Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica Review
An audacious PlayStation 2 RPG where music, intimacy and character progression are inseparable—and where the old English release badly needed repairing.
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The verdict
Ar tonelico II is precisely the sort of game whose reception does not reflect how deeply it worked for me. Its old aggregate critical score is modest, yet it sits near the top of my own rankings. The pitch sounds bizarre—protect singers in battle, explore subconscious worlds, cure infected Reyvateils and even develop characters through baths—but nearly every eccentric system connects to another.
The result is one of my favourite PS2 Japanese RPGs. I would not recommend the unmodified English release, though. Its translation and technical problems make the Project Metafalica 2.0 patch the sensible route today.
Singing a future into existence
Metafalss is a society struggling with scarce habitable land, and Metafalica is a song said to create more. The political contest over that future is inseparable from the Reyvateils at the story's centre. I love that the game turns relationships into both narrative stakes and mechanical progress rather than keeping them in dialogue alone.
Hymmnos songs are more than soundtrack highlights: they are rituals, powers and enormous emotional payoffs. The vocal music matters because the story gives every major performance a reason to exist. Its expressive 2D artwork and detailed character designs are similarly distinctive.
A battle system built around trust
The turn-based system alternates between active Attack and Defense phases. Two Vanguard fighters build momentum and respond to the singers' needs, while the Reyvateils charge increasingly powerful Song Magic behind them. During enemy attacks you time guards to protect them; failed defence can undo the work you spent turns building.
I love the risk-and-reward loop. Build Harmonics and Burst, protect the singer and decide how long you dare keep charging before releasing the song. The battle roles genuinely depend on one another instead of pretending the mages behind you are merely another damage source.
Cosmospheres, therapies and strange systems
Diving into a Reyvateil's Cosmosphere means exploring layers of her subconscious through dialogue and choices. Understanding her fears and contradictions unlocks songs, costumes and deeper progression. Relationships outside the Cosmosphere determine how far those journeys can go, and some commitments close off others. Character development literally becomes power.
I.P.D. therapy lets you save infected Reyvateils and gain support abilities. Dualstall and synthesis add still more connected systems. Not every idea is presented elegantly: the fanservice is sometimes excessive, the early mechanical explanations are overwhelming, and the volume of text may tire anyone seeking constant combat.
Final thoughts
Ar tonelico II is complicated, intimate, occasionally ridiculous and full of extraordinary ideas. Its strength is how thoroughly the music, battles, relationships and progression belong to the same design. Play the repaired English version, accept that there will be long conversations and odd humour, and you may find one of the most distinctive RPGs of its generation.