Tales of Destiny 2
Encyclopedia
This article is about the PlayStation 2 game that was marketed and released exclusively in Japan.


is the fourth mothership title in Namco's
Namco Bandai Games
is an arcade, mobile and home video game developer and publisher based in Japan which is the product of a merger between the video game development divisions of Bandai and Namco. Namco Bandai Games is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings and specializes in production and sales of...

 popular Tales RPG series, a true sequel to Tales of Destiny
Tales of Destiny
is a video game in the RPG genre published for the PlayStation console by Namco on December 23, 1997 in Japan, selling 1,139,000 copies. Tales of Destiny's characteristic genre name is...

that takes place in the same fictional world. Tales of Destiny 2 is easily confused with the name of the North American release of Tales of Eternia
Tales of Eternia
is a Japanese PlayStation action role-playing video game released by Namco on November 30, 2000, selling 873,000 copies and later ported to the PlayStation Portable on March 3, 2005, selling 398,000 copies. Tales of Eternia's characteristic genre name is...

, Tales of Destiny II, which was renamed since the name "Eternia" is trademarked by Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...

 (for the He-Man
He-Man
He-Man is a fictional heroic character featured in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. In most variations, he is the alter ego of Prince Adam...

toys) in North America. Tales of Destiny 2's characteristic genre name is . In carrying on the traditions of the Tales series, Tales of Destiny 2 relies on such mainstays as the Linear Motion Battle System and sprite-based characters. Like most games in the series, Tales of Destiny 2 includes an introduction and insert-scenes animated by Production I.G, and a J-pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...

 theme song - in this case, Key to My Heart by Mai Kuraki
Mai Kuraki
is a Japanese pop and R&B singer-songwriter and producer from Funabashi, Chiba. Kuraki debuted in 1999 with the single, "Love, Day After Tomorrow". In 2000, she released her debut album, Delicious Way, which debuted at number-one and sold over 2,210,000 copies in its first week...

.

Gameplay

In a fashion similar to its predecessors in the Tales series, Tales of Destiny 2 has five basic modes of gameplay: the 3D overworld
Overworld
An overworld is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres....

 map, 2D town and dungeon maps, the battle screen, the menu screen, and skits. The overworld map is a scaled down representation of the game's fictional world; the player directs characters from one on-map location to another in order to advance the plot and achieve in-game objectives. As in all previous games in the series, the player is given three methods of world map transportation: by foot, ship, and airship. With a few plot-driven exceptions, such as scripted boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...

 encounters, enemies are randomly encountered on field maps and on the overworld when traveling by foot.

The game's plot progresses as the player passes through towns and dungeons in accordance with the scenario scripting of Tales of Destiny 2. Various NPCs
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...

, such as town citizens and travelers, will offer information to the player; this dialogue is often helpful to plot advancement, but the majority is simply background material that adds depth to the fictional world. Each town usually provides item and equipment shops; merchants accept the Tales series currency, , which can be obtained from battle or treasure chests on the dungeon and town maps. Throughout the game, visiting certain individuals in towns will activate optional events and side-quests. Prisons, sewers, forests, and the floating city of Dycroft serve as dungeon locales; these areas are scattered with treasure chests containing rare items, some of which cannot be purchased in stores. Dungeons frequently contain puzzles and mazes, such as boxes that must be reoriented to form a bridge, which must be cleared to advance; the "Sorcerer's Ring", a relic that shoots tiny plumes of fire, often plays a central role in puzzle resolution, along with the "Sorcerer's Scope", a tool that reveals hidden objects.

The menu screen is where the player makes character-oriented decisions: who will be in the traveling party, what equipment will they use, which magic spells will be actively cast, and how battle will be resolved. It is also used to track experience points, levels, Gald, and character statistics. Additionally, the menu screen provides behavioral and tactical options for computer-controlled allies in combat; aggression levels can be altered, along with the AI preference for magical versus physical attack. By default, the single player experience is that of the player controlling one character while the computer uses the remaining three characters, according to player-defined parameters, in a party of four. If the player wishes to have additional control over battle actions and outcomes, commands can be issued manually through the battle menu and shortcuts can be assigned to ally skills or spells. The multiplayer option, which supports up to four humans playing simultaneously using a PlayStation 2 multitap
Multitap
A multitap is a video game console peripheral that increases the number of controller ports available to the player, allowing additional controllers to be used in play...

, allows complete human control and the removal of the AI element from battle.

Like the Tales series games preceding it, Tales of Destiny 2 retains the cooking system that was introduced in the PlayStation version of Tales of Phantasia
Tales of Phantasia
is a Super Nintendo game in the RPG genre published by Namco and released in Japan in 1995, selling 212,000 copies. It is the first mothership title in the Tales RPG series and was later remade/re-released on the PlayStation, Game Boy Advance and PlayStation Portable...

. Basic ingredients, such as vegetables, meat, and bread are common throughout the game, and the player acquires recipes for making those ingredients into dishes, which heal the party. Recipes, although occasionally found in dungeons, are typically learned through interaction with the "Wonder Chef", a recurring character who appears in many towns. This system is offered as an alternative to using ordinary healing items, such as gels, or healing spells outside of battle.

Battle system

The battle system of Tales of Destiny 2 is a cross between typical CRPG offerings and the fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...

 genre, so the system is a hybrid that uses both experience points and a hit counter for combos, two typically disparate game elements. If the player does not wish to fight, escape is also a possibility in combat; however, escaping can be risky and the player forfeits all possible rewards from battle.

Tales of Destiny 2 employs the Tales series' characteristic style of combat, the LMBS (Linear Motion Battle System), in which the player controls the characters in real-time (as opposed to turn-based), and the characters perform actions on a two-dimensional plane. This iteration of the battle system is known as the Trust and Tactical LMBS (TT-LMBS), and is designed to encourage the player to think more about coordinating the characters to make combat more efficient. One of the ways this is achieved is by the introduction of the Spirits System. Characters have a spirit bar, measured in SP, which decreases as they take actions and refills when they defend, or are not executing any commands; more complex commands usually consume greater quantities of SP. When a character has very low spirit, even basic attacks become impossible to execute; the player must consequently let some low spirit characters fall back while other characters with high spirit take the offensive. Tales of Destiny 2 also employs an auto-zoom feature in combat, which became standard in future Tales games. The camera zooms out when there is great distance between characters, making it easier for the player to monitor the whole party; when the characters are grouped together, or if there is particularly intense localized action, the camera zooms in.

In battle, characters are defined by three basic parameters: HP (health points), TP (technical points), and SP (spirit points). Health points, a measure of survivability, are depleted by taking damage from enemy attacks; when a character loses all HP, he or she is no longer usable in battle until resurrected. Technical and spirit points are used primarily to take action; spells and techniques cost SP and TP to perform, while defensive maneuvers, such as back stepping, only consume SP. Various other parameters, like strength and agility, are used to determine battle performance. Tales of Destiny 2 was innovative with respect to the Tales series insofar as TP and SP regenerate over time; although items can restore TP in an emergency, SP can only be regained by defending and waiting.

All six playable characters can use magic, as opposed to the previous Tales formula of providing specialized characters, such as Keele from Tales of Eternia
Tales of Eternia
is a Japanese PlayStation action role-playing video game released by Namco on November 30, 2000, selling 873,000 copies and later ported to the PlayStation Portable on March 3, 2005, selling 398,000 copies. Tales of Eternia's characteristic genre name is...

, who can only use magic. The playable females are predominantly magic users while the males are fighters, but the player can choose either path for each character, providing tactical and strategic flexibility.

Experience points, levels, and grade

Victory in battle yields experience points, which are applied to each individual character to determine if he or she gains a level. Raising a level provides many permanent benefits, such as improved combat abilities, new skills, and additional HP. Unique character-based titles can change the bonuses received upon raising a level, so this allows another degree of customization. The player is also awarded grade based on performance in combat on a per-battle basis, where the quantity of grade received increases as battle performance improves. Tales of Destiny 2 introduced the grade system to the Tales series; as such, the TT-LMBS was the first to include grade judgment. Grade is accumulated throughout the game for the purpose of purchasing special bonuses, such as double experience, that apply to the next playthrough.

Skills and combos

Battle skills in Tales of Destiny 2, like many other entries in the series, have three tiers: tier 1 , tier 2 , and tier 3 . The player is rewarded for longer combos with additional experience, so an incentive exists to chain together the longest combo possible, as an extensive combo also prevents enemy action by definition. Normal physical attacks flow seamlessly into tier 1 skills, tier 1 chains to tier 2, etc.; therefore, the typical attack sequence in Tales of Destiny 2 starts with normal attacks and ends with the use of a hi-ougi skill. The hi-ougi skills, which are enabled through the Enchant system, involve a brief anime cut-in followed by a lengthy independent attack; this is analogous to the Limit Break
Gameplay of Final Fantasy
Though each Final Fantasy story is independent, many aspects of gameplay have remained relatively consistent throughout the series.-Parties and battles:...

 concept in the Final Fantasy series. The character in question must be in a special state, called "Spirits Blaster Mode", in order to successfully execute the hi-ougi; this temporary state is triggered by total accumulated damage, both inflicted and received, in combat.

Enchant and Refine systems

The Enchant system, which allows battle skill customization, is paired with the Refine system, which lets the player combine and modify weapons and items. As a skill is used with increasing intensity, additional Enchant options are made available; although only one option can be enabled at a time, the possibilities range from increased damage to extensions that are activated after the skill is used. Hi-ougi use, a type of extension, is impossible without the enchant system. Refine enables the transformation of items and weapons by consuming "Rune Bottles"; two weapons may be fused into a stronger weapon, or healing items could be improved.

Plot

Tales of Destiny 2, which is centered around Kyle Dunamis and his efforts to restore history as it once was, deals with the events that take place eighteen years after Stahn Aileron's exploits in Tales of Destiny. A new movement led by Elraine seeks to revive the goddess Fortuna and worship her. Aided by Barbatos, an ancient soldier on the losing side of the War of Heaven and Earth who lusts for revenge, Elraine will not permit interference with her plan on the part of Kyle and his allies.

Setting

Over 1,000 years prior to Tales of Destiny, a comet collided with the fictional planet on which the game occurs, ushering in a long and enduring winter. The survivors, desperate for the light of the sun, harnessed , an energy source they found in the remains of the comet, to create Dycroft, a flying city (aeropolis in the North American (NA) localization of Tales of Destiny). Eventually the residents of the flying cities came to dominate those who remained on the surface using a powerful weapon called Belcrant, and the (NA: Aeth'er Wars) began as a result. The team of scientists who created Belcrant defected to the side of the surface-dwellers and developed powerful Lens-based weapons called Swordians, sentient swords, on their behalf. The Swordian Masters, empowered by the Lens flowing through their Swordians, then destroyed all of the flying cities and sunk Dycroft into the ocean, ending the War of Heaven and Earth.

The Swordians lay dormant for centuries until conflict broke out for possession of an enormous Lens known as the God's Eye (NA: Eye of Atamoni), ultimately orchestrated by the defeated, but never truly killed, ruler of Dycroft. Stahn Aileron, a young man on a journey for fame and fortune, happened to find the Swordian Dymlos, setting him on a course to save the world from impending disaster. Joined by fellow Swordian Masters Rutee, Philia, Woodrow (NA: Garr), and Leon, Stahn prevented the resurrection of Dycroft and restored peace to the world in the original Tales of Destiny. However, the surface world had been extensively damaged by the Belcrant weapon during the recent conflict, leaving a number of cities in ruins.

Story

The game begins with Kyle, son of the hero of the previous game, setting off on a quest to save the orphanage that his parents operate from financial ruin. During his quest, he finds a giant Lens; from the Lens emerges a mysterious girl named Reala, who claims to be in search of a hero. Believing it his duty to become the kind of hero his parents were, he follows Reala to prove himself as the hero she seeks.

Partway through the game, a large quantity of Lens is stolen from the king's treasury by the holy maiden Elraine; throughout the game, Elraine has been accumulating power and influence by claiming to be able to solve the world's problems through magical means, using the Lens. As Kyle pursues Elraine, she captures Reala. After Kyle defeats Elraine and rescues Reala, she realizes that Kyle is the hero that she has been seeking. Kyle proceeds to destroy the Draconis, the war ship used to steal the Lens from the King. However, the Lens was still in the Draconis when it was destroyed; the destruction of the Lens causes a temporal rift to appear, sending Kyle and Reala to an alternate timeline.

In this timeline, the War of Heaven and Earth, a war fought a thousand years ago between the surface dwellers and the people living underground, was won by the subteranean people instead of the surface dwellers. The remnants of humanity live in cities scattered across the world. After a confrontation with Elraine, in which Kyle is forced to flee due to her unmatched power, Reala uses her pendant to help them escape.

The pendant sends them a thousand years in the past, during the War of Heaven and Earth. After helping to end the war with a victory for the surface dwellers, Kyle and Reala travel to various other time periods to correct other disturbances to the timeline. Ultimately, it takes the death of the goddess Fortuna, who is giving Elraine her power, to correct the timeline altogether; upon Fortuna's death, the timeline is restored to normal, but Reala has ceased to exist, as she was a direct product of the goddess. The characters had also lose their memories of the adventures they have gone through like it had never happened (which includes Stahn being still alive in the epilogue because Barbatos never interfered with the original timeline events)

In the epilogue, Kyle visited the location from which Reala first appeared to Kyle. When Kyle tries to leave, Reala emerges from a bright light, with Kyle recalling her name and Reala jumped towards him with joy upon their reunion.

Characters

Age: 15

Seiyū: Jun Fukuyama
Jun Fukuyama
is a voice actor. He was previously represented by Aoni Production and Production Baobab, and is now represented by . In 2007, he won the first Seiyu Awards for the best actor in leading role as Lelouch Lamperouge in Code Geass...



The main character of the game, Kyle is very much like his father, Stahn; Kyle's straightforward, simplistic personality is similar to Stahn's as well. However, Kyle remembers little of his father, as the famous hero left on a journey when Kyle was very young; this is what Kyle has been told by Rutee, his mother, and Loni, his closest friend. In actuality, Stahn was killed by Barbatos when Kyle was a child. Rutee runs the Dunamis Orphanage based in the town of Cresta, so the other children there are akin to family. Kyle is especially close to Loni, who treats him like a little brother; their relationship has been forged over more than ten years. Kyle has absolute faith that he will become a hero someday due to the heroic bloodline of his parents; Stahn and Rutee were members of the group (in the original Tales of Destiny) that dealt with the dangerous Eye of Atamoni some eighteen years prior to the initial events of Tales of Destiny 2. In battle, Kyle is a powerful physical attacker who uses swords, and his magic is relatively weak and underdeveloped; these traits form yet another parallel with Stahn.

Kyle eventually realises the hardship of becoming a hero and concentrates on helping the people around him. He eventually was officially recognised by Reala as the hero she was searching for. Although he hardly showed any affection towards Reala, he deeply cares for her and was devastated upon learning that saving the world means ending Reala's existence. In the ending, Kyle hesitated upon saving the world or Reala, but ultimately through Reala's support and encouragement, he had put an end to Elraine's existence permanently, at the expense of Reala's life.

In the epilogue when timeline was back to normal, Kyle was able to be reunited with Reala at the location where they first met, being able to remember her name despite having no memories of the events that happened throughout the game.



Age: 16

Seiyū: Ryoka Yuzuki
Ryoka Yuzuki
Ryōka Yuzuki is a voice actress who was born in Anjo, Aichi, Japan. Her younger sister is an adult comic strip artist Sayumi Sakuragi ....



A girl who suddenly appears from within a gigantic lens found in the Laguna Ruins; Reala has an ethereal quality about her, and she is surrounded by mystery. Her presence is the catalyst for Kyle's adventure; Kyle chases after Reala in order to become the hero that she is searching for. Reala's personality is generally cheerful and inquisitive, but she also displays an overdeveloped sense of responsibility at times and tends to strike out on her own, trying to take matters into her own hands. Possessing the power of the goddess Fortuna, Reala is able to perform the same Lens-based miracles as Elraine. Both of them are direct creations of the goddess Fortuna, and their existence is undone when Kyle is forced to destroy the Lens manifesting Fortuna. However, unlike Elraine, Reala is reborn after the destruction of the goddess due to her emotional link with Kyle. While Reala is physically weak, she wields strong elemental spells in battle.



Age: 23

Seiyū: Toshihiko Seki
Toshihiko Seki
is a Japanese voice actor and member of 81 Produce. Apart from voice actor work, Seki sometimes does live action drama stage work. He is sometimes mistaken for another voice actor, Tomokazu Seki, sharing the same last name but are unrelated.-Person/Career:...



Loni was raised in the Dunamis Orphanage, but left to join the Order of Atamoni; he is like an older brother to Kyle. Thanks to his rather frivolous manner he gives the impression of being irresponsible, but in fact Loni is resourceful and has a strong sense of justice. He acts as a voice of reason to Kyle, keeping the boy's overeagerness in check. Over the course of the story, Loni develops a romantic interest in Nanaly that is ambiguously reciprocated and abruptly terminated near the end of the game. Loni is tough and can deal large amounts of physical of damage, but his attacks are relatively slow; he prefers to fight with polearms.



Age: 16 (Initially perceived to be 34)

Seiyū: Hikaru Midorikawa
Hikaru Midorikawa
is a Japanese voice actor from Otawara, Tochigi who is represented by Aoni Production.He is most known for the roles of Softon in Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Tamahome in Fushigi Yugi, Seiran Shi in Saiunkoku Monogatari, Heero Yuy in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Kaede Rukawa in Slam Dunk, Zelgadis Greywords in...



A masked swordsman who helps Kyle out of difficult situations, Judas is slight in stature but has a commanding presence. The name "Judas" was assigned to him by Kyle during their first encounter in Darillshade Prison, where Judas enables their escape. Though his attitude is often jaded and nihilistic, he has an essentially practical personality. This often makes him seem impatient and demanding, but he almost seems to enjoy acting put-upon. Because he always wears a mask, his true identity is unknown for the first half of the game. Judas is actually Lion/Leon Magnus, who was killed during the events of Tales of Destiny, and because Leon was essentially a traitor, he wore a mask to hide his identity; therefore, the name "Judas", although arbitrarily assigned by Kyle, is clearly a reference to the biblical traitor Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...

. Judas was brought back to life by Elraine for an unknown reason; she probably tried to convince him to fight against Stahn and his allies. Although his reasons for helping Kyle are initially a mystery, Judas appears compelled by the debt he owes to the previous group led by Stahn; as Leon accompanied and betrayed Stahn, Judas wishes to protect Kyle, Stahn's son, who is also his nephew, to atone for his previous sins. A quick and agile swordsman, Judas uses rapiers and daggers. In combat, he is a faster, more fragile, and magically superior version of Kyle. His real name, according to his links with the original Tales of Destiny, is Emilio Katrea/Kartret. His helmet design resembles Femto from the Berserk
Berserk (manga)
is a manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura. Set in a medieval Europe-inspired world, the story centers around the characters of Guts, an orphaned mercenary, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary band called the...

 series.



Age: 19

Seiyū: Tomoko Kawakami
Tomoko Kawakami
was a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo. Having graduated from the Toho Gakuen School of Music, Kawakami was affiliated with Production Baobab at the time of her death.-Career:...

, Yumi Kakazu
Yumi Kakazu
is a female seiyū from Kamifukuoka, Saitama . She is currently affiliated with Genki Project...

 (Tales of Versus onward)

This beautiful warrior woman takes pride in her skill with bows, which puts most men to shame; Nanaly is also adept with magic, wielding spells overshadowed only by Reala and Harold. Outwardly stout-hearted and self-assured, Nanaly often seems tomboyish, but she is also deeply empathetic and, in fact, very refined. Her hobbies are cooking and sewing, and she cares for orphaned children in her home of Hope Town. The death of her younger brother Lou was caused by an incurable illness that she was unwilling to have treated; treatment would involve permanent residence in the Fortuna-dominated city of Aigrette, and Nanaly has a fierce dislike of surrendering her own freedom for salvation. She also repeatedly rebuffs the romantic overtures of Loni, insulting and physically pummeling him, but she does humor him on occasion; nevertheless, they are forcefully separated after the destruction of Fortuna, although Kyle and Loni are still able to visit her younger self in the repaired timeline and help her brother to recover instead of dying.



Age: 23

Seiyū: Akiko Hiramatsu
Akiko Hiramatsu
is a Japanese voice actress. Hiramatsu works at Ken Production.-Notable voice roles:*.hack//Roots *.hack//SIGN *A Tree of Palme *Ai Yori Aoshi *Azumanga Daioh...



Harold is the creator of the Swordians, and because of her name and accomplishments she is often believed to be a man, but this does not bother her in the least. The classic eccentric genius, Harold thinks of everything in terms of her research, and is all but helpless in non-academic affairs. While she often seems childish and unpredictable as a result, she is also very perceptive. As part of the surface-based army in the War of Heaven and Earth (NA: Aeth'er Wars), which takes place 1,000 years before the timeline of Kyle, Harold is responsible for weapons development and has an acute interest in robotics along with her mastery of magical forces. Harold is an offense-oriented spellcaster who makes use of magical rods and knives in battle. Due to her superior intelligence, she can cast some of the most powerful spells late in the game, while being significantly less potent in close-range combat. Her North American name is Harold Berselius, as she is also referenced in the NA version of Tales of Destiny as the progenitor of the Swordians.



Age: 27 (approximate)

Seiyū: Yoshiko Sakakibara
Yoshiko Sakakibara
is a Japanese voice actress.-Direct-to-video animation:* 1983 Dallos - Melinda Hurst* 1985 Greed - Mimau* 1985 Area 88 - Yasuda* 1985 Cream Lemon – Rio* 1985 Megazone 23 – Reina* 1985 The Karuizawa Syndrome - Kaoru Matsunuma...



The Holy Maiden of the Order of Atamoni, Elraine is worshipped as a living manifestation of the goddess Fortuna. She takes joy in granting happiness to people, and she is able to create miracles at will by drawing power out of Lens in a fashion similar to Reala. For that reason, people flock to her with offerings of Lens in order to receive her blessing. However, underneath her benevolent appearance lies a cruel fanatic who won't stop at nothing to accomplish her objectives. She wishes to create a world where everyone lives to serve Fortuna alone. Elraine serves as the primary antagonist against Kyle and the others who wish to stop her from interfering with the fate and history of the human race. She even tries to change the outcome of the War of Heaven and Earth in order to give the power of Lens to all people using Dycroft as a distribution system. She also sees herself as an extension to Fortuna, so her only responsibility is to aid in the ascendancy of the goddess with the assistance of Barbatos. Elraine is a powerful spellcaster who specializes in offensive holy magic, while her physical skills are mostly defensive in nature.



Age: 32

Seiyū: Norio Wakamoto
Norio Wakamoto
is a veteran male seiyū and budō expert affiliated with Sigma Seven. He was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and was raised in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University...



Barbatos is a warrior who fought in the War of Heaven and Earth; he was killed by Dymlos. His own power was equal to that of the Swordian Dymlos, but due to his own selfish behavior, he was written out of history. Now, Barbatos fights in order to validate his existence; he is motivated primarily by negative emotions: his lust for revenge against Dymlos, his desire to seek out worthy opponents in battle, and his selfish demand for recognition as a powerful warrior in the War of Heaven and Earth. Barbatos has been resurrected by Elraine to kill Stahn and his allies, to ensure that they will not interfere in her plans to make everyone worship Fortuna. Not only does he wield a large axe with proficiency, he also has an array of devastating techniques and powerful spells to aid him in battle.

Development

Tales of Destiny 2 was developed by Telenet Japan
Telenet Japan
was a Japanese video game and software developer founded in October 1983 by Kazuyuki Fukushima. The company was also known as Nippon Telenet . The company was best known for the Valis series as well as its Wolfteam & RiOT divisions...

, primarily with the members of Wolf Team; the project was completed before the development group was restyled Namco Tales Studio
Namco Tales Studio
, formerly , was a Japanese video game development company founded in 1986. The company was renamed in 2003 when Telenet Japan sold part of its stake and made Namco the majority shareholder. Namco Tales Studio continues to be the primary developer of the Tales RPG series, as they had been since the...

 in March 2003.

Audio

The music for Tales of Destiny 2 was jointly composed by Motoi Sakuraba
Motoi Sakuraba
is a Japanese composer of video games, anime series, and television dramas as well as independent progressive rock albums.-Biography:Motoi Sakuraba was born in Akita Prefecture, Japan...

 and Shinji Tamura; the soundtrack for Tales of Destiny 2 was released on four Compact Disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

s by Digicube
DigiCube
DigiCube Co., Ltd. was a Japanese company established as a subsidiary of software developer Square on February 6, 1996 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The primary purpose of DigiCube was to market and distribute Square products, most notably video games and related merchandise, including toys,...

 in Japan on December 18, 2002.

Reception and legacy

Tales of Destiny 2 received a score of 33/40 from Japanese video game magazine Famitsu
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...

, earning the publication's gold award. The PlayStation 2 version of Tales of Destiny 2 sold 977,000 copies worldwide, being the second most successful title in the series, behind the first Tales of Destiny. The PSP version sold 129,000 units.
In a 2006 poll of readers, Famitsu ranked the game 89 in Famitsu's 100 all-time favorite games.

Related media

Many characters from Tales of Destiny 2 make appearances in other Namco games that are in the Tales series:
  • Loni appears as an NPC in the Tales of Destiny
    Tales of Destiny
    is a video game in the RPG genre published for the PlayStation console by Namco on December 23, 1997 in Japan, selling 1,139,000 copies. Tales of Destiny's characteristic genre name is...

    remake for PlayStation 2 as an orphan in Cresta; Barbatos is used as a random encounter to punish players for engaging in combat using solely computer-controlled characters, as well as the ultimate optional boss of the game's bonus dungeon.
  • In Tales of the Abyss
    Tales of the Abyss
    is a console role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco in Japan and Namco Bandai Games in North America. Tales of the Abyss's characteristic genre name is The Meaning Of Birth RPG . It is the eighth mothership title in the Tales series, and was released for the...

    , Reala and Harold make minor cameos as two of Anise's dolls. Nanaly is also one of the four characters the player faces in the cameo battle (joining Reid Hershel, Philia Philis, and Mint Adenade). Finally, Loni's spear is awarded to the player for completing the single arena battle with Jade; the weapon goes under the name "Dunamis", referring to Loni's last name.
  • Judas is present in the crossover game Namco × Capcom, which also features Stahn and Rutee from Tales of Destiny.
  • Barbatos reappears in Tales of Vesperia
    Tales of Vesperia
    is the tenth main title in the Tales series. It was developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360. The title was announced on December 22, 2007 at Jump Festa, and was released on August 7, 2008 in Asia, and on August 26, 2008 in North America...

    as one of the arena boss battles. The English version dubbed him "Killer of Heroes" instead of using his real name.
  • Most of the main characters appeared in the Tales of the World series on Game Boy Advance
    Game Boy Advance
    The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...

    .
  • In Tales of Legendia
    Tales of Legendia
    , is a role-playing game that was developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was released in Japan on August 25, 2005 and in the United States on February 7, 2006. Tales of Legendia's characteristic genre name is . It is the seventh mothership title in the Tales...

    , you can equip Chloe with a mask that looks similar to Judas's. If you do, then a skit will pop up in where she acts like Leon.
  • In Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
    Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
    Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, known in Japan as , is a console role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco Bandai for the Wii as a cross of spin-off and sequel to Tales of Symphonia for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2. Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of...

    , there is a skit where Presea mentioned she made a magical clothing called the Loni-Kyle, and a mask that hides identity called the Judas mask, which is a reference to some of the characters in this game.
  • In Tales of Graces
    Tales of Graces
    is the 12th mothership title and the newest generation in the Tales series for the Wii and PlayStation 3. It follows lead character Asbel Lhant, who desires to obtain greater strength. Its characteristic genre name is . The opening theme is by BoA...

    , Reala appears as a Cameo boss alongside Kohak Tales of Hearts
    Tales of Hearts
    is the eleventh mothership title in the Tales series exclusively for the Nintendo DS, which was released on December 18, 2008 in Japan. Tales of Hearts characteristic genre name is...

    and Veigue Tales of Rebirth
    Tales of Rebirth
    is the sixth mothership title in Namco's Tales RPG series. It was released on December 16, 2004 in Japan for the Sony PlayStation 2. Tales of Rebirth's characteristic genre name is . Tales of Rebirth has an anime introductory video accompanied by the song Good Night by Every Little Thing. Notably,...

    . She uses Grand Vanquisher as her Blast Caliber.

PlayStation Portable re-release

On June 19, 2006, magazine scans indicated that a port of Tales of Destiny 2 would appear on the PlayStation Portable (PSP). It was released in Japan on February 15, 2007. The PSP version is similar to the original PlayStation 2 incarnation, with the remake adding additional cameos and playable content; Rutee Kartret, Philia Philis, Woodrow Kelvin, Leon Magnus, and Lilith Aileron from the Tales of Destiny remake
Tales of Destiny (PS2)
is a video game remake in the RPG genre published for the PlayStation 2 console by Namco Bandai Games on November 30, 2006 in Japan.It is a remake of the second game in the Tales series, the original PlayStation Tales of Destiny, which was released on December 23, 1997.Tales of Destiny 's...

are all present as cameo bosses. The PSP re-release sold 73,000 copies in its first week, ranking second in weekly video games sales; however, subsequent sales fell off sharply, with the title dropping to the #25 position in its second week.

External links

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