Update: October 25, 2007
«©NCSX» Embark on a new adventure where a lad named Kuroa Vatel and a lassie by the name of Cocona Vatel (not related) team up with Revatails in a bid to free their world from oppression and infection. A centuries old disease dubbed "I.P.D." still lingers and afflicts the Revatails and the general populace with its killing malaise. As a result of the spreading contagion, the governing body known as the Daishudo has commanded its knights to slay anyone infected with I.P.D. in a "take no prisoners" policy of mass extermination. As the story begins, Kuroa Vatel is under the employ of the Daishudo and he indiscriminately kills a young woman who's infected with I.P.D. to the horror of the victim's mother. As her cries break through the air, Kuroa reflects on what he's done and begins to have misgivings about the Daishudo's tactics and ways of handling the disease. Kuroa's introspection eventually leads him on an adventure of exploration and discovery as he fights alongside Revatails to find a better solution to the I.P.D. problem. While the new Ar Tonelico's storyline bears no ties to the first game, the game systems, song magic, and nocturnal "dives" return for another go. Jan Code: 4983164735925 View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCSX website.
NCS Game Notes
» Intro - Spooky music blares through the speakers followed by chanting and wailing singing of sorts that is Enya-esque in its timbre and style. The view changes to air ships flying lazily across a cityscape and images of the Revatails in the game - blonde and a blue-haired are standing back to back inside an energy circle of sorts. They're singing and their mouths move in time to the theme song that plays. In the next scene, their faces draw closer as they continue singing and look like they're about to smooch. There's more scenery and girl-girl action until the ending where both girls stand clasping hands and staring out at the viewer. » Press START on the title screen and the following selections appear: NEW GAME / Begin a new adventure
SYSTEM / Set Difficulty [Easy/Normal], Adjust volume levels, Toggle Stereo/Pro Logic II, Digical 5.1CH » The game opens up with a village that's burning and soldiers face a group of three. A girl suffering from I.P.D. is being taken away and a little girl named Luca Truelywaath runs up to a soldier but is bashed backwards where she falls on her back with a thud. Her older sister named Reisya runs to the little girl and lifts her up while the male on their side named Legris-Branchesca holds up a sword in a defensive stance. The soldiers are led by an old guy with white hair and a blue jewel that's affixed to his forehead who's named Dr. Roudness. In the next scene, the two sisters run away to a clearing surrounded by rocks where Reisya comforts her younger sister. Reisya starts singing and the camera pans upwards to take in a planetary body in the background. An introductory cinema starts which lists the production credits and shows off scenes from around the world of Ar Tonelico II including exotic machinery, cities, and general scenery. The year is listed as AD 3772. » In the next scene, there's a royal commencement of some sort that's attended by throngs of people who are waiting for a princess named Croche-Latel-Pastalie who's standing on a elevated credenza to speak. She's blonde and wears white feather-like garment around her arms. Below her is the crowd and a few guards that stand in front of the elevated platform that's she standing on. Her voice is surprisingly deep given her short stature. She rouses the crowd with a short speech and the camera pans upwards. » Phase 1: Pastalia
The camera moves along the ground and stops when it reaches a knight named Kuroa Vatel. The screen shifts to a side-viewed battle screen where Vatel stands on the right and his sparring partner (well, she's really a victim) stands to the left. A tutorial begins which teaches the button assignments and the use of a circular Synchro gauge located on the lower-right corner of the screen. The words on the gauge are as follows starting at the NORTH position and moving clockwise: Harmonic, Care, Psyco, and Burst which are the different actions that Kuroa may take when instructed by the Revatails during battle. » Action sequences are broken up into an Attack Phase (press the SQUARE button to attack three times while the red line moves clockwise around the gauge) and a Defend Phase where no instruction is given yet. None of the buttons work during the tutorial to defend and no indication is given. After defeating your sparring partner, the screen shifts back to the world screen where the girl lies prone on the floor while a woman exclaims in horror. There's talk of the I.P.D. infection and the girl was dispatched for her own good as explained by the two soldiers who are with the hero Kuroa. After speaking to the woman, one of the soldiers bends near the dead girl and manifests some energy which spirits her away. As the woman continues to cry, Kuroa wanders off by himself and wonders if he's doing the right thing. » In the next scene, Kuroa's in plain clothes and runs into a girl named Cocona Vatel who he's been taking care of ever since her parents died from the I.P.D. outbreak. She has purple hair just like Kuroa but she's a shrimp in terms of stature although she wears short shorts and a belly shirt. They both walk away together to the town square where they stand around some bags of groceries that Cocona has bought. » Afterwards, a locale selection screen appears where players may choose to go to "Waterfall Garden" or return to Pastalia City. There's also a third selection dubbed "Travel Navi" which shows your current location in the world. If you go on to Waterfall Garden, you'll have full control of Kuroa in civilian clothes and explore the surrounding. Either the d-pad or L-Analog may be used to make Kuroa gallop around town at a healthy clip. There's a shop to the north and assorted citizens milling around. As you walk to the right of the screen, the sound of the waterfall becomes very loud and drowns out the background music. If you look to the lower-right portion of the screen near the waterfall, there's a little penguin dressed in an eskimo outfit whom you can interact with. » Return to Pastalia City afterwards and a new sequence opens up where Kuroa and Cocona walk into a smithy and are greeted cheerfully by a redheaded blacksmith named Zusozua who holds a steel apparatus of some sort. After a while, she gives the two a little gift. Once outside, Kuroa can head home by moving to the south. A new location opens up on the locale selection screen for home. Once at home, the two drop their groceries and the "phone" rings. After the phone call, you can head upstairs where Kuroa and Cocona share the bedroom with separate beds which have matching bedspreads, pillows, and sheets. To save your progress to memory card, stand underneath the acorn-shaped light until the exclamation mark pops up. Next, press the "O" button and select the third option from the top to store your data to memory card. You can also choose to sleep to recover HP and MP by selecting the first option on the menu. There's not much else to do at home so head back out by walking to the right into the light and the locale selector pops up again. In Pastalia City, you can head towards the northernmost doorway to start an interaction » The katakana for the main character's name reads and sounds like "Kuroa" but the English transliteration that's used in the game and in the Visual Book names him "Chroah" as listed on the game's location selector. » Four voice actresses were hired to sing the Hymmnos songs featured in the game. » Akiko Shikata sung the opening theme. » Most but not all of the dialogue is accompanied by voice acting. » Two Revatails may sing together (like a video gaming duet) to increase their magic power and 100 Revatiels may be encountered over the course of the adventure. » A new bathing activity is featured in Ar Tonelico II where the Revatails go for a dip to recuperate and increase their powers. » The names of the main characters as they are listed in the Official Visual Book are: Luca Truelywaath
Reisya Truelywaath
Croche-Latel-Pastalie
Legris-Branchesca
Amarie Jerhad & Soup
Shun
Dr. Roudness
Alfman-Uranus
Targana
Chestar-Lu-Whinoah This document is ©NCSX 2007. All rights reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of this document may be made without express written consent of National Console Support, Inc.
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