| 1 | [[quoteright:299:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tales_of_the_abyss_anime.png]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:299:From left to right: Natalia L. K. Lanvaldear, Fon Master Ion, Jade Curtiss, Luke fon Fabre, Tear Grants, Mieu, Guy Cecil, and Anise Tatlin.]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''"Into this world sustained by the Score, a stone has been thrown. The ripples will soon try to instigate a gigantic change."'' |
| 5 | |
| 6 | ''Tales of the Abyss'' is the eighth mainline entry in the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries''. The game was released on December 15th, 2005 in Japan on the Platform/PlayStation2, marking the series' 10th anniversary. It received an international release on October 10th, 2006 in North America. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Thousands of years ago in the fantasy world of Auldrant, the Songstress Yulia Jue used her powers to read [[AkashicRecords 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 a neutral arbitrator. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | ''Tales of the Abyss'' follows the adventures of IdiotHero, {{Jerkass}} and ShelteredAristocrat Luke fon Fabre, a Kimlascan noble 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. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | His mundane existence changes dramatically when mysterious WhiteMage 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. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | In true VideoGame/TalesSeries fashion, it doesn't take long for the first [[GutPunch game-changing plot twist]] to hit. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | The game has an AnimatedAdaptation produced by Creator/{{Sunrise}}. The first episode aired on October 3, 2008 on TOKYO MX; in addition, another channel had an hour long special the following day, showing both the first and second episode. The anime adaptation was released on October 11, 2011 by Bandai Entertainment in North America, albeit sub-only, even though the video game has an English dub. You can watch the episodes in the official [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKC75qCSd0huiamUPVYpr3oybmysMM4PK Tales of Youtube Channel]]. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | The game was originally released for the [=PS2=], and a port for the Platform/Nintendo3DS was released internationally. It was released in Europe on November 25th, 2011, marking the first time Europe gets to officially play it. The [=3DS=] version was released in North America on February 14th, 2012. |
| 19 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 20 | ---- |
| 21 | !!'''Tropes Include:''' |
| 22 | [[folder: #-B]] |
| 23 | * HundredPercentCompletion: (although all you really get is a stat-boosting title and the BraggingRightsReward) |
| 24 | * AbandonedMine: Akzeriuth. Subverted in that the people living here are facing the miasma crisis and as such, were forced to abandon its tunnels. |
| 25 | * AbortedArc: Tear "[[AccidentalKidnapping kidnapping]]" Luke is never fully explored in regards to consequences, and neither is her loyalty to Mohs despite his hands in the problems they face. Also, [[spoiler:Mohs deliberatly sends her to Akzeriuth, with the implication he knew there was no Seventh Fonstone and he just wanted her dead due to her actions nearly ruining his plans with Van]] but this is never brought up ever again, even in subsequent arcs when Mohs continues to be an enemy to the group. |
| 26 | * TheAbridgedSeries: Of the anime. |
| 27 | * AccidentalKidnapping: The plot kicks off when Tear and Luke inadvertently teleport halfway across the world, placing Tear as a "kidnapper" by the view of those back home. |
| 28 | * ActionGirl: Tear, Natalia, and Anise. All three are members of your party and readily leap into battle alongside the others, not to mention each of them has already experienced battle before the game and they also take part in several cutscene fights. In fact, Natalia tends to do most of the heavy lifting in cutscene fights while Tear saves the entire party multiple times with her hymns alone. |
| 29 | * AdaptationExplanationExtrication: The anime suffers a lot from this. Some situations are not properly foreshadowed or even explained, so they come completely out of nowhere and/or don't make any sense to people not familiar with the video game. |
| 30 | ** It's never explained why [[spoiler:Ion dies if he reads the Planet Score. He just does.]] In the game, this was explained properly, especially in skits. |
| 31 | ** After the first battle [[spoiler:against Van]], Jade and Guy say that Luke [[spoiler:knows how to use his hyperresonance]], something that was never brought up until that moment. Guy just makes a brief HandWave, saying that "he's being practicing in secret". In the game, this was explained in a whole sub-plot in which [[spoiler:Tear teaches Luke how to control his power, we learn Tear's past as Legretta's pupil (another sub-plot barely shown in the anime), and she and Luke grow closer (making their romance more believable)]]. |
| 32 | * AerithAndBob: There are names like Luke, Natalia, [[GenderBlenderName Jade]], Guy and Anise alongside monikers like Mystearica (Tear for short), [[spoiler:Gailardia Galan Gardios (Guy for short)]], and Vandesdelca (Van for short). Justified once it's revealed that those three 'Aerith' examples are all from the same now-destroyed nation. |
| 33 | * AintTooProudToBeg: Done interestingly near the start of the game, when Jade, an older and far more experienced character, kneels down before Luke, who technically outranks him socially, in order to ask for help with accomplishing his mission to reach the king of Kimlasca. Luke's immaturity in even asking this of him, and Jade's graceful acquiescence, is what allows Jade to keep his dignity in this situation, and the fact that he's willing to go so far underscores just how important their mission really is. |
| 34 | * AkashicRecords: The Score, which predicts everything from national histories to what an individual person is going to do that day. Additionally, Sync has a Mystic Arte called Akashic Torment[[labelnote:*]]Which can be seen as {{foreshadowing}} that he's [[spoiler:a failed clone of Ion, and was likely intended to read the Score in his place]].[[/labelnote]]. |
| 35 | * AlasPoorVillain: |
| 36 | ** The Liger Queen you kill in the beginning of the game. Only because of the required cute creature in your party burning part of the forest down do you even have a reason for killing her. [[spoiler:She's also Arietta's "mother" YouBastard.]] |
| 37 | ** [[spoiler:Arietta. What makes her death especially tragic is how...sudden it is. All the other God Generals the party kills are at least able to give a moving FinalSpeech before succumbing to their wounds. Arietta, however, barely even has time to form a ''single sentence'' before dying. She's also the first human boss you actually kill, not counting battles that end with someone falling to their "deaths" only to turn up alive later. And she's a little girl. And her desire for revenge is completely justified by this point.]] |
| 38 | ** Largo. He dies [[spoiler:after discovering his daughter is still alive, but is in fact an enemy princess.]] |
| 39 | * 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. 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. |
| 40 | * AllLoveIsUnrequited: Subverted; Luke ''thinks'' this is the case with Tear. |
| 41 | * AllOfTheOtherReindeer: |
| 42 | ** 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. |
| 43 | ** 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. |
| 44 | * AllYourPowersCombined: [[spoiler:Nebilim.]] She has the best Strike and Fonic Artes in the entire game. She also has Mystic Artes like Rending Saber, Mystic Cage, Indignation, Innocent Shine, and Fortune's Arc. |
| 45 | * AloofBigBrother: Van to Tear. [[spoiler:Asch to Luke.]] |
| 46 | * AlternateWorldMap: [[spoiler:The Qliphoth; a bleak sea of miasma located far below the Outer Lands, with the only notable landmarks being Yulia City and the island that houses the Tower of Rem. But as the story progresses, some of the Outer Lands will end up down in the Qliphoth and remain there until post-Absorption Gate, where the two world maps will re-emerge into one.]] |
| 47 | * AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: When Tear starts to sing the Grand Fonic Hymn, the final boss's battlefield turns into this. |
| 48 | * AmbiguousCloneEnding: [[spoiler:Is it Luke or Asch in the final cutscene (or [[TakeAThirdOption both]])? There are hints, but it's impossible to be sure.]] |
| 49 | * AmusementPark: Nam Cobanda Isle. |
| 50 | * AnimationBump: AnimeOfTheGame has [[SceneryPorn substantially higher]] graphical quality than ingame anime cutscenes. |
| 51 | * AnimeThemeSong: "Karma" by Bump of Chicken -- the vocals were removed in the English localization. It was even recycled for the animated adaptation. |
| 52 | * AntiFrustrationFeatures: Shares a page with the rest of the franchise [[AntiFrustrationFeatures/TalesSeries here]]. |
| 53 | * ApocalypseMaiden: [[spoiler:Luke fon Fabre]] considering that the Score ultimately reveals [[spoiler:the destruction of Akzeriuth]] was supposed to set in motion a series of events that would result in TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. The BigBad deciding to make it happen on ''his'' terms [[spoiler:and creating his own ApocalypseMaiden in the form of TheHero to do so]] is what kicks off the plot. |
| 54 | * ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: You only fight with four characters, while you have a total of six; complete with HandWave as to what the other characters are doing while your main party is fighting, with the exception of the [[spoiler:final battle, where a skit right before it says that 2 of the 6 party members will be in charge of finding and maintaining a safe escape route as the other 4 take out Van and free Lorelei.]] |
| 55 | * ArcNumber: Everything seems to come in [[RuleOfSeven sevens]]: seven fonons, seven fonstones, seven fonic hymns, seven years since Luke lost his memories, [[spoiler:seven Ion replicas,]] seven playable characters (though that one might be coincidence) and various other examples. |
| 56 | * ArtificialBrilliance: The AI can actually use items themselves. Natalia is often seen as wasteful, but her AI ''does'' seem to know never to touch the expensive or rare items. This veers a bit into ArtificialStupidity in that the AI will ask to use an Apple Gel when a Lemon Gel would be better, |
| 57 | * ArtificialStupidity: Guy has an ability called "Center" that heals him a good amount. His AI almost ''never'' uses it if he needs it - even if he's the only one taking damage or has a chance. |
| 58 | * TheAtoner: |
| 59 | ** Luke, after he realizes what a complete ass he's been and gets an ImportantHaircut. |
| 60 | ** Anise, after [[spoiler:Ion's death.]] |
| 61 | ** Spinoza, after the death of [[spoiler:his colleagues due to his betrayal. His friends from Class I also offer their lives to delay Van in order to atone for his betrayal.]] |
| 62 | ** Mieu is also an atoner since he's been exiled from his village because of his actions. He is just a small child, but his playing around lead to a horrible fire that killed several of his kind and started a war with another species that is now dominating and terrorizing his people. |
| 63 | * AwesomeButImpractical: |
| 64 | ** 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, Luke and Anise's can only be used once per battle. |
| 65 | ** The extensions to Final Fury (Dying Moon) and Radiant Howl (Ion, which can only be used if Ion is with the group) add extra damage, can be used an unlimited number of times, AND count as two separate Mystic Artes (meaning more GRADE), but at the cost of your spellcasters being unable to cast. This means Jade and Tear cannot use their Mystic Artes until someone else uses one with no extension, and nobody can cast a fonic arte. There is also a risk that Anise's can lock up the game (if there are no sound effects for Dying Moon, your game will freeze). |
| 66 | ** Tear's second Mystic Arte, Fortune's Arc, also follows the trope (being hard to unlock), while Jade's Indignation averts it (as his AI can unlock it easily), though neither have high costs to use (100 TP); both require certain artes to be used a certain number of times (Thunder Lance 200 times, all Fonic Artes 50 times minimum +Judgement being the spell used to start the Mystic Arte). It should note that Indignation CAN be cast after Ion or Dying Moon (or Fortune's Arc extension), as it doesn't require a fonic arte to cast. Both can only be used once, however. Fortune's Arc also has an extension, which deals extra damage and gives status buffers. |
| 67 | * BackStory: Essentially all of the CharacterDevelopment for Guy and Jade comes from their past. Most of Guy's BackStory is right there in the open during the plot. To get most of Jade's, [[SideQuest you have to]] [[GuideDangIt go looking for it]]. |
| 68 | * BagOfHolding: |
| 69 | ** Aside from the usual ridiculously large inventory space, both Guy and Luke somehow manage to put the various BFS into hilts far too small to hold them. |
| 70 | ** Jade has a literal bag of holding that he uses to pull out his spears whenever he needs them, HandWaved as a Fonic Art. |
| 71 | * BareFistedMonk: Sync fights with only his hands. Anise's Strike Artes fit this mold also. |
| 72 | * BeachEpisode: The Keterburg Hotel Spa. Complete with Fanservice outfits for everyone! It can even be addressed in skits if you take the characters into battle wearing their spa costumes. |
| 73 | * BeardOfEvil: Van. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Anise in a skit. |
| 74 | * BecauseDestinySaysSo: '''''Holy crap''''', does it ever. Why don't the people of Auldrant do anything when something bad happens? Because the Score predicted it, so there's no point meddling. Why does Grand Maestro Mohs want to start a war between the two major superpowers of the world? Because the Score said it would happen. Why doesn't Tear's uncle think that a city is going to fall? The Score didn't say it would, so physics be damned, he's not even going to go check. [=NPCs=] admit to ''deciding what to have for dinner'' based entirely on the Score. Both the heroes and the villains start to see all of the reliance on the Score as ridiculous. |
| 75 | * BetaTestBaddie: Played straight by [[spoiler:Sync]]. |
| 76 | * BettyAndVeronica: [[spoiler:Natalia ultimately sees Luke and Asch as this in regards to her (main) choices in suitors. The NiceGuy AllLovingHero that Luke becomes post ImportantHaircut puts him as the Betty, while JerkWithAHeartOfGold GoodIsNotNice Asch falls under Veronica. In this case, both are ChildhoodFriends, with Asch having a ChildhoodMarriagePromise with Natalia as a bonus. The GainaxEnding leaves which one she would choose in the end unknown.]] |
| 77 | * BeyondRedemption: When Van is revealed to be a traitor, Luke and Tear are in denial at first, the former because Van is his teacher and the latter because Van is her brother. After the events of Akzeriuth, both Luke and Tear come to accept that Van has to be stopped, one way or another. Near the end, [[spoiler:when Van is in the final stages of carrying out his plan to replace the world with replicas, the party tries to present Van with an alternative and show how his plan to ScrewDestiny is ultimately flawed. Van rejects the party, because [[IveComeTooFar he's come too far to back down now]]. With all other options now gone, the party is forced to kill Van to stop him from going through with it]]. |
| 78 | * BigBad: [[spoiler:Vandesdelca Musto Fende (AKA, Master Van)]] |
| 79 | * BigBoosHaunt: Choral Castle. |
| 80 | * BigFancyCastle: Baticul Castle and Grand Chokmah Palace. |
| 81 | * BilingualBonus: Of a sort. The Fonic Language, if you can learn to read it, will provide you with a lot of these, usually in the form of [[ShoutOut Shout-Outs]] to other ''Tales'' games. |
| 82 | * BitchInSheepsClothing: |
| 83 | ** Anise. Sugary sweet on the outside, utterly cynical on the inside, and she tends to show this side more around people she doesn't need to impress (for example, her battle taunts are considerably more vulgar when Luke and Jade aren't in the party). Mind you, she's not all that bad on the inside when the chips are down, being ultimately something of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold. [[spoiler:She is also TheMole working for Grand Maestro Mohs and has been giving him information about Ion and the team since day one]]. |
| 84 | ** Later revelations reveal ''Guy'' is this [[spoiler:more downplayed in the present, but in the past he was obsessed with {{Revenge}} to the point of planning on killing Luke.]] |
| 85 | * BittersweetEnding: Depending on who the [[spoiler:red haired person at the end is, either Tear or Natalia will be very sad.[[note]] If the person at the end is actually a combination of both, then things are about to get ''real'' awkward unless they’re all down for some polygamy.[[/note]]]] |
| 86 | * BladeBelowTheShoulder: Jade's spear is actually fused into his arm, and he calls it out with a [[MagiBabble fonic arte]]. |
| 87 | * BlamedForBeingRailroaded: [[spoiler:Luke spends the first portion of the game being a whiny, self-absorbed burden on the party (even if he does hold his own in battle). When his actions result in what amounts to an entire town being massacred, he's uniformly blamed by his party members, and ''continues'' to insist that it wasn't his fault (which is ''technically'' true as he was the "gun" in this situation). To be fair, it kind of is his fault. But to be fairer, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption there's no other way things could have possibly gone for the player]] or, for that matter, for Luke as no one gave him a good enough reason to avoid it.]] |
| 88 | * BodyguardCrush: [[GenderInvertedTrope Gender inverted]]: |
| 89 | ** Anise has a crush on Ion, and is also his bodyguard. Ion's former body guard, Arietta, also has a crush on him, which is the main reason why Anise and Arietta hate each other. |
| 90 | ** Legretta loves Van and is his right hand woman. |
| 91 | ** Tear feels obligated to escort Luke back to the mansion and later, to watch over him. And yes, she also loves him, at least later on. |
| 92 | * BonusDungeon: The Replica Lab, which is also an EscortMission without an online map. This dungeon can only be accessed during the [[NewGamePlus second playthrough]]. |
| 93 | * BookEnds: Luke's([[GainaxEnding ?]]) journey begins and ends in Tataroo Valley at night. |
| 94 | * BreakTheHaughty: Pretty much everything that happens to Luke in the first half of the game; though it's worthwhile to note it's a serious [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]]. Also, for Natalia, she subdues a bit when she joins the party, realizing quickly that fighting in real life is much different from practice. The real kick for her, though, is when [[spoiler:she discovers she's not really a princess, and her real father is one of the God-Generals]]. |
| 95 | * BubblegloopSwamp: Inista Marsh not only has marsh monsters, but it's got a huge BeefGate that the player has no choice but to run away from. The swamp doesn't make this easy, since a lot of difficult terrain slows down your movement speed. |
| 96 | [[/folder]] |
| 97 | [[folder: C-D]] |
| 98 | * CainAndAbel: Tear and Van. The game repeatedly jumps back and forth on which is which [[spoiler:before settling on Tear as Abel and [[BigBad Van]] as Cain. For a significant chunk of the game, [[InvertedTrope it's Tear as a heroic Cain attempting to kill Van's villainous Abel]].]] |
| 99 | ** [[spoiler: When it becomes clear that Luke and Asch have distinct personalities rather than merely being “clone and original,” their relationship dynamic strongly resembles that of a younger and older sibling with Luke as the Abel to Asch’s Cain. However, [[AntiHero it’s more complicated than that.]]]] |
| 100 | * TheCallHasBadReception: After completing the Absorbtion Gate, [[spoiler:Lorelei warns Luke and Asch that Van survived and is trying to imprison it.]] The problem? Lorelei used [[spoiler:the ancient Ispanian translation of 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 his schemes a whole month earlier. |
| 101 | * CallingYourAttacks: Everyone in the main party and QuirkyMinibossSquad does this with their artes. Luke, Guy, and Asch will yell out a phrase to accompany their Field of Fonons Artes, e.g. "Blade reveal your fury! Dragon Tempest!" |
| 102 | * CannotSpitItOut: ''Luke and Tear''. This goes on for about a third of the entire game. The rest of the party easily knows that they have romantic feelings for each other, but Luke can't spit it out because, [[spoiler:[[KidHero he's seven years old]] and his fonons are seperating, so, by Luke's logic, why tell her how he feels when she'll just be brokenhearted when he disappears]], and Tear can't spit it out because she's textbook [[SugarAndIcePersonality kuudere]]. [[spoiler:Tear finally says "I love you." to Luke in the ending, right before she and the party leave Luke to free Lorelei and fade away.]] |
| 103 | * CatchPhrase: |
| 104 | ** Luke: "Shut up!" and "What a pain!" (dropped after [[spoiler:Akzeriuth]]) and "[[ApologisesALot Sorry]]" after the WhamEpisode |
| 105 | ** Tear: "You idiot" (saved specially for Luke) |
| 106 | ** Jade: "My, my!" |
| 107 | ** Anise: "Booo!" (or in Japanese "Buu buu!") |
| 108 | ** Natalia: "Oh, my!" |
| 109 | ** Mieu: "Master!" |
| 110 | * ChanceMeetingBetweenAntagonists: There is a scene where the protagonists are going to visit a scholar who have knowledge pertinent to their quest. When they arrive, the BigBad is already there, reading up about the same subject. The two of them have a bit of a row, but out of respect for the scholar (an old friend of his), the Big Bad leaves without anything coming of it. |
| 111 | * ChangelingFantasy: [[PlayingWithATrope Played With]], [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]], and ultimately [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. [[spoiler:As the replica of the real Luke fon Fabre, Luke is essentially a "[[ChangelingTale changeling child]]" left in place of the "real" one. He [[HeroicBSOD doesn't handle it well]] and it leaves him with crippling [[HeroicSelfDeprecation self esteem issues]] all on top of the one closest to being his parent (in [[ParentalSubstitute actions]] and being responsible for his creation) being the BigBad. It's subverted when his "fake" parents accept him as their own son despite his origins; though Luke struggles to accept himself as a Fabre long into the latter parts of the game.]] |
| 112 | * ChangelingTale: A variation [[spoiler:as the original Luke fon Fabre went through this the backstory, being replaced by a replica (TheHero and Luke followed from the start), and losing his original identity in the process. He never regains it and, despite Luke trying many times to give him back his family and position in life, he remains Asch throughout.]] |
| 113 | * CharacterDevelopment: The entire main party goes through different levels of this, but Luke more than anyone else in the game, going from a snotty SpoiledBrat with extra helpings of AssInAmbassador to a genuinely selfless hero. |
| 114 | * ChekhovsGunman: The Dark Wings are mentioned near the very beginning of the game and finally show up a while after. |
| 115 | * ChildhoodMarriagePromise: Natalia and Luke made one, which became one of the defining points in Natalia's life as it contained the ideals to which they would strive to as future monarchs. Luke doesn't remember making it, so Natalia reminds him about it at every opportunity and dreams about how romantic it would be if his first recalled memory was of the promise. [[spoiler:It's revealed that she really made the promise with Asch, which leads to much guilt on Natalia's part for forcing her dreams onto Luke, and forms the basis for her own personal struggle to differentiate Luke and Asch.]] |
| 116 | * ChildrenForcedToKill: Applies to [[spoiler:Luke, due to him being actually ''seven'']]. The resulting freak out and ItNeverGetsAnyEasier makes sense in that context. Though interestingly enough Anise, who is thirteen, doesn't have this problem as a fon master guardian. Which might have to do with the above trope. |
| 117 | * ChildSoldiers: Common due to ImprobableAge; Anise is thirteen but already a [[ChurchMilitant Fon Master Guardian]], while Tear is sixteen and Asch is seventeen. [[spoiler:The replicas that show up during the third arc deserve special mention as they are at best a few ''days'' old when they fight the team.]] Interestingly enough, all ChildSoldiers are part of the Oracle Knights, and it's implied neither Kimlasca or Malkuth would put any one under the age of majority in a dangerous situation or a potentially dangerous post. |
| 118 | * TheChosenOne: Luke. But it's not as simple as that. [[spoiler:Asch was the ''original'' Chosen One, and Luke was created as a mere decoy. But both Luke and Asch's individual actions coincide with those of TheChosenOne, as predicted in the Score. The simplest explanation is that they are ''both'' "TheChosenOne".]] |
| 119 | * ChronicBackStabbingDisorder: FridgeLogic leads one to the conclusion that the God-Generals have this, switching loyalty between Asch (during the Akzeriuth quest), Mohs, and Van, despite all three having vastly different goals. Partially justified in that the God Generals are all SelfishEvil: [[DragonWithAnAgenda they all have their own agendas]] (for Dist it's reviving Nebilim, for Sync it's [[spoiler:[[OmnicidalManiac destroying the world]]]]), so it's safe to assume that they're just trying to make sure what they want gets done. |
| 120 | * ChurchMilitant: The Oracle Knights are the guardians of the [[CrystalDragonJesus Order of Lorelei]], though even the non-militants like Ion have some pretty awesome abilities. |
| 121 | * ClippedWingAngel: [[LampshadedTrope Lamphashed]] by the party right after [[spoiler:Van]] goes OneWingedAngel on them. |
| 122 | * CloneAngst: Every way you can stretch it. |
| 123 | * ColonelBadass: Jade. He's known as "The Necromancer," and people from both sides rightly fear him. |
| 124 | * ColorCodedEyes: Luke has brighter blue eyes than Ashe. In the original Platform/PlayStation2 this was maintained for the [[spoiler:post-credits scene]]. However in the anime adaption it was not, and the Platform/NintendoDS has a reduced color scale. |
| 125 | * CombatMedic: Both Natalia and Tear can alternate as a long/mid distance fighter or the healer, depending on which kind of healing you prefer (Gradual area-of-effect spells from Tear, or concentrated single-target artes by Natalia) |
| 126 | * CombinationAttack: the "Field of Fonons" thing. Whenever a character uses [Technique A] which is (say) Fire-elemental, it leaves a circle on the battlefield charged with Fire. Stand in that circle and use [Technique B], and [Technique B] will turn into something new (and generally Fire-elemental). |
| 127 | * ComingOfAgeStory: For Luke, absolutely. |
| 128 | * 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). |
| 129 | -->'''Jade''': [[BlatantLies No, no. I've been frail since birth...]] ''[cough cough]'' |
| 130 | * CompressedAdaptation: This is most notable in the CD dramas, though the manga suffers from this as well. Many things are left out of the CD dramas, including the [[FlyingCar Albiore]], an important vehicle that you spend several quests and subquests in the game acquiring, reacquiring, and powering up. Also left out of the dramas is [[TeamPet Mieu]], though some would say that's a good thing. |
| 131 | * ConditionedToAcceptHorror: |
| 132 | ** ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' not only has Ion [[spoiler: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. Instead of resenting it, he is honestly happy that [[spoiler:betraying him and causing his death helped TheMole.]] While he's an extreme example, the entire population of Auldrant qualifies. |
| 133 | ** Luke's own father and uncle are willing to [[spoiler:send him to die]] both [to set off a war they'll win and because the Score says so: it's not until fairly late in the game that they seem to realize that this was a cruel thing to do to Luke and Natalia and it would have been not just ok, but ''good'' for them to not want to do it. |
| 134 | ** Grand Maestro Mohs sees nothing wrong with [[spoiler:a genocidal war]], since the Score was made to bring prosperity to Auldrant, so it's obviously for the best. He actually doesn't even qualify as a WellIntentionedExtremist on Auldrant. His is the ''moderate'' faction, containing the normal, sensible members of the Order who just want the best for Auldrant, like Tear. |
| 135 | ** Almost everyone reacts with shock and horror to the idea of revealing a Score of death, especially if doing so would save someone's life and go against the Score. |
| 136 | ** The BigBad. When Luke asks him if he cares about Luke at all other than as a living weapon he honestly ''doesn't understand the question'', mistaking it for an existential one. The BigBad was brought into the world as a LaserGuidedTykebomb, [[spoiler:in accordance with the Score]] with parents who were aware of this the entire time and only thought about him in terms of that function just like how he regards Luke. Oh, and as a babysitter for their 'real' child. The people who [[spoiler:used him to destroy his homeland and as an excuse for performing deadly experiments on civilians who were going to die anyway]] considered themselves fully justified, between the Score and using him as a scapegoat. It was okay to [[spoiler:hook him into a machine and destroy Hod]] for the greater good, and he's doing this to allow humanity to [[spoiler:survive the Scored end of the world.]] |
| 137 | ** The StartOfDarkness for most of the loyal god-generals was when they ran into a horror that they could ''not'' accept. [[spoiler:Largo's]] daughter was kidnapped, causing his wife to kill herself and he could not have justice. [[spoiler:Legretta]] suddenly fell in love with someone she went after in a RoaringRampageOfRevenge and the knowledge that [[spoiler:this was likely Scored]] [[MoreThanMindControl makes her skin crawl]]. [[spoiler:Sync]], like [[spoiler:Ion]] believes that he can't have value other than as a tool and hates this. |
| 138 | * ConvectionShmonvection: Played straight, and lampshaded in a skit. (See ExposedToTheElements, further below.) Heck, even touching the magma isn't that bad. The characters can be completely submerged in magma with only a couple hit points missing to show for it. |
| 139 | * CoolOldGuy: Everyone but Spinoza in classes I and M, all the way. [[spoiler:Culminates in four [[HeroicSacrifice Heroic Sacrifices]]]]. |
| 140 | * CorruptChurch: [[spoiler:It gets better as the story goes on. Only the actions of Grand Masetro Mohs fits into this category.]] |
| 141 | * CosmicDeadline: Funny how you pretty much do nothing different in fights with the BigBad, and he finally decides to die for good after roughly 60 hours. |
| 142 | * CrapsaccharineWorld: [[spoiler:Auldrant seriously is one hell of a world as you progress throughout Tales of the Abyss. After the peace of Engeve, you come to learn that an entire nation of people were literally sacrificed to appease an ancient prophecy, the world itself hangs on nothing more than energy pillars to escape the hellish sea of poison and mud that lies below its true surface, you experience the first hand hardships and horrors of war, both gameplay wise AND even storywise, and amongst all of the political and social hardships and issues that plague the world, EVERYONE on this world STILL has to deal with the bloodthirsty monsters and thugs that lurk outside every hamlet. Thankfully, the game helps uplift things to show that it can be a WorldHalfFull.]] |
| 143 | * CreepyChild: |
| 144 | ** Jade abused harmless animals and had a rather warped view of death and killing when he was only a kid. That's not to mention his CreepyMonotone and [[ChildProdigy overall fonic genius]], but he's grown out of it. |
| 145 | ** Original [[spoiler:Ion, in the manga.]] Kills what amounts to a newborn baby on page 9. |
| 146 | * CrutchCharacter: Jade, before he conveniently has his powers sealed to the same level as the other party members. And slowly works through said seal, conveniently gaining power at the same rate as everyone else. |
| 147 | * CrypticConversation: A subversion. The conversations with Lorelei, and the Score itself, are considered cryptic and become hard to understand not because they're metaphorical or mystical but because people expect them to be. 'Light of the Sacred Flame' is not a metaphor, it's a translation out of the language the Score was spoken in of Luke fon Fabre. [[spoiler:Miner's City]] is also not a metaphor or poetic description of [[spoiler:Akzeriuth]]: the city didn't have a name when Yulia read the Score because it hadn't been built yet, so Lorelei just called it what it was. Because of this, the characters seem to assume that [[GodInHumanForm Scion]] of Lorelei is another metaphor or that Lorelei is saying something mystical when he tries to explain to Luke that the reason Lorelei is speaking to him is that [[spoiler:they're one and the same entity, and Luke needs to know certain things to save them both.]] |
| 148 | * CrystalDragonJesus: The Order of Lorelei. |
| 149 | * CrystalSpiresAndTogas: Yulia City. |
| 150 | * CutsceneIncompetence: Your party is surrounded by a bunch of {{Mooks}} that you've already beaten a hundred times over, and they ''[[StupidSurrender decide to surrender]].'' Meanwhile... |
| 151 | * CutscenePowerToTheMax: ... Tear can put an entire house to sleep, jump off a roof, and nearly kill someone without breaking a sweat. Though in another cutscene near the end of the game, she strains herself heavily just putting eight people to sleep, claiming that she never put that many people to sleep before. While it may be arguable that she only attacked the people that were currently in the courtyard of Fabre mansion at the start of the game (and only made Luke, Van and Guy kinda groggy, at that), it's somewhat unlikely that ''every'' knight in Natalia's palace was pretending to be asleep, though they'd probably do it if it meant that [[spoiler:Natalia]] would be safe. It's worth noting that Tear was already feeling weak from the miasma before she put that band of replicas to sleep. |
| 152 | * CuttingTheKnot: Reiner, Dist's subordinate, has the flight stone, and says he can't give it to anyone, even the Fon Master. Luke tries to talk him into helping them, but Tear then uses a fonic hymn and puts Reiner to sleep, stealing the stone in the process. |
| 153 | * DarkActionGirl: Legretta, Arietta, and Nebilim. |
| 154 | * DarkMagicalGirl: Arietta, an orphaned girl raised by monsters who resents Anise for replacing her as Fon Master Guardian and blames her for [[spoiler: Ion's death]], and the rest of the party for the Liger Queen's death. |
| 155 | * DarkReprise: [[spoiler:Van]] has two [[{{Leitmotif}} leitmotifs]]: The first, titled [[spoiler:"Van"]], is a majestic, heroic-sounding melody. The second, titled [[spoiler:"Van -- Truth"]], which plays when he shows his true colors at [[spoiler:Akzeriuth]], is a variation of the first melody, which is played in a minor key and which sounds more menacing. |
| 156 | * DarkerAndEdgier: ''Abyss'' followed the much LighterAndSofter ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'' and more idealistic ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' series. (Including ''Phantasia'', which received a Platform/GameBoyAdvance release months before ''Abyss'' was.) The game's WhamEpisode involves [[spoiler:Luke being tricked into causing a mining town full of people suffering from Miasma-poisoning into the Qliphoth. Those who didn't die in the initial fall then ''sank into the mud'' and died. Nothing quite like that happens (unless you include the mass-Suicide of the Replicas) later, but almost all the characters wind up losing someone important to them or going through hell to earn their happy ending... and they got a GainaxEnding]]. Plus the characters themselves. [[spoiler: ''Jade'' is the only one who doesn't go through some kind of traumatic event. And given that Jade kind of created a HumanoidAbomination and nearly killed himself when he was younger...yeah]]. |
| 157 | * DeadpanSnarker: |
| 158 | ** Jade, quite often. |
| 159 | ---> '''Jade''': Everyone, thank you so much for getting in my way.\ |
| 160 | %%** Anise, sometimes. |
| 161 | * DeathMountain: Deo Pass and the Meggiora Highlands. |
| 162 | %%* DeathSeeker: |
| 163 | %%** Played straight by Asch. |
| 164 | %%** Luke |
| 165 | * DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Shares a page with the rest of the franchise [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype/TalesSeries here]]. |
| 166 | * DeconstructorFleet: |
| 167 | ** The game takes a stab at the MartyStu cliche through Jade by showing just how dangerous a Marty Stu-type character would be. When it comes to fonic artes and science, nobody can match Jade. Period. He created the first replica at an improbable age (nine!) and mastered artes adults found difficult without any hassle. However, while brilliant, he's also a complete sociopath with no emotional attachment to the world. Jade reflects on this later in the game when he realises that, despite having the most incredible mind in the world, he considers his lack of consideration nothing short of inhuman and comes to believe that his intellect has been nothing but a blight on the planet. This culminates in him expressing a wish to [[spoiler:go back in time and kill himself as an infant]]. |
| 168 | ** The game has an interesting take on the KidHero, seeing as [[spoiler:Luke is actually chronologically 7 years old despite looking like a young adult]]. Ignoring that, Luke mentally is a KidHero, and the reality of this this is deconstructed several times as well by showing how someone with a physical age being different from their mental age would have issues operating in the world. Basically, a KidHero only works when the setting is not a dark and realistic world like ''Abyss'' is. |
| 169 | ** LockedOutOfTheLoop is hit with this as well. Luke gets locked out of several conversations early on by the other characters on account of them either thinking he was too stupid to understand what they are talking about, or because they just don't really care if he knows or not, and this makes him (rightfully) angry because most of the time, nobody explains why they are not including him in the loop. Eventually it gets to the point where the only person Luke can trust is his mentor Van, which ends up making it easy [[spoiler:for Van to manipulate him into trusting him, leading Luke to destroy Akzeruth by accident]]. Basically, the game shows how utterly stupid locking someone out of the loop is when the loop directly relates to them, something the party all realize was a stupid move on their part later. In addition, it also deconstructs the trope in another, more subtle way as it relates to Luke's amnesia. Specifically, due to how high functioning he is, many characters often forget that he is amnesiac and as a result doesn't tell him of things he really should know, thinking it is something so basic that he should already know this. This comes to ahead when [[spoiler:Luke get's a message from Lorelei and doesn't understand it's full meaning as he was never taught ancient Ispanian]]. |
| 170 | ** The game also does this to CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot. Several characters have knowledge of the BigBad, and his plans, as well as knowledge of major plot points. None of them act on it however, mainly because they either are not sure of his plan of action, or lack knowledge of his true motives, and thus take their time trying to move against him. As a result, the first half of the game ends being VillainsActHeroesReact, and the game shows how bad it was for the group to not have acted on their suspicions earlier, [[spoiler:leading to the destruction of Akzeruth as a result]]. Once the BigBad reveals his plans after, and begins acting on them, the people not allied with him but know of his motives all begin kicking themselves for not acting on the information they had, and point out they should have done or said something to stop him early. This ends up extending to party as well, they [[spoiler:blame Luke for the destruction of Akzeruth, but all of them end up realizing they were wrong for doing so because they did not act sooner]]. |
| 171 | ** The game tears into the concept of TheChosenOne and every trope relating to destiny and fate. It takes the nature of the setting, and shows just what kind of society would evolve due to the fact that a comprehensive prophecy that is ''always right'' exists, completely revolves around it, and takes it very close to its horrifyingly logical conclusion. |
| 172 | * DespairEventHorizon: The replicas after they learn that Mohs is not going to bring them to Eldrant. |
| 173 | * DesperationAttack: Luke's Lost Fon Drive [[LimitBreak Mystic Arte]] is usable only when Luke has less than 15% HP. Story wise, he is also only able to use it at the end of the game, [[spoiler:when his body is (quite literally) falling apart.]] |
| 174 | * DevelopersForesight: |
| 175 | ** In a first for the series, the final battle accounts for your party members after the fighting starts. For example, if you have Luke and Tear in the party, they take lead as you would expect. However, if you do not have them in the party, the characters still make sure to mention them and reference the role they play in defeating the BigBad. |
| 176 | ** If you do a second playthrough and keep all of the characters titles, you can equip Luke with an outfit where he has his short hair. If you do, the game accounts for this by having Guy ask about it, and Luke comments he is wearing a wig. |
| 177 | ** In the Western and 3DS versions of the game, an extra Mystic Arte extension was given to Luke's first Mystic Arte where Ion appears and uses a Daathic Fonic Arte to do damage. This can only be used when Ion is "in the party", when he is absent, you cannot use it since there is no way for him to show up and use said ability. |
| 178 | ** If you use a Mystic Arte with Luke before he cuts his hair (only doable in a NewGamePlus file), he has a different portrait when executing them from the one he usually has. |
| 179 | ** If you use Anise's Mystic Arte extension without Luke and Tear in the party, she uses a different line of dialogue as she is keeping up her cutesy attitude with Luke and Tear not around. |
| 180 | * DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: Happens after you collect the final Catalyst weapon. |
| 181 | -->'''Luke''': What's the matter?\ |
| 182 | '''Tear''': ...I don't know. I just suddenly got worried...\ |
| 183 | '''Luke''': Don't worry. If worse comes to worst, [[DeclarationOfProtection I'll protect you]].\ |
| 184 | '''Tear''': What...?\ |
| 185 | '''Luke''': Uh... I-I didn't mean it like that...\ |
| 186 | '''Tear''': ...Well, fine. I didn't take it like that. |
| 187 | * DiscOneFinalDungeon: The Absorption Gate takes place about 3/4 through the game, but if you experience the build up and the seemingly resolution of the entire plotline up to facing the BigBad, not to mention the kickass music when you fight him, it's a safe bet to say the developers ''wanted'' players to think this was the last dungeon. |
| 188 | * DiscOneNuke: |
| 189 | ** By exploiting a bug, it's possible to get the Vorpal Sword, a near-endgame level weapon for Luke and Guy, the first time you can run around on the world map. |
| 190 | ** By exploiting the trade item system correctly, the player can get very powerful weapons for all of the party much sooner than that they would otherwise, making much of the first half of the game or so a joke, including beating the HopelessBossFight against Asch the first time without hardly trying. |
| 191 | * DisneyVillainDeath: After you fight the BigBad the first time, he throws himself off the ledge and into the planet's core. Everyone thinks he died, and he himself was expecting to die, but he actually survives. When he dies for real, you kill him. |
| 192 | ** [[spoiler:Sync, who also falls into the core after his first fight with he party. He's saved by Van after he falls into the core as well]] |
| 193 | * DistressedDamsel: Fon Master Ion, a rare male example, and further supported to his extremely girly appearance. (And female voice actress.) |
| 194 | * TheDitz: While not being a full blown example like [[VideoGame/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. |
| 195 | * DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: A world religion that bases itself on not just the teachings and lessons but the events and prophecies left behind by their founding figure, and whose ultimate culmination is meant to cause the end of the world, yet everyone follows it to achieve an age of great prosperity despite this? It may be out of the decade considering its release into the early 2000s, but whew, should it had been released in the place known as the Land of Eagles in reality in the 1990s, this would have caused even greater uproar than even ''Lunar'' and ''Xenogears'' combined. [[note]]Due to mass panic by mainstream Christianity believing millenialism and biblical prophecy, Evangelism and Fundamentalist Christianity was in full force to try and convert everyone and anyone to Christ, believing the end of the world was in line with the likes of Y2K and the rise of the internet believed to be "The Beast" and the "One World Order" empire that would start the Apocalypse. Suffice to say, although this was major in the United States and Europe, Japan had its own problems with the Christian Buddhist hybrid cult known as Aum Shinrikyo, who also had stark World War III prophecies, stockpiled military weaponry, and even tried to upstart civil unrest by the notorious sarin gas attacks on Tokyo's subway system in 1996.[[/note]] |
| 196 | * DontSaySuchStupidThings: Every time Luke opens his mouth past his ImportantHaircut and gaining a ''massive'' GuiltComplex. [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] as this does nothing but make Luke bury his issues and do his best to hide them from his friends. It takes him [[spoiler:nearly dying]] and finally realizing his own personal value for him to start getting better. |
| 197 | * DontYouDarePityMe: During the Contamination Sidequest, Dist feels sorry for Jade and tries to make him feel better with amounts to a platitude [[spoiler:since Luke is doomed to become DeaderThanDead and there's nothing anyone can do about it.]] Jade is unamused, both since [[spoiler:Asch having Luke's memories won't make him Luke any more than the Nebilim replica containing Professor Nebilim's memories made her Professor Nebilim]] and when ''Dist'' pities you, that's when you know you've really hit rock bottom. |
| 198 | * DoomedHometown: Inverted: Luke's hometown isn't destroyed, the BigBad's is, and it's one of the reasons he hates the Score. |
| 199 | * DudeLooksLikeALady: Ion. [[spoiler:And by extension, Florian]]. |
| 200 | * DuelBoss: Luke fights Asch alone twice, though you're allowed (and expected) to lose the first fight. |
| 201 | * DullSurprise: Quite a few scenes in the game. [[http://i28.tinypic.com/15d44z7.jpg This]], for example, [[SarcasmMode is the face of someone who is in danger of being eaten alive by an angry beast about twenty times their size]]. |
| 202 | * DyingMomentOfAwesome: You have to admit how cool it was how [[spoiler:Asch died. Unarmed at first, he manages to fight off dozens of soldiers but then ends up stabbed in the back. The sword goes through him, another three swords get stabbed through his body. He kills the last remaining soldiers, ''remains standing and pulls one of the swords out'' before his strength leaves him and he falls to the ground and tells Luke that it's all up to him as he gives the last of his power to him]]. |
| 203 | * DynamicEntry: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlfzBVMwJjs Enter the amazing Guy!]] |
| 204 | [[/folder]] |
| 205 | [[folder: E-H]] |
| 206 | * EarthShatteringKaboom: Subverted, barely. While the world never blows up, manipulation by the BigBad and Luke's [[NiceJobBreakingItHero heroic incompetence]] leads to [[spoiler:half the world missing at one point.]] |
| 207 | * ElementalPowers: |
| 208 | ** [[CastingAShadow First Fonon: Shadow]]. |
| 209 | ** [[DishingOutDirt Second Fonon: Earth]] (and by extension in one case, [[GravityMaster Gravity]]). |
| 210 | ** [[BlowYouAway Third Fonon: Wind]] (and by extension, [[ShockAndAwe Lightning]]). |
| 211 | ** [[MakingASplash Fourth Fonon: Water]] (and by extension, [[AnIcePerson Ice]]). |
| 212 | ** [[PlayingWithFire Fifth Fonon: Fire]]. |
| 213 | ** [[LightEmUp Sixth Fonon: Light]]. |
| 214 | ** [[MagicMusic Seventh Fonon: Sound]]. |
| 215 | * ElementNumberFive: The [[RuleOfSeven seventh]] fonon: the element of [[MagicMusic sound]]. |
| 216 | * TheEmpire: Averted, but [[spoiler:Mohs tries to convince King Ingobert VI of Kimlasca 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, met a colonel in its military, and visited the locations supposedly gathering forces, to run into the throne room and inform the king of the truth even taking the colonel in question, Jade Curtiss, along with them.]] |
| 217 | * EscortMission: You have to escort a bunch of villagers from their hometown to a new one. If you run into a battle, they will ''always'' get injured [[GamePlayAndStorySegregation even though there's only two or three enemy soldiers.]] Later, there's also the BonusDungeon. |
| 218 | * EternalEngine: Downplayed with the Abandoned Factory in Baticul, since it's no longer operational. |
| 219 | * EveryoneCanSeeIt: Guy, Jade, Natalia, and Anise all know that Luke and Tear both love each other. |
| 220 | * EvilKnockoff: [[spoiler:Sync, ]]especially after he stops wearing his mask later in the game. |
| 221 | * EvilLaugh: Dist. Also, [[spoiler:Mohs, after his monstrous transformation.]] |
| 222 | * TheEvilsOfFreeWill: A war that was destroying the world was stopped by the creation of the Score [[spoiler:which set the future in stone and is repeatedly stated to make individual choices mean absolutely nothing.]] Since the Score is the optimal future, the one that creates the most happiness and prosperity trying to fight it even to save someone's life by telling them their Death Score is considered an evil action. Of course, it's all futile anyway, since [[spoiler:replicas are the only ones with free will.]] If the Score is the best future, then entities that have no place in that future must be evil, or at the best 'not good.' This explains Mohs' opinion of them. |
| 223 | * EvilTwin: Played straight by [[spoiler:Sync;]] subverted by [[spoiler:Asch.]] In the manga, however, it's revealed that this is inverted by [[spoiler:the ''real'' Ion, who is a [[CreepyChild evil kid that adopts people as pets]].]] |
| 224 | * ExposedToTheElements: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] repeatedly in conversation skits. Neither [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDOx4wtpLw8 Jade]] nor [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWDIunMxAv0 Tear]] is safe from this. |
| 225 | * FalseFlagOperation: Attempted by [[spoiler:Grand Maestro Mohs and Van, using replicas to dress as Malkuth soldiers]]. It's ultimately subverted in that their intended target doesn't fall for it. ([[spoiler:Natalia does. But she at least has enough common sense to ask the other side about the attack before pushing the big red "WAR" button. Not to mention, she agrees with the rest of the party that the tactics used by the troops -- suicide bombings -- are things that no sane army would ever conceive of, let alone actually do]].) |
| 226 | * FamousAncestor: None other than Yulia Jue, the woman who created the Score, for Tear and Van. |
| 227 | * FantasticRacism: In regards to [[spoiler:the replicas that end up all over the world in the last part of the game]]. An important part of [[spoiler:Asch's]] motivations. |
| 228 | %%* FantasyGunControl: Averted by Legretta; played straight with everyone else. |
| 229 | * FearfulSymmetry: Asch knows all the artes that [[spoiler:Luke]] can learn, with a couple magic spells added as well. |
| 230 | * FinishingMove: The ever shiny Mystic Artes; and everyone that's important enough gets one. Or more. |
| 231 | ** Played very literally with Anise's second Mystic Arte, Fever Time. If it doesn't end the battle, say bye-bye to 20,000 Gald. |
| 232 | * FloatingContinent: |
| 233 | ** [[spoiler:Try the ''entire crust of a planet'']]. |
| 234 | ** Later there's [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon The Glorious Land, Eldrant]] floating in the sky, but it gets shot down and land-based pretty soon. |
| 235 | ** There's also the Isle of Feres. Lampshaded as "physically impossible" by Jade. |
| 236 | * FlowerMotifs: From their first encounter, each time Luke and Tear reunite there are always Selenia flowers around them. It is the symbol of their destined bond. When they are introduced to each other in Tataroo Valley? Selenia flowers. When they meet after Luke awakens from his coma in Yulia City? Selenia flowers. When they meet after Yulia City is lowered into the Outer Lands? Selenia flowers. [[spoiler:When they reunite two years later in the post credits ending]]? Selenia flowers. The last encounter explains why Tear lingers when they blossom in field of Hod: it has always been the unifying factor. |
| 237 | * FourEyesZeroSoul: Deconstructed with Jade Curtiss and twinned with ReluctantPsycho. He doesn't necessarily ''want'' to be a [[MoralSociopathy sociopath]] but he just can't fight the fact that he simply doesn't understand the value of human life. |
| 238 | * FourIsDeath: [[spoiler:By the end of the game only Legretta, Largo, Sync, and Arietta are loyal to Van as Asch has sided with the main party and Dist only became a God-General to revive Nebilim.]] |
| 239 | * FriendlyEnemy: More or less everyone but Mohs [[spoiler:and Asch]]. Almost everybody has had professional relationships in the same military before the fighting starts, and the ''lack'' of real animosity is palpable. |
| 240 | * FriendlyFireproof: |
| 241 | ** {{Hand Wave}}d by Jade, who says at one point that he can't use artes to fight back, because there were too many civilians around without friend-or-foe markings. |
| 242 | ** A book in Grand Chokmah explains 'marking' and how it pertains to preventing friendly fire. It's better than no explanation, at least. The short version is: a special fonic verse is inscribed into some of an ally's fon slots (more or less magic chakra points). These marks prevent wide-range magic cast by the user from unintentionally harming allies, and healing magic from unintentionally helping enemies. |
| 243 | * FungusHumongous: Mushroom Road. |
| 244 | * GameplayAndStoryIntegration: |
| 245 | ** Early in the game in a scene that's {{permanently missable|Content}}, someone will tell you that fonic artes are rather difficult to use and learn - and there are a surprisingly few amount of enemies that can use fonic artes. Even when you come to the ones using higher level fonic artes, they specialize in one element. |
| 246 | ** Luke has an extention to his Radiant Howl Mystic Arte where Ion uses his Daathic Fonic Arte on the enemy. This can only be used when Ion is traveling with your party. |
| 247 | ** Zig-zagged with Tear's fonic hymns. (See below) When they play it straight, Tear will learn a fonic arte, and will then sing it when she uses it in battle. |
| 248 | * GameplayAndStorySegregation: Many of Tear's fonic hymns are optional to learn, and some are even {{permanently missable|Content}}, even though the story states that she has to know all of them by the end. |
| 249 | ** Tear's default fonic hymn, Nightmare, is in-universe a sleeping spell that affects everyone who hears it. However, "sleep" is not a status ailment in gameplay, so it just does damage to a single target instead. |
| 250 | * GenderBlenderName: Jade. Peony. Saphir... [[spoiler:Also Lorelei, who is given a rather deep and masculine voice]]. |
| 251 | * GenerationXerox: A LaserGuidedTykebomb [[spoiler:born specifically for the purpose of destroying a city]] ends up defying the Score in order to save the world from utter destruction, gathering a group of allies, one of whom was originally out to kill him and another of which betrays him. Also, his friend [[spoiler:Ion]] dies and he's helpless to save him. There are several more ways in which [[spoiler:Van and Luke]] fit this trope. |
| 252 | * GenkiGirl: Anise. |
| 253 | * TheGhost: In Daath, the player can find a book listing all of the higher-ups of the Order and Oracle Knights. Of all the names, one of them, 6th Division Commander Cantabile, is never mentioned or seen anywhere in the game (though she does eventually make an appearance in ''Tales Of Fandom vol. 2'', as part of Tear's backstory.) |
| 254 | * GhostTown: The Isle of Feres. |
| 255 | * GildedCage: The Fabre Manor is this to Luke; he hasn't been allowed to leave it since his kidnapping and TraumaInducedAmnesia to protect him, leaving him with only memories of living there. He's so sheltered that not only does he not have basic knowledge of things like stores, he does not know what the city he lives in looks like. This is a plot point: Luke ''hates'' it so much that his desire [[IJustWantToBeFree to be free]] is what drives his actions as [[AssInAmbassador Ambassador]] and [[spoiler:give the BigBad a means to thoroughly manipulate him.]] |
| 256 | * GlobalAirship: The Albiore, though this is debatable, since you spend a good portion of the game with it [[CoolCar unable to fly]]. |
| 257 | * [[BlackBlood Glowing White Blood With A Slight Red Tint]]: The anime. |
| 258 | * GodIsGood: [[spoiler:Very much so. Lorelei is a benevolent deity that wants humanity to succeed. Unlike most holy beings in media, he is all but ecstatic when he is made irrelevant, as Luke defying the Score means that humans are ''finally'' independent and don't need him anymore. ]] |
| 259 | * GogglesDoNothing: Guy's Hopeless Dreamer outfit has a pair of goggles on his forehead. |
| 260 | * GogglesDoSomethingUnusual: Jade's glasses don't do anything to correct his vision (which is, in fact, above average). Instead, his eyes are where his ability to use magic is concentrated, and the glasses act as a PowerLimiter. |
| 261 | * GoldDigger: Anise. Justified in that [[spoiler:she is trying to shovel her parents out of debt]]. Nonetheless, it's slightly disturbing to see this ''thirteen-year-old girl'' trying to twine herself around Luke (especially if you take into account the fact that [[spoiler:he's technically only 7 years old]]). Or, say, ''Peony'', who is thirty-six. |
| 262 | * GoldfishPoopGang: The Dark Wings. |
| 263 | * GoodIsNotNice: Asch is trying to accomplish the same thing you are, [[spoiler:to stop Van from destroying the world and replacing it with a Replica world]], but that sure doesn't stop Asch from passionately hating Luke and threatening to kill him. |
| 264 | * GracefulLoser: |
| 265 | ** Largo, his last words are praising Natalia for landing the killing blow so effectively, giving Luke some advice and then saying goodbye to Natalia, who is [[spoiler:his daughter.]] |
| 266 | ** [[spoiler:Van, oddly enough, he says goodbye to Tear, tells Luke not to call him master and asks his subordinates to forgive him as he dies for good.]] |
| 267 | * GreaterScopeVillain: |
| 268 | ** The Miasma. Van may be the BigBad of the story responsible for most of the events, but he bears no ill will towards the party. Their mutual enemy is the Miasma that is consuming the world and fated to destroy it. Granted, the Miasma is a natural hazard. |
| 269 | ** [[spoiler:The original Ion. He's was Van's partner in his plan to replicate the world, and he may even have been the one who came up with the plan to replicate the world in the first place. Even if he wasn't, he definitely supported it, and promoted Van to Commandant in order for him to have the political and military power needed to carry the plan out after his (Ion's) death.]] |
| 270 | * GuestStarPartyMember: Asch. |
| 271 | * GuideDangIt: |
| 272 | ** Many of the sidequests are {{permanently missable|Content}} if you're not too careful, annoyingly some are important in understaniding some plot points in the game. |
| 273 | ** Din's Shop is also pretty complicated, but it's the only way to get some of the best armor, and Natalia's strongest bow, which is needed for her second Mystic Arte. |
| 274 | ** On the topic of Mystic Artes, many probably had to look up how to do the second-playthrough Mystic Artes. |
| 275 | * GunsAkimbo: Legretta, who uses a pair of pistols as her weapons |
| 276 | * GunsAreWorthless: It's hilarious to see Legretta firing both guns and realize ''they can't hit outside of the muzzle flash''. |
| 277 | * HarderThanHard: Unknown. All enemies stats are increased fourfold (or 3.5-fold in the US version) compared to what they were on Normal. Mystic Artes can and will destroy you. Bosses have such incredibly high defense that you're essentially forced to spend millions of Gald on a sword for Luke and Guy in Chesedonia if you want to do more than one damage per hit when said bosses easily have over 70k HP - even in the first chapter of the game. |
| 278 | * HarsherInHindsight: [[invoked]]Guy's fear of women was PlayedForLaughs [[spoiler:up until it's revealed what caused it. Almost everyone in the party felt horrible for having made fun of him for it.]] |
| 279 | * HaveANiceDeath: If you die on a boss battle, you can view a small skit that helps you exploit the enemy's weakness. |
| 280 | * HeKnowsAboutTimedHits: The combat tutorial, where Van instructs Luke as he goes through a training drill and uses terms like "Menu button" and "Control Stick". |
| 281 | * HealingCheckpoint: A green save point will completely heal your party when you step on it. Considering almost all of them show up right before a big boss fight, [[SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity it's a signal to be prepared]]. |
| 282 | * HeroicBSOD: Luke, after he commits an act that makes everyone in the party hate him, even though he's the main character, exacerbated after [[spoiler:he finds out he's a replica]]. Further exacerbated by the fact that [[spoiler:he had been post-hypnotically manipulated into doing it by his beloved master who also gave him a YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness speech at the same time, and that his father and uncle knew that they were sending him and his party to suicide bomb a city so that they could use it as an excuse to start a World War, and that the destruction of Akzeriuth destabalized the entire continent, leading to potentially thousands more deaths. And did we mention that Luke is one of the few RPG main characters that absolutely hates killing people, had a BSOD the first time he killed someone, and still has nightmares about every person he kills?]] |
| 283 | ** Guy has one when his TraumaInducedAmnesia is undone, but he gets over it pretty quickly. |
| 284 | ** Natalia also has one when the party learns [[spoiler:that Asch has died]] |
| 285 | * HeroicSacrifice: |
| 286 | ** [[spoiler:Ion. Asch]] repeatedly attempts this, but never quite pulls it off. [[spoiler:He eventually dies because he wouldn't accept a weapon from Luke, in a great aversion of GameplayAndStorySegregation.]] |
| 287 | ** Also, after he realizes what a complete ass he's been, Luke slowly begins to develop an inferiority complex and think the only way to redeem himself is through this. [[spoiler:He appears to do this in the ending, but it's not made clear whether he does or not.]] |
| 288 | * HiddenMechanic: The game has the ability to power-up [[LimitBreak Mystic Artes]], depending on where you are in the story or if you've fulfilled certain conditions. For instance, if Ion is travelling with the party, you can hold down a button during Luke's Mystic Arte to have Ion deliver a second no-cost follow-up Mystic Arte. The only way to know about these Mystic Arte boosts is through looking up how to use them online, because the game never tells you that you can do it, let alone how you can do it. |
| 289 | * HighDiveEscape: Sync in the anime after his mask breaks. |
| 290 | * HopelessBossFight: The fight against Asch, though it's very much winnable in terms of game mechanics. Once you go back to the [[HeadsIWinTailsYouLose cutscene, though...]] |
| 291 | * HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Just think Akzeriuth. [[spoiler:Luke had Van's betrayal coming from a mile away.]] Justified when one takes into account [[spoiler:Luke is just seven and looks at Van as his father figure.]] |
| 292 | * HypnoFool: [[spoiler:The reason Luke blows up Azkeriuth.]] |
| 293 | * {{Hypocrite}}: Despite being disgusted with Luke over what happened at Akzeriuth, [[spoiler:Anise]] is a traitor and has been feeding information to the BigBad all along. [[spoiler:There was some coercion, true, but she's not as good as she appears to be.]] |
| 294 | ** [[spoiler:Anise is also the one who continues to treat other traitors no matter who they're loyal to, like Spinoza, the roughest of the party and is always the last to forgive them. Possibly out of self-hatred, since this rule applies to Anise herself. The exception is Dist, who Anise simply doesn't really respect.]] |
| 295 | ** Tear never shuts up about how Luke shouldn't trust Van [[spoiler:and that he should have seen his betrayal and true nature coming.]] At the same time, her own loyalty to the ObviouslyEvil Mohs never gets addressed [[spoiler:even after it's clear he's as responsible for the horrible things happening as much as Van.]] |
| 296 | [[/folder]] |
| 297 | [[folder: I-L]] |
| 298 | * IdiotHero: Luke. My God, Luke. [[spoiler:This is justified, {{deconstructed|Trope}}, and {{averted|Trope}} when you take into account the fact Luke is actually seven; he's an idiot because he really only has seven years worth of knowledge (and is expected to act 17 at minimum), this leads to a lot of grief (especially as everyone fails to properly account for his true age), and when one really considers all Luke does over the game, he's actually quite smart for his age.]] |
| 299 | -->'''Jade''': You're amazingly dense, aren't you, Luke?\ |
| 300 | '''Guy''': Are you stupid? Only a child needs kindness to be blatantly obvious in order to see it.\ |
| 301 | '''Anise''': Luke. Do you actually think there's anyone in the world who'd say "yes, I'm pushing myself"? You're so dumb! |
| 302 | * ImpliedLoveInterest: Take your pick: |
| 303 | ** [[EveryoneCanSeeIt Luke and Tear]]. |
| 304 | ** [[ChildhoodMarriagePromise Natalia and Luke]] [[spoiler:(the original Luke, of course).]] |
| 305 | ** [[BodyguardCrush Anise and Ion]]. |
| 306 | ** [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe Arietta and Ion]] [[spoiler:(Also the original).]] |
| 307 | * ImportantHaircut: Luke gets one at the end of the first part. |
| 308 | * IncomingHam: "Enter the amazing Guy!" |
| 309 | * InexplicableTreasureChests: One of these can be seen [[spoiler:in the cutscene after activating the Absorption Gate, letting you know the game isn't really over. Oops.]] |
| 310 | * InformedAbility: Van taught Tear the fonic hymns, and we get referenced to him using them, but we never hear him sing like Tear. He may cast Judgement while fighting, but he won't actually sing. |
| 311 | * InnocentInnuendo: Anise's suggestion to Florian that they sleep together [[note]] Anise is thirteen years old while Florian has the body of a fourteen-year-old, he is chronologically only two years old and has the mentality of a toddler [[/note]]. Luke is understandably [[{{Squick}} squicked]] by this until Anise clarifies that she means a sleepover involving the whole group. |
| 312 | * InstantCosplaySurprise: How Natalia gets a costume in a subquest. |
| 313 | * InstantRunes: When casting spells, and most definitely with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-D3gRs9aEs Jade's Indignation.]] |
| 314 | * IntergenerationalFriendship: It's pointed out many times how much older Jade is than the rest of the group (particularly with Anise, of whom he's close to three times her age). Not that he wants to admit that they're friends. |
| 315 | * InTheBlood: Only descendants of Yulia can sing her hymns, and only designated seventh fonists can use the seventh fonon. Jade and Mohs tried to defy this rule with disastrous results. |
| 316 | * {{Invocation}} |
| 317 | * InvoluntaryGroupSplit: During the first trip to Absorption Gate, a platform collapses and separates the party into three pairs: Luke and Tear, Guy and Natalia, and Jade and Anise. The player gets to play as each mini-party and each of their actions helps the others' progress. |
| 318 | * {{Irony}}: In the Cheagle Woods, when Luke is telling Mieu to breathe fire all over the place, Tear warns him that Mieu doing so could cause another forest fire. Luke simply responds that, if that were to happen, it would be all Mieu's fault, disregarding the fact that he (Luke) was giving the orders. At first, this appears to be yet another example of Luke's stupidity and irresponsibility, but then [[spoiler:Akzeriuth is destroyed]]. |
| 319 | * ItGetsEasier: Subverted with Luke who never gets used to killing people. Jade even mentions that he knows that Luke doesn't sleep at night, because of the nightmares he has. Played straight with Natalia though. |
| 320 | * ItsAllUpstairsFromHere: Tower of Rem. |
| 321 | * IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: If you read Luke's journals toward the end of the game, you'll realize that [[spoiler:he decides against telling Tear how he feels because his body is going to disintegrate soon anyway and it would just break her heart.]] |
| 322 | * IWillWaitForYou: [[spoiler:Tear says this to Luke right after Van's final defeat.]] |
| 323 | * JamesBondage: Ion, who manages to get himself kidnapped more times than most female [[DamselInDistress damsels]]. [[spoiler:Justified by him actually being two years old.]] |
| 324 | * {{Jerkass}}: |
| 325 | ** Luke, before he realizes what a complete ass he's been and gets an ImportantHaircut. |
| 326 | ** Sync is the game's most triumphant, unrepentant example, however. Any sympathy from his FreudianExcuse is negated by him [[KicktheDog kicking the dog]] at every opportunity. |
| 327 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: |
| 328 | ** Jade and Anise. No wonder they get along so well. |
| 329 | ** Tear can be awfully scathing and aloof, but she's also a deeply loving person. |
| 330 | ** Luke at the start of the game qualifies as well. For a [[spoiler:seven year old]] member of the highest levels of nobility with the life experience of a toddler, he's surprisingly down to Earth and his rudeness is tempered by his extreme aversion to killing and desire to protect people. |
| 331 | ** Princess Natalia is a tried and true RichBitch, but she also truly loves her people, and loses the "jerk" part completely as time goes on. |
| 332 | * JigglePhysics: If Tear is your on-screen character, her breasts bounce when she runs. This can be noticed in certain cutscenes as well, e.g. a scene that involves Tear walking towards the screen with her entire body in clear focus. |
| 333 | * JustInTime: |
| 334 | ** Can be averted. If you take too long to save Ginji and the Albiore I, he really ''will'' fall to his death. |
| 335 | ** Oddly, though, the game is playing this straight at the ''exact same time'': [[spoiler:the entire reason you're trying to save Ginji and the Albiore I is to save the people remaining in St. Binah before it sinks, which conveniently takes long enough for the party to go ''halfway around the world'' and engage in a FetchQuest.]] The anime adaptation rewrites things to make more sense: the party doesn't take part in the first-mentioned act at all, [[spoiler:and Noelle happens to arrive at St. Binah with the Albiore JustInTime]]. |
| 336 | * KickTheDog: |
| 337 | ** Plenty from villains all around; the most overt would be [[spoiler:Sync]]'s blow below the belt towards Anise. |
| 338 | ** Legretta's slaughter of [[spoiler:Belkend and Sheridan's Class I and Class M tech-heads was pretty horrific too]]. |
| 339 | * KissingCousins: Natalia and Luke. Subverted: [[spoiler:while Luke's mother is Natalia's father's sister, ''Luke'' as you first know him from the story is actually a clone]], and [[spoiler:Natalia was adopted from another family when the real princess died in infancy]]. Double subversion because the two of them are royalty, meaning it's practically mandated. |
| 340 | * KleptomaniacHero: There is something amusing about having Luke steal 100 gald from his parents' room right at the start of the game. |
| 341 | * LampshadeHanging: If you carry over your costume titles and equip Luke with one pre-ImportantHaircut, the other characters will point it out. |
| 342 | ** Likewise, if you equip one for the first scene with Guy will have a few extra lines of dialogue (as will Tear when he cuts it). Guy's dialogue has more if you equip Luke's bathing suit costume, mentioning his attire. These don't work if you equip Dragon Buster? or Abyss Red, though. |
| 343 | * LaserGuidedAmnesia: Subverted in that [[spoiler:Luke isn't really an amnesiac; he's actually a clone of the "real" Luke: Asch. The game makes it clear that clones are a complete blank slate; Guy recalls Luke having to learn to walk.]] |
| 344 | * LawOfCartographicalElegance: A particularly egregious example, as part of the plot involves going to the North and South Poles... which are right next to one another when traveling on the Field, even though the cutscenes makes it clear that Aldurant is a globe. |
| 345 | * LeaningOnTheFourthWall: When having the party run around in their bathing suits, some say that somebody must be forcing them to wear them. |
| 346 | * LeaveBehindAPistol: [[spoiler:Luke and Natalia]], being members of royalty who are sentenced to death, are told to die by their own hands, and are given poison so they will not suffer. Thankfully, help arrives before they're forced to drink it. |
| 347 | * LethalChef: |
| 348 | ** Princess Natalia is the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li8xgS8NeZE&feature=related text]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nTw_a-wNgo&feature=related book]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G6DSi3MArI&feature=related example]], and to a lesser extent, so is Luke. This leads to GameplayAndStorySegregation, as when either Natalia or Luke are actually used to make meals for the party, they're no more likely to fail at it than any other member of the party. |
| 349 | ** While Jade is a decent chef, according to skits he uses his cooking as "non-lethal" experiments on the group. It's usually mild things like putting in disliked ingredients or testing their tolerance for spiciness, but it probably wouldn't be the smartest thing to have him cook while you're in Mushroom Road. You don't even need skits to know what Jade is like at times- look at what he adds to some of the food in the optional ingredient section, or read what he makes when it tells you; for instance, when asked to make pizza after he gets his first or second star on the recipe, he makes Potato Pizza, provided you have potatoes on hand, as they are his choice ingredient for this one. Though, this might just mean Jade has BizarreTasteInFood. |
| 350 | * LethalLavaLand: Mt. Zaleho. |
| 351 | * LetsSplitUpGang: Happens twice more: first during the TimedMission in the Meggiora Highlands, and again when the party [[spoiler:attempts to warn the civilians and military as the Shurrey Hill area is about to fall]]. At least during these, you get to choose who goes in which party; the former has you choose between Guy and Jade, and the latter between Natalia and Jade (again). |
| 352 | * LetsYouAndHimFight: Subverted in that, although Asch is working towards the same goal as the party, he hates Luke personally, and would gladly kill him if given the opportunity. To be fair, [[CloneAngst he has every reason to]], thought it isn't the reason you think... |
| 353 | * LiteralGenie: Aside from his tendency to translate names out of Ancient Ispanian and say Light of the Sacred Flame when he just means Luke fon Fabre, for example, Lorelei is a well-intentioned example of this. The Score is a fairly straightforward list of historical occurrances in chronological order. For instance, the [[spoiler:war will certainly bring prosperity to Kimlasca... until the plague kills them all.]] A pity that part was on the next fonstone. There are two times in the game where Lorelei saying something fairly straightforward is turned into a CrypticConversation because the listeners expect him to be crypic and mystical when all he's trying to do is tell them some piece of vital information in simple terms. |
| 354 | * LittleMissSnarker: Anise occasionally descends into this. |
| 355 | * LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: The load times after a battle on the world map are generally bad, but become far worse if you're in the Zao Desert. It's particularly bad in the Inista Marsh because the game treats the area as if you're still on the world map and not in an actual dungeon like any other area listed in the dungeon listing of your map. This issue was greatly improved in the 3DS version, in which load times got considerably shorter than in the [=PS2=] version. |
| 356 | * LockedOutOfTheLoop: Everyone except Natalia is keeping some kind of secret from Luke and all the others when the game starts: |
| 357 | ** Jade figures out early that [[spoiler:Luke is a replica of Asch]] but doesn't tell him because doing so would be messy and inconvenient, and it doesn't seem relevant to what they're actually trying to accomplish. Had he known some of the others' secrets, he might have picked up that it was an important aspect of the BigBad's plan, but... |
| 358 | ** Tear tried to kill Van because [[spoiler:she overheard him talking to Legretta about his plans which would destroy the world...but because [[VillainWithGoodPublicity everyone loves him]], she [[CassandraTruth doesn't think they'd believe her]] if she tells them so outright.]] |
| 359 | ** Guy has been conspiring with Van for years [[spoiler:to kill Luke in front of his father as revenge for his own family's death at Duke Fabre's hands,]] although he is unaware of Van's other plans. |
| 360 | ** Anise [[spoiler:[[TheMole is spying on them for Grand Maestro Mohs]], reporting on all their actions, and is basically the reason the God-Generals always know where they are, because Mohs has her parents hostage so she can't disobey him.]] |
| 361 | * LostInTranslation: One scene has Luke say, in regards to Anise, that "Her voice can shatter glass". Anise's English voice is ''significantly'' lower-pitched than her Japanese voice, and even though her voice actress raised the pitch of her voice a bit, it still doesn't come off as shrill. |
| 362 | * LostTechnology: Used to make the Sephiroths, and the entirety of Yulia City. Modern-day residents of Yulia City have no idea how it even ''works'' or how to make more of it. |
| 363 | * TheLostWoods: Cheagle Woods and Theor Forest. |
| 364 | %%* LoveHurts: Really bad. |
| 365 | * LoveMakesYouCrazy: Anise, Arietta, Legretta, Dist, and ''Jade'', of all people. |
| 366 | * LoveTriangle: |
| 367 | ** Anise, Arietta and Ion, despite the fact that none of them [[CanNotSpitItOut can spit it out]]. This game makes a kinda cruel variation: [[spoiler:Arietta was in love with the original Ion, since it was him who protected her and taught her everything when she was separated from her monsters family. Anise, on the other hand, falls for the replica Ion, who is the only one she got to know]]. Of course, neither of the girls know about this. |
| 368 | ** In a skit, it is implied that, if [[spoiler:Asch]] had not appeared, [[spoiler:Luke, Tear and Natalia]] most probably would have ended up in the same situation. |
| 369 | * LowLevelAdvantage: If you're on a New Game Plus and you carried over your Capacity Cores, it's recommended to fight as few battles as possible until Ion gives Luke his first Capacity Core in the Cheagle Woods. |
| 370 | * LukeIAmYourFather: |
| 371 | ** [[spoiler:Largo]] is [[spoiler:Natalia's]] true father. He didn't particularly care to ''tell'' his child about this, though... |
| 372 | ** Although technically, [[spoiler:Luke has no father, Van could be considered his father because he created him. Jade could also be considered his father as he invented fomicry.]] Neither of them though, uttered the famous words, despite Anise attempts to invoke it with Jade. |
| 373 | [[/folder]] |
| 374 | [[folder: M-O]] |
| 375 | * MacGuffinBlindness: TheHero Luke, and TheRival, Asch are each given a McGuffin by the goddess. However, Luke fails to receive his. After searching the world for it, Asch figures out what happened to it. Luke is a clone of Ashe, made using magical energy. As the McGuffin Luke was given was made of the same energy, Luke somehow ended up absorbing the McGuffin into himself. |
| 376 | * MadeOfPlasticine: The anime is full of this. |
| 377 | * MagicAIsMagicA: The game's physics are unusually consistent, affecting not just the overall plot but battle mechanics, cutscenes, and even character development arcs. |
| 378 | ** When Jade is fon slot sealed, his stats decrease because stats are measurements of various types of fonons and fonic power. In the same way Jade [[BladeBelowTheShoulder stores his spear]], everyone uses fonons to enhance their abilities, growing better it with experience. |
| 379 | ** People aren't hit by friendly fonic artes because fonists can mark their allies' fon slots. The fact they can only protect a few people at a time not only justifies the entire party not participating in battle and why they can't be swapped out during the battle (the markings would need to be redone), but is actually mentioned in a cutscene, where Jade reminds Tear that she can't use an arte around that many unmarked civilians. |
| 380 | ** The scene where they discuss the nature of Lorelei and the nature of a fon sentience seems like it's just general background info and an excuse to poke fun at Luke's ignorance but a piece of information there is a ChekhovsGun. The [[spoiler:definition of a fonon sentience is a sentient pure clump of the fonon with the sentience's fonon frequency. And Luke is a replica, pure seventh fonon, with Lorelei's fonon frequency.]] Lorelei later states that [[spoiler:Luke is another aspect of himself]] and this explains [[spoiler:why replicas aren't included in the Score despite being seventh fonon: they're not under Lorelei's jurisdiction.]] |
| 381 | ** The entire Contamination Sidequest revolves around how Auldrant's laws of physics are as unforgiving as 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.]] |
| 382 | * MagicalIncantation |
| 383 | * MagicByAnyOtherName: They call it "fonic artes". |
| 384 | * MagicMusic: |
| 385 | ** Tear's best abilities are her fonic hymns, which require her to sing. |
| 386 | ** When Jade uses his "Mystic Cage" arte, he says (in English), "Oh admonishing melody, arise in the name of the Necromancer. [[CallingYourAttacks Mystic Cage]]!" |
| 387 | * {{Magitek}}: Fon machines/fontech |
| 388 | * ManChild: Luke, because of his complete amnesia (''complete''--he had to relearn how to ''eat'') seven years ago. He's basically seven years old. Can be seen as a {{Deconstruction}}, as his childish acts eventually piss everybody off before he gets his CharacterDevelopment. [[spoiler:This is also justified as he actually ''is'' seven as a replica and his amnesia is just him starting as a BlankSlate.]] |
| 389 | * MayDecemberRomance: |
| 390 | ** Here's a fun thought, [[spoiler:Luke is technically seven years old with a mindset to match and only has the ''body'' of a seventeen year old]], while [[spoiler:Tear actually is sixteen years old]]. [[spoiler:Tear knows Luke's real age]] and yet by the end of the game both of them love each other. Sorta weird on [[spoiler:Luke's]] part, kinda creepy on [[spoiler:Tears's]] part. |
| 391 | ** Not to mention [[spoiler:Anise/Arrietta and the current Ion, who is ''two'' years old.]] |
| 392 | * MeaningfulName: |
| 393 | ** Asch. [[spoiler:He's the leftover ''ash''es of The Holy Flame.]] |
| 394 | *** Might count as GratuitousGerman, as "Asche" means the same and is only one letter away as well. |
| 395 | ** Also, Luke himself: the name actually does mean "Light". |
| 396 | ** Also, Sync is [[spoiler:a clone]]; Largo is really big; "Vandesdelca" means [[spoiler:"one who would seize glory"]]; Guy is afraid of women (gynophobic); and most of the God-Generals have musical names which ties in with the overall sonic theme of the setting. |
| 397 | ** Legretta is really quick. Legretta's name is actually an example of SpellMyNameWithAnS. While not incorrect, a better translation would be Regret. Kinda makes sense. May also be a {{Woolseyism}} to maintain the God-General's musical theme naming. |
| 398 | ** Natalia is a double whammy. First off, Natalia means birthday, and that comes into play when Luke finds a locket with that date inscribed on it. [[spoiler:It's Largo's prized possession, to commemorate the birth of his daughter Meryl, who is actually Natalia. Secondly, Meryl means shining sea. Natalia birth mother committed suicide by drowning in the Sea of Baticul when her newborn daughter was taken from her to replace the original Natalia, who was stillborn.]] |
| 399 | ** Lorelei. Interesting to give the fonon sentience of healing the name of a singer that lured people to their deaths. The Score is literally Lorelei's memory, meaning Lorelei [[spoiler:has to die to destroy it, according to Van, and the only way to do that is to destroy Auldrant itself.]] The Score is described as a tempting drug that lures people... |
| 400 | ** Many of the important place names are taken from the UsefulNotes/{{Kabbalah}} [[note]]Grand ''Chokhmah'', St. ''Binah'', ''Daat''h, ''Chesed''onia, Hod, ''Keter''burg, Malkuth, Qliphoth[[/note]]. Qliphoth, for instance, represents the evil spiritual forces, while Malkuth is the lowest of the sephirot, seperating them from the Qliphoth. Malkuth literally means "Kingdom". |
| 401 | *** Another interesting one is Keterburg, because it refers to God's will to create - Keterburg is where [[spoiler:Jade played God and created the first replica.]] |
| 402 | * AMechByAnyOtherName: The enormous "dolls" Anise rides and fights with during battle. Tokunaga being the nominal mech in question. |
| 403 | * MerchantCity: Chesedonia. |
| 404 | * MercyMode: In the game's brief stealth section, you're supposed to have your party sneak through a forest, while avoiding soldiers and guard dog patrols. If you're caught, you return to the start of the area. However, if you get caught too many times, the game will let you brute force your way through, fighting the enemies and not bothering with stealth. |
| 405 | * MinorInjuryOverreaction: |
| 406 | ** In the anime, all it took was one minor scratch to his chest to make the final boss of the Absorption Gate declare himself defeated, and throw himself over the edge to (presumably) his death while giggling like a maniac. ''Not'' the case in the game, however, as it takes ''quite'' the boss fight first to defeat him there. |
| 407 | ** Same goes for [[spoiler:Sync. Once his mask is broken]] (if that ''can'' be called an injury) and his [[spoiler:identity is revealed]] he goes on a spiel about [[spoiler:CloneAngst]] and promptly ''jumps into the abyss''. Keep in mind, he was kicking everyone's collective ''ass'' up to that point. |
| 408 | * MirrorBoss: |
| 409 | ** Most of the God-Generals, especially Asch. When fighting Asch the first time, using the same arte as him at the same time triggers extra mid-battle cutscenes showcasing the FearfulSymmetry at play. |
| 410 | ** The cameo team battle in the Arena is essentially this. Reid is Luke/Guy, Mint is Tear/Natalia, Philia is Jade, and Nanaly is Anise/Natalia. |
| 411 | * MixAndMatchCritters: |
| 412 | ** Rappigs, half rabbit, half pig. More like 9/10 pig and 1/10 rabbit, really. They're basically pigs with bunny ears. |
| 413 | ** Also "Ligers"... lion + tiger? |
| 414 | *** Note that these are different from real [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liger ligers]]. |
| 415 | *** Nope. [[ShockAndAwe Lightning]] + tiger. They do some Lightning damage in game, so the name's not just show. |
| 416 | ** Replicantis |
| 417 | * MorallySuperiorCopy: |
| 418 | ** The manga reveals that the original Ion was a CreepyChild bordering on TheSociopath, treating other people like pets, and may well have been [[GreaterScopeVillain responsible]] for [[BigBad Van's]] plan to replace the entire planet with a replica. The Ion seen in-game, the original's seventh and final replica, is a NiceGuy and one of the heroes' most reliable allies. Another Ion replica, given the name Florian, is a completely innocent CheerfulChild. |
| 419 | ** Luke and Asch are a slightly more complicated case because Asch [[AntiVillain isn't really evil]]. Luke, on the other hand goes, through a truly vicious BreakTheHaughty that [[CharacterDevelopment leads to him becoming a much kinder and more heroic person]] than his original. |
| 420 | * MsFanservice: Tear's [[BuxomBeautyStandard ample bust is frequently Lampshaded by the party members]], though Natalia gets the skimpier, more revealing outfits. Equip either with these and they [[ReluctantFanserviceGirl will complain about being made to wear them]]. |
| 421 | * MundaneMadeAwesome: Getting recipes, considering it's the only thing in the game that warrants a ''victory fanfare''. Not even battles have a fanfare. |
| 422 | * MusicalSpoiler: During the scene at the [[spoiler:Akzeriuth passage ring]], if nothing else has so far, the soundtrack playing [[spoiler:Van -- Truth]], a foreboding-sounding melody, gives the player a clue that [[spoiler:Van's]] intentions are definitely not for anyone's benefit. |
| 423 | * MusicalThemeNaming: all over the place. |
| 424 | ** In the Japanese translation, "fonic artes" (magic) is rendered as "tone magic". |
| 425 | ** All the titles in front of Order-of-Lorelei ranks (Ionian, Locrian, etc) are all terms from UsefulNotes/MusicTheory. |
| 426 | ** The "fonons" manipulated by magic are basic particles of sound. |
| 427 | ** The world is governed by a ''Score'' (AKA, sheet music) and several of the levels have giant floating music staffs in the background. |
| 428 | ** The several of the teleport pads in the Absorption Gate look like treble clefs. |
| 429 | ** Most of the Capacity Cores and shops have music-term names (Marcato is a Core while Virtuoso is a shop in Baticul, for instance). |
| 430 | ** Largo is a tempo of music. |
| 431 | ** This is not a name, but fits in with the theme: all over the place, there are architectural elements that resemble tuning forks. |
| 432 | * MyNameIsInigoMontoya: |
| 433 | -->'''Asch:''' Your fight is with me, Asch [[spoiler:-- no, Luke fon Fabre!]] |
| 434 | * MythologyGag: Shares a page with the rest of the franchise [[MythologyGag/TalesSeries here]]. |
| 435 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: |
| 436 | ** Asch The Bloody. The latter is scarier, but the former has a lot more plot relevance. |
| 437 | ** There's also Jade the Necromancer. |
| 438 | ** and let's not forget Van's full name means [[spoiler:The one who would seize glory]]. (Even in RealLife, people name their kids some pretty stupid things -- "Andrew" just means "man" -- but that one is really pushing it.) |
| 439 | * NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:Luke absolutely ''refuses'' to accept that Akzeriuth his fault in the immediate aftermath. His eventual admittance that it ''was'' his fault, and his desire to atone for it, are major points in his CharacterDevelopment. Of course it's justified, considering he's actually seven and ''hates'' killing people; the way it's portrayed makes it clear he's in denial because if he accepts it he'll break. Which he does when he's forced to by Asch.]] |
| 440 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: Of course, the party manages to solve many of the world's problems only to create new problems instead, the biggest example being when [[spoiler:Luke sunk Akzeriuth.]] Most of these also result in other pseudo-[[EarthShatteringKaboom kabooms]]. |
| 441 | * NiceJobFixingItVillain: Before the game is two-thirds over, the machinations of the BigBad have resulted in a peace treaty between the world's two warring powers, the fixing of an ecological disaster, and the restoration of an older, better order. The main characters, representing at least one leader (or leadership-adjacent person) from Auldrant's four or five major political powers, have also become FireForgedFriends and are instrumental in resolving these problems. Perhaps the best illustration is the FalseFlagOperation mentioned above, which is shut down via nothing more or less than the {{Player Characters}}' trust in each other. |
| 442 | * NietzscheWannabe: [[spoiler:Sync]]. |
| 443 | * NoHuggingNoKissing: The game has some [[ImpliedLoveInterest Implied Love Interests]], but it's a JRPG. |
| 444 | * NoobCave: Tataroo Valley. |
| 445 | * NoOSHACompliance: The abandoned factory in Baticul. |
| 446 | * NotHelpingYourCase: [[spoiler:Luke was in enough hot water with the party as it was following [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Akzeriuth]], but his constant whining that [[NeverMyFault "It wasn't my fault!"]] did ''not'' help things.]] |
| 447 | * NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:Dist. Dist. '''Dist.''']] He really is as "tenacious as a cockroach." |
| 448 | * NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering: Used offscreen repeatedly in Malkuth to explain in part why Peony can't give the party [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure all the help he wants to]] - the council is mostly made up of the same people who were on it when his father, a far more warlike ruler, was in charge just a couple of years ago, and Malkuth's internal politics haven't yet caught up to Peony's style. |
| 449 | * ObliviousToLove: Luke just never really seems to put the pieces together that Tear feels the same way. |
| 450 | * OlderThanTheyLook: Though all the characters are at seemingly young ages, it was stated in the game that a year on their planet is 765 days long, meaning that everyone is actually twice as old by our time. More than likely though, the humans of that planet age at a slower rate than we do, evening it out. |
| 451 | * OminousPipeOrgan: The organ music continues to go on even after the villain gets up... |
| 452 | * OmnicidalManiac: The BigBad intends to destroy the whole planet so that [[spoiler:no trace of the Score remains, before replacing it with a Replica.]] |
| 453 | * OneWingedAngel: Downplayed, though [[spoiler:Van]] grows a literal wing on his left arm. [[spoiler:His]] form is relatively similar to [[spoiler:his]] human form. |
| 454 | * OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Very common, especially with the God-Generals. Only Sync and Arietta don't have an identity they hide. In Arietta's case, since her (human) parents died when Hod fell and she was [[RaisedByWolves raised by ligers]] afterwards, whatever her name was before that is lost. Nicknames are also used to conceal certain identities [[spoiler:like Guy using the short form of Gailardia as his [[RealNameAsAnAlias alias]].]] There's also a very twisted, somewhat FridgeBrilliance example [[spoiler:Luke, as a replica with Lorelei's fonic signature, is actually the [[GodInHumanForm Other Lorelei]]. In other words, his name isn't really "Luke" - that's Asch, the original - but is actually "Lorelei" technically. He's never called that of course.]] |
| 455 | * OptionalStealth: The game has a stealth mission, but if you fail enough times, [[AntiFrustrationFeatures the game lets you kill everyone]]. |
| 456 | * OurClonesAreDifferent: The game is all about cloning, which they call fomicry: pure magic used to create an identical copy of an original at the time of replication (dodging the aging issue) and without any memories. The replication process also has a tendency of permanently weakening the person being cloned, which really sells the CloneAngst and the ReplacementGoldfish factor. Overall, the cast genuinely treats the replicas with the respect they're due as living beings. It would be hard for them not to, considering that the protagonist ''is'' one. |
| 457 | * OverratedAndUnderleveled: Jade and Asch. Both are justified: in Jade's case when he first joins the group he's as impressive as his reputation. Then he gets hit by a [[PowerLimiter fon slot seal]] and spends a good chunk of time unlocking it. While in Asch's case, [[spoiler:investigating things will reveal he's going through the Big Bang and thus being weakened as a result of his slow death from that.]] |
| 458 | [[/folder]] |
| 459 | [[folder: P-R]] |
| 460 | * PerpetualFrowner: Asch seems to be physically incapable of being happy. |
| 461 | * PhysicalGod: [[spoiler:Luke and Asch possess the power of Lorelei, a power that can destroy anything, teleport the user, control people's minds, heal, ressurrect the dead, control the future, etc.]] According to the game's [[MagicAIsMagicA physics]] and Lorelei himself, [[spoiler:Luke]] is also [[GodInHumanForm a physical incarnation]] of Lorelei, making him the setting's real CrystalDragonJesus. |
| 462 | * PlanetaryCoreManipulation: Halfway through the game it's revealed that the planet's core vibrates and produces poisonous miasma. When BigBad's actions disrupt system that contained miasma, heroes send an old warship, modified specifically for this goal, into the core to stop vibrations. |
| 463 | * PlentyOfBlondes: Malkuth, especially Grand Chokmah. |
| 464 | * PoorCommunicationKills: |
| 465 | ** Luke is particularly guilty of this (even Jade says that he should have told them when it came to what happened at [[spoiler:Akzeriuth]], suggesting that they could have [[spoiler:evacuated the town first]]). That said [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption Luke had no reason to confide in them]] and [[spoiler:Van]] had cleverly manipulated Luke into that position over [[spoiler:his ''entire life'']]. |
| 466 | ** Though this is used just as often ''against'' Luke to keep certain information from the player. This leads to several maddening instances in which the other characters berate him for not knowing anything while ''intentionally keeping him out of the loop. '' |
| 467 | ** Also, whether he understood it or not, Luke should have known better than to hold back any messages from Lorelei. They could have had a whole extra month to foil the [[spoiler:Van's]] plans during the second half of the game, if he had told anyone in his party about the message he received about "The One Who Would Seize Glory." Though it's a mystery as to why Lorelei didn't just say [[spoiler:Van or even Vandesdelca,]] since it is quite capable of using proper names... |
| 468 | ** Anise. True, [[spoiler:Mohs had her up against the wall, but she kept the entire situation hidden from the group, and Ion ended up being killed as a result. They could have very likely saved both her parents and Ion, who she was supposed to be guarding in the first place.]] |
| 469 | ** Luke [[spoiler:hides that he's dying]] which he wouldn't be if Asch [[spoiler:hadn't done the same earlier, admitting he wanted to go to the Tower of Rem because he was dying anyway.]] Asch hiding [[spoiler:that he was dying]] starts to [[spoiler:kill Luke]]. Of course, it's then subverted by the Contamination Sidequests, since [[spoiler:Asch would have survived and Luke died no matter what happened at the Tower.]] |
| 470 | ** Things would have gone differently very early on if Luke and Tear had specified what city they wanted a stagecoach ride to instead of asking for passage to "the capital" (since they didn't realize what '''country''' they were in). It's also indicated that it might be a bad idea to indicate that they're from Kimlasca, though. |
| 471 | * PoorlyTimedConfession: {{Defied}}. Luke considers telling Tear he loves her, [[spoiler:but because he is SecretlyDying and will not likely survive the final battle, he decides not to tell her because it'll hurt Tear.]] |
| 472 | * PortTown: Kaitzur Naval Port, Daath Bay, Keterburg Bay, Port Belkend, and Port Sheridan. |
| 473 | * PowerLimiter: Jade has 2. The [[AppliedPhlebotinum fon slot seal]] Largo used on him early-on in the game to even out his level with the other characters, and through an [[GuideDangIt easy to miss sidequest]], you learn that [[spoiler:his glasses prevent the fonons gathered in his eyes from destroying himself and whatever happens to be nearby.]] The first one justifies his [[CharacterLevel leveling up]] as him slowly breaking the seal by himself, which is described as breaking a lock whose combination is constantly changing while underwater wrapped in chains and weights. It's implied that he's actually grown stronger over the course of the story, as the skit where he finally breaks the seal doesn't appear until around level 50; Jade was level 45 when the seal was applied. |
| 474 | * PreferableImpersonator: |
| 475 | ** The original Luke Von Fabre was kidnapped and cloned to create another Luke. The original went on to become Ashe the Bloody, while the clone was returned to the original's place. After the (clone) Luke accidentally destroys an entire city, his team abandons him to join Ashe. When Luke resolves to atone for his mistakes and Ashe turns out to be a bitter {{Jerkass}}, the team rejoins Luke. |
| 476 | ** There are multiple DualBoss fights between Ashe and Luke. The first borders on HopelessBossFight, but the player is required to win the final dual. Thus, Luke overcomes his original in sword-skill. |
| 477 | * PreserveYourGays: the CampGay Dist is the only one of the villains who survives. |
| 478 | * PrideBeforeAFall: Before Luke's HeroicBSOD and quite literally with [[spoiler:the fall of Akzeriuth.]] The idea of being an ambassador and becoming a hero went to his head, and he became increasingly stubborn and bossy, until one of his unilateral decisions has disastrous consequences. |
| 479 | * PrizedPossessionGiveaway: [[TheHeroine Tear]] gives up a pendant she was wearing to a carriage driver in order to get herself and [[TheHero Luke]] back to his home town after she accidentally ended up getting them both teleported out of the city. She later reveals it was the last thing she had left of her mother, prompting Luke to go and find it during a side quest. |
| 480 | * ThePromise: |
| 481 | ** Subverted and Deconstructed by Asch who pointedly states that he thinks making promises is meaningless. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, [[HeroicSacrifice he never keeps his promise]] to Luke at the end of the game.]] |
| 482 | ** The tune that's associated with [[spoiler:Asch's death]] is even titled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNuP68Yqt3w Promise]]. |
| 483 | * ThePsychoRangers: Though they may just be [[EvilCounterpart Evil Counterpart]]s, The God-Generals are all related to a member of the main party, and often use the same skills and abilities. Luke/Asch, Tear/Legretta, Anise/Arietta, Jade/Dist, Natalia/Largo, Guy and Ion/Sync. |
| 484 | ** Guy and Sync aren't counterparts, although the game spends a lot of time making one think that is going to be the case. [[spoiler:He singles out Guy for his curse-slot, and Guy is the first one to see the face under the mask; his shocked reaction makes one think Guy knows him. Both turn out to be red herrings. Rather, Sync has more in line with Ion and ''Anise''. His Akashic Torment attack is the same as Ion's Daathic Fonic Arte (seen in Luke's Radiant Howl extension), and a number of his hand-to-hand artes mirror Anise's moves, including Stone Dragon Ascent. Meanwhile, his role in-story has him mirror Ion and antagonize Anise.]] Meanwhile, we find out that the actual counterpart to Guy is [[spoiler:Van himself. Both are survivors of Hod who swore revenge, but Guy, having let go of his hatred, represents a rejection of everything Van wants to achieve.]] |
| 485 | ** Arietta and Luke also can be compared to each other. [[spoiler:Both have Van as their father figure and have blind trust towards him, not to mention a rather limited view of the world that, when challenged, they lash out at the one challenging it. But while Van continues to make use of Arietta's unique talents, he discards Luke; Luke, meanwhile, manages to somewhat get past his dependency of Van to fight him and develops into a more reasonable person willing to change while Arietta never breaks free.]] |
| 486 | * PureMagicBeing: The "Aggregate Sentiences". |
| 487 | * QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Six God-Generals, complete with matching outfit. |
| 488 | ** Fortunately, quirky only in name. Every battle against the God-Generals is usually the toughest boss at that point in the game, and the last battles are usually tugging on some heart strings somewhere. |
| 489 | * RealIsBrown: Bright colors are used, but their tone very rarely goes beyond into bright glaring pastel in the game's graphics. Justified, though, as bright colors would create a lot of MoodWhiplash. |
| 490 | * RebelliousPrincess: Subverted by Natalia, who often works her world-saving duties in with the duties to her kingdom. |
| 491 | * RecurringBoss: The most common foes faced in the game is the QuirkyMinibossSquad, the God Generals, and all of them are [[ThatOneBoss that boss]] too. |
| 492 | * RecursiveCanon: Elion, in Nam Cobanda Isle, makes video games. Specifically, the ''[[VideoGame/TalesSeries Tales Of]]'' series. |
| 493 | * RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Luke's mindset in the final third of the game]], [[spoiler:Asch (kinda, since he was grudgingly on your side anyway).]] |
| 494 | * ReformedButRejected: A non-villain example in Luke, whom the party rebukes for a time after [[spoiler:Akzeriuth]]. |
| 495 | ** It was more for the bratty attitude than the aforementioned spoiler. It was mostly Jade and Anise who were the most vicious, and they backed off when it became apparent that Luke was making an effort to be a better person. Not to mention that he was carrying a HUGE amount of guilt. |
| 496 | * RegionalBonus: The North American release included some extras the original Japanese version didn't have. The Platform/Nintendo3DS version is based on the North American version as a result and is the first time Japanese players have access to them. |
| 497 | * RemilitarizedZone: Kaitzur. |
| 498 | * ReplacementGoldfish: Take your pick in a game that centers around CloneAngst. |
| 499 | ** Only [[spoiler:Nebilim]] fulfills the emotional aspect, though. While [[spoiler:the BigBad's ultimate plan]] might qualify, all the clones encountered during the game were created for far more pragmatic reasons than filling an emotional void. |
| 500 | * RescueRomance: General Frings and General Cecille's sidequest starts from this. |
| 501 | * RivalScienceTeams: Class I and Class M. |
| 502 | * RockThemeNaming: While a minor example, Jade and Nephry's names are derived from two minerals called 'jade': [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jadeite jadeite]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephrite nephrite]]. Also, Saphir is very likely taken from 'sapphire' and his last name Gneiss is a type of rock. |
| 503 | * RoyallyScrewedUp: [[spoiler:Kimlasca-Lanvaldear is riddled with incompetence. Malkuth, on the other hand, has many competent leaders, and it shows if you talk to the people of Grand Chokmah. They'll say things like, "Well, if Emperor Peony says so, then I'll believe him." People don't talk about King Ingobert like that, but they do like Natalia. In fact, every time they say something good about their country, it's something Natalia did, and she's not even the real princess. Duke Fabre and King Ingobert are both fairly incompetent for a large part of the story.]] |
| 504 | * RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: [[spoiler:Played with like a ball, but holds very straight. Heck, the game deservedly could be called ''Tales of Royalty'' and nothing would take things out of context. The main cast might not be all in royal roles, but they do hold some very prestigious and high ranking status in their side of society; even for Anise, who was born from working class parents, is right up there for being a major officer in the world church's forces. Not a single character is dragged from the streets of ordinary civilian life. On the other hand, King Ingobert is very incompetent. Then again, there's Natalia.]] |
| 505 | * RuleOfSymbolism: Just about everything in the game is named after elements of the Jewish Kabbalah and the Sephiroth (though not always translated correctly). And everything that isn't is probably MusicalThemeNaming. |
| 506 | * RuleOfThree: Though you have six playable characters, three are nobles, the other three are military (insofar as a Fon Master Guardian can be considered military.) You also have three warriors and three spellcasters, three males and three females, and three groups of two in regards to origins (two Kimlascans, two Malkuthians, and two members of the Order of Lorelei). You even fight each member of the [[spoiler:God Generals,]] including their leader, thrice (with the exception of [[spoiler:Asch.]] |
| 507 | * RunningGag: "Guy, explain." |
| 508 | ** a minor one: "Luke said 'Thanks'?!" |
| 509 | ** Luke using Mieu as an ImprovisedWeapon, even after his ImportantHaircut. |
| 510 | [[/folder]] |
| 511 | [[folder: S-T]] |
| 512 | * SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:The appropriately-named Aslan Frings, whose death kick-starts the main plot of Act 3. Doubles as a massive TearJerker, especially if you did the rather lengthy MatchMakerQuest for him earlier on.]] |
| 513 | * SayMyName: Twice in this game! |
| 514 | * ScaryShinyGlasses: Jade and Dist, though with the latter it's only in artwork and with his right lens, while his lenses are opaque in-game. |
| 515 | * ScrewDestiny: What everyone wants to do, heroes ''and'' villains. |
| 516 | * SelectiveObliviousness: On the scale of civilization as a whole. While everything is great with the Score known to the people and the Order of Lorelei, there is also what is known as the Closed Score, the other half of the Score that entails more harrowing, darker, and starker events prophesied, including occurrences of misfortune, calamity, and disaster of all scales. Essentially the dirty secret the Order hides away for the sake of their presence and civil peace, this other half of the known Score, when combined together, details Auldrant's divined fate in full. [[spoiler:Ultimately, this also entails the world's destruction coming sooner than expected, and is what Moh's forces is trying to invoke into play, no matter how terrible and awful it will be, and explains without surprise why everyone is hellbent on saying ScrewDestiny.]] |
| 517 | * SelfFulfillingProphecy: What the Score ends up being. A ''lot''. The most egregious example: [[spoiler:it's implied by Lorelei in one of the final scenes that the success of Van's plan--one that was designed to avert the Score--would have been the "destruction of humanity" predicted in the original Score Of Destruction]]. |
| 518 | ** In the scene at Yulia's grave, Tear suspects that [[spoiler:Eldrant is what Yulia]] planned all along and [[spoiler:Van]] knew it from reading her journals. Without [[spoiler:Van trying to create Eldrant, all of Auldrant would have collapsed into the miasma, it would just have taken a little longer. Eldrant would at least allow replicas to survive.]] That would make this an attempt at a ProphecyTwist by the maker of the prophecy. Luke reassures Tear by claiming that since Yulia was Lorelei's friend she wouldn't have done anything he didn't want, an argument that holds no water when [[spoiler:Auldrant collapsing into miasma would have killed Lorelei anyway, so what Lorelei would have wanted was for something to live on, just as Luke soon demonstrates that he's perfectly willing to die for his friends to live on.]] This makes it something of an EitherOrProphecy. |
| 519 | * {{Sentai}}: The Abyss Man costume title. Which can be obtained by starting New Game Plus and then talk to a maid at Grand Chokmah's castle before entering Rappigs Room. Apparently the Abyss Man is the emperor's favourite superhero show. |
| 520 | * SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: Both Luke and Tear say this repeatedly about the other, though everyone else knows better. The anime adaptation took this trope and ratcheted it up to 11 by including at least one of these per episode between the two. [[AdaptationExpansion Many of these moments were not in the original game]]. |
| 521 | -->'''Jade''': Oh, my! Lover's quarrel? |
| 522 | -->'''Luke and Tear simultaneously''': Who is?! |
| 523 | * ShelteredAristocrat: Luke, to the point of not understanding he has to pay for goods. He's never left home since the kidnapping attempt seven years ago, [[spoiler:and since he's a replica created at that time, it means he never left home at all]]. |
| 524 | * ShiftingSandLand: Zao Desert. |
| 525 | * ShipLevel: The Tartarus and Katsbert Ferry. |
| 526 | * ShoutOut: Typical for a VideoGame/TalesSeries game. Noteworthy examples are three of Anise's dolls being modeled after [[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Cless]], [[VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny Philia]], and [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Presea]]. Jade's belt buckle is VideoGame/PacMan. ''Nam Co'''banda I'''''sland 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 VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia can end. |
| 527 | ** Every single one of the Anise-only accessories that change Tokunaga's appearance are a ShoutOut to something. Most are from the VideoGame/TalesSeries, but some are from other series, such as [[VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} KOS-MOS]] and [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Heihachi]]. |
| 528 | ** And, y'know, [[Film/TheKarateKid Martial Arts Master Miyagi]]. |
| 529 | ** At least in the English version, one resident in St. Binah laments the fact that he "lost the election to Literature/{{McGovern|ing}}." |
| 530 | ** There are two games in the area with the Kowz and Ant Lion Men on Nam Cobanda Isle- ''Dragon Buster'' and (if you can read the Fonic Language) [[VideoGame/{{Xevious}} Zevious]] (there is no X in the fonic language). ''Xevious'' is the game where you hit all sorts of objects with Mieu Attack/Fire to get points. |
| 531 | ** At the Absorption Gate, the scene where Luke confronts [[spoiler:Van]] while he plays an organ just before the battle is a clear shout out to Link's final confrontation with Ganondorf in [[Videogame/TheLegendofZeldaOcarinaofTime The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]. Both of these scenes bare a striking resemblance to one another and they set the mood perfectly for a final stand off against the BigBad]]. |
| 532 | *** Although subverted in [[spoiler:Van]]'s case as he only served as the DiscOneFinalBoss at that point. |
| 533 | * ShutUpHannibal: An epic example at the end of the game. During the final confrontation with the BigBad, each member of the party gets a turn at proving the villain wrong. They basically prove to [[spoiler:Van]] that his logic is flawed, twisted, and ultimatly hypocritical. He then concedes that they may be right, but he has [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope gone too far down this path]] to turn back, then weapons are drawn and the cool music starts. They overpower him and he is forced to resort to his OneWingedAngel form. The fight is hard, but midway through, the heroes note that [[spoiler:Van]] is losing control of his power while the party shows no sign of stopping ([[GameplayAndStorySegregation storywise at least]]). Finally, they push him past his limit and are able to remove the source of his power and defeat him. To sum up, they essentially pick apart his logic and reasoning (through words then violence) and reveal him for what he is: [[HeWhoFightsMonsters a man whose hate ultimately made him him into the thing he hated;]] [[spoiler:a slave to the Score]]. You could say that the entire final battle is one large, epic ShutUpHannibal. |
| 534 | * SidekickCreatureNuisance: Mieu. Luke gets pissed off at his hyper-cutesy speech patterns the second he starts talking and calling him "Thing" for the first half of the game. |
| 535 | ** Interestingly enough, Luke delivers the most prominate rebuttal just by simply being there and standing up to the BigBad. He is also the one who pounds in the final nail by delivering the killing blow. |
| 536 | * SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: The Kimlascan royal family is known for their red hair and green eyes. This becomes important to the plot twice. First, the Score identifies Luke by these traits. Second, [[spoiler:the fact that Natalia is the only member of the royal family to not have these traits is used by Mohs as evidence that she is not the King's biological daughter.]] |
| 537 | * SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan After Luke's ImportantHaircut, he becomes a really NiceGuy, albeit with a much lower self-esteem. This is when Tear, for all her [[DefrostingIceQueen iciness]], gradually falls in love with him. |
| 538 | * SinisterMinister: [[spoiler:Mohs]] |
| 539 | * SinisterScythe: Largo. |
| 540 | * SliceAndDiceSwordsmanship: Oddly enough for a Tales game, it's played straight. |
| 541 | * SlippySlideyIceWorld: The Sylvana region around Keterburg. |
| 542 | * TheSmartGuy: Jade. |
| 543 | * SmugSnake: Grand Maestro Mohs. |
| 544 | ** [[spoiler:Van has some of this as well, due to his his martial strength, and twisted conviction that he is doing the right thing. While he is not smug, he is somewhat arrogant. His defeat the first time at the hands of the party (particularly Luke) defiantly knocks him down a peg.]] |
| 545 | * SnowMeansLove: During the first visit to Keterburg, the party stays at the inn and the girls (and [[ViewerGenderConfusion Ion]]) talk about how romantic Keterburg is. Their options for romance are rather limited, though: Luke is wandering around complaining about the cold (worrying about his [[ExposedToTheElements exposed belly]] freezing), Guy is scared of women, and Jade is, according to Ion, off walking the town with someone. (Presumably his sister, Nephry, who previously thought he was dead.) |
| 546 | ** In fact, unlike the Tales' series normal SnowMeansLove scene, Tales of the Abyss' takes place in a desert city. |
| 547 | * SpannerInTheWorks: Luke to the max. |
| 548 | * SpoilerOpening: The opening song, "Karma", is ''very'' relevant to the narrative if you bother to look up the translated lyrics. The opening animations from both the game and anime also reveal several details, with both spoiling Natalia joining the party and [[spoiler:Luke's ImportantHaircut]]. The anime version goes further, implying that [[spoiler:Van is a villain by including him in a sequence with the God Generals--and all seven of them are shown in their places of death]]. [[spoiler:Asch's face]] is fully visible, despite him being TheFaceless for awhile in the show proper, and the sequence also plays up his connection to [[spoiler:Luke]]. |
| 549 | * StalkerWithACrush: Dist the [[strike: Rose]] [[strike: Runny]] Reaper spends an awful lot of his time trying to get Jade's attention. |
| 550 | * StealthBasedMission: The forest outside of Grand Chokmah is a section of forced stealth. Thankfully, though, if you screw up enough, you can just choose to fight the guards. |
| 551 | * StrongEnemiesLowRewards: [[BubblegloopSwamp Inista Marsh]] has the Behemoth who will pursue you throughout the whole area. Your party tells you to not fight it immediately and you're supposed to run away from it every time you encounter it, but while it is possible to defeat it with some effort, doing so will not net you experience points and gald (the game's currency), and [[TheBattleDidntCount it will continue to respawn with each defeat]]. It isn't until you do an optional late-game sidequest that you're able to fight the Behemoth as a boss proper and put it down permanently, earning you some decent rewards in the process. |
| 552 | * StupidGood: Anise's parents are a brutal example: their mindlessly obedient piety and compulsive charity lead them to give away money they don't have, putting them deeply into debt, and because they rely solely on The Score for support and never plan for the future, their fourteen-year-old daughter takes it upon herself to pull them out of debt by any means necessary. In addition to this, Anise's mother tells Arietta that Anise has returned, leading to a violent confrontation in which Anise's mother is badly injured TakingTheBullet for Ion. |
| 553 | * SugarAndIcePersonality: Tear, of course. |
| 554 | * SurvivorGuilt: [[spoiler:Aston]], as the sole survivor of [[spoiler:Sheridan's Class M]], having been struck down and left NotQuiteDead by [[spoiler:Van, who proceeded to kill Hencken and Cathy]]. He keeps himself busy in order to ward off these feelings. |
| 555 | * SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Dist pulls this by saying in his letter that the hoverdrive was certainly not in Daath by any means. Most certainly not Daath. This gets lampshaded by several characters. |
| 556 | * SwordAlmighty: The Key of Lorelei (despite the name it ''is'' a sword). It's implied, through how it's first described power wise, how [[spoiler:Asch and Luke can pull off a hyperresonance assisted by just the Sword of Lorelei (aka one half of the completed whole) and thousands of replica lives to destroy the miasma]], and how it's intimately connected to Lorelei, that Yulia could use it to [[spoiler:pull off hyperresonances of her own]]. Of course, it's split in half and tossed into the core before the game starts...which makes the third arc when they need it [[spoiler:to stop Van's plans and free Lorelei]] a bit difficult to pull off. |
| 557 | * SwordAndFist: |
| 558 | ** The Albert sword style incorporates artes such as Demon Fist, Raging Blast, and Havoc Strike, which use the fist, palm, and feet respectively. This style also has Rending Thrust, which is a thrust followed by an uppercut. |
| 559 | ** Guy, a Sigmund style practitioner, includes a kick in his Tiger Blade. |
| 560 | * SwordBeam: |
| 561 | ** Luke's second Mystic Arte, Lost Fon Drive, involves Luke slashing the enemy about eight or nine times and then firing a massive beam of fonons at the enemy. |
| 562 | ** Guy's second Mystic Arte, Brilliant Overlord, has him slash his sword, sending twelve energy beams through the enemy before traping them in a sphere that crushes them then explodes. |
| 563 | * TakeAThirdOption: The Score describes [[spoiler:all Auldrant dissolving into miasma.]] There are various hints that [[spoiler:Eldrant was Yulia's plan to allow a new world to live on instead of everyone dying. Auldrant will either be replaced by Eldrant or a big ball of miasma.]] Lorelei tells Luke that [[spoiler:he never imagined Luke could find a way to prevent Auldrant's death.]] |
| 564 | * TalkingIsAFreeAction: Typical boss fights have a lot of banter that goes on even while the characters are hitting each other. |
| 565 | * ATasteOfPower: When Jade joins during the battle with [[WarmupBoss the Liger Queen]], he's at level 45, whereas Luke and Tear will be lucky to be at level 6. He can one-shot anything he comes across until he's hit with the fon slot seal. |
| 566 | * TeamPet: Mieu, though Luke is the one that technically "owns" him. |
| 567 | * TeamSwitzerland: The Church of Lorelei would not at all benefit from a war started between Kimlasca and Malkuth. Even though there are factions within this Team Switzerland. |
| 568 | * TellHimImNotSpeakingToHim: After [[spoiler:the events in Akzeriuth]], Anise, Jade and Natalia pull this on Luke and act as if he isn't there as a means of expressing their disgust. |
| 569 | * TempleOfDoom: Zao Ruins and the Sephiroth Passage Rings. |
| 570 | * ThemeNaming: Both Peony and [[spoiler:Gailardia]] are named after flowers. |
| 571 | ** And Jade, Nephry (nephrite), and Saphir (sapphire) are named for stones, as is Jade and Saphir's military academy friend Jasper, from the [[AllThereInTheManual Jade's Story manga]]. |
| 572 | * ThereAreNoTherapists: None whatsoever, brutally so. The short version is that '''the whole plot''' could have averted if the BigBad had gotten therapy. For a little more detail, both [[MadScientist Jade]] and [[HeroicSelfDeprecation Luke]] definitely need this as well. ''Especially'' Luke. |
| 573 | * ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler:Nebilim's Fragmented End]] on higher difficulties. On Unknown, this Mystic Arte can hit for ''over 100,000 damage.'' The HP cap for each member of your party is only 9,999. |
| 574 | ** Naturally, [[spoiler:Dist survives taking one of these in the face]]. |
| 575 | ** [[spoiler:Nebilim also has Mystic Cage, Indignation and Big Bang]], all of which usually deal well over 40,000 damage on Unknown, though these can't kill when used in you (but they do leave your whole party knocked down with 150 HP open for attacks). |
| 576 | * ThreeActStructure: Not as blatantly as [[VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia its successor]], but it's definitly there. Act 1 goes from the beginning to [[spoiler:either Akzeriuth or when Luke cuts his hair]], Act 2 goes from there to [[spoiler:[[DiscOneFinalDungeon the Absorbtion Gate]]]], and Act 3 begins after the TimeSkip and runs to the end. Each act is marked with a change to the battle and world map music. |
| 577 | * TitleDrop: The bonus dungeon, Fomicry Research Facility The Abyss. |
| 578 | * TokenMiniMoe: Anise and Arietta. |
| 579 | * TomesOfProphecyAndFate |
| 580 | * TooDumbToLive: |
| 581 | ** [[IneffectualLoner Asch]], who insists on not working with the party, despite sharing goals. Not only is pretty clear he could never take Van, but even when look at his stats as a boss, the other God Generals are stronger then he is. Luke tries to talk him into cooperation several times. |
| 582 | ** The people of Akzeriuth. When their mining exposes and results in their town filling with poisonous miasma, they continue digging instead of simply getting as far from the town and thus the miasma as they can. What's worse, even when the protagonists show up and they reveal that a path out has been cleared, they still do this. The result? [[spoiler:Luke and Van sink the town and the area around it into the miasma and everybody dies.]] The in-universe explanation is that the Score predicted it, so the Order of Lorelei was there to make sure that those who were supposed to be there on that day were, and kept them there. Furthermore, they were trapped; it's stated that Deo Pass is unpleasant territory due to monsters and the threat of rockfalls, as well as being in disrepair, and that miasma was keeping them locked in anyway. They were essentially trapped on an island surrounded by shark-infested waters without a boat. |
| 583 | * TookALevelInBadass: Luke becomes a competent warrior and a mature person over the course of the game by adventuring. |
| 584 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: Everyone has something they favor to add in the 'extra ingredients' part of the recipes, although Jade specifically has curry itself. Guy seems fond of fish, adding it to nearly everything he can, such as spaghetti, sandwiches, pizza, and curry. He also uses fish instead of chicken for the fried chicken recipe, and is the one who specifically uses 'seafood' in rice balls. Natalia adds cheese to many dishes as her personal touch. Anise likes beef, adding it to her meat dishes. Jade seems to have some affinity for potatoes and tofu, Luke seems to favor chicken above the other meats, as well as shrimp. |
| 585 | * TraumaInducedAmnesia: Luke's kidnapping. [[spoiler:Subverted. Guy's gynophobia: Played straight.]] |
| 586 | * TreacherousAdvisor: [[spoiler:Luke's teacher, Van.]] |
| 587 | * TruthInTelevision: |
| 588 | ** When Tear confronts Luke about how [[spoiler:his fonons are separating, Luke admits that he didn't want anyone to know because he thought that everyone would treat him differently.]] If you think about it this is like [[spoiler:people with terminal illnesses.]] |
| 589 | ** [[spoiler:Luke and Asch]] exhibit separate and yet accurate portrayals of [[ParentalAbuse abused children]] who are struggling to deal with a world without their abuser's "guidance". [[spoiler:Both of their relationships with Van reflect the kind of relationship between a child and an emotionally abusive parent.]] |
| 590 | * TwistingTheProphecy: Trying to accomplish this on a worldwide scale is the EvilPlan of BigBad [[spoiler:Van Grants]]. The Score is an ancient prophecy that has always proven true, but what most people do not know is that [[spoiler:the end of The Score also predicts the end of the world]]. Thus, the villain's plan is [[spoiler:to bring about the end of the world himself but use Fomicry (a dangerous technique that can copy any matter - including people) to create a new world populated by clones right as the old one dies]]. The problem is, [[spoiler:the villain's role in the apocalypse, and the clones themselves, are ''also'' accounted for in The Score -- [[SelfFulfillingProphecy thus, it's arguable that his actions are exactly what was predicted in the first place]], which is why the heroes try to stop him and opt for a hard ScrewDestiny solution, which the villain himself is convinced won't work. And so, though both sides want the same goal, one has to kill the other]]. |
| 591 | [[/folder]] |
| 592 | |
| 593 | [[folder: U-Z]] |
| 594 | * UncannyValley: 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, it still fits the purpose of the Uncanny Valley because the [[spoiler:replicas look ''just'' like their dead loved ones]]. |
| 595 | * UnclePennybags: Astor is the leader of the Chesedonia Merchant's Guild, and is very likely the richest non-noble (if not person overall) in Auldrant. He's also one of the nicest characters in the game, [[BunnyEarsLawyer if a little]] [[CampStraight weird]]. |
| 596 | * UndergroundLevel: Ortion Cavern and Aramis Spring. |
| 597 | * UndergroundMonkey: One of the worst offender, you will fight tons and tons of pallete swap bats, wolves, plants... |
| 598 | * UnexplainedRecovery: [[spoiler: Despite Aston seemingly being slaughtered with the rest of Class M and Class I when Legretta attacks Sheridan, he shows up again post-Absorption Gate none the worse for wear, and no one brings up how he had almost died.]] |
| 599 | * UnintentionallyUnwinnable: |
| 600 | ** If you start the Mushroom Road sidequest before entering TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, Luke leaves the party to give place to Asch. You can then go all the way to the other end of Mushroom Road to get out to the world map (in a cliff where the Greater Flightstone is) and then use the world map glitch to get out of there without getting Luke back. This lets you play as Asch for as long as you want[[note]]You can go back to Mushroom Road to get Luke back whenever you want[[/note]], and Asch replaces Luke in every scene (except for one needed to get Tear's InfinityPlusOneSword, which will not trigger). If you finish the game while using Asch, you will start the next cycle without Luke. Once you get to the tutorial battle, the game freezes because you don't have any characters in your party. If you saved your clear data over your only file, [[{{Irony}} you are now stuck inside Duke Fabre's Manor forever]]. |
| 601 | ** The world map glitch by itself can be this. To use this glitch, you need to take the disc off the [=PS2=] while being on the world map, which will make the scenario disappear, and allows you to walk over the water, mountains, etc. You can then put the disc back and wait for a while for the scenario to come back. However, if you are over a unwalkable path (over the water, for example) when you do this, you get stuck and cannot even use the world map glitch to leave, as you will be unable to move. It is possible to save the game whenever you want while being in the world map. If you save in this condition, you are stuck forever. |
| 602 | * UnprovokedPervertPayback: Subverted. During the optional HotSpringsEpisode. Jade decides to be a troll and push Guy into the girls' bath to rile them up. The girls are startled by it as you would expect, but they calm down almost right away and tell Guy not to apologize because they understand he suffers from [[CannotTalkToWomen gynophobia]] and would not have entered of his own free will. |
| 603 | * UnwittingPawn: |
| 604 | ** [[spoiler:Luke, manipulated by Van into the destruction of Akzeriuth.]] |
| 605 | ** Mohs is manipulated by Dist into [[spoiler:attempting to use the Seventh Fonon, which makes him go crazy and turn into a giant floating balloon.]] |
| 606 | * UpdatedRerelease: |
| 607 | ** The NTSC-UC 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. |
| 608 | ** The Platform/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 outside the British Isles, 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 3DS version is a localisation of the ''American'' version. |
| 609 | * UriahGambit: There are heavy implications that [[spoiler:Mohs sending Tear to Akzeriuth was to kill her, considering he knew it was to be destroyed once they got there. Both Legretta and Van attempt to save her, but ultimately Van can only tell Tear to use the second hymn to do so (which lets her save the rest). It's also implied that Jade being allowed on the mission, encouraged even, is to remove him as a threat, while Guy and Anise fall under "acceptable losses". Natalia and Ion ending up there was not in anyone's plans.]] |
| 610 | * VerbalTic: Mieu tends say "Mieu" alot even though the Sorcerer's Ring allows him to speak perfectly with the party. |
| 611 | * {{Video Game 3D Leap}}: While ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' was the first game in the series to have 3D battles, ''Abyss'' added free-range 3D running. The Platform/Nintendo3DS version takes this a step further and adds stereoscopic 3D graphics. |
| 612 | ** Now the first game in the series to make the ''other'' leap into 3D. |
| 613 | * VideoGamesAndFate: The game features an extremely detailed prophecy that dictates the game's plot, called the Score. It's always correct, and there's an entire religion built around following it. Part of the overarching story is trying to escape it, because [[spoiler:it predicts the end of the world.]] The game is also extremely clever about letting the player think they've managed to ScrewDestiny, only to yank it back again and reveal that they've been following the Score's path all along. |
| 614 | * WaifProphet: Ion often collapses whenever he uses his power. |
| 615 | * WarIsHell: Upon the delcaration of war between Kimlasca and Malkuth, you come to experience this first hand in Chesedonia, and later in the twin set of escort missions. If the FMV of the impending war wasn't enough, prices of goods and equipment immediately skyrocket or are all sold out, and the once neutral merchant town is now divided strictly by a fine line, with both sides staring at each other with restrained deathly animosity. Both escort missions revolve around evading both sides driven to kill anything that looks like their foes regardless of the human condition, be it evading Kimlascans with Luke, Jade, and Tear helping escort the peoples of Engeve to Chesedonia, or evading Malkuth forces escorting Princess Natalia with Anise and Guy. If you return to Kaitzur when the Rugnican continent is dropped into the Qlipoth and the war is halted due to extreme conditions, the zone will be littered with war dead throughout, and interacting with the corpses will only vaguely describe how butchered and massacred the casualities are, showing how crazed and fanatical both sides were willing to kill each other for. |
| 616 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: Half the villains in the game. [[spoiler:Van in particular: he is attempting to destroy the Score because he knows that it predicts the complete destruction of humanity, and since the people of Auldrant take the Score's word as law...]]. |
| 617 | * WeNamedTheMonkeyJack: I Named The Rappig Jade: ... and Luke. And Nephry. And Aslan... [[VitriolicBestBuds The one named Jade is actually the stupidest of the bunch]], while the one named Saphir [[spoiler:(which is Dist's real name)]] has a constant runny nose. The Nephry one also has the prettiest collar. [[MySisterIsOffLimits Jade does not approve.]] On a subtler sense, the Aslan rappig's eyes resemble General Frings'. |
| 618 | * WhamEpisode: Several in the game, among them [[spoiler:Luke's failed rescue attempt in Akzeriuth leading to it's destruction]], [[spoiler:finding out that Van had planned said failed attempt by manipulating Luke the entire time]], [[spoiler:Luke finding out he's nothing more than a replica that was supposed to be the scapegoat that had [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outlived it's usefulness]] once Akzeriuth was destroyed]]. |
| 619 | ** Tied together with PlayerPunch, there's also [[spoiler:the helpful citizens of Sheridan and old folks that had given you [[GlobalAirship the Albiore II]] being slaughtered]]. And that little boy [[spoiler:who was floating on debris in the Qlipoth after Akzeriuth's destruction, stuck underneath his father's corpse and drowns in the miasma because your group can't rescue him in time]]. This game's point is to make you feel bad. |
| 620 | * WhamLine: Luke delivers one early on that not only has Tear subtly change how she treats him, but serve as {{Foreshadowing}} TheReveal. |
| 621 | -->'''Tear:''' How do you not know about the Order of Lorelei?\ |
| 622 | '''Luke:''' I was busy learning other things...'''like my parents' faces'''. |
| 623 | * WhamShot: The infamous scene where Luke and Asch first clash in the rain [[spoiler:revealing they have the ''exact same'' features and look completely identical minus minor cosmetic details.]] Though it's not revealed until later just what it means, it's at that point that both in universe and out that people realize there is ''a lot'' more going on and nothing is exactly what it seems in regards to those two. |
| 624 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the first episode of the anime, Tear offers her pendant as payment for boarding a stagecoach. She does it with a very sad look on her face, stating that it was a very precious possession to her, but the pendant never appears nor is mentioned again in the anime. In the game, however [[spoiler:we learn that it was a memento from her late mother, and there's a complete side quest in which Luke recovers it for her.]] |
| 625 | * WhatTheHellHero: Being both an IdiotHero and a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, Luke is often on the receiving end of this. Most notably for [[spoiler:the destruction of Akzeriuth]], but there are lots of other examples of this; Mistreating the TeamPet? "Luke, that's horrible!" Thinking that you would be better off dead? "[[UsefulNotes/{{Baka}} You idiot!]]". [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycAGgGpqzc8 Made a well meaning but slightly insensitive remark about Anise's cooking?]] "Boooo! No dinner for you!". Put off the main mission for a side quest, just to show Acsh up? "I can't defend you this time, Master!", [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Forgot to brush your teeth after lunch?]] "[[DisproportionateRetribution You are the worst person in the world!]]" |
| 626 | ** Really, the entire party has their moments. [[spoiler:Anise betrays the party more than once]], Jade knows everything that's happening in the plot and purposefully withholds information, Guy and Natalia both [[spoiler:abandoning Luke in the Qliphoth when they were supposed to be his friends]], and Tear trying to kill her brother, [[spoiler:though you eventually realize that she has a good reason for trying to do so]]. |
| 627 | * WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Guy's rampant gynophobia. |
| 628 | * WingDinglish: The Fonic Language. Weirdly, at least once it's in ''Spanish'' rather than English ('El Cilion', which is odd because Elion is the owner of the shop. Possibly makes him an example of KnownOnlyByTheirNickname). You can actually download the Fonic language as a font. |
| 629 | * WithFriendsLikeThese: Let's recap the truthworthiness of the party from the perspective of Luke by the time they reach Akzeriuth: a strange woman who tried to kill his beloved teacher and won't tell him why while openly working for and defending the honor of a guy who seems to have BigBad written all over him, a smartass who constantly insults him, his best friend who trusts Van explictedly [[spoiler:but originally just wanted to get revenge on Luke's family]], a spacy kid, a creepy gold digger, a disliked childhood friend who literally blackmails her way into the party... That's not to mention that Guy [[spoiler:was completely unaware that his best friend growing up was being used for horrific experiments and so much more]]. |
| 630 | * WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: After a fonic glyph is used to grant [[spoiler:Mohs]] the ability to control the seventh fonon despite not being a seventh fonist, things don't turn out quite right and he completely loses his mind. |
| 631 | * WordsDoNotMakeTheMagic: Even with knowing the MagicalIncantation, Tear must also know the meaning of the verse to actually be able to use it. |
| 632 | * WorldPillars: The game overlaps this with WorldTree with [[spoiler:the Sephiroth Trees, which hold the Outer Lands from the deadly miasma-filled underworld below called the Qliphoth, and are powered by lost fonic technology from the Yulia age. Over the course of the game, BigBad Van Grants shuts down some of the trees and causes some parts of the world map to fall into the Qliphoth. As a subversion, rather than attempt to preserve what's left of the Outer Lands, the heroes instead resolve to stabilize the core of Auldrant itself and safely lower the Outer Lands into a miasma-free Qliphoth, effectively returning the world back to its original state before the uplift]]. |
| 633 | * WorthyOpponent: Largo says that Luke is his before the final battle against him. |
| 634 | * WritersCannotDoMath: Extra stuff you can read in Daath and Baticul will tell you extra information about Auldrant. One of these books will tell you that there are 765 days in a year on Auldrant spread out over 13 months. However, you're also told that twelve of those months have 58 days, and there's one month with 60 days. This makes ''756'' days in a year, not ''765''. 765 could be considered a typo if it weren't Namco's CreatorThumbprint, as "765" can be read as "na-mu-ko" ("Namco"), making it fall squarely in this trope. Also, the two dates you're given are not possible within the same year, if you try write out the calendar (with or without the unaccounted for nine days) |
| 635 | * {{Wutai}}: Despite its architecture bearing more occidental features, few Japanese type weapons, like the Katana and the Hamayumi, are said to have been made exclusively on the fallen island nation of Hod. Guy's Sigmund Style of swordsmanship also somewhat exemplifies this as well, as his style appears to prefer backswords and agility like samurai. |
| 636 | * YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: ''Everybody'' does this for Luke past a certain point, as after finding out [[spoiler:he's Asch's clone]] he develops a ''massive'' inferiority complex. Some instances are heartwarming, including when Jade admits he's learned a lot [[MoralSociopathy about humanity]] by watching Luke grow, or any of the ''dozens'' of time Guy declares his UndyingLoyalty to Luke, damn the fact that [[spoiler:Luke's a replica.]] And some examples are more heart''breaking'', including when '''Asch''', of all people, yells at him for putting himself down all the time. |
| 637 | * YouCantFightFate: |
| 638 | ** Believed by most of the world. Although it emerges that it's possible to ScrewDestiny, this later changes when it is revealed that [[spoiler:everything is guided by the planet's memory. But by the end, they manage to ScrewDestiny anyway.]] Another noteworthy example is [[spoiler:that the Score said Fon Master Ion was supposed to die,]] and the original thought that creating copies would defy the Score. He was ''wrong''. |
| 639 | ** On the other hand, [[spoiler:Van unintentionally subverted this by creating Luke,]] who was supposed to take the original's place in dying at Akzeriuth. Both the original and the clone survived the incident, in contradiction to the Score. The party later points this out to Van in an attempt to convince him that the Score can be defeated, Van merely passed it off as an insignificant detail. |
| 640 | *** And then we have the [[spoiler:Tower of Rem]]. The place was originally a mining city like Akzeriuth, and [[spoiler:Asch planned to sacrifice himself there, while Luke was trying to take his place.]] Both survived again. [[spoiler:Partially, at least.]] |
| 641 | ** Luke completely [[DefiedTrope defies]] this at the end [[spoiler:as he successfully destroys the Score and frees the world.]] |
| 642 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Said by [[spoiler:Van, after he gets Luke to destroy]] Akzeriuth. |
| 643 | * YouKilledMyFather: A Villainous example in Arietta. |
| 644 | * YoungerThanTheyLook: [[spoiler:Luke]] looks (and is genetically) 15-17, has the mind of a 13 year old BrattyHalfPint, and is chronologically 7 years old. |
| 645 | * YoungestChildWins: Tear makes Van [[spoiler:vulnerable to the killing blow using a lullaby he taught her as a child.]] |
| 646 | ** Luke vs. [[spoiler:Asch.]] |
| 647 | * YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: The part just before the Absorption Gate dungeon has "Ending" written all over it, you apparently kill the God-Generals, the Absorption Gate itself seems like TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon... And then, when you're watching the supposedly final cutscene, you see a completely new area of the dungeon, ''with a treasure chest in it'', just to make it clear that you're going to be able to go there. There's actually a bit of {{Foreshadowing}} if you look carefully - if you bring up the map in the Qlipoth, there's this area in a corner of the map that appears to have not sank into it. When you go there, you find that it's got a landmark that you can't enter yet. Even more apparent in the [[Platform/Nintendo3DS 3DS]] version, since the the map can be perpetually open on the bottom screen. |
| 648 | [[/folder]] |
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