orthodoxy1095
Banned
Platform: PS Vita, PS TV
Players: 1
Developer: Bandai Namco Studios Inc.
Publisher: Bandai Namco Games
Rating: Teen
Release Date: November 11th, 2014 (NA)
November 14th, EU
Tales of Hearts R is the story of Kor Meteor, a young man living in a small village by the sea, trained in sword arts by his grandpappy.
Kor finds a young woman, Kohaku Hearts and her brother Hisui washed up on the beach. The pair are on a search for a Soma weapon. Kohaku is attacked by a witch and infected, and in Kor's attempt to cure her using his own Soma weapon, he shatters Kohaku's spiria (the essence of her heart and emotions) and the pieces are scattered across the world. What follows is a journey as Hisui, Kor and Kohaku set off to restore her spiria! On their journey, they will be joined and aided by a diverse and eccentric cast of characters!
Click the pictures for expanded views
Kor Meteor
Originally "Shing Meteoryte" in the Japanese version, Kor is a young man with a deep curiosity about the world. After his encounter with the Hearts sibling, his attempt to cure Kohaku from an infection will set the game's journey in motion. 16 years old, uses a sword.
Kohaku Hearts
A girl traveling the world with her brother in search of Soma. Kohaku is guided by the "voice" of her spiria. Kor's attempt to save her from infection ends up shattering her spiria (emotional core), rendering her virtually emotionless. Her name "Kohaku" means "amber", an organic gemstone. 17 years old, uses a baton.
Hisui Hearts
Kohaku's older brother. Due to family history, he is quite overprotective of his sister. Because of that protective streak, Hisui is cold towards Kor because of the result of his actions with Kohaku. He looks rough and tries to act cool, but he has quite the hot-headed streak. In Japanese, his name "Hisui" means "jade", a gemstone. 18 years old, uses gauntlets.
Innes Lorenz
A woman who wields a surprising level of strength, Innes is the manager of the transport shop "Every Day is a Peaceful Day". She initially accompanies the group to help sell her wares. Her name is derived from the mineral lorenzenite. 24 years old, uses a gigantic axe-blade-sword thing.
Beryl Benito
A runaway young girl who left her village seeking to become a court painter. She is naive and easily misled, and his a surprising nihilistic streak. Her name is derived from the minerals beryl and benitoite. 18 years old, wields...a paintbrush
Yes, really.
Kunzite
Kunzite is a 2,000 year old mechanical guardian knight with parts that mimic and emulate human emotions. He is a secret from the public, and his name comes from the gemstone kunzite. 2,000 years old, uses blades attached to tentacles.
Galad Grinus
Galad is a veteran Soma master who joins Kor's band of heroes in the hope of wiping the Xerom out of the world. He has a tragic past with the Xerom and thus is cold and distant at first, but his heart eventually warms to the group.
Calcedny Arkham
Originally only an NPC in Hearts, Calcedny makes an appearance in Hearts R as a playable character. He is the leader of the Crystal Knights and a devout follower of the Baraya faith. He is also a skilled swordsman. Calcedny's name is derived from the mineral chalcedony.
Because of the switch to fully-3D battles, Tales of Hearts R has a completely redesigned battle system called the "Aerial Chase Linear Motion Battle System" (ARC-LBMS).
Random enemy encounters on the field make a return. Once in battle, the "chase link" mechanic enables characters to knock enemies into the air and perform a combo. Kor can chase enemies into the air and follow up with a cross chase team attack. Holding the attack button causes Kor to perform a "chase finisher."
There are items found in chests around the series, utilized in a variety of fashions: battle, cooking/healing recipes, overcoming obstacles/objects, etc. Leveling up is done by using Soma Build Points (SBP), the "soma" being the character's weapon. These soma thus evolve, giving the characters new abilities. SBPs can also be assigned to strengthen character stats (called Spir Parameters).
Mystic Artes also make a return, with new Mystic Artes for Hearts R. Union Artes are also found within the game, which are special attacks that are unique to particular pairs of characters. Special accessories called "Combo Commands" (activated by specific button presses) also add to the battle system.
- I had no idea this was being released. Where can I buy it in retail?
Europe is getting a full retail release, in the USA it is sold exclusively in retail at GameStop and exclusively at EB Games and VGP in Canada. You can also order from the Bandai Namco Store in the USA (shipped by Amazon). - I only buy digital, can I still get the retail preorder DLC?
Yes. You can purchase the Digital Limited Edition on the PSN instead and get the same six costumes as retail purchasers. The Digital Limited Edition will actually be available until the end of November. - Wait, hold up. Preorder DLC?
Right! If you preordered in the USA/Canada, you will receive a voucher for six costumes which are based on Tales of the Tempest, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, Tales of Graces f, and Tales of Vesperia. If you preordered in Europe, you will get the "Soma Link Edition" aka a "Day One" edition which also includes bonus costumes. Purchasing the Soma Link Edition of the game will get you a code that will allow you to participate in a drawing to win a Japanese collectors edition of Tales of Hearts R. There will be five winners. If you win, in addition to the collectors edition, you will receive a unique congratulatory video from Tales producer Hideo Baba, as well as a personalized outer case with your name on it. - How long is the game?
Easily 50 hours for the story, many more (around 100) if you do option activities. - How is the quality of the localization?
For early impressions, check the review thread here to see what people are saying about the quality. The OT will also surely contain impressions - What is new in this game? Is the "R" for "Remaster" or "Remake"?
Hearts R is not merely a remaster, it is a full remake. The sprites from the original DS game have now been replaced by fully 3D models. The game also includes new anime scenes made by Production I.G. There is also now full voice acting for the main story. Additionally, previously an NPC, Chalcedony Arkham is now playable, and the all-new character of Galad Grinus has been added in! - Oh voice-acting huh? How is the dub?
Sorry friend. No dub here. English subtitles for Americans/Canadians and English, French, Italian, German and Spanish subtitles for Europe. - What the hell does your OT title mean?
I'm terrible with witticisms. Tales of Hearts is a lot about "the power of love" and drawing power from "our hearts combined," so it's a play on that. Apologies for being criminally uncreative!
