In 2006, fans of the Tales series were starving for more. Coming off of the surprising success of Tales of Symphonia for the Nintendo Gamecube were not one, but two titles in the same year. The first, Tales of Legendia went largely ignored for its odd art style and lackluster presentation. The second title was Tales of the Abyss, which seemed like more of the natural progression of what Symphonia had achieved earlier.

Tales of the Abyss provided a deep battle system, allowing players to move freely in the 3D space for the first time. It featured an engrossing story with a huge amount of replay value and extras that were absent from the original Japanese version. While Abyss still failed to meet the commercial success of Tales of Symphonia, Abyss is still considered to be one of the best titles in the series. Soon, gamers will be able to experience that entire adventure on the Nintendo 3DS.

For those who don't know, Tales of the Abyss tells the story of Luke fon Fabre. Luke is the only child of a noble family in the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear. As a child, Luke was kidnapped and because of that incident, all of his childhood memories were erased causing him to be pretty ignorant and selfish. His only hobby comes in the form of swordsmanship, which he learns from his Master, Van. One day during a training exercise, Luke and Van are attacked by a mysterious woman who unintentionally causes an event called “hyperresonance” with Luke. This phenomenon transports Luke and the woman—whom we come to know as Tear— to another part of the country. From there, they embark on a journey in which Luke finds himself, and learns the true meaning of existing.

The Tales series is known for its gameplay, and Tales of the Abyss 3D does little to stray from the formula. Everything that was in the PlayStation 2 release is intact, including the North American exclusive Mystic Artes, which are special attacks that are accessible during a second play-through of the game. There is also a slightly easier “Unknown” difficulty. New to the Nintendo 3DS version is obviously the inclusion of the 3D display, as well as touch screen features. The touch screen can now be used for item and arte shortcuts, which give players access to moves at the touch of an icon.

Tales of the Abyss 3D carries all of what made the PlayStation 2 game a full experience, so we can expect a 50-60 hour quest and a New Game Plus mode with enhancements that are earned from the feature known as the Grade shop. Tales of the Abyss contains an addictive combat engine which is sure to entice gamers. Tales of the Abyss 3D releases on February 14^th, 2011 and you can expect our full review soon after.