraph himself, he and his brother are Ace type mechanoids, the strongest battle oriented type, and are also capable of linking with each other to increase their combat abilities in a similar manner to the protagonists' Spirlink. The Seraph Brothers' names are based on the minerals clinochlorite and seraphinite
Seraphinite
Seraphinite is a trade name for a particular form of clinochlore, a member of the Chlorite group.Seraphinite apparently acquired its name due to its resemblance to feathers, such as one might find on a bird's wing...
.
Japanese voice: Kenjiro Tsuda
Kenjiro Tsuda
is a Japanese voice actor and actor from Osaka Prefecture. He works at Stardust Promotion as an actor and Mediarte Entertainment Works as a seiyu.-Anime:*Air *Air Gear *Ashita no Nadja...
A mechanical guardian of Flora Spodune and brother of Chlorseraph. Also referred to as 'Rino,' a shortened form of his name. Unlike his brother, he does not ally himself with Creed. On the contrary, he plans to kill both Creed and Richia for working against Flora's wishes. The Seraph Brothers' names are based on the minerals clinochlorite and seraphinite
Seraphinite
Seraphinite is a trade name for a particular form of clinochlore, a member of the Chlorite group.Seraphinite apparently acquired its name due to its resemblance to feathers, such as one might find on a bird's wing...
.
Japanese voice: Tomoko Kaneda
Tomoko Kaneda
is a Japanese voice actress, J-Pop singer, and radio personality who was born in Yokohama, Japan. She had worked at Aoni Production for 11 years, and had worked at freelance since April 2011, and it was announced to belong to Across Entertainment in August 2011. She graduated from Department of...
A mechanical guardian who serves Creed. While she is actually neutral, curiosity is the primary source of her actions. Due to her nature, she assists Creed's endeavors- more or less to satisfy her 'hunger' for data. Corundum is a Joker type mechanoid, which is meant for more practical use and not suited for battle. She is named after the mineral corundum
Corundum
Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide with traces of iron, titanium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is one of the naturally clear transparent materials, but can have different colors when impurities are present. Transparent specimens are used as gems, called ruby if red...
. She also has an attack named , that can be used after finishing a side quest that involves entering her spirmaze.
Other Characters
Japanese voice: MugihitoMugihito
, better known by his stage name of is a Japanese voice and stage actor from Musashino, Tokyo. He is employed by Media Force. Mugihito was formerly credited under his birth name and also...
Shing's grandfather, a refined and disciplined wielder of Soma. He is mortally wounded by Incarose, and shortly dies thereafter. With his dying breath he passes on his Soma- Asteria- to Shing.
Japanese voice: Takashi Matsuyama
Takashi Matsuyama
Takashi Matsuyama may refer to:* Takashi Matsuyama , Japanese actor and seiyū* Takashi Matsuyama , production designer and art director...
Calcedny's father. His name is based on the mineral labradorite
Labradorite
Labradorite , a feldspar mineral, is an intermediate to calcic member of the plagioclase series. It is usually defined as having "%An" between 50 and 70. The specific gravity ranges from 2.68 to 2.72. The streak is white, like most silicates. The refractive index ranges from 1.559 to 1.573....
.
A government official. He is named after the mineral grossular
Grossular
Grossular or grossularite is a calcium-aluminium mineral species of the garnet group with the formula Ca3Al23, though the calcium may in part be replaced by ferrous iron and the aluminium by ferric iron. The name grossular is derived from the botanical name for the gooseberry, grossularia, in...
.
, , and
A family of traveling merchants. Their names put together sound like obsidian
Obsidian
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock.It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth...
, a mineral-like glass.
Japanese voice: Rieko Takahashi
Sister of Richea and inventor of Soma. She sacrificed herself to seal Gardenia. Flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
means "plant life." Her last name is based on spodumene
Spodumene
Spodumene is a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminium inosilicate, LiAl2, and is a source of lithium. It occurs as colorless to yellowish, purplish, or lilac kunzite , yellowish-green or emerald-green hiddenite, prismatic crystals, often of great size...
, a mineral.
Development
Tales of Hearts was officially revealed in V-Jump Magazine, alongside Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2
is the fifth entry in the Tales of the World series, and the second entry in the Radiant Mythology series. Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2's characteristic genre name is . Like other games in the series, it features a group of characters from various Tales games. 50 characters from the...
. It was later shown at the 2008 Fiscal Year presentation for the series, where it was announced that it was the first game in the series for the DS that would be developed by Namco Tales Studio
Namco Tales Studio
, formerly , was a Japanese video game development company founded in 1986. The company was renamed in 2003 when Telenet Japan sold part of its stake and made Namco the majority shareholder. Namco Tales Studio continues to be the primary developer of the Tales RPG series, as they had been since the...
, to use both anime or CG for movie scenes, and that Deen would be the one to create the theme song for the game, though it was currently unknown if the movie scenes would be on two separate cartridges. In an interview with producer Hideo Baba, it was said that the game began development during Winter 2006, after the debugging of the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
remake of Tales of Destiny was completed. It was also revealed that the game was being developed by a new team, made up of members of both the Tales of Destiny (PS2) team and "Team Symphonia". It was eventually announced that the anime and CG movies would be released in two separate editions, and would release on the same date.. It was confirmed at the "Tales of Festival 2008" that the game would be using a 2 Gigabit cartridge. It was revealed that the preordered Anime Edition would include a Chat Drama DVD, while those who preordered the CG edition would receive a Visual and Original Soundtrack DVD, both DVDs also containing the first unveiling of the promotion video for the next mothership entry in the series, and information on a new project by Bandai Namco Games. On November 20, 2008, it was announced that the game's release would be delayed a week to December 18, 2008.
Audio
The music of Tales of Hearts was composed by Motoi Sakuraba, a regular composer for the series. The Tales of Hearts Original Soundtrack was released on two compact discs by BMG Japan in 2008. The theme song of the game, "Eien no Ashita", performed by Deen (who also sung "Yume de Aru Yō ni" of Tales of Destiny) was released as a single by BMG Japan in 2008.Track listing
Reception
Japanese gaming magazine Weekly FamitsuFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
gave the game a 33 out of 40 based on the opinions of four reviewers. They noted that the battles are "plain fun" and that there is a "tonne of volume" to the game's story, but wished that the two versions of the game had more differences. Tales of Hearts was the fifth best-selling game during its week of release in Japan at 124,000 copies.
External links
- Official site
- Official Developer's Blog
- Namco Tales Studio official site
- Tales of Hearts at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
- Tales of Hearts at Giant BombGiant BombGiant Bomb is an American video game website and wiki that includes gaming news, reviews, commentary, and video, created by former GameSpot editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis in collaboration with Whiskey Media...