Tales of Legendia

Tales of Legendia is a role-playing game that was developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It takes place on an island that can move like a ship, and features the first Tales main character that fights with his fists. The game was released in Japan on August 25, 2005 and in the United States on February 7, 2006. It will most likely never be released in Europe.

Storyline
Senel Coolidge, a young expert in the special skill called "Soujutsu/eres", was drifting in the misty ocean on a small boat with his younger sister Shirley. As food ran out and their strength deteriorated, an island suddenly burst through the mist and approached the boat with astonishing speed, engulfing it with perilous waves. When Senel and Shirley awoke on the shore, they realized this was no ordinary island. Its surface was covered in lush forests teeming with life, but despite its appearance, the ground that stretched out before them was actually an enormous ship called the Isekisen/Legacy.

Tales of Legendia is unique to many Japanese RPGs in that the game actually consists of two quests. The first quest is the typical "save the world" quest similar to most games of its genre. After the first quest is completed, credits roll and a song plays, usually signaling the end of the game. However, a second quest begins afterwards. This part consists of "character quests", designed with the purpose of exploring the problems and pasts of all the characters. Throughout the character quests, there is also an overall storyline tying all the different character quests together.

Protagonists
Senel Coolidge (セネル・クーリッジ) Although young in years, Senel Coolidge is a skilled fighter and adept in iron eres. He also excels at piloting boats and swimming due to his years battling monsters while patrolling the seaways as an Alliance marine. Strong-willed and highly focused, he never backs out of a commitment, no matter the circumstances. Tending to act without explanation, others often mistake him as being unsociable. His "sister" Shirley has been the only family he's had since early childhood. While adrift in the ocean one day, he and his "sister" come across an ancient vessel. The chance encounter draws them into a struggle whose outcome will determine the fate of the world. Senel is the first main character who doesn't wield a sword in the "Tales" series; instead, he fights with his fists and unarmed weapons.

Shirley Fennes (シャーリィ・フェンネス) Two years younger than Senel, Shirley Fennes constantly worries about the dangers her "brother" faces. Delicate and frail, she is allergic to ocean water and even sea breezes. Due to her introverted nature, others often view her as quiet and ephemeral, but her sense of determination knows no equal. Once she's set her mind on something, there's no stopping her.

Will Raynard (ウィル・レイナード) Will Raynard is the first person Senel encounters on the Legacy. A trustworthy man, he has put his crystal eres abilities to good use while serving as sheriff of Werites Beacon. While the townspeople call him sheriff, he refuses to accept that title and insists he is a natural historian. Sometimes strict and sometimes gentle, his experience, leadership skills and ability to make hard decisions serve the party well. Yet despite all his strengths, he harbors a single hidden weakness. Despite the fact that he equips a large hammer as a weapon, he does not use it very much.

Chloe Valens (クロエ・ヴァレンス) A practitioner of iron eres, this young girl has an extraordinary talent for wielding the sword. Once a family of distinguished knights in a former kingdom, the Valens name is also well known in other countries. Pressured by her family's reputation, Chloe constantly tries to act as tough as a knight should. On the inside, however, she can be very adolescent and even cute. Chloe Valens came to the Legacy for a very specific reason, but is not immediately willing to admit that motivation. She uses swords in combat and has some similar techniques to Lloyd and Cress/Cless in previous Tales games. She also has strong feelings for Senel and is highly jealous of Shirley. Chloe also doesn't know how to swim, as Senel found out when he saved Chloe in the Waterways dungeon. Her actual goal is to avenge her parents by killing a man with a "snake tattoo" on his arm.

Norma Beatty (ノーマ・ビアッティ) A practitioner of crystal eres, this young girl is a treasure hunter whom Senel's party encounters on their journey. She came to the Legacy in search of "the Everlight" - a miraculous artifact that grants its wielder any wish imaginable. Cheerful and comical, she banters with those around her and occasionally pokes fun at herself in order to get a good laugh and is profoundly the source of humor in the game. She is also the butt of a running joke where she falls asleep at the most bizarre of times. Despite her silly side, she makes deeply profound and insightful remarks which should not be taken lightly. She enjoys giving people nicknames reserved for only her to use. In combat she attacks by blowing bubbles out of a straw but fortunately only does so rarely.

Moses Sandor (モーゼス・シャンドル) Hailing from a clan of beast tamers, this javelin-wielding iron eres practitioner is always accompanied by Giet, his pet Galf (a type of wolf-like beast). The notorious leader of a clan of mountain bandits aboard the Legacy, Moses Sandor leads his large band of outlaws in raids across the surrounding lands. He views Giet and his outlaw followers as his own family and will lay down his life to protect them. At first glance he may appear barbaric, but he is actually a very kind young man who takes good care of those dear to him and is easily moved to tears. He uses his iron eres to power up his spear shots and call a rain of spears down on the stage. His last name is of Hungarian origin, just like that of his subordinate, Csaba.

Jay (ジェイ) This cryptic boy is a practitioner of iron eres. A master analysist, he always calmly observes events from the sidelines and often serves as a strategist and tactician. His primary occupation was providing information before joining Senel's group. Not exactly the social type, he frequently infuriates others with his sarcastic remarks. He seems to harbor a special contempt for Moses, whom he constantly calls "stupid". This is somewhat of a running gag throughout the game. However, he acts like a kid his age when with certain people. Jay is also great friends with Oresoren and worries about their safety quite a bit. Raised on the Legacy from a young age, he is very fond of the vessel. In combat, he wields a dagger but surprisingly uses his head and feet as much as his weapon.

Grune (グリューネ) A practitioner of crystal eres, this mysterious girl possesses the ability to infuse in others a warm feeling of inner peace and tranquility no matter what the circumstances. The only memory she has is that of her name, yet this fact does not dispirit her and she can always be found smiling gently. Never upset or disturbed, she just might be the most fearless and beautiful person in the party - as well as the most clueless. She is a pure offensive spellcaster who uses an urn as a weapon. When she gets her memory back, her voice acting changes. Until then, she speaks in a high-pitched empty monotone.

Antagonists
Vaclav

Melanie

Cashel

Stingle

Walter DelQes

Schwarz

Support Characters
Calm Nerifes

Raging Nerifes

Mauritz

Fenimore

Battle system
Tales of Legendia features the Linear Motion Battle System (LMBS) that has been present in some form throughout the Tales series. The system is essentially a version of live-action battle where you and your enemies fight on a 2D line (hence the name "linear") in fighting game-style battles. Magic spells can be cast in real time and your companions are controlled by the game's artificial intelligence. The Tales series is also famous for its "Manual" combat mode where the game becomes even more akin to a fighting game by allowing you full control over your character's basic movements (such as running, jumping, and button combination special attacks), instead of default semi-automatic control.

In Tales of Legendia, Eres is the art of harnessing minute energies found in the air and using them to perform extraordinary feats. The word eres (EH-res), which comes from the word for "fingernail" in an ancient language, describes the light that shines from people's nails and fingertips when they perform these feats. A person who uses eres is known as an "eren" (EH-ren). These feats correspond to the spells and skills seen in previous games in the Tales series, and are divided into two categories: Iron (physical attacks) and Crystal (magical attacks). It is rumored that some very powerful beings command powers that transcend these classifications. Some eres attacks knock enemies over and Senel can even pick up his enemies and slam them into the ground, but only if they have been knocked down previously. These attacks deal a lot of damage and even bosses can be slammed by Senel.

The battle engine is commonly considered a step back by fans of the series due to its lack of a multiplayer mode, lack of Hi-Ougis, and lack of new innovations to the series. While the older Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Rebirth and Tales of Destiny 2 brought a 3-D battlefield, three line LMBS and Spirit Points (respectively), Legendia does not bring a major addition to the battle system. This inconsistency with the overall trend of the rest of the series is likely due to Tales of Legendia being Namco's first major Tales game which is completely developed internally instead of by the series' usual developer, Namco Tales Studio/Wolf Team.

Trivia

 * On the back of the instruction booklet, all of the main characters from Tales of Destiny, Tales of Eternia, Tales of Legendia, and Tales of the Abyss are shown except Reid (Tales of Eternia).
 * When spoken to, the Sentinels state the names of the game testers in binary ASCII. Note that inputing it into a translator will produce the names of the tech crew.
 * On the box cover, Senel clearly displays green eyes. During the game, his eyes are blue.
 * When the party first encounters the Bantam Bouncers, you can see Grune on screen for a short time.
 * Like many of the other Tales games, Tales of Legendia contains several references to other Namco titles.
 * One of the objects that the Wonder Baker hides in is a statue of Pac-Man.
 * Another of the Wonder Baker's hiding places is a flag from Rally X.
 * Another hiding place of the Wonder Baker is a drum from Taiko: Drum Master.
 * One of the Rare Monsters you can find and battle with the Sorcerer's Scanner is a type of dragon called Quox, an enemy that originates from the Tower of Druaga and its sequels.
 * Another of the Rare Monsters is Bacura, an enemy from Xevious which also appeared in Tales of Symphonia as a cameo enemy.
 * Will can gain the special title Heihachi, a character from Tekken.
 * One of Chloe's titles is Soul Edge, possibly a reference to the evil sword featured in Namco's Soul series of fighting games. It may also be a reference to Cless' (Cress') tech skill with the same name in Tales of Phantasia.
 * A unique, customizable helm for Chloe turns out to be Judas' mask in Tales of Destiny 2. While it is equipped, she will at times respond to things in the way Judas does.
 * Aifread's Flag, a customization item, is described as being the mark of a legendary pirate. Aifread is a pirate in Tales of Phantasia, a con artist/pirate in Tales of Symphonia and a legendary pirate in Tales of Eternia.
 * During Will's Character Quest, when following Will, a girl named Farah will be outside Musette's house. Farah is one of the main characters from Tales of Eternia.
 * The summon spirits that Grune meets in the character quests of the game are Efreet, Volt, Celsius, Shadow, Gnome, and Rem. All of them are from Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Eternia and/or Tales of Phantasia.
 * One of Will's weapons is Pow Hammer, a larger version of the hammer that appears when the attack Pow Hammer is executed. Various characters in the Tales series have been able to use this attack.