Line #36 VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tod2cast_1179.jpg]]
2
3	''Tales of Destiny 2'' is the fourth mainline entry in the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'', and a direct sequel to ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny''. The game was released on November 28th, 2002 in Japan on the Platform/PlayStation2.
4
5	The game picks up eighteen years after the first game ended and tells the story of Kyle Dunamis, son of Stahn. Having grown up on tales of how his parents saved the world, he's absolutely convinced that it's his destiny to follow in their footsteps and become a hero. Thus, as soon as he's of age he goes on a grand journey around the world looking for adventure, and happens to stumble across a MysteriousWaif and an epic quest involving TimeTravel and [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong Setting Right What Once Went Wrong]]. During his travels, he picks up his own band of misfits:
6
7	* '''Reala''': The MysteriousWaif that Kyle finds. She emerges from a giant Lens and is looking for a hero to help her. She's Kyle's love interest, the resident WhiteMagicianGirl, and PurityPersonified.
8	* '''Loni Dunamis''': Kyle's "adoptive brother" who goes with him to keep his hotheaded idiocy in check. A self-proclaimed [[ChivalrousPervert ladies man]] who fights with a halberd.
9	* '''Judas''': A mysterious DualWielding fencer wearing a [[PaperThinDisguise bone mask]]. The "wise guy" of the team. Despite his attitude, he seems obliged to protect Kyle.
10	* '''Nanaly Fletch''': An ActionGirl with excellent archery skills. She comes from a BadFuture and joins the party when she is inadvertently sucked into a time portal with them. She runs an orphanage, and has a love-hate relationship with Loni.
11	* '''Harold Berselius''': The creator of the Swordians. A freaky but good hearted (though amoral) MadScientist who turns out to be female, having chosen the name "Harold" to play a childish prank on historians (who would assume she was male). A powerful spellcaster.
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13	The game received an UpdatedReRelease on the Platform/PlayStationPortable, released February 15th, 2007 in Japan.
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15	Not to be confused with ''VideoGame/TalesOfEternia'', which was [[MarketBasedTitle marketed in North America]] as ''Tales of Destiny II''.
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17	----
18	!!''Tales of Destiny 2'' provides examples of:
19	* ActionGirl: Nanaly and Harold, without a doubt.
20	* AfterTheEnd:
21	** This game takes place 18 years after ''Tales of Destiny'', which ended with the world in ruin after the crust created by Dycroft broke up and rained down on the world. While some major population centres recovered, many towns were wiped off the map entirely and never rebuilt. The Kingdom of Seinegald, once a world power, has been reduced to a shell of its former self, with the continent having all but abandoned the monarchy in favor of following the Church of Aigrette and [[spoiler:later Fortuna.]] Aquaveil was also left devastated, with only a single town remaining.
22	** The BadFuture world [[spoiler:created by Elraine]] shows only four major cities remain in the entire world after [[spoiler:the Aetherians won the Aether Wars.]]
23	* AntiFrustrationFeatures: Shares a page with the rest of the franchise [[AntiFrustrationFeatures/TalesSeries here]].
24	* AntiMagic: Barbatos is just one big Anti-Everything That Could Help You. If you cast a spell, he counters with a spell of his own (and is invincible during his casting period). If you use an item, he counters with a LimitBreak that is literally called, "Never use items!". In this game, using certain healing spells will also cause him to cast an invincible counterspell.
25	* TheAtoner: Several characters have guilt in their backstory.
26	** It's not a spoiler to say that any hero who goes by the name Judas undoubtedly broke the trust of a friend. [[spoiler:And the game is not really trying to hide from the player that, as Leon Magnus, Judas betrayed ''everyone'' and heaped pain on the people who wanted to help him most. And now he's trying to make up for it by being a true friend and ally to the successors of those he hurt.]]
27	** It is not apparent from his usual behavior, [[spoiler:but Loni blames himself for Stahn's death, and as a result puts Kyle's needs ahead of his own.]]
28	** Nanaly is good at putting up a confident front about her defining tragedy, [[spoiler:but behind it, she is overwhelmed with doubt and regret about not giving in to Elraine when it could have saved her brother's life.]]
29	* AwesomeButImpractical: There are plenty of spells that can stun enemies with ease, while physical attacks tend to be hampered with other stats to stagger the enemy properly. Counter-intuitively, the spells tend to be fairly unspectacular while the flashy moves come from the physical skills. Some of the most memorable mystic artes are the ones used by the melees, especially Loni's 15-Kanji Hi-Ougi, ''Shinten Rekkuu Zankou Senpuu Messai Shinbatsu Kassatsugeki''. (Which itself fits this trope due to its requirements and the fact that it can actually ''fail''. So if you want to use this on a ''boss'', you might as well use it as a finisher.)
30	** Judas's Majin Rengokusatsu is also subject to this, considering it can also fail (Though you get a slightly different monologue if it does, and it still will do quite a bit of damage, so it's not completely wasted).
31	* BadassCreed: Judas' Majin Rengokusatsu (Transcendent Suffering[[note]]Majin Rengokusatsu is usually rendered as Infernal Suffering, but this version uses different kanji with a fewer demonic connotations[[/note]]) monologue.
32	-->"To a life that went unfulfilled, a momentary miracle which could not be given in the now. Time passes... Unite here and quicken unto the future! Righteous Holy Sword! I cut off the past... Scatter! Majin Rengokusatsu!"
33	** Alternately, there's the Badass ''subtitle'' to the BadassCreed:
34	-->"Blood rejects blood, heart breaks heart. Miracles will not come true, therefore, they don't exist. You resist?"
35	* BadassInDistress: Happens to everyone save Reala in the [[LotusEaterMachine Illusion World]] arc.
36	* BadFuture: Nanaly hails from future Calvalese - still inhospitable, still polluted, [[spoiler:but now the world's resources are heavily concentrated in Elraine's hands and distributed only to those who obey her.]]
37	* BagOfSpilling: Only comes into play with [[spoiler:Leon]], and to be fair he's been [[spoiler:dead for a while.]] Subverted in that he still has [[spoiler:Chaltier, but using him would reveal his identity.]]
38	* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: How [[spoiler:Barbatos]] meets his end, claiming that he didn't lose to the party, but to himself.
39	* BigDamnHeroes: There are quite a few of these moments in the game.
40	* BloodierAndGorier: The manga is noticeably bloodier and more graphic than the game, which adheres to BloodlessCarnage.
41	* BloodKnight: Fighting is what Barbatos does, and he seems to have a good time while he does it.
42	* ChainmailBikini: Nanaly's character design looks more cabaret-appropriate than combat-appropriate. That parts that look armor-like offer only a little more coverage than a bikini top, and it's coupled with a hot pants / ShowgirlSkirt combo.
43	* ChewingTheScenery: Barbatos takes huge, Man-sized chunks out of every scene he's in.
44	* CoolBigSis: Nanaly is older than Kyle and Reala, who admire the way she is fierce to her foes, but nurturing to her friends. She is resourceful and steps into the TeamMom role by both hunting and cooking meals.
45	* CoolMask: Judas wears a mask made from a dragon skull, and lives up to the expectation of being awesome in terms of both narrative and gameplay favorability.
46	* CorruptChurch: The Order of Atamoni is an honestly well-meaning religious organization, unlike most seen in the ''Tales Series''. [[spoiler:There was just no way they could resist the appeal of Elraine's actual, factual miracles enough to prevent her ideology from becoming their ideology.]]
47	* CrapsackWorld: Downplayed, but the world of ''Destiny 2'' is in a significantly worse state than the previous game; several towns were completely wiped off the map and the world as a whole is dealing with refugee crises that remain unresolved. Seinegald, once a world power, has collapsed into a weakly-governed theocracy. The Aquaveil islands seem to have been destroyed apart from the town of Sheeden, and Fitzgald is now covered by a dense fog that renders travel nearly impossible. Calvalese has not changed much - still hazardous and populated by suspicious, impoverished people. The only continent that seems relatively unaffected is Phandaria, and it still struggles to feed and clothe its refugees.
48	* DeadpanSnarker: Judas is snarky and his delivery is usually deadpan, making him a sterling example. While Harold is anything but deadpan, she has her moments. After all, if Judas is SurroundedByIdiots, as a genius it goes double for her.
49	* DemotedToExtra: [[spoiler:Pierre de Chaltier]] is with the party the entire time, but has only a handful of speaking lines [[spoiler:before he dies.]]
50	* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Elraine tries to force Judas into this by trapping him in a PsychologicalTormentZone.]] It doesn't work.
51	* DisproportionateRetribution:
52	** Barbatos considers killing a four-year old for throwing a rock at him, only stopping because Loni gets in the way.
53	** In a skit, Judas pulls his swords on the other party members for throwing snowballs with rocks in them at him. Don't throw rocks in this game.
54	* TheDragon: [[spoiler:Barbatos is all too happy to fill this role for Elraine,]] though he could hardly care less about her goals.
55	* DualBoss: Sabnock is accompanied in his boss fight by his leopard pet Ose.
56	* DualWielding: Judas fights with a rapier and a parrying dagger. As a magic specialist Harold's primary weapons are staffs, but she also equips daggers which she uses as a BladeOnARope.
57	* DuelingMessiahs: [[spoiler:Reala and Elraine, both saints of Fortuna trying to find the best way to guide humanity into happiness.]]
58	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Barbatos' reaction towards using items (or even spells) in this game is simply going invincible as the game puts up a subtitle of Barbatos mocking you for using items, while he casts a spell that won't be interrupted. When Barbatos reappears as a guest in future games, this particular anti-item trait is replaced by the Mystic Arte (or whatever you call it depending on the game) '''"NO ITEMS EVER!!"'''.
59	* EasilyForgiven: Justified for [[spoiler:Judas]] - he already payed for his past crimes through [[spoiler:his death, and the [[HostageForMacGuffin extenuating circumstances]] behind his participation in nearly destroying the world mitigates some of the blame.]] And besides, by the time his past is revealed the other heroes had already worked through any suspicion they had toward him, so their opinion of him does not shift much.
60	* TheFellowshipHasEnded: It ends immediately [[spoiler:after Kyle destroys the lens that manifested Fortuna. The party members are pulled out of the collapsing timeline one by one, with Kyle the last one to go.]]
61	* GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul: Occurs in the BadFuture that Nanaly comes from. People the world over willingly trade in their aspirations to live under [[spoiler:Elraine's]] thumb, because she gives them everything they need. In the AlternateTimeline [[spoiler:Elraine]] pumps this up into a TerminallyDependentSociety.
62	* GreatEscape: Kyle and Loni meet Judas when he jumps from the roof of their cell and offers them an escape through secret passages the guards don't know about.
63	* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: While everyone in the game is a MagicKnight to some degree or other, the male party members all use some form of melee bladed weapon, while the female party members have either staves or are archers.
64	* HandsomeLech: Loni fancies himself one, but isn't actually skilled enough at flirting to pull it off. In reality he's more of a ChivalrousPervert.
65	* HeroKiller: Barbatos. And ''how''! His title during his ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' cameo is even "Killer of Heroes".
66	* HumansAreFlawed: As is common with the ''Tales Series'', the upper rank antagonists [[WellIntentionedExtremist pursue noble ends using harmful means]]. ''[=ToD2=]'' acknowledges that they want to create happiness by compensating for humanity's flaws, and humanity ''is'' flawed. But their idea of happiness is inflexible, and the game's message is that everyone has to [[EarnYourHappyEnding earn their happy ending]] by overcoming their flaws.
67	* IdiotHero: Kyle is clearly his father's son. Loni might be adopted, but he's not much better.
68	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Judas usually [[DeadpanSnarker has something sarcastic to say when the other characters are being silly]], but he delves into straight up BrutalHonesty at times, usually when they are either asking questions about his past or when he wants to teach Kyle a lesson about heroism. Despite this, he is well-meaning most of the time.
69	* {{Kiai}}:
70	--> '''Barbatos:''' ''"BRRRRUUUUUAAAAA!!!!!"''
71	* KnuckleCracking: Often Nanaly's warm-up move before putting Loni into a [[WrestlerInAllOfUs submission hold]]. [[ComedicSociopathy Don't worry, he deserves it.]]
72	* LateArrivalSpoiler:
73	** Judas' existence quickly spoils that [[spoiler:Leon betrayed the party and died in the first game.]]
74	** Looking at the player manual immediately spoils that Harold Berselius, assumed to be a man in the first game, [[SamusIsAGirl was a woman.]]
75	* LimitBreak: The characters have a bevy of Hi-Ougi techniques to use, all with several secret requirements to unlock and use.
76	** A particularly hilarious example is Loni. He has one that's [[WordSaladTitle 15 kanji long and incredibly drawn out]], but lives up to the awesome name by destroying nearly everything on screen. If you use [[JokeWeapon his broom]] however, it'll fall off in the middle of the attack and end halfway, ending with a puny punch worth 1 damage.
77	* LotusEaterMachine: The Illusion World dreams. All are [[HappyPlace happy places]] except Judas's, which is designed to drive him past the DespairEventHorizon by [[spoiler:making him relive his betrayal and death for eternity unless he agrees to serve Fortuna.]]
78	* MadScientist: Harold's reputation for scientific ingenuity endures for centuries. One of the many things about her that did not make it into the historical record is how much of a kick she gets out of testing her experiments on her companions, whether they like it or not.
79	* MageMarksman: Nanaly is an archer, and like the rest of the playable characters she has access to an variety of magic attacks. Her Hi-Ougi involves charging a huge volley of arrows with magic.
80	* MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight: The second half of the game revolves around [[spoiler:trying to avert the AlternateTimeline Elraine creates by changing the outcome of the Aeth'er War.]]
81	* MarathonBoss: The FinalBoss. Seriously, look at all the videos on Website/YouTube, they often have to be split into multiple parts.
82	* MeaningfulName: Kyle naming the mysterious swordsman "Judas". [[spoiler:He's Leon Magnus, BackFromTheDead.]]
83	* {{Multishot}}: Nanaly's Mystic Arte, ''Wild Geese'', is a cross between this and MacrossMissileMassacre.
84	* MysteriousWaif: The game's plot begins in earnest when Reala appears and states that she is searching for a "hero who can change history." She is a girl on a mission. Kyle immediately identifies that mission as a CallToAdventure and resolves to convince Reala that he is the hero she's looking for.
85	* NightmareFetishist: Harold. When Loni asks her to make him more appealing to women, she suggests roboticization and removing his brain, as well as a [[MadScientist vivisection]].
86	* NoGuyWantsAnAmazon: Loni likes to tease Nanaly about her tomboyish nature as an immature, [[LovingBully pulling-your-crush's-pigtails]] way of getting her attention. She pays him back for this by putting him in submission holds.
87	* NoOntologicalInertia: [[spoiler:Defeating Fortuna causes her to cease to have ever existed, and this nullifies Reala, Elraine, and all the actions they took to motivate the protagonists to act.]] The epilogue shows that despite this, there appears to be ''some'' ontological inertia for the player characters, who still end up being pretty much the same people they were during the game.
88	* NoodlePeople: Mutsumi Inomata's art style makes for rather lanky characters - particularly Reala, who looks like a [[DelicateIsBeautiful walking, talking porcelain doll]]. The actual sprites used in game, however, have more normal proportions for the most part.
89	* OfficialCouple: Kyle and Reala. While ''Tales'' games tend to have more subtle romances, Kyle and Reala are the exception, going on dates together more than once and sharing a kiss.
90	* PaperThinDisguise: Judas' mask has become a RunningGag in the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' due to how poorly it functions as a means of concealing your identity. It is actually Judas' discretion that keeps people from recognizing him rather than his ''very attention-grabbing'' sartorial choices. Everyone in-game that would recognize him is either dead or he intentionally avoids.\
91	The in-game justification is that Judas chose the mask not for its face-obscuring abilities, but because it's made of dragon bone, which offers excellent physical and magical protection.
92	* PityTheKidnapper: In a skit, Nanaly muses about being kidnapped, wondering if anyone would save her in such a circumstance. Loni promises he would, if only to stop her from inflicting a beating on the idiots who might think this was a good idea. Nanaly proceeds to turn the beating on ''[[ButtMonkey him]].''
93	* PlotHole: A small one, but when Harold [[spoiler:brings the Swordians out to use as a power source for TimeTravel,]] Berselius is among them. The whole first game's plot hinges on that sword having been left in the ruins of Dycroft as a tribute to Karell Berselius. [[spoiler:Seeing as the end of the game retcons the whole story, this might not be too much of a problem, but it's still a bit jarring to see after a scene telling people [[AesopAmnesia not to meddle with the past.]]]]
94	* PointOfDivergence: An alternate timeline is created when [[spoiler:Belcrant fires a direct hit on Radisrol, killing all the Swordian masters and Harold Berselius before they could invade Dycroft.]] Phandaria is utterly devastated as result, and the Er'thers only survive because of Elraine's intervention... Resulting in three {{Brainwashed}} [[TerminallyDependentSociety Terminally Dependent Societies]] being all that's left of humanity in general 1000 years later.
95	* ThePowerOfLove: This is what brings [[spoiler:Reala]] BackFromTheDead in the epilogue. It's also implied that [[spoiler:Judas]] is saved from being RetGone through the [[ThePowerOfFriendship bonds of friendship made during the game]].
96	* PsychologicalTormentZone: The [[LotusEaterMachine illusion worlds]] are sweet dreams designed to pacify their inhabitants, but they all end up uncovering the characters' emotional trauma before they are able to escape.\
97	Judas' illusion world is different in that it is a straightforward representation of the trope intended to torture him by making him relive his past misdeeds. He manages to endure it long enough for BigDamnHeroes moment to save him.
98	* RacingMinigame: The Noischat boy (or a descendant at least) and his street racing returns. And it is ''brutally'' [[NintendoHard hard]].
99	* RageAgainstTheHeavens: Interesting example, as the religion based on the goddess in question isn't a CorruptChurch: they just have a different idea of what the goddess is supposed to be (eg: a good one).
100	* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The team is one, all people from different continents and timelines working together towards the common goal of killing a mad goddess.
101	* ResetButton: [[spoiler:All of the events of the game are wiped from history in the end, and while this is bittersweet, it also undoes the characters' tragic backstories. Stahn isn't killed, so Kyle grows up with his dad around and Loni isn't saddled with guilt. Nanaly is spared responsibility for the fate of her brother Rue, and the epilogue gives the player the opportunity to cure his illness.]] Plus, the characters have partial RippleEffectProofMemory. [[spoiler:Just as Kyle insisted to his friends before they all part ways, the ties that bind them to each other did not disappear. Reala is reborn and has a happy reunion with Kyle. And even Judas, who presumably snaps back to being dead, is not completely forgotten at the very least.]]
102	* RetCon: The whole point of [[spoiler:Elraine changing the past, to make herself appear even more like TheMessiah and remove resistance to Fortuna's will.]]
103	* RetGone:
104	** After Barbatos was defeated in the original timeline, it was judged that his crimes were so great that he was to be completely written out of history. The reason he fights as Elraine's [[TheDragon Dragon]] is to prove to the world he actually does exist and is [[BlatantLies worthy of being a hero]].
105	** The last big plot twist is that [[spoiler:killing Fortuna will erase her from the timeline, nullifying every action she has taken - including the creation of Elraine and Reala. Since Elraine resurrected Judas, his existence is forfeit too.]] It's very nearly enough to make Kyle give up on his dream of being a hero.
106	* SadisticChoice:
107	** Kyle had to choose between keeping the world enslaved to fate or killing the girl he loves.
108	** In his LotusEaterMachine, Judas had to choose between submitting to Fortuna's will and betraying his new friends [[DealWithTheDevil (in exchange for a place in history as a hero)]], or being forced to relive [[spoiler:betraying his old ones and drowning]] forever. [[spoiler:He chooses the latter, but is fortunately saved from having to go through with it.]]
109	** Harold also has to choose between [[FriendOrIdolDecision saving the timeline and letting her brother die, or saving her brother and altering the timeline]], as well as letting Barbatos activate Belcrant. She chooses the timeline, and her brother dies in her arms.
110	* SayMyName:
111	--> '''Kyle:''' '''REAAAALAAAAAAA!'''
112	* ScrewDestiny: Implied by the game's tagline; "To release Destiny". Eventually, it is done [[spoiler:by Reala and possibly Judas]], who come back despite this supposedly being impossible.
113	* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: A sidequest available [[spoiler:during the epilogue allows the player to save Nanaly's brother from death by getting him the medicine he needs to live.]]
114	* ASharedSuffering: Loni and Nanaly bond [[spoiler:over having experienced similar sorts of guilt - they both blame themselves for the death of a loved one.]]
115	* ShipTease: Loni and Nanaly, to the point of just being shy of an OfficialCouple. Judas and Harold also get shipping moments, as do [[spoiler:Leon]] and Philia. Kyle and Reala ''are'' an OfficialCouple by the end.
116	* SocializationBonus: According to WordOfGod, this is the reason for the disparity in power levels in [[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards melee and magic]], as the battle system was designed for "co-operative play". Presumably, one person would control a fighter to keep the enemies occupied while another player spammed magic.
117	* StableTimeLoop: The party completes one [[spoiler:after saving Stahn and co from Barbatos.]] It's revealed that the Swordians [[spoiler:lacked the numbers to stabilize the Eye of Atamoni and it was going to explode. Judas then reveals he still carries Chaltier and plunges him into the Eye, reuniting him with his friends and allowing them to contain the explosion.]] Because Stahn survives, he and Rutee have Kyle, starting off the plot of ''Tales of Destiny 2'' and allowing the aforementioned loop to happen.
118	* TemporalAbortion: Barbatos Goetia develops a deep, seething hatred towards Kyle that leads to him eventually plotting to go back in time and kill his parents before he's concieved.
119	* ThemeNaming: Barbatos and a handful of minor named antagonists are named after demons catalogued in the in the ''Literature/ArsGoetia''.
120	* TimeTravel: A major element of the plot. A number of time travel sub-tropes are represented, including SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong, MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight, AlternateTimeline, and StableTimeLoop. But not YouCantFightFate, because you absolutely can, and indeed must, fight fate. This is the "''RPG to Release Destiny''", after all.
121	* TimedMission: There's a few throughout the main quest, usually with a 10:00 time limit.
122	* ToBeLawfulOrGood: As Kyle undergoes CharacterDevelopment, he runs into this problem, as well as TheNeedsOfTheMany, especially when both of these make Dymlos into a BrokenPedestal in his eyes.
123	* TomboyishName: Harold calls herself Harold in order to deceive the history books into believing that the famed genius and creator of the Swordians was a man. At least, according to her that was "one of twenty-one reasons" why she did it.
124	* TroubledBackstoryFlashback: All the Illusion Worlds serve to show this.
125	* TraumaInducedAmnesia: [[spoiler:Kyle seemingly forgot the memory of when Barbatos killed Stahn, and it takes a MindScrew about halfway through the game for him to remember the event.]]
126	* {{Tsundere}}: Nanaly is generally sweet. She is nice around everyone except Loni, who tends to hit her BerserkButton a lot.
127	* VitriolicBestBuds: Kyle and Loni, and later [[BelligerentSexualTension Loni and Nanaly]].
128	* WhiteMagicianGirl: Reala learns the most complete suite of healing magic in the game. While she is not limited to just healing magic, she is still best utilized casting spells at a distance.
129	* YinYangBomb: Both Judas and Harold can cast darkness-element and light-element spells.

Context VideoGame / TalesOfDestiny2