History Videogame / TalesOfTheAbyss

* ActingForTwo: The voice actors of [[spoiler:all characters that sport replicas]], naturally.

* AerithAndBob

* AloofBigBrother: Van to Tear. [[spoiler:Asch to Luke,]]

* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler: Tear and Van.]]

* CatchPhrase: Anise "Booo!" (or in Japanese "Buu buu!")
** Likewise, Jade's "My, my!" and Natalia's "Oh, my!". Tear has "You idiot", saved specially for Luke.

* TheEmpire: Averted, but [[spoiler:Mohs]] tries to convince King Ingolbert VI that Malkuth is this and is trying to mobilize forces to invade Kimlasca, only for the heroes, who had actually ''seen'' the country with their own eyes and visited the locations supposedly gathering forces, to run into the throne room and inform the king of the truth.

* EvilKnockoff: [[spoiler:Luke]] is a grand inversion of this trope. However, it's played straight with [[spoiler:Sync]].

* IWillWaitForYou: [[spoiler:Tear says this to Luke right after you defeat Van for the last time.]]

** He also uses judgement in the final battle. He doesn't sing it though.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Asch The Bloody, and let's not forget Van's real name means [[spoiler:The one who would seize glory]].

* NoHuggingNoKissing: The game has quite some ImpliedLoveInterests, but it's a JRPG.

** That's because he's still playing it, while monologuing at the party

* OneWingedAngel: Surprisingly downplayed. While the final boss does have a second form, only a couple things actually change about his appearance.

[[caption-width-right:287:From left to right: [[BadassPrincess Natalia]] [[OverlyLongName L.K.]] [[LethalChef Lanvaldear]], [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Ion]], [[DeadpanSnarker Jade]] [[ColonelBadass Curtiss]], [[IdiotHero Luke]] [[{{RedHeadedHero}} fon]] [[TheWhitePrince Fabre]], [[StaffChick Tear]] [[FamousAncestor Grants]], [[TeamPet Mieu]], [[NiceGuy Guy]] [[ChickMagnet Cecil]], and [[GoldDigger Anise]] [[TokenMiniMoe Tatlin]].]]

His mundane existence changes dramatically when mysterious StaffChick Tear Grants breaks into Luke's manor with the aim of killing his swordmaster, her brother Van Grants. Upon touching Luke, she and Luke are accidentally teleported halfway around the world, landing right in the middle of Malkuth. Together, they try to return Luke home while gradually unravelling the secrets behind his status as TheChosenOne of legend.

** There's also [[spoiler: Natalia's real name; Meryl. It originally belonged to [[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Meryl Adenade]], who taught her daughter [[StaffChick Mint]] everything she knew about healing.]]

* AllergicToLove: Guy is afraid of women, to be specific, although that doesn't stop him from hitting on them and then running the hell away. [[spoiler:[[JustifiedTrope Justified]] by the circumstances of his gynophobia: as a child, Guy's servants as well as his older sister sacrificed themselves to protect him from an enemy attack. He ended up buried in a pile of dead women.[[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by a number of characters, particularly Luke, who ask him whether it's fair to lead women on that way. It's also suggested that he doesn't entirely know that he's turning women on, as seen when he compliments Tear on her appearance.

** The Nintendo3DS version varies on how updated it is depending on region. In the Americas, it's pretty much the same game with modified graphics. For Europeans, Australians, or New Zealanders who imported the North American version due to having English as their main language or, in Europe's case, having studied it as a second language, it would be the same case, though non-importers get to place it for the first time. The updates are a different experience to the Japanese than people from the United States and Canada -- the above was such a step up that the upcoming [[Nintendo3DS 3DS]] version is a localisation of the ''American'' version.

* UpdatedRerelease: The NTSC version of the game is this to the original JP version. During the conversion, the developers polished the whole game and added in several new features, including secret [[LimitBreak Mystic Artes]] for all the main characters. It's such a step up that the upcoming [[Nintendo3DS 3DS]] version is a localisation of the ''American'' version.
* {{Video Game 3D Leap}}: While ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' was the first game in the series to have 3D battles, ''Abyss'' added free-range 3D running.

* AkashicRecords: One of Sync's mystic artes.

* EvilKnockoff: [[spoiler:Luke]] is a grand inversion of this trope.

The game was originally released for the PS2, and a port for the Nintendo3DS was released internationally. It was released in Europe on November 25th, 2011, marking the first time the Old Continent gets to officially play it. It was released in North America on February 14th, 2012.

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: The anime has quite some, due to the compression of the story. To be precise, some situations are not properly foreshadowed or even explained, so they don't make any sense to people not familiar with the video game.
** Case in point: [[spoiler:It's never explained why Ion dies if he reads the Planet Score. He just does]].
* AdultsAreUseless / CompetenceZone: averted by Jade, who is twice the age of the rest of the cast but is often complimented on his ability to keep up with the younger heroes. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by his occasional comments about how his joints ache in his "old age" (he's 35), usually giving him an excuse to get out of manual labor (IE crate-moving puzzles; ironically, when he ''does'' have to push a crate around, he does so with one hand, the other remaining in his pocket).
** Sometimes, it doesn't work.

* [[spoiler: AdultChild: Luke. Well, not quite ''adult'', but still. Also completely justified, since he got complete amnesia (''complete''--he had to relearn how to ''eat'') seven years ago. He's basically seven years old.]]
** [[spoiler: Can be seen as a {{Deconstruction}}, as his childish acts eventually piss everybody off before he gets his CharacterDevelopment.]]

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The older girls in the Order, who did their best to make Anise's life miserable, mocked her parentage, and insisted she was incapable of being a good Fon Master guardian.
** Also happens to Van and Tear while they are watchers in the Qliphoth. The other soldiers were jealous of them because they came from the Outer Lands and are descendants of Yulia.

* AllergicToLove: Guy is afraid of women, to be specific, although that doesn't stop him from hitting on them and then running the hell away. [[spoiler:[[JustifiedTrope Justified]] by the circumstances of his gynophobia: as a child, Guy's servants as well as his older sister sacrificed themselves to protect him from an enemy attack. He ended up buried in a pile of dead women]].
** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by a number of characters, particularly Luke, who ask him whether it's fair to lead women on that way.
*** It's also suggested that he doesn't entirely know that he's turning women on, as seen when he compliments Tear on her appearance.
* AloofBigBrother: [[spoiler:Asch to Luke,]] Van to Tear.
* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: The location of the final battle...but only for the CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

* TheAtoner: Luke, after he realizes what a complete ass he's been and gets an ImportantHaircut.

* AwesomeButImpractical - Luke's, Guy's, and Anise's second level Mystic Artes, which become available in a NewGamePlus. They are a [[GuideDangIt pain in the ass to learn how to use]], and either require a particularly unfavorable HP level to activate or have a high cost associated with them (-20,000 gald for Anise). Also, they can only be used once per battle (except Guy and Natalia).

** Sync and Dist when they lose their composure.

* BeardOfEvil: Van. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Anise in a skit.

* BetaTestBaddie: Played straight by [[spoiler:Sync, and likely most all of the other God-Generals as well]]. Inverted, ironically enough, by [[spoiler:Asch]].

* BodyguardCrush: [[GenderInvertedTrope Gender inverted]]. Anise has a crush on Ion, and is also his bodyguard. [[spoiler: Legretta loves Van and is his right hand woman. Arietta was the original Ion's bodyguard, and was in love with him.]]

* BoobsOfSteel: Tear has the biggest measurements in the cast and serves the role of StaffChick. [[CutscenePowerToTheMax She shows amazing combat proficiency in cutscenes]], however, and she's easily one of the best characters for battle with her light magic, on par with ''Jade'' when she has her pendant equipped. And considering that Natalia can also be a StaffChick herself, Tear can be free to just cast. She can also be a decent mid-range brawler, if you play her right.

* TheCallHasBadReception: After defeating [[spoiler: Van]] at the Absorption Gate, Lorelei warns Luke and Asch that [[spoiler: Van survived]] and is trying to imprison it. The problem? Lorelei used the ancient Ispanian translation of [[spoiler: Van's]] name, "The one who would seize glory". If it had just used his normal name, Luke and the party could have started to head out and foil [[spoiler: Van's]] schemes a whole month earlier.

** The entire Contamination Sidequest revolves around how Auldrant's laws of physics are as unforgiving as [[MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness our own]], when Jade has to come to terms with the fact that despite all his determination and genius [[spoiler:it's simply not possible for him to save Luke any more than he can bring back Professor Nebilim.]] Of course, some fans of the game ignore this arc since it means that [[spoiler:it's Asch that returns, not Luke]], but others object to this both out of respect of the worldbuilding and because it turns all of Jade's CharacterDevelopment into a BrokenAesop.

The game was originally released for the PS2, and a port for the Nintendo3DS has been announced and [[AndTheFandomRejoiced confirmed for an international release]]. It was released in Europe on November 25th, 2011, marking the first time the Old Continent gets to officially play it.

** [[spoiler: Natalia stated that she tried to hold down Luke and Asch with a promise that was "no longer valid" right before fighting Van. I think that means its supposed to be Luke who came back, as Luke promised to come back alive to Tear AFTER the fight with Van. Sure, Asch told Luke he'd come back, but more to make Luke leave and without any conviction at all, knowing perfectly well he would die.]]

* UncannyValley: A rare example of when this is invoked and more worked into the story. When the [[spoiler:mass replicas]] show up, people are scared, freaked out, or otherwise disturbed because [[spoiler:Anyone would be too if say, you were at your loved one's funeral and suddenly someone who looks and sounds ''exactly'' like them shows up speaking in a CreepyMonotone and without basic social skills and is ''clearly'' not them.]] While this isn't exactly a ''player'' reaction to it due to the game's heavily stylized graphics

** While Tear was [[spoiler:racing to stop Van]] she correctly identified the person responsible as [[spoiler:Van]]. Since she set out from home to stop Van's evil plans in the first place, why is she suddenly blaming the XanatosSucker when she correctly identified the MagnificentBastard responsible a few hours ago? True, the fact she didn't kill Van before is why he was able to accomplish this, and she might not want to admit that her beloved brother is a mass murderer.

* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: ''TalesOfTheAbyss'' not only has [[spoiler:Ion]] go to his death with a smile because he can't grasp that his individual life has any meaning besides what he can do with it, like [[spoiler:trying to stop a war, find a way for Luke to win and save Tear's life]] and instead of resenting it, he is honestly happy that betraying him and causing his death helped TheMole. While he's an extreme example, the entire population of Auldrant qualifies.

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''TalesOfTheAbyss'' is probably the darkest entry in the ''TalesSeries''. Oddly enough, its release follows the much LighterAndSofter ''TalesOfLegendia''.

* TheDitz: While not being a full blown example like [[TalesOfSymphonia Colette Brunel]], Natalia has her moments of profound stupidity. While in the Shurrey Hill Sephiroth, Anise convinces Natalia that [[spoiler:Van's]] [[BeardOfEvil beard]] and eyebrows give him special powers. In a skit in Daath after the party has spent significant time in a desert region, everyone remarks about how sweaty they are. Instead of being worried about [[spoiler:whether or not she may actually be a real princess,]] Natalia is more concerned about smelling bad.

* {{Expy}}: First reaction to Luke's character design: "Hey, doesn't he look like [[TalesOfSymphonia Zelos]]?"
** In one of Jade's flashbacks, Gelda Nebilim sure looked an awful lot like [[TalesOfSymphonia Raine Sage.]] Nebilim even became a teacher just like Raine was.
*** It doesn't help that Gelda Nebilim's [[TaraPlatt Voice Actress]] in the U.S. version is the same one who played Raine in [[TalesOfTheWorld Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology]] and [[TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World]].

* MythologyGag: During [[NoExportForYou the Japan-only game Tales Of Fandom 2]], the party, including [[TheSixthRanger Asch]], find school uniforms and start talking about a school festival. An EasterEgg in TalesOfVesperia goes like this - [[StealthPun Nam Cobanda Isle]] school's festival has Natalia put a love letter in Asch's [[InsideShoes shoe cubby]].
** There's also [[spoiler: Natalia's real name; Meryl. It originally belonged to [[TalesOfPhantasia Meryl Adenade]], who taught her daughter [[StaffChick Mint]] everything she knew about healing.]]

* ShoutOut: Typical for a TalesSeries game. Noteworthy examples are three of Anise's dolls being modeled after [[TalesOfPhantasia Cless]], [[TalesOfDestiny Philia]], and [[TalesOfSymphonia Presea]]. Jade's belt buckle is PacMan. Nam Cobanda Island is full of {{Shout Out}}s to various Namco games. There is one replica in Daath who comments that [[spoiler:"Zelos died,"]] which is a possible way that TalesOfSymphonia can end.

* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: Usually, you want to have Luke and Tear in your party when you fight [[spoiler: Van]] for the last time, and to listen to what they have to say to [[spoiler: him]], but by changing around your team, and getting rid of Luke/Tear, or both. The lines spoken are different, and the conversation will be whoever the current party leader is, and [[spoiler: Van]], while the scene shows [[spoiler:The party leader running in.]] This was later returned in ''TalesOfVesperia''.

* {{Video Game 3D Leap}}: While ''TalesOfSymphonia'' was the first game in the series to have 3D battles, ''Abyss'' added free-range 3D running.

** [[spoiler: story wise, he is also only able to use it at the end of the game, when his body is (quite literally) falling apart]]

A RolePlayingGame released by Namco. It is the eighth "Mothership" title in the TalesSeries and marks its 10 year anniversary.

Thousands of years ago in the fantasy world of Auldrant, the Songstress Yulia Jue used her powers to read the memories of the planet itself. She detailed her findings in a vast prophecy known as the Score, which promised unlimited prosperity and wealth for the entire world at the end. In the centuries since then, two great nations known as the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear and the Malkuth Empire have fought over the scattered Fonstones upon which the Score is written. Between them lies the Order of Lorelei, a religious order dedicated to the safekeeping of the Score who act as neutral peacekeepers.

The game was originally released for the PS2, and a port for the Nintendo3DS has been announced and [[AndTheFandomRejoiced confirmed for an international release]], marking the first time Europe gets to officially play it.

Set in the fantasy world of Auldrant, ''Tales of the Abyss'' follows the adventures of IdiotHero, {{Jerkass}} and WhitePrince Luke fon Fabre, who has never been allowed outside of his manor since he was kidnapped from his vacation home seven years previously. Due to the trauma from this incident, [[TraumaInducedAmnesia he developed retrograde amnesia concerning his entire existence]], and had to be taught everything again from scratch, even basic skills like how to walk.

His mundane existence changes dramatically when the mysterious StaffChick Tear Grants breaks into Luke's manor with the aim of killing his swordmaster, her brother Van Grants. Upon touching Luke, she and Luke are accidentally teleported halfway around the world, landing right in the middle of the neighboring Empire, Malkuth. Together, they try to return Luke home while gradually unravelling the secrets behind his status as TheChosenOne of legend.

Set in the fantasy world of Auldrant, ''Tales of the Abyss'' follows the adventures of IdiotHero, {{Jerkass}} and WhitePrince Luke fon Fabre, who has never been allowed outside of his manor since he was kidnapped from his vacation home seven years previously. Due to the trauma from this incident, [[TraumaInducedAmnesia he developed retrograde amnesia concerning his entire existence]], and had to be taught everything again from scratch--even basic skills like how to walk.

His mundane existence changes dramatically when the mysterious StaffChick Tear Grants breaks into Luke's manor with the aim of killing his swordmaster and her brother, Van Grants. Upon touching Luke, she and Luke are accidentally teleported halfway around the world, landing right in the middle of the neighboring Empire, Malkuth. Both try to return Luke home to Kimlasca while gradually unraveling the secrets behind Luke's status as TheChosenOne of legend.