Tales of the Abyss

 3DS
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 216 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 172 out of 216
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 216
  3. Negative: 19 out of 216
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  1. Mooteddy
    Apr 3, 2020
    1
    **** Higuchi, I'm sorry dude, you should absolutely not direct games

    I played the game for 31 hours and I'm not even remotely interested in what is happening. Every conflict is resolved absolutely randomly. There is ALWAYS some CONVENIENT coincidence happening that solves the problem that the characters are having. No moral, no risk, no danger ever surrounds your party. Every single    **** Higuchi, I'm sorry dude, you should absolutely not direct games

    I played the game for 31 hours and I'm not even remotely interested in what is happening. Every conflict is resolved absolutely randomly. There is ALWAYS some CONVENIENT coincidence happening that solves the problem that the characters are having. No moral, no risk, no danger ever surrounds your party.

    Every single character is driven by guilt and they all tell each other "don't be so hard on yourself. Basically, every single character has the same dialogue in regard to morals. How cheap is that???

    The backtracking in the game is beyond rational. The game even sometimes offers you to teleport you to the location because it knows how bad the backtracking is. Thank you? I guess? No.

    Pacing is abnormally bad. Something interesting happens every 10 hours. The rest of your time you spend running from point A to point B. Then to C. Then to D. Then to A. To B. To A. To A.b. . To C. To A. To E. To B. It's Fun...

    Not worth your time.

    THE POSITIVE:
    -Combat is okay, with skills that you learn...more or less random. There's a system to it, but it's meh.
    -Equipment is fun to get but most of it is just bought from a vendor.
    -Puzzles are kinda fun. More fun than the story
    -Voice acting is on point

    That's it.

    VERDICT:

    The game has ZERO respect for your time and expects you to play it like it's your job. The traces of the story that you get are very unfulfilling that come to a consensus every 10 hours, which isn't very spectacular in the first place. The voice acting is nice, but given the below amateur level writing, pretty wasted. The combat is kinda nice, but it's NOT "I'd play that for 50+ hours nice". A great prologue that leads to a very disappointing rest of the game.    … Expand
  2. Redz0ne
    Mar 15, 2012
    1
    I have never in my life as a gamer played a game that was more boring and uninspiring as this one. it looks pretty on the 3ds, but that's it''s only redeeming feature (and playing a game merely because it's "pretty" is doing a massive disservice to the gaming industry.)

    the combat is interesting in that it's a departure from your typical turn-based combat, but that doesn't even begin to    I have never in my life as a gamer played a game that was more boring and uninspiring as this one. it looks pretty on the 3ds, but that's it''s only redeeming feature (and playing a game merely because it's "pretty" is doing a massive disservice to the gaming industry.)

    the combat is interesting in that it's a departure from your typical turn-based combat, but that doesn't even begin to make up for the fact that the characters are contrived, cookie-cutter parodies. I could not once find a moment in this game where i felt any sort of emotion for the characters. this game may appeal to your typical jRPG fans, but then anything that's even remotely "anime" will appeal to them, even if it is a steaming pile with "cute anime eyes" slapped on.

    overall, best to avoid this game unless you want to play an uninspiring game where the story is forced and predictable.    … Expand
  3. IrishChai
    Jul 19, 2012
    2
    I really didn't enjoy this game right from the start. I think I gave it a pretty good chance, investing a few days and many hours devoted towards getting a good feel for the story, characters, and design. I thought Tales of Symphonia was decent on GC, but this felt even older, slower, and terribly more uninspired then that. I was so uninterested in playing this after the first week that II really didn't enjoy this game right from the start. I think I gave it a pretty good chance, investing a few days and many hours devoted towards getting a good feel for the story, characters, and design. I thought Tales of Symphonia was decent on GC, but this felt even older, slower, and terribly more uninspired then that. I was so uninterested in playing this after the first week that I had to return it, willing to take anything in it's place. Maybe you'll like it more if you are a big fan of the series and feel the need to play or own it as a part of the series. Unfortunately this title was so bad to me that I'll be staying away from the series from now on. Really disappointing to say the least.… Expand
  4. NoIdeaName
    May 10, 2020
    4
    The combat is the same of other "Tales of" games, being a positive point of the game.
    The plot although good, has terrible pacing making the game drag for a long time.
    The protagonist is the worst part of the game being boring and irritating.
    I've almost given up playing it instantly but I had just too much free time so I forced myself to finish it.

Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Best 3DS Game of 2012
10
#10 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2012
8
#8 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 33
  3. Negative: 1 out of 33
  1. Worth Playing
    Jun 27, 2012
    80
    For Tales of the Abyss, what we're left with is a bad port of an old, polarizing game that is mediocre at best and dangerous at worst. Given all of its flaws, there's really not much of a reason for this port to exist, outside of it being The First Pretty RPG for the 3DS. If that's enough for you, then by all means, grab this on the cheap and play it in 2-D mode. Otherwise, you're better off waiting for games made expressly for the system.
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  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Jun 20, 2012
    82
    While the story and characters are somewhat lacking, Tales of the Abyss stands tall due to its superb battle system. [June 2012]
  3. Game Informer
    Mar 8, 2012
    68
    There isn't a huge selection of RPGs on the 3DS, and Tales of the Abyss will definitely appeal to the handheld gamer that wants to take this particular genre on the go. It hits all the beats of your typical JRPG, for better or worse.
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