Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 23
  3. Negative: 2 out of 23
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  1. Multiplayer.it
    Oct 17, 2014
    70
    To fully enjoy Ar nosurge you have to 1) read an exhaustive summary of its prequel's plot which never came to the West and 2) completely suspend your disbelief. Once you are done, you will find a deep and solid jRPG below multiple levels of fan service and oddities.
  2. Push Square
    Oct 9, 2014
    70
    JRPG fans should definitely check it out at some point, if only as a filler between bigger things.
  3. Hardcore Gamer
    Oct 7, 2014
    70
    Forgive its flaws, though, and there’s a lengthy — albeit dialogue heavy — adventure worth its weight in nuts and bolts.
  5. Vandal
    Sep 25, 2014
    70
    It is an RPG with a very strong personality, but its story is dense and it's really difficult to follow considering the fact that the previous games weren't available in our region. As a game, it doesn't disappoint, even though there are better options out there.
  6. Eurogamer Italy
    Sep 24, 2014
    70
    While technically lacking, Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star offers many hours of play, plenty of things to do and an interesting albeit very exotic storyline.
  7. IGN Italia
    Oct 20, 2014
    69
    Part visual novel, part JRPG, it's a bit more interactive than usual for the genre, but it still lacks any significant innovation.
  8. Gaming Age
    Oct 15, 2014
    67
    It's a smaller piece in a much, much larger puzzle, and if you don't go into it fully aware of that broader context, it's not going to make a whole lot of sense.
  9. LaPS4
    Sep 23, 2014
    66
    A gem only for Gust's franchise fans. It's technical characteristics are far away from what you would expect of PS3. However, the universe in which it's englobed will give the player quite some enjoyable moments.
  10. Gaming Nexus
    Dec 22, 2014
    65
    It's a very vanilla title that doesn't do much to advance the series, but is definitely going to please the die-hard fans.
  11. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Oct 6, 2014
    65
    The campaign is quite lengthy, there is a ton of story to read through, and there’s even essentially choose-your-own-adventure stories inside other characters’ minds. However, the story is very quirky, and although developer Gust attempted to go deeper in characterization, a lot of the drama that unfolds feels at about the high school level.
  12. PlayStation Universe
    Oct 2, 2014
    65
    An over-complicated story with pacing issues holds this RPG back from its full potential, especially since the prequel was not released in English first. Those who enjoy reading will no doubt have fun. A tedious magic leveling system can also scare away new fans embracing the series. Only RPG diehards and TK fans will immediately gravitate towards it.
  13. RPGamer
    Oct 30, 2014
    60
    Ar Nosurge is an interesting game that suffers from a lack of tender love and care on the localizer's part.
  14. Gameblog.fr
    Oct 13, 2014
    60
    An atypical JRPG where songs and relationships are the core of activities.
  15. Eurogamer Germany
    Oct 6, 2014
    60
    Ar Nosurge seems like a game that somebody had a lot of ideas for, but failed to find a frame to give it the right form.
  16. Everyeye.it
    Sep 26, 2014
    60
    What do you obtain mixing a visual novel, a sim-date game and an action rpg? Quite a mess.

Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Best PS3 Game of 2014
29
#29 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2014
16
#16 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2014

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 58 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 58
  3. Negative: 7 out of 58
  1. thakinggaming
    Sep 24, 2014
    10
    For those who are JRPG fans I highly recommend this title. It released yesterday and it is also the spiritual successor to one of my favoriteFor those who are JRPG fans I highly recommend this title. It released yesterday and it is also the spiritual successor to one of my favorite turn-based franchises of all time Ar Tonelico. Its battle system feature a ton of depth as you assign your commands to a face button plus you can change and combo them whenever you like. The story is an improvement over the Ar tonelico series since Tonelico wasnt that deep but it was charming with likable characters while Nosurges storyline is much more deep and while it still has the charm and likable characters of Tonelico which is awesome. Once again if you are a JRPG fan I highly recommend checking this game out as it deserves your time.… Full Review »
  2. DanHazy
    Feb 29, 2016
    7
    So you will know what type of gamer is writing this review, I'll list three of my favorite games.. 
    Danganronpa 
    Fire emblem  Artelier    So you will know what type of gamer is writing this review, I'll list three of my favorite games.. 
    Danganronpa 
    Fire emblem 
    Artelier Totori 

    (I'm giving this a 7 out of 10 because that is the score I would give a game that I didn't particularly enjoy playing or hate playing.) 

    IN DEPTH REVIEW:

    I'll start with the dialogue, THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF IT. I would say during my play through that I spent 80 percent if the time reading, 15 percent of the time fighting, and 5 percent of the time rolling my eyes when I was trying to back out of a shop to save it. Sometimes the dialogue will hold you up when you was just wanna call it quits for a day. 

    Why is it so much reading? Well, a big part of this game is synthesizing items and there are a lot of items to make. You get a paragraph or two to read when you make an item. It's pointless gibberish about what the characters think of it. Then when you exit the shop menu, you typically get another paragraph or two to read about the story going on with the shops owners or about new recipes. If you're a typical adult playing this game, then halfway though completion of the game, you will be skipping the characters thoughts on the new item created. It's gets old rather quick. The scenes about the store owners lives are slightly more interesting so I managed to watch those without complete boredom.
    The games main story wasn't anything special either. I found the ending disappointing as well. After I've spent about 70 hours playing through a game, I expect a ending that will stay with me awhile, but this game decided it wasn't necessary. 

    The battle system is slightly entertaining. You have moves assigned to each of the four buttons and each move has a certain amount of uses for each turn. You can increase the moves count or other various benefits can be given to the moves through equipment. Every move can have three pieces of equipment tied to it. Some moves are better at breaking the opponent while another hits a group of enemies.
    There is no clock in the battle system, meaning that if you stay still, enemies do not attack you. You also defend against enemy attacks by pressing circle at the right time to help negate some of the damage you recieve. The idea is to protect the heroine until she has gathered enough energy to unleash her song, which deals damage to all enemy waves. One thing I particularly liked about this game was the fact you could fight enough waves of enemies in an area to clear them out of it completly. No more battles so that you can explore that area in peace. The game set on normal difficulty is far to easy. I only used healing items maybe 3 times through the entire playthrough. If you are looking for any kind of challenge, set the difficulty to hard. 

    I also experienced some lag on my game at the beginning and the final boss fight. These are the only times I experienced lag so it wasn't very bothersome. 
    The music was great and the graphic was ok. One of the characters had half her rear showing through the game and the graphics really didn't work for it. Also, expect to see the same npcs on the same scene. 
    I was also surprised to see a teen rating on this game. I believe the esrb may have missed something. During a purification ceremony, which is where you can install crystals into you or the heroines arm,legs,breast,stomach,or head, there was some unexpected camel toe. There was a clear indention in the swimsuit. I know that might not technically be considered nudity but it doesnt get closer than that.Also you will see plenty of rear from the heroines and some of the other female characters in this game. 

    In my opinion, these games have steadily went down in playabilty. The first being ar tonelico for ps2. This game was great, really a perfect ps2 rpg. Ar Tonelico 2 was good too but not as great as the first, as well as Ar Tonelico 3. The new Ar Nosurge is a different direction in these games, hence the different name. If you are looking for a great RPG with about the same sexy tone as Ar Nosurge, I recommend the Ar Tonelico series over this.

    That wraps this review up, hope it helps.    … Full Review »
  3. Deki81
    Jan 16, 2015
    9
    Finished the game after 80h of play. That only tells you how much i loved it. If you want true ending make sure you create every single itemFinished the game after 80h of play. That only tells you how much i loved it. If you want true ending make sure you create every single item in all of the shops. I will not tell why but its important. To all new players, switch to VETERAN difficulty immediately at the start of the game. Difficulty should be revised, as easy, normal, hard instead of normal, hard, veteran.… Full Review »
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