so true of all the tales of protagonists luke earned a happy ending more than any other the only one who you can say might have earned one just as much is velvet (andyea...)
@@ladyaceina *Luke:* *_Given a second chance to live by melding with his original self_* *Velvet:* *_Forced to eat a monster for over a thousand years just so her surrogate brother/reincarnation of her nephew can live long enough to see all of their friends either drift away or become evil (i.e. Eizen becoming a Dragon)_* Take your pick :v
When the game started and I was bothered by Luke and I went, “Oh I get it. Dude gets stranded, sees bigger world, gets better.” By the end I was like, “the crazy son of a bitch did it. Welcome home, kid.”
One of those games/shows I always come back to even after 16 years. I was 14 when I fell in love with TotA and I'm approaching 31 now. Such a magical game, story, characters, and world.
Tales of series will always have a special place in my heart. Especially this game. I am probably on the younger side of what the fans of this game would be if they played it when they were younger. But i had always come back and found something new as I've grown older. Probably my favorite game ever. Hope we see the game get more love than those symphonia ports for the 20th anniv next year. That is if we even get anything though.
Tear as she sits, singing the Grand Fonic Hymn one more time, in front of a field of Selenia Blossoms, in the Tataroo Valley, where they first met...desperate to see him again. One of the most beautiful moments in all of the Tales series.
I could share some clues that points out to be Luke at the end. First, have you noticed Luke and Tear always reunite with selenia flowers? Each time they're separated they come back together in a place where there is selenia flowers. 1- In Tataroo Valley at the beginning. 2- In Yulia city after Luke's coma. 3- In Yulia city after lowering the outer lands. 4- At the end of the game 2 years after defeating Van. The guy in the video does look like Asch, it is because it is Luke in Asch's body. When Asch died, his fonons (and spirit) went into Luke. But, his body didn't disappear. So when Luke was in the core with Asch's body, his consciousness went into Asch's body. It is basically Luke in Asch's body. That also explain why the hand is twitching. We can clearly see that Luke holds his sword in his back at the end. Just like Luke held it the whole game. Asch held his sword by his left leg. Also, since his sword is hold that way, we know that this Luke is left handed. Just like Luke, Asch was right handed. (they were like a mirror) Another easy clue, when Tear ask him why he is there and not at the manor. It is because rejected his past, the manor wasn't his home. He didn't have a home. That is why he came back to Tataroo Valley. That place was his "home" that's where he met Tear and where everything began. He also said "this place has a nice view of Hod". That's where Tear's family was. Asch had no interest at all in Tataroo valley, that place meant nothing to him. Luke kept his promise to Tear. There is a ton more of clues that shows it is Luke at the end, which is pretty great. Luke and Tear can finally be together after 2 long years. But it's still sad for Asch ... Forgot something, look at Tear's face at the end. You can clearly see her smile. :)
+Slee Keith Bruh....you say it looks like asch but him and luke look the same because...they are the same. if it's been 2 years of him not cutting his hair then yeah it would be long again x,D haha theres no need to come up with theories about this. it's obviously luke at the end. there is no need to question it at all
I love this analysis but in my initial interpretation I always figured Luke's fonons fused with Asch's and that would bring Asch back at the cost of Luke's life(what he wanted anyway) and that the "promise" he refers to in the ending is actually Asch promising Luke he would go to see Tear. Either way I love how opened ended the ending is left in order for us to have these thoughts. Amazing ending
Yea thats luke the way i see it Luke's body got destroyed and his soul merged with asch body hence the blood red haire without the yellow stripes so is luke inside asch aka the original body of luke fon fabre.
The way they made this is perfect, You see Jade smile last, the funny part is that it was HIM who changed the score he changed the future when he made the first replica doll, he was the catalyst of all change and eventually the one who saved the world.
I love the way you wrote that and it does make a lot of sense. He condemned it when really it was the very thing that the world needed eventually. (not saying that the creation of Nebilim was necessarily the greatest thing but meh...XD)
This is my favorite game of all time. The story hits you in the right spots, the characters are all amazing, the gameplay is stellar, the music fits the mood, every last thing about this game is gold to me. This was one of the few game endings to make me cry, especially at the ending. I am who I am today because of this game, and I owe a lot to it.
I completely agree, except that I thought the story was a little too slow and political at points. I actually wish they sort of streamlined the plot a bit and made sidequests a little easier to complete (it's hard to find some of them without a walkthrough). Oh, and voiced skits would have been nice, but that's just me being picky. But aside from that, the story was great (albeit, I wouldn't have minded more plot twists), *and even more important, the characters were so fleshed out.* Heroes and villains alike had backstories and well-explained motivations. Heck, even some of the minor characters like Frings, Cecil, and Class I and M had some development! And in the manga Gaidens, some of the characters are fleshed out even *_more!_* It's so wonderful. *I LOVE THESE CHARACATERS!* And, like you said, the ending was *beautiful.* It's one of my favorite endings ever, along with Ghost Trick and the Phoenix Wright games. I was actually pretty disappointed it was ported to the 3DS, not because I have anything against the console (I own one, in fact), but because I was hoping for a full-fledged remake with updated graphics and new content, but with a 3DS port already made, it's unlikely we'll be seeing any more ToA for a while. :( *NOOOOO!!!! I NEED MORE TOA IN MY LIFE!*
Elisebeth Ross I thought they should've focused a bit more on the characters relationships, like Tear and Luke, and Natalia and Asch... And I wish they would make like a second game or something so we can know what happened to Luke and Asch during those years on Hod!!!!
xYURIxLUVxXD More relationship stuff would have been nice. Not just romantically, but in general. It would be nice to have more *_interactions_* between different characters. But what they *_did_* do was still great! :D As for another game, I *_definitely_* would want one, but I'm not sure what I'd want. My only problem with a sequel would be the whole "mystery Asch/Luke" at the end. How would they resolve it if they make a new game? They'd either have to make a game that doesn't mention him (which would be weird), decide who it actually is (Luke, Asch or a hybrid), or have him in the game but *_not_* mention who he is (which would *_also_* be weird). But no matter what they did, it would probably disappoint quite a few people. So I guess a prequel or side story would be better (in my opinion). *OR AN HD REMAKE WITH BETTER GRAPHICS AND MORE CONTENT FOR THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY. I KNOW IT WON'T HAPPEN, BUT I WANT IT SO BADLY.*
This is why I preferred the PS2 version, there's no bs or leave it up to the player/viewer ending. You can tell that it's Luke at the end because of 3 reasons; The reunion at Hod and the promise made, he remembers that he made a promise to meet Tear at Hod again. The fact that they reunite with the Selenia Flowers, which is something that marks their reunion and meeting several times throughout the game and lastly THE EYES!!! I know many of you have watched the anime adaptation and or played the 3DS remake. In both of those they decided to cut out the color of his eyes so as to not give it away. Luke has light green eyes while as Asch's are slightly darker in contrast. I think that was the whole reason for why Tear stared into his eyes for a while before walking up to him, because she mistook Asch for Luke once so It was probably to confirm that it was actually Luke.
I remember it was 2009. I was bringing my Playstation 2 into school, and they allowed us to hook it up in the computer room. I remember playing the final boss with classmates watching.
Came back to check Jades face as I initially believed he was awkward because he made a replica again, but looking back on it it looks more like someone happy but trying hard to keep their composure from crying unlike Tear who let it out. Great game loved the story like most games like this wish I could wipe my memory and start it all over again :)
Sort-of. If you played through the contamination side-quest. Jade was very upset, and he believed, Luke would become nothing more than a memory. He told Luke, that he has never been wrong. Jade believed the big bang had been cancelled because Asch died first. However, Dist argues it does not matter in Asch's case (Asch would return due to his fonon's contaminating Luke's.) And Dist believed, that it didn't matter if Asch died for any reason, the big bang should still happen. Obviously, Jade is the creator and founder of creating replicas. However, in this one instance he was actually wrong. And the big bang still happened.
@@mecuriasu yeah I missed the sequence for that and had to read up on it. I remember Jade does say he's never been wrong except with Luke or that Luke surprises him beyond what he and dist thought/thinks possible with fomicry(?) and replicas and that he hopes to continued to be proved wrong can't remember clearly I've played (binged) couple more RPGs since so it's not as fresh as I'd like it to be to recall it but I guess it's a good excuse for picking it up again this side of the year 😁
Seriously one of the best endings to a game I have ever experienced! It’s amazing that this game still holds up over a decade after its release. I’m here in 2019 and it’s still one of the best Tales titles in the series.
Asch and Luke fused into one body. The previous cutscene showed Asch falling into Luke's arms, then they glowed and became one ball of light. My analysis for this scene is: He mentions how the place has a nice view of hod (Hod holds special meaning only to Asch) and he promised someone (Luke promised Tear he would come back) the final shot starting at 6:57...this was done very subtly by the animators. The cape and hair look just like Asch, then the wind blows the cape aside to show us Luke.
still my favorite version...better than the anime because of the emotion and the music....this version always makes me want to cry!!!!!!....and replay the game
the two songs used in the ending are "Wish to the starry Side" and "Overflowing Emotion,Reunion" but at 5:46 is when "Overflowing Emotion" starts....It was a great choice for this ending you can't help but kinda tear up at this point
Xillia and Symphonia got a sequel but a great tales game like this didn't.....dam crime thats for sure although they still use Luke and Tear in the anthology games
the only...ONLY thing I'd add is the fact that in the anime Mieu was there at the end and I'd include him in the game ending since he was sooo attached to luke
It's so obvious it's Luke. Tataroo Valley is connected to him and Tear. Why would Asch reappear in a place that doesn't mean anything to him? I know they tried to make it an ambiguous ending, but the evidence for Luke is too big to ignore.
I think that the body itself is Asch's BUT Luke's soul is the one controlling it, thus becoming one, as it should have been. (I also wished that Luke design could be unlocked for NG+ or something, like he does look so much better this way in this scene)
As for the ending, I always thought that the persone in the valley was both Ash and Luke, as they bacame one and saved the memories of each other. That's why we see the mix of Luck and Ash in their hair, clothes and sword.
Yeah, my take was always that they merged back, but with maybe a bit more Luke than Asch in the final product just because Asch had given up on life while Luke was clinging to it.
+GrayZS ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) My guess is that he was using that as an excuse to make sure Tear didn't just end up sitting on a tree stump all night freezing to death or something.
This really is one of the greatest games I've ever played. It's rare for a game to have me so attached to each and every character, and I cry at this ending every time :) ♥
I get goosebumps with Tear's hymn! I love it x3. I love the whole game. Man, I wish there was more to it. That's what I hate about finishing a game, you always want to continue it.
My second most favorite Tales series game after Vesperia. Wish they’d HD remaster and rerelease it don’t know bout anyone else but I’d pay $60 to be able to play it again.
Honestly, you never see Jade emotional, not once the entire game, he was always cold, and full of snide humor, except this time, this once, you finally see him showing real emotion of happiness. That was what killed me.
I took this game for 3DS. Never played a Tales game, never informed about it. I just felt like I had to buy it. Now I can say that this was the best game I have played in the past years. Awesome storyline, characters, feelings... there is everything a gdr... no, a videogame should have. 10/10
Ah i remembered when the first time I finished playing this game in 2005.. It was so emotional that I even cried! Honestly, this is the first game that i felt so emotional playing it. Through the eyes of Luke, we can related and able to see the changed from the boy that he was to the man he'd become. *sigh* i wanna play this game again!!!! :D
still my favorite tales game of all time......favorite RPG of all time .....everything about this game was perfect from cast to story ......I still hope that since Symphonia/Vesperia/Besteria are all getting revamped and rereleased on ps4/xbox that this Abyss will get one as well because it sure as hell deserves it........I'd actually like to see an extended epilogue where for the love of the score we see those 2 kiss........only other thing I would add to the ending is that Meiu is in it like he was in the anime because he really did cherish and love luke.....almost like a child for his parent and him not in the epilogue of the game was a little sad
That aside, Jade's ambiguous and sad look in his eyes kinda tells that he's neither Asch nor Luke anymore. It would explain why he has such a forlorn look, since at the end of the game he felt responsible for Luke's plight because he knew the Luke he ended up liking as a companion was gonna vanish and be someone completely different in the end. That's what was implied through most of Jade's side events.
This was definitely one of the most badass games I've ever played, also since it was the first game I played on my PS2. Don't mind playing it another 100 times just cause of the story line and the characters plus the endless ''Unlockables" haha. LukeXTear is the best thing out there.
I played this game when I was 19 years old and this scene never gets old to me. I still had the same feels when I first finished the game. This will always be my GOAT in the Tales franchise ❤❤❤ Luke has the best character development in all Tales MCs
i wasn't going to cry until i saw jade crack that smile. its luke no doubt in hell about it you can tell by the 2 second showing of his face its luke's hairstyle
Here's a few clues: There's a reason the opening song for this game is called 'Karma'. There's a reason Jade had a slightly stunned look on his face when the red-haired stranger came along; he thought second-order hyperesonance wasn't possible either. But it still happened. There's a reason the sword is shown in a particular position; Asch holds a sword in his right hand; not his left. Asch never knew of Luke's promise to come back; he was already dead. Just saying. ^_~
I've just finished this game for the third time and I just have to say that its possibly one of the best games I've ever played, Out of all of the tales games I've played this one takes the cake. Its even better than Symphonia IMO
my friends always asking me about my ps2, when in going to sell it to him.. i guess he jst lazy to buy a new one.. but i wont sell it to him, especially bcoz of this game.. i ply a lot of rpg b4 as wild arms, grandia, persona 3, persona 4, kingdom heart, final fantasy and jrpg on psvita as tales of hearts r, phantasy star online, sao: hollow fragment, persona 4 golden freedoms war and many other rpg games but i love to says tales of the abyss is the best of em.. the storyline was epic, luke might be a asshole at the beginning but on the middle and the end of the story i like him very much.. i thought hes going to die but no.. such an epic story, im glad its be one of my childhood..
There is a side-quest I've read about called the Contamination effect (which I missed during my play-through) where the original Cheagle from Ortion Cavern died but felt something "warm flow into him" before he died. The original cheagle was revived, and the replica was gone. But it seems the opposite happened here, regardless of lack of information, I believe since Luke was in a more advance state (hence, if you look closely, Luke started glowing first, hence speeding up Asch's bang process).
I love how TotA ends where it began--in Tataroo Valley at night. Though, I always found it strange that Jade suggests that it is dangerous there at night.. when in reality, it is more dangerous in the day :P
There are so many theories on this. It's nice that it's an open ending, but I agree with you, that's pretty much the only interpretation that I accept, with Luke's consciousness being the dominant one. As for the body... it's probably a combination of both of their physical forms.
He would have remembered the promise. If you saw the final contamination event cutscene between Jade and Dist they both agreed that only Luke's memories would remain, and only his memories.
This ending has always stuck with me and made me wonder who it was that returned. I came up with an answer. That it’s neither Luke nor Asch but a combination of the two. Asch always kept his hair slicked back while Luke’s was wild. Then there’s the sword on the back and it being meant for left handed fighters. Also, Jade just watches as if he isn’t sure who is standing in front of him. Hair also wouldn’t grow that fast in 2 years(?) for it to be all the way down his back again if it was solely replica Luke. So honestly what we are seeing is a new Luke, one who has lived 2 different lives, a fusion of the original Luke and the replica.
Imo That's correct answer, side quests make it plainly obvious what's going to happen. In order for Luke or Asch to live they needed something from both to meld and live on. They were simply molded back or into 1, neither Luke or Asch but a new or original Luke with faded memories of both However Jade knows the answer already too because he predicted the outcomes and knew it could go either way. Full aware since he was the who created the process. The Luke that comes back has outfit, voice, and mannerisms depicting combination of them both. This is real Luke Fon Fabre
In the sidequest, you can see this conversation: DIST: "Listen, Jade. The contamination effect cannot be prevented. Even with your talent." JADE: "I know that. You're speaking to the person who failed to revive the dead. Fate cannot be changed." DIST: ". . . His memories will remain." JADE: "No. Nothing *but* his memories will remain."
Amo las voces en Japones en los juegos, pero en Tales of Abyss en ingles las voces las técnicas todo fueron interpretadas de Maravilla una maravilla este juegazo la voz de Guy y Jade cuando mandan sus técnicas uffff de lo mejor!!. Necesito un Remake Please Bandai.
I think what he's trying to say is that their bodies fused to create a completely new body with Luke's mind inside it. The mind is Luke's but the body is neither Luke's nor Asch's. It is a mixture of the two.
Even though the ending is ambiguous, it wouldn’t work if it was canonically Asch. Nobody on the team except for Natalia fucked with Asch like that, his rearrival would be neat at best
Well, not only. He clearly states "I made a promise" which is the one Luke said to Tear before disappearing and also it is shown his sword, which is set to be held on the left and Luke is left-handed, while Asch is right-handed. :)
Debated to death already, but I feel compelled to also voice my view. And as much as I would absolutely love it to be Luke, the way he said that a promise had been made makes me believe that like the body, the mind and person standing there was actually a mind born from the fusion of them both. It explains why he referred to the promise in the third person, yet knew about it when Luke made it. The way I see it this Luke is effectively the best of both Lukes, and a fine bittersweet ending.
*sniff* I don't care WHAT people say! This ending was BEAUTIFUL! And this is my opinion so there, but I believe that it's Lorelai at the end, he appears after hearing Tear's fonic Hymn, returns and then smiles at the party, saying he owes them a favor, and then disappears, leaving Luke and Asch behind him. Tear gets Luke, he gets to life his life, Natalia gets Asch, and he has a renewed sense of worth with having a second chance at life and they all live HAPPILY AFTER!
I just beat this game last night.... even though I knew exactly what was going to happen, (because I watched the anime first), I began crying. In my opinion this ending was way more emotional than the anime ending. :3
@SeraphimSwordmaster I will ALWAYS love Abyss. To me, it's one of the best RPGs I've played, and the best Tales game. To each his own. For me, this will always be tied with number one!
+pairedcar09 I wish the update had voiced the skits... The only complaint I have about the game is the silent skits. Otherwise? The game is entirely perfect.
tiny punkabuu Yeah, I felt that too, I tried to read them in the voice, tone, and pace that I thought seemed appropriate, but often that made it to where I'd miss a line because sometimes they just went too fast.
I often hear others mention the 'big bang' effect as to why Luke and Asch seemed to have combined during the ending cutscene. Some people say that the person who emerged would have been Asch since he was the original, but since Luke obtained the 'second-order hyperresonance' power, it deemed him fully human. To me, that kind of explains Jades surprised expression, as he probably thought that Asch would have been the one to survive the combination, and not Luke. What are your thoughts on that?
The song...oh i remember this so well. Really wanted to cry everytime. and Jaaade if this game is released this year imagine the fanmade compilation of him being sassy: Jade Curtis being Sassy for 1 hour straight haha miss this game.
Yes, I agree. Perhaps there are physical remnants of Asch, such as his hair colors and length (though since it has been two years, it could have easily have been Luke whose hair has grown long again). Though the director/creators claimed ambiguity, I think deep down they know it's Luke, but just want to mess with us (as well, Luke's old style mixed with his shortened side burns). Another significance Tear being the primary character in this sequence.
Also, about Asch's body; I believe you're right. Asch died of his injuries and not fonon separation, which is what happened to Luke. The twitch of Asch's hand is likely due to Lorelei's healing properties bestowing upon his body, or Luke and Asch merging. Asch had already became part of Luke prior to the final battle, and throughout the game Luke has exceeded what ere thought to be a limits of a replica, though that stance is more subjective than anything.
What I believe happened was as Luke was disappearing, second-order Hyperresonance allowed him to fuse into Asch's corpse, stabilizing his body. It was then that he fused with Lorelei, curing himself as Van did. Tear sings the hymn in the valley as she waits for him, which summons Lorelei, who is now within Luke. In a way Lorelei is united with Yulia as Luke is to Tear. As Asch passed, he basically gave his soul to Luke. Though Asch is not alive, as long as Luke is alive, he will never truly die.
"The valley is dangerous at night"
Bro your all lvl100+ at this point , i think youll be fine.
However it happened, one thing's for sure we can all agree on: Luke earned this ending.
so true of all the tales of protagonists luke earned a happy ending more than any other the only one who you can say might have earned one just as much is velvet (andyea...)
@@ladyaceina
*Luke:*
*_Given a second chance to live by melding with his original self_*
*Velvet:*
*_Forced to eat a monster for over a thousand years just so her surrogate brother/reincarnation of her nephew can live long enough to see all of their friends either drift away or become evil (i.e. Eizen becoming a Dragon)_*
Take your pick :v
@@asadelfadillah8008 1st one anytime Tales is better than berseria in my opinion
@@cosmo7314 uh, both are tales, I think you meant abyss>berseria
When the game started and I was bothered by Luke and I went, “Oh I get it. Dude gets stranded, sees bigger world, gets better.” By the end I was like, “the crazy son of a bitch did it. Welcome home, kid.”
It's been 18 years, I wonder how Luke and friends are faring. Forever and forever will be the best Tales series.
One of those games/shows I always come back to even after 16 years. I was 14 when I fell in love with TotA and I'm approaching 31 now. Such a magical game, story, characters, and world.
@@Zeldarulahsame
Tales of series will always have a special place in my heart. Especially this game. I am probably on the younger side of what the fans of this game would be if they played it when they were younger. But i had always come back and found something new as I've grown older. Probably my favorite game ever. Hope we see the game get more love than those symphonia ports for the 20th anniv next year. That is if we even get anything though.
Tear as she sits, singing the Grand Fonic Hymn one more time, in front of a field of Selenia Blossoms, in the Tataroo Valley, where they first met...desperate to see him again. One of the most beautiful moments in all of the Tales series.
The Grand Fonic Hymm also summons Lorelei, aka Luke
I could share some clues that points out to be Luke at the end.
First, have you noticed Luke and Tear always reunite with selenia flowers? Each time they're separated they come back together in a place where there is selenia flowers.
1- In Tataroo Valley at the beginning.
2- In Yulia city after Luke's coma.
3- In Yulia city after lowering the outer lands.
4- At the end of the game 2 years after defeating Van.
The guy in the video does look like Asch, it is because it is Luke in Asch's body. When Asch died, his fonons (and spirit) went into Luke. But, his body didn't disappear. So when Luke was in the core with Asch's body, his consciousness went into Asch's body. It is basically Luke in Asch's body. That also explain why the hand is twitching.
We can clearly see that Luke holds his sword in his back at the end. Just like Luke held it the whole game. Asch held his sword by his left leg. Also, since his sword is hold that way, we know that this Luke is left handed. Just like Luke, Asch was right handed. (they were like a mirror)
Another easy clue, when Tear ask him why he is there and not at the manor. It is because rejected his past, the manor wasn't his home. He didn't have a home. That is why he came back to Tataroo Valley. That place was his "home" that's where he met Tear and where everything began. He also said "this place has a nice view of Hod". That's where Tear's family was. Asch had no interest at all in Tataroo valley, that place meant nothing to him. Luke kept his promise to Tear.
There is a ton more of clues that shows it is Luke at the end, which is pretty great. Luke and Tear can finally be together after 2 long years.
But it's still sad for Asch ...
Forgot something, look at Tear's face at the end. You can clearly see her smile. :)
+Slee Keith Asch was also left handed, he simply trained himself to use the sword with the right hand because of certain events hidden in the manga
+Slee Keith Bruh....you say it looks like asch but him and luke look the same because...they are the same. if it's been 2 years of him not cutting his hair then yeah it would be long again x,D haha theres no need to come up with theories about this. it's obviously luke at the end. there is no need to question it at all
I love this analysis but in my initial interpretation I always figured Luke's fonons fused with Asch's and that would bring Asch back at the cost of Luke's life(what he wanted anyway) and that the "promise" he refers to in the ending is actually Asch promising Luke he would go to see Tear. Either way I love how opened ended the ending is left in order for us to have these thoughts. Amazing ending
Slee Keith how you knew that luke was gone for 2 years?
Yea thats luke the way i see it Luke's body got destroyed and his soul merged with asch body hence the blood red haire without the yellow stripes so is luke inside asch aka the original body of luke fon fabre.
The way they made this is perfect, You see Jade smile last, the funny part is that it was HIM who changed the score he changed the future when he made the first replica doll, he was the catalyst of all change and eventually the one who saved the world.
I love the way you wrote that and it does make a lot of sense. He condemned it when really it was the very thing that the world needed eventually. (not saying that the creation of Nebilim was necessarily the greatest thing but meh...XD)
wow man, calm down on the dickriding there dude.
you call that a smile? to me thats a look of grief
Honestly, this is one of the best endings I've ever seen in a game.
I agree not just the whole Tales games, even outside the franchise
This is my favorite game of all time.
The story hits you in the right spots, the characters are all amazing, the gameplay is stellar, the music fits the mood, every last thing about this game is gold to me. This was one of the few game endings to make me cry, especially at the ending. I am who I am today because of this game, and I owe a lot to it.
I completely agree, except that I thought the story was a little too slow and political at points. I actually wish they sort of streamlined the plot a bit and made sidequests a little easier to complete (it's hard to find some of them without a walkthrough). Oh, and voiced skits would have been nice, but that's just me being picky.
But aside from that, the story was great (albeit, I wouldn't have minded more plot twists), *and even more important, the characters were so fleshed out.* Heroes and villains alike had backstories and well-explained motivations. Heck, even some of the minor characters like Frings, Cecil, and Class I and M had some development! And in the manga Gaidens, some of the characters are fleshed out even *_more!_* It's so wonderful. *I LOVE THESE CHARACATERS!*
And, like you said, the ending was *beautiful.* It's one of my favorite endings ever, along with Ghost Trick and the Phoenix Wright games.
I was actually pretty disappointed it was ported to the 3DS, not because I have anything against the console (I own one, in fact), but because I was hoping for a full-fledged remake with updated graphics and new content, but with a 3DS port already made, it's unlikely we'll be seeing any more ToA for a while. :(
*NOOOOO!!!! I NEED MORE TOA IN MY LIFE!*
you sir, have just earned a subscriber.
Elisebeth Ross I thought they should've focused a bit more on the characters relationships, like Tear and Luke, and Natalia and Asch... And I wish they would make like a second game or something so we can know what happened to Luke and Asch during those years on Hod!!!!
xYURIxLUVxXD More relationship stuff would have been nice. Not just romantically, but in general. It would be nice to have more *_interactions_* between different characters. But what they *_did_* do was still great! :D
As for another game, I *_definitely_* would want one, but I'm not sure what I'd want. My only problem with a sequel would be the whole "mystery Asch/Luke" at the end. How would they resolve it if they make a new game? They'd either have to make a game that doesn't mention him (which would be weird), decide who it actually is (Luke, Asch or a hybrid), or have him in the game but *_not_* mention who he is (which would *_also_* be weird). But no matter what they did, it would probably disappoint quite a few people.
So I guess a prequel or side story would be better (in my opinion). *OR AN HD REMAKE WITH BETTER GRAPHICS AND MORE CONTENT FOR THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY. I KNOW IT WON'T HAPPEN, BUT I WANT IT SO BADLY.*
The best from ALL tales of series that i ever play !!!
Hands down my fav tales games, and oh the ending
It's been 9 years and it still brings tears to my eyes
Now it's been 15 years champ, a reeeaaly long time.
Before we realize we already old now...
I remember passing this game on my 3ds while I was taking a shit. I got all teared up.
Easily the best comment in this video.
you do no deserve to play tales >>
So many years have passed, and i will never forget this game, i will always have a little special place for it near my heart
Six years since I've played this game and I can't get it out if my head. Who else has played this and wants to replay it!?
I do and just replay it. On my 3ds :)
Jade: We should leave. The valley is dangerous at night.
Players: Do you know what level we are on???
This is why I preferred the PS2 version, there's no bs or leave it up to the player/viewer ending. You can tell that it's Luke at the end because of 3 reasons; The reunion at Hod and the promise made, he remembers that he made a promise to meet Tear at Hod again. The fact that they reunite with the Selenia Flowers, which is something that marks their reunion and meeting several times throughout the game and lastly THE EYES!!! I know many of you have watched the anime adaptation and or played the 3DS remake. In both of those they decided to cut out the color of his eyes so as to not give it away. Luke has light green eyes while as Asch's are slightly darker in contrast. I think that was the whole reason for why Tear stared into his eyes for a while before walking up to him, because she mistook Asch for Luke once so It was probably to confirm that it was actually Luke.
@Jediberner8 yeah, only people who played the game or the remske would notice that. The anime adaptation never really gave that away.
I remember it was 2009. I was bringing my Playstation 2 into school, and they allowed us to hook it up in the computer room. I remember playing the final boss with classmates watching.
Came back to check Jades face as I initially believed he was awkward because he made a replica again, but looking back on it it looks more like someone happy but trying hard to keep their composure from crying unlike Tear who let it out. Great game loved the story like most games like this wish I could wipe my memory and start it all over again :)
Sort-of. If you played through the contamination side-quest. Jade was very upset, and he believed, Luke would become nothing more than a memory. He told Luke, that he has never been wrong. Jade believed the big bang had been cancelled because Asch died first. However, Dist argues it does not matter in Asch's case (Asch would return due to his fonon's contaminating Luke's.) And Dist believed, that it didn't matter if Asch died for any reason, the big bang should still happen.
Obviously, Jade is the creator and founder of creating replicas. However, in this one instance he was actually wrong. And the big bang still happened.
@@mecuriasu yeah I missed the sequence for that and had to read up on it. I remember Jade does say he's never been wrong except with Luke or that Luke surprises him beyond what he and dist thought/thinks possible with fomicry(?) and replicas and that he hopes to continued to be proved wrong can't remember clearly I've played (binged) couple more RPGs since so it's not as fresh as I'd like it to be to recall it but I guess it's a good excuse for picking it up again this side of the year 😁
The part that really kills me is when Jade smiles.
Jade isn't known as "Jade the Necromancer" for nothing
look yes hey its luke hey everybody its luke why am i crying soo much this light its soo gentle feels like heaven
A promise made…
A promise fulfilled…
Welcome back, Luke.
Seriously one of the best endings to a game I have ever experienced! It’s amazing that this game still holds up over a decade after its release. I’m here in 2019 and it’s still one of the best Tales titles in the series.
Asch and Luke fused into one body.
The previous cutscene showed Asch falling into Luke's arms, then they glowed and became one ball of light.
My analysis for this scene is:
He mentions how the place has a nice view of hod (Hod holds special meaning only to Asch)
and he promised someone (Luke promised Tear he would come back)
the final shot starting at 6:57...this was done very subtly by the animators.
The cape and hair look just like Asch, then the wind blows the cape aside to show us Luke.
still my favorite version...better than the anime because of the emotion and the music....this version always makes me want to cry!!!!!!....and replay the game
What song is at 5:46?
the two songs used in the ending are "Wish to the starry Side" and "Overflowing Emotion,Reunion" but at 5:46 is when "Overflowing Emotion" starts....It was a great choice for this ending you can't help but kinda tear up at this point
Xillia and Symphonia got a sequel but a great tales game like this didn't.....dam crime thats for sure although they still use Luke and Tear in the anthology games
although I've heard that FF7 is finally getting its remake so maybe its a sign that their making right what they didn't do years ago
the only...ONLY thing I'd add is the fact that in the anime Mieu was there at the end and I'd include him in the game ending since he was sooo attached to luke
It's so obvious it's Luke. Tataroo Valley is connected to him and Tear. Why would Asch reappear in a place that doesn't mean anything to him? I know they tried to make it an ambiguous ending, but the evidence for Luke is too big to ignore.
I think that the body itself is Asch's BUT Luke's soul is the one controlling it, thus becoming one, as it should have been. (I also wished that Luke design could be unlocked for NG+ or something, like he does look so much better this way in this scene)
Its luke on aschs body
The sword hilt is turned to the left
Luke is left handed
Asch was right handed
This ending was a godsend, oh my GOD. I was seriously all depressed and then this happaned and I was so happy.
9 years later, personnally I think it's the two of them fused ?
@Yunravel it is the full iteration of Luke Fon Fabre.
As for the ending, I always thought that the persone in the valley was both Ash and Luke, as they bacame one and saved the memories of each other. That's why we see the mix of Luck and Ash in their hair, clothes and sword.
Yeah, my take was always that they merged back, but with maybe a bit more Luke than Asch in the final product just because Asch had given up on life while Luke was clinging to it.
The music and everything at the later half... jeez, one of the most memorable games I've ever played. *Man tears*
Jade, quite bein' silly. You can all probably murder everything in the valley at this point by breathing hard.
+GrayZS ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) My guess is that he was using that as an excuse to make sure Tear didn't just end up sitting on a tree stump all night freezing to death or something.
+DolphinsAreEvil Well CERTAINLY Tear and Guy would be intelligent enough not to stay at a stump in a field of flowers all night long. Right?
Right?
TP doesn't grow on trees.
man the ending cutscene music is one if the most powerfull music of tales to date
The feels. The feels.
So played it on my ps2 and played it on my 3ds. Best tales ever..
I feel bad for Natalia, losing her childhood lover! :(
Well now she has THE REAL lover. One and only. Except he wont choose her
@@luckycookie5994I mean guy and Natalie could work
This really is one of the greatest games I've ever played. It's rare for a game to have me so attached to each and every character, and I cry at this ending every time :) ♥
I still say that this game was the best Tales Game in terms of story-line, characters, and messages. It was a masterpiece.
Something I just noticed. The tips of Luke's hair are pure red just like Asch's hair. Its a subtle combination of both of their hair styles.
I can't stop watching and crying this ending!!
I get goosebumps with Tear's hymn! I love it x3. I love the whole game. Man, I wish there was more to it. That's what I hate about finishing a game, you always want to continue it.
Dammit I wish they would make a Tales of the Abyss 2! It would be cool to use Luke like that with that costume.
Remember the disaster we call ToS2? Just make Reborn Luke a bonus boss in the next Tales with this costume.
But it could be as good as TOD2 too :)
MY ONE Perhaps, but on a more important note. TOD2 too? TOD Two too? heheheheheheh
Not Ben Stiller lol no, Tales of Destiny two xd
MY ONE I knew what you meant.
by far the best ending to a tales game ever. that moment when the camera pans to jade and the music stops gets me everytime
I think one of Jade's earlier line's can easily answer that:
"I merely expressed distrust as a matter of formality."
人間の弱さ、儚さを上手いこと表した作品だった。
Did anyone shed a little tears? I sure did
My second most favorite Tales series game after Vesperia. Wish they’d HD remaster and rerelease it don’t know bout anyone else but I’d pay $60 to be able to play it again.
Tales of Arise has succeeded in sales and now it's the fastest game to sell a million copies.
Please, USE THE NEW SUCCESS TO REMAKE ABYSS!!
FUCK, REMAKE ANY OF THEM FOR REAL.
Jades expression and the swelling of the music always send me into tears 😭 Perfect ending
Honestly, you never see Jade emotional, not once the entire game, he was always cold, and full of snide humor, except this time, this once, you finally see him showing real emotion of happiness.
That was what killed me.
smiled like a proud dad. He IS the father of Fomicry afterall.
I took this game for 3DS.
Never played a Tales game, never informed about it. I just felt like I had to buy it.
Now I can say that this was the best game I have played in the past years.
Awesome storyline, characters, feelings... there is everything a gdr... no, a videogame should have.
10/10
Everyone came! When he walked up.
Ah i remembered when the first time I finished playing this game in 2005.. It was so emotional that I even cried! Honestly, this is the first game that i felt so emotional playing it. Through the eyes of Luke, we can related and able to see the changed from the boy that he was to the man he'd become. *sigh* i wanna play this game again!!!! :D
Is this the year Bandai Namco will announce a remake of this? Pretty please?
A little late, my bad, but I don’t know about y’all. But I have to say, LUKE’S FIT IS SO FIRE 🔥
still my favorite tales game of all time......favorite RPG of all time .....everything about this game was perfect from cast to story ......I still hope that since Symphonia/Vesperia/Besteria are all getting revamped and rereleased on ps4/xbox that this Abyss will get one as well because it sure as hell deserves it........I'd actually like to see an extended epilogue where for the love of the score we see those 2 kiss........only other thing I would add to the ending is that Meiu is in it like he was in the anime because he really did cherish and love luke.....almost like a child for his parent and him not in the epilogue of the game was a little sad
I just beat this game, it took me ages to find the game, and it was worth the hunt... It was such a great game...
That aside, Jade's ambiguous and sad look in his eyes kinda tells that he's neither Asch nor Luke anymore. It would explain why he has such a forlorn look, since at the end of the game he felt responsible for Luke's plight because he knew the Luke he ended up liking as a companion was gonna vanish and be someone completely different in the end. That's what was implied through most of Jade's side events.
Wow, Tears expression at 5:50 is really nice. I like how it's not an instant GASP. She's confused what she's seeing
This was definitely one of the most badass games I've ever played, also since it was the first game I played on my PS2. Don't mind playing it another 100 times just cause of the story line and the characters plus the endless ''Unlockables" haha. LukeXTear is the best thing out there.
Just beat this game. It dragged on really hard for like the final 15 hours, but I liked it. Loved the ending.
Both in the anime and the game the endings are so full with the.....omfg...THE FEELS!!!!! D:
i want a after story or something kinda like that :)
Gorgeous game, with a lovely ending. My favorite of the tales series so far, and I am sure it will stay that way. What a gem. ❤️
Out of all the tales games I'd have to say this had the best story line to it
I played this game when I was 19 years old and this scene never gets old to me. I still had the same feels when I first finished the game.
This will always be my GOAT in the Tales franchise ❤❤❤
Luke has the best character development in all Tales MCs
This game literally got me back into.jrpgs and Luke is such a boss I just wish that costume he had at the end is unlockable
i wasn't going to cry until i saw jade crack that smile. its luke no doubt in hell about it you can tell by the 2 second showing of his face its luke's hairstyle
Much love JRPG moments when Main character left behind and comes back.
Here's a few clues:
There's a reason the opening song for this game is called 'Karma'.
There's a reason Jade had a slightly stunned look on his face when the red-haired stranger came along; he thought second-order hyperesonance wasn't possible either. But it still happened.
There's a reason the sword is shown in a particular position; Asch holds a sword in his right hand; not his left.
Asch never knew of Luke's promise to come back; he was already dead.
Just saying. ^_~
I've just finished this game for the third time and I just have to say that its possibly one of the best games I've ever played, Out of all of the tales games I've played this one takes the cake. Its even better than Symphonia IMO
this ending gets me everytime *sniff*
character and plot wise the best tales for sure
Two things. 1) Please remake. 2) Stop those onion cutting ninjas!
I laughed and cried, I just finished my second play through last night♥ this RPG has the best story ever, such an epic adventure~
my friends always asking me about my ps2, when in going to sell it to him.. i guess he jst lazy to buy a new one.. but i wont sell it to him, especially bcoz of this game.. i ply a lot of rpg b4 as wild arms, grandia, persona 3, persona 4, kingdom heart, final fantasy and jrpg on psvita as tales of hearts r, phantasy star online, sao: hollow fragment, persona 4 golden freedoms war and many other rpg games but i love to says tales of the abyss is the best of em.. the storyline was epic, luke might be a asshole at the beginning but on the middle and the end of the story i like him very much.. i thought hes going to die but no.. such an epic story, im glad its be one of my childhood..
Still in 2018 this ending brings me to tears.
Anybody knows other games like this???
Tales of Xillia 2
There is a side-quest I've read about called the Contamination effect (which I missed during my play-through) where the original Cheagle from Ortion Cavern died but felt something "warm flow into him" before he died. The original cheagle was revived, and the replica was gone. But it seems the opposite happened here, regardless of lack of information, I believe since Luke was in a more advance state (hence, if you look closely, Luke started glowing first, hence speeding up Asch's bang process).
I can't believe I've forgotten how lovely the ending to Abyss was. Shame on me!
It has a nice view of some place with what eyes your hair covers your eyes...
I love how TotA ends where it began--in Tataroo Valley at night. Though, I always found it strange that Jade suggests that it is dangerous there at night.. when in reality, it is more dangerous in the day :P
There are so many theories on this. It's nice that it's an open ending, but I agree with you, that's pretty much the only interpretation that I accept, with Luke's consciousness being the dominant one. As for the body... it's probably a combination of both of their physical forms.
He would have remembered the promise. If you saw the final contamination event cutscene between Jade and Dist they both agreed that only Luke's memories would remain, and only his memories.
This ending has always stuck with me and made me wonder who it was that returned.
I came up with an answer. That it’s neither Luke nor Asch but a combination of the two. Asch always kept his hair slicked back while Luke’s was wild. Then there’s the sword on the back and it being meant for left handed fighters. Also, Jade just watches as if he isn’t sure who is standing in front of him. Hair also wouldn’t grow that fast in 2 years(?) for it to be all the way down his back again if it was solely replica Luke.
So honestly what we are seeing is a new Luke, one who has lived 2 different lives, a fusion of the original Luke and the replica.
Imo That's correct answer, side quests make it plainly obvious what's going to happen.
In order for Luke or Asch to live they needed something from both to meld and live on.
They were simply molded back or into 1, neither Luke or Asch but a new or original Luke with faded memories of both
However Jade knows the answer already too because he predicted the outcomes and knew it could go either way. Full aware since he was the who created the process.
The Luke that comes back has outfit, voice, and mannerisms depicting combination of them both.
This is real Luke Fon Fabre
In the sidequest, you can see this conversation:
DIST: "Listen, Jade. The contamination effect cannot be prevented. Even with your talent."
JADE: "I know that. You're speaking to the person who failed to revive the dead. Fate cannot be changed."
DIST: ". . . His memories will remain."
JADE: "No. Nothing *but* his memories will remain."
This is still one of my favourite Tales endings. Completing the Star sidequest adds a lot to this ending too. :')
My feels can't take anymore!!! ;~;
Amo las voces en Japones en los juegos, pero en Tales of Abyss en ingles las voces las técnicas todo fueron interpretadas de Maravilla una maravilla este juegazo la voz de Guy y Jade cuando mandan sus técnicas uffff de lo mejor!!. Necesito un Remake Please Bandai.
I think what he's trying to say is that their bodies fused to create a completely new body with Luke's mind inside it. The mind is Luke's but the body is neither Luke's nor Asch's. It is a mixture of the two.
Actually you're supposed to choose your own ending, even the developers said so, so it's really up to each individual to choose.
Are you sure? It's the Key of Lorelei, and at 6:59, the red part you can see is where the hilt of the sword is. It's near his left hand.
Even though the ending is ambiguous, it wouldn’t work if it was canonically Asch. Nobody on the team except for Natalia fucked with Asch like that, his rearrival would be neat at best
he is actually a replica created by jade to encourage tear. hence the sad smile jade had on his face at the end.
(trolling)
Well, not only. He clearly states "I made a promise" which is the one Luke said to Tear before disappearing and also it is shown his sword, which is set to be held on the left and Luke is left-handed, while Asch is right-handed. :)
A Fenomenal Ending To A Fenomenal JRPG.
Love that background music at the very end!
I think I understand the ending, then I see Jade do the sad smile, and it just changes what I think it might be.
Debated to death already, but I feel compelled to also voice my view. And as much as I would absolutely love it to be Luke, the way he said that a promise had been made makes me believe that like the body, the mind and person standing there was actually a mind born from the fusion of them both. It explains why he referred to the promise in the third person, yet knew about it when Luke made it.
The way I see it this Luke is effectively the best of both Lukes, and a fine bittersweet ending.
*sniff* I don't care WHAT people say! This ending was BEAUTIFUL! And this is my opinion so there, but I believe that it's Lorelai at the end, he appears after hearing Tear's fonic Hymn, returns and then smiles at the party, saying he owes them a favor, and then disappears, leaving Luke and Asch behind him. Tear gets Luke, he gets to life his life, Natalia gets Asch, and he has a renewed sense of worth with having a second chance at life and they all live HAPPILY AFTER!
I just beat this game last night.... even though I knew exactly what was going to happen, (because I watched the anime first), I began crying. In my opinion this ending was way more emotional than the anime ending. :3
@SeraphimSwordmaster I will ALWAYS love Abyss. To me, it's one of the best RPGs I've played, and the best Tales game. To each his own. For me, this will always be tied with number one!
This game is amazing. I just wish this game came out on ps3/ps4 instead of 3ds.
+pairedcar09 It being on 3ds was the only reason i got to play it.
Capn Colors
Same
+Capn Colors yep.
+pairedcar09 I wish the update had voiced the skits... The only complaint I have about the game is the silent skits. Otherwise? The game is entirely perfect.
tiny punkabuu Yeah, I felt that too, I tried to read them in the voice, tone, and pace that I thought seemed appropriate, but often that made it to where I'd miss a line because sometimes they just went too fast.
I often hear others mention the 'big bang' effect as to why Luke and Asch seemed to have combined during the ending cutscene. Some people say that the person who emerged would have been Asch since he was the original, but since Luke obtained the 'second-order hyperresonance' power, it deemed him fully human. To me, that kind of explains Jades surprised expression, as he probably thought that Asch would have been the one to survive the combination, and not Luke. What are your thoughts on that?
The song...oh i remember this so well. Really wanted to cry everytime. and Jaaade if this game is released this year imagine the fanmade compilation of him being sassy: Jade Curtis being Sassy for 1 hour straight haha miss this game.
Yes, I agree. Perhaps there are physical remnants of Asch, such as his hair colors and length (though since it has been two years, it could have easily have been Luke whose hair has grown long again). Though the director/creators claimed ambiguity, I think deep down they know it's Luke, but just want to mess with us (as well, Luke's old style mixed with his shortened side burns). Another significance Tear being the primary character in this sequence.
Great ending and music, enough said!
Also, about Asch's body; I believe you're right. Asch died of his injuries and not fonon separation, which is what happened to Luke. The twitch of Asch's hand is likely due to Lorelei's healing properties bestowing upon his body, or Luke and Asch merging. Asch had already became part of Luke prior to the final battle, and throughout the game Luke has exceeded what ere thought to be a limits of a replica, though that stance is more subjective than anything.
What I believe happened was as Luke was disappearing, second-order Hyperresonance allowed him to fuse into Asch's corpse, stabilizing his body. It was then that he fused with Lorelei, curing himself as Van did. Tear sings the hymn in the valley as she waits for him, which summons Lorelei, who is now within Luke. In a way Lorelei is united with Yulia as Luke is to Tear. As Asch passed, he basically gave his soul to Luke. Though Asch is not alive, as long as Luke is alive, he will never truly die.