The game's producers gave it the characteristic genre name RPG of Eternity and Bonds . It was developed by members of Telnet Japan's "Wolfteam", who had previously worked on its predecessors Tales of Phantasia and Tales of Destiny.

The Story Behind Tales of Destiny II

GameSpot recommended it only to people who value gameplay over graphics, stating "it's a good bit of fun to play" but it "...would not be out of place on the Super Nintendo about eight years ago" regarding graphics. The Orbus Barrier has shown recent signs of weakening and possible collapse due to the actions of an unknown external force. The game required a computer running Windows 98 Second Edition or higher.

The journey takes Reid across both planets, as he seeks out those responsible for this movement towards the brink of annihilation. The field graphics were cropped, and the battles being redone in full widescreen, and the frame rate was improved in the overworld map. Japanese media cited "a declining number of accounts", but the company Bandai Namco Games did not disclose its reasons to shut down the game.

How Tales of Destiny II Plays

Battles with enemies are done through the Linear Motion Battle System, a hybrid fighting system that combines fighting game and traditional role-playing game elements. The game plays similar to other Tales games, following the precedent set by previous role-playing video games in general as well. Additionally, city merchants will exchange Gald, the in-game currency, for items or equipment that can be vital to completing the game.

Movements and attacks are done in real-time, with the fighting being compared to the Street Fighter series. Progress can be saved at any time - a first for the series, and the player can also learn recipes throughout the game, using them to cook status-enhancing or healing food out of combat. Cities and towns, which are populated with NPCs, are valuable sources of information, for either triggering events that move the plot forward, or extra information that fleshes out the game's story and setting.

Why Players Still Load It Up

In early 2004, Namco announced a port of Tales of Eternia for the PlayStation Portable handheld under the project codename "T.O.E." A playable demo was featured at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in June, and later at the 2004 Tokyo Game Show the following September. Its Japanese theme song, "Flying" was performed by J-Rock group Garnet Crow, which was replaced in the English versions by an original orchestral piece. AllGame praised the gameplay, character designs, and 2D graphics, but criticized the game's weaker, less emphasized story, and the voice acting, stating "It isn't that the voice actors do a horrible job, it's just that more often than not, they sound as if they're waiting to get their oil changed instead of on a life-or-death mission."

Namco only published the PSP version of the game in Japan; Ubisoft picked up the game for distribution in Europe, and it went unreleased in North America. The game itself was largely unchanged, although Namco did manage to greatly reduce loading times, eliminating the need for any "now loading" signs altogether. IGN praised the gameplay, citing "a great action-oriented battle system that has no close equivalent in any other game".

Tales of Destiny II — Frequently Asked Questions