I spent several hours playing Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel by Gust for the PlayStation 3 last night as well as a little bit today and oh my galaxy, this game is funny. Qoga is most certainly not for those easily offended because of its tasteless contents but I found myself laughing at the dialogues and even one name of a location early in the game because of how hard the game tried to make them obviously sexual. I have a really dry sense of humor but I can appreciate blatant, in your face jokes like those found here. I just started the game and Qoga is shaping up to be the most energetic in the series in terms of its atmosphere. I was expecting the entire game to use 3D polygonal graphics but the towns are actually made of static but high resolution 2D images that zooms in and out stylishly, so at least they can look quite dramatic. I just wish there are more background movements in these scenes, maybe some fancy light effects to sweeten things up.
They actually managed to combine two things that don't go very well together...
Story-wise, you play as a steeplejack named Aoto who accidentally found a Reyvateil (artificially created females who can use song magic) in trouble and he decided to help her out from being captured by the army. The Reyvateil Saki seems to suffer some memory lost but it is apparent that she is a special Reyvateil because of her, uhm, intriguing ability to turn people into something... quite... delicious. The main plot itself isn't that gripping but the lively conversations between the characters keep everything moving at a brisk pace. The battle scenes are quick as well as fun and there is hardly any loading time going into and out of them. I am sure that not all of the battle options have not been opened up yet where I am at but basically, you can freely move around the 3D battlefield while your Rayvetail sings in the back. Hitting the enemy rhythmically alongside your Rayvetail's "high notes" will increase her song magic and grant you passive bonuses. I am curious however why you have to activate the Reyvateil special move by holding down a button on the controller and then shaking it... Gust is trying hard again. The Reyvateil is vulnerable to attacks however and when an enemy focuses on her, you must protect her. The battle mechanics is as effortless as the previous two games - a little easy but definitely fun nontheless. So far, the game hasn't disappointed me yet and I hope that it will continue to surprise me all the way until the end.
And that, my friends, is how you motivate a stripper.
Strip or death? You decide!
FIRST IMPRESSION: 4 out of 5
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