Tales of the Abyss (2005)

Developer: Namco Tales Studio
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 2
Genres: Role-playing (RPG)
Rating: 4.1 of 5, 66 player ratings
Main story: about 59 hours

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A grand, story-heavy RPG that keeps you moving — both across a sprawling open world and freely around fast, kinetic battles where positioning and quick decisions feel genuinely rewarding.

action-orientedepicstory-drivenfast-pacedexpansivedramaticengagingdeep

About

This entry in Namco's popular Tales series takes place in a world where prophecies clue people in to future happenings. Tales of the Abyss boasts a revolutionary new free roaming battle system allowing players to move anywhere on the battlefield, a first in the Tales series which brings new depth to the intense, high-action battles that Tales games are knows for.

What players say

A heavy, ambitious RPG centered on a deeply flawed hero's painful journey through guilt and atonement, with a dense world and emotionally raw party dynamics that can feel genuinely gut-wrenching. Often cited as the most popular Tales entry, though its weight and tangled lore divide players.

Screenshots

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This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.