Tales of Wahrheit

Tales of Wahrheit
Information
Game Systems	Mobile Phone (NTT DoCoMo FOMA 900i)
Developers	Namco Tales Studio
Publishers	Bandai Namco Games
Producers	Tsutomu Gouda
Directors	Tsutomu Gouda
Scenario Writers	•Tsutomu Goda •Akiko Yonemochi
Character Designers	Yuu Shiina
Composers	Motoi Sakuraba
Japanese Releases	June 15, 2006
Opening Theme	"Ienai yo" by Jamosa

Tales of Wahrheit (テイルズ オブ ヴァールハイト, Teiruzu obu Vaaruhaito^?) is the fourteenth main entry and the third standalone role-playing game in the Tales of Mobile series. It follows up on what was established in the previous two mobile games while being a much larger game. The game's characteristic genre translates to "RPG of Discovering Life's Meaning" (生きる意味を見つけるＲＰＧ, Ikiru imi wo mitsukeru RPG^?, "RPG to Find the Meaning of Living").

Story

Setting

Tales of Wahrheit takes place in an unnamed planet made of two worlds, Gravina and Vals, both worlds are separated by a structure known as the Wall of the World and have their own culture, politics and customs. This world is gradually drawn into various conflicts surrounding the ancient stone, Wahlem, a mysterious and powerful crystal said to descend from the heavens in ancient times. Fearing its power, people safeguarded it as a "Guardian Stone" under strict protection. If wielded with malicious intent, it possesses enough destructive force to annihilate the world.

The story begins when Seltz Vakstrum, the son of the renowned arms dealer, Eizel, attends the launch ceremony of the world's first airship, dubbed the Luftship. The flying vehicle ends up exploding, and Seltz watches helplessly as his father is dragged away and charged with terrorism. The young man gives chase, resolved to rescue his father and prove his innocence.

Characters

Seltz Vakstrum

Vila Czarheit

Blitz Vinte

Kalulu von Atmigars

Gamut

Ray Sonne

• Seltz Vakstrum (セルツ・ヴァクストゥーム, Serutsu Vakusutuum^?) : The main protagonist of this game. A young man from the region of Gross Heidel, he is bright, cheerful, and innocent. As the son of a renowned arms dealer, he has been able to live a comfortable life with his family without needing to question the truth about his father's work. He became separated from his father after the ceremony took a turn for the worst.

• Vila Czarheit (ヴィラ・ツァールハイト, Vira Tsaaruhaito^?) : A young mage from the region of Invistake. Born into the prestigious family "Czarheit," she sets out on a journey to find "Grimoire," a book that has been passed down in her family for generations. Very intelligent and polite but is somewhat of an airhead. When she rescues Seltz, who is being chased by the soldiers of the Starklia Empire, at the Azertolija Exposition, the gears of her destiny begin to turn.

• Blitz Vinte (ブリッツ・ヴィント, Burittsu Vinto^?) : A young man from Tekkon. A former member of Tekkon's elite forces, he now serves as Eizel's bodyguard. A big brother figure to Seltz, he is brash and prideful but with a good heart. He dreams of becoming the world's greatest swordsman.

• Kalulu von Atmigars (カルル・フォン・アトミガル, Karuru fon Atomigaru^?) : The young prince of Seewald. Known for his cheeky and arrogant but lovable nature, he is a lover of adventures despite often ending up lost due to his poor sense of directions. It is during one of his journeys that he encounters Seltz's party and decides to stick with them.

• Gamut (ガミット, Gamitto^?) : An automaton built by the late Dr. Barnett, he mysteriously gained a heart after his creator was killed by a robot similar to him. He accompanies Seltz to not only find other robots but also know the meaning of living.

• Ray Sonne (レイ・ゾンネ, Rei Zonne^?) : A treasure hunter armed with twin sabers originating from the region of Freiheidel. An overconfident and mysterious woman, she meets Seltz's party during their travels, and after sparring with Blitz, recognizes his strength and decides to accompany them on the lookout for treasures.

Other Characters

Vissense Tolar

Brandon Rare

Lights

Carl Walzesta

Jamosa

Stret

Richt

• Vissense Tolar (ヴィッセンス・トラー^?) : The leader of the craftsmen town of Bergkentos and an old friend of Seltz's father. He races around Gravina to save his friend taken hostage by the Empire under suspicion of terrorism.

• Brandon Rare (ブランドン・レア, Burandon Rea^?) : The Director of Invistake's Magic College as well as Vila's mentor. An easy going person, he is nevertheless left to the mercy of his forgetful mind. He's never seen without his pet owl, always by his side.

• Lights (ライツ, Raitsu^?) : A knight of the Starklia Empire originating from Tekkon and an old friend of Blitz. Narcissistic and devious, both of them used to be part of the elite of the Crimson Flash until Lights betrayed their trust and left, branded as a fugitive.

• Carl Walzesta (カール・ヴァルツェスタ, Kaaru Varutsuesuta^?) : The 72nd emperor of the Starklia Empire as well as the youngest prince in history. Kind but strict as an emperor, Carl fights desperately to take back his corrupted empire from the hands of the Senate who holds the real power.

• Jamosa (ジャモーサ, Jamoosa^?) : A general from Vals. Cheerful and chatty, she presents Seltz with a letter from the Pope and frequently helps him during his journey with her magical songs.

• Stret (シュトレ, Shutore^?) : The Pope and leader of the Vals. A gentle leader, he relies on his assistant, Rich, to help him in practical work with national & political affairs.

• Richt (リヒト, Rihito^?) : A priest and the personal assistant of the Pope. Gentle but with a hidden sharpness deep inside, he continues his father's research on the Divine Stone and schemes to reclaim the Walhelm from the outside world Gravina. In response to the invasion by the Starklia Empire, he sends out his troops to Gravina to confront the problem.

Gameplay

Battle System

Tales of Wahrheit once again makes use of the the 2-on-2 Linear Motion Battle System (2-on-2 LMBS) seen in the previous two games with little to no changes.

Wahlem system

Tales of Wahrheit makes use of the Wahlem system. Wahlem are special items that grant various effects when equipped. Those with the same Roman numeral at the end can be fused using a Vessel of Causality (e.g., I + II = Wahlem I). If needed, fused Wahlem can be dismantled to revert them to their original form, so feel free to experiment with combinations.

Additionally, Wahlem with blank notes can be carried over into a New Game+ by purchasing "Special Item Transfer" from the Grade Shop. Some Wahlem cannot be carried over, while others are automatically dismantled upon transfer, these details are specified individually.

Reccuring features

Tales of Wahrheit features several gameplay mechanics that are staples of the Tales series.

Skits : Skits follows the format used by Tales of Commons and Tales of the Abyss. They occasionally appear after certain points in the story have been reached or when completing special events and serve as a way to flesh out characters as they banter with each other. Unlike Commons however skits are fully voiced this time around.

Cooking : Tales of Wahrheit retains the cooking system of previous games. By travelling around the world and purchasing ingredients, the player can cook meals of variable effects, from simple HP and TP restoration to giving resistance to specific elements. Recipes can be learned by discovering the Wonder Chef, who is oftentimes hidden in random locations around the world.

Titles : Tales of Wahrheit also features titles. They are obtained from reaching scripted events in chapters or from completing sub-tasks. In similar fashion to the system introduced in Tales of Destiny 2, a character sees its stat growths altered depending on the equipped title.

Grade Shop

Seltz and Vila fighting Mika from Tales of Breaker in the SP Arena.

Tales of Wahrheit also goes a step further compared to the previous mobile games and introduces the Grade Shop, working exactly as it does in other games. Once a battle is complete, the player sees themselves awarded with Grade. Those points are added or subtracted depending on the battle performance and can then, once the game is finished, be used to purchase several bonuses for future playthroughs.

The big particularity of this iteration is the ability to use Grades to unlock the SP Arena, which works in a separate mode named Tales of Wahrheit Colisseum. This arena works similarly to the arena from Tales of Breaker, consisting of a series with the rewards being items that are transferred into the main game. Unlike Breaker's, however, Wahrheit's arena introduces one more rank, the S rank, and its fights are all cameo fights against characters from the previous two Tales of Mobile games, as well as Cress Albane and Arche Klein from Tales of Phantasia and Luke fon Fabre and Jade Curtiss from the then-recently released Tales of the Abyss. Tales of Wahrheit boasts the largest selection of cameo fights in the entire Tales series.

Presentation

Tales of Wahrheit retains characters designs by You Shiina as well the ameliorations brought by Tales of Commons. It keeps cut-ins and skits and an opening theme, this time stepping away from the traditional pop song used by past Tales games and opting for a more R&B/Soul style with the song "Ienai yo", sung by Japanese artist Jamosa in featuring with rapper Corn Head.

Tales of Wahrheit is also a much larger game, proposing a main story spanning 12 chapters, double that of the others.

Development

According to producer Tsutomu Goda, the game's title, Wahrheit, meaning "truth" in German, is fitting for the game's heavy emphasis on German themes for character names and locations, as well as the theme of the story of "Finding the truth to the war" or "To prove one's innocence". The main focus is on each character growing individually to where their stories move the plot of the game. Other themes include peace, enlightenment, justice, and the meaning of justice. They paid close attention to gestures so that characters acted in a way to convey the meaning behind the scene. For the setting, to contrast with Tales of Breaker and Tales of Commons which had both unique worldviews, the team decided to go back to a more traditional royal fantasy RPG.

There were almost no retakes during the dubbing session, and most of the voice actors got the line right on their first take. Kalulu in particular was so perfectly matched to the image that it was very helpful when writing the scenario. In contrast, Gamut's samurai speaking pattern was very unique and initially gave trouble to his voice actor.

Gallery

Title Screen

Menu

Result Screen

Field Map

Town

Overworld

Skit

Bar

Scene

Arena Entrance

Arena

External Links

• Tales of Wahrheit: Tales of Mobile Abyssal Chronicles
• [JP] Tales of Mobile (Official Site)
• [JP] Tales Channel (Tales Series Official Website)