Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica is the highly anticipated sequel to the 2007 release AR Tonelico: Melody of Elemia. Many of the elements that made the first game fun have been improved...keeping the game solid, with a great storyline, and highly developed characters...and yes, plenty of songs.

Meta Falss, the area in which the game is set, is on the verge of collapsing. There is, however, hope among the inhabitants...that hope is Metafalica - a serene valley with green fields, gardens, water and the promise of a peaceful existence. Cloche is the priestess of Meta Falss, and seeks to bring this dream to fruition by using the Hymmnos song - an ancient language used by the Reyvateils. By singing various Hymmnos songs, powers are released to help aid in battle and healing - though there is no limit to the Hymmnos song, creating the Metafalica falls in the realm of disbelief and remains only a myth. Cloche, believes in this power and sets out to turn this myth into a reality.

You start the game as Croix - a soldier assigned to the I.P.D. disease (Infel-Phira Dependency) This disease affects the Reyvateils - the magic-using inhabitants of the game. Circumstances bring you and Cloche together and you must protect her from an assassination. You will meet more characters on your journey to bring peace and tranquility to a land long forgotten.

The game has a standard turn-based battle system...each character has a button assigned to them in battle and you push that button for them to attack...until the timer runs out. So say the character that has (square) assigned to them...pressing (square) will be a regular attack...pressing (square) and (up) will be a special attack, and so forth...

Reyvateils are your magic users and they use songs to attack the enemy....they can also increase the strength of their attacks by allowing the burst gauge to fill. Keep this in mind, however, you must consider the compatibility of the Reyvateils you use and your frontliners...if they're not compatible then your damage will be reduced.

Defense is also important as you need to protect your Reyvateils while they are singing their songs. When the enemy attacks you must press the assigned buttons that coordinate with the attack to block it. This requires a little practice, but soon enough you'll be getting perfects, and the game will become somewhat tedious.

The graphic and sounds will be familiar to anyone who played the first game...if not, the characters are 2-d while the world around you is 3-d...this can cause some problems, but nothing worth noting. The cut scenes are animesque and well-developed. The music is fun, with some great instrumentals, and vocals by some well-known Japanese artists.

If you played the first game then part II should definitely be on your list...if you are new to the series, the game will take some time to get use to, but once you do, you'll find your time consumed by a not-so-traditional RPG.