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''Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star'' is a Japanese
role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
developed by Gust and published by
Koei Tecmo is a Japanese video game, amusement and anime holding company created in 2009 by the merger of Koei and Tecmo. Koei Tecmo Holdings owns several companies, the biggest one of those being its flagship video game developer and publisher Koei Tecmo ...
. Directed by Akira Tsuchiya, the game takes the anime art style of Gust's flagship ''
Atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or vi ...
'' video game series and puts it into a
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes Space warfare in science fiction, space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, i ...
-type setting. While playing as an RPG, the game is very story heavy, with virtually all gameplay mechanics feeding into the overall plot, including many segments playing as an interactive
visual novel A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...
. Designed with player immersion as a core concept, the player actually plays as themselves, using their
video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can typically be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally ...
as a means to communicate with characters as themselves, while otherwise controlling characters as one typically does in a video game. The game alternates between following two sets of characters - Delta and Casty, and Earthes and Ion, as they work through issues related to the hostile race known as Sharl that are antagonizing the space station that humanity currently lives on, while working through many of their own personal issues of their past. The game debuted with a worldwide release on the
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
across in 2014. An extended version containing all of the game's
downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
(DLC), ''Ar nosurge Plus'', was released worldwide the following year on the
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...
. A remastered high definition version, ''Ar nosurge DX'', was released in Japan in March 2021 for the
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
,
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
and
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
.


Gameplay

The game plays as a
JRPG While the early history and distinctive traits of role-playing video games (RPGs) in East Asia have come from Japan, many video games have also arisen in China, developed in South Korea, and Taiwan. Japanese role-playing games Japanese c ...
with
visual novel A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...
segments. On the role-playing side, the game does not have a traditional party setup, but rather, the game alternates between two sets of characters; Delta and Cass on one side, and Ion and Earthes on the other. In the regular game field, the game plays as most JRPGs do; the player maneuver's the character through the game environment, exploring small areas to find
non-player character A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...
s to interact with or items to collect to aid them through progressing the game. In certain areas, a bar is present in the corner of the screen. The bar indicates that
random battle A random encounter is a feature commonly used in various role-playing games whereby combat encounters with non-player character (NPC) enemies or other dangers occur sporadically and at random, usually without the enemy being physically detected ...
s may occur in that area, and indicate how increasingly likely they are to occur as movement transpires on the map. Optional
small talk Small talk is an informal type of discourse that does not cover any functional topics of conversation or any transactions that need to be addressed. In essence, it is polite and standard conversation about unimportant things. The phenomenon ...
between characters arises as the game world is explored as well. The game employs a
turn based Timekeeping is relevant to many types of games, including video games, tabletop role-playing games, board games, and sports. The passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. In many games, this is done u ...
battle system with timed button press elements that amplify effectiveness. Only two characters participate in a battle at the time - Delta or Earthes as the attacker/defender, and Cass or Ion who stands back to charge their "Song Magic" special move. Multiple waves of enemies approach the player, which the player takes on each wave one at a time as each is defeated, with each wave placing characters on a 3x3 grid. The player has a selection of different types of regular attacks, with varying strengths, weaknesses, and
area of effect Since the origin of video games in the early 1970s, the video game industry, the gamer, players, and video game culture, surrounding culture have spawned a wide range of technical and slang terms. 0–9 ...
s, as well as the option of using consumable items or special "Friend Skills" earned through game progression that award various effects. The better the player strings together attacks, the faster the Song Magic's meter grows, which increases its attack power. Attacks phases can be extended if enemies are hit with a "break" status incurred by good fighting, though attack number are finite, and once they are used up, the attack phase ends. The battle transitions to the enemy phase, where the player must defends through time button presses to reduce damage aimed at Cass or Ion. Battles continue until one of four scenarios occur - the player defeats all enemies, the enemies deplete all
health points Health is a video game or tabletop game quality that determines the maximum amount of damage or fatigue something takes before leaving the main game. In role-playing games, this typically takes the form of hit points (HP), a numerical attribute ...
of the Cass or Ion, both sides run out of turns, or if the player chooses to use the Song Magic attack. The more the Song Magic is charged, the more powerful it is, and the more it works towards eliminating random battles from the area. If the Song Magic meter is maxed out, the battle is automatically won, and random battles are eliminated from the area for the duration of the time spent there. The rest of the game's gameplay modes more closely resemble a visual novel, largely revolving around reading text and choosing from
dialogue tree A dialogue tree, or conversation tree, is a gameplay mechanic that is used throughout many adventure games (including action-adventure games) and role-playing video games. When interacting with a non-player character, the player is given a choice ...
s or other text-based options. The "Genometrics" segments are story segments where the player dives into a character's subconscious dream world to help them through various mental hang-ups they're suffering through in the game. The segments are split into 10-20 points on a map to be selected; each one revealing more of the narrative. Selecting each one costs Dive Points (DP), which are earned through participating in the game's battle system. Certain dialogue options cost DP as well, and may hinder or help progression. If the player cannot pay the given cost of DP required, progress is halted, and the player returns to the main game. The segment is completed once enough DP is spent to read all text to the story's conclusion, and completion rewards the player with new "Song Magic" to be used in the game's battle system. The game's "Purification" segments involve two characters meditating and reflecting together on various events that had transpired in the main game. The player is also given the option to equip "Genometrica Crystals" that are obtained through progression of the Genometrics segments, which give stat boosts for the game's battle system. The game also contains an item synthesis system similar to the ''
Atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or vi ...
'' video game series. Upon traveling to item shops, and talking to their respective shop keeper synthesis recipes are obtained. If the player has obtained the required items through game progression, they may combine them into new items. Each item creation contains a story scene about the respective item, and can be used in further synthesizing, or for added effects in battle.


Synopsis


Setting and characters

The bulk of the game takes place on a massive
space station A space station (or orbital station) is a spacecraft which remains orbital spaceflight, in orbit and human spaceflight, hosts humans for extended periods of time. It therefore is an artificial satellite featuring space habitat (facility), habitat ...
traveling through space. Humanity has been traveling through space on it for the last 5,000 years following the destruction of their home planet, Ra Ciela, which was destroyed by its own sun. Morale is generally low for its inhabitants – they long to live on in nature again, the ship is running out of resources, and they've been unable to find a new planet to sustain them. Additionally, they're under attack by a fairy-like race of humanoids called Sharls, who, with their innocent appearances and power of "Song Magic", lure people away to abduct them. Humanity is generally powerless against them, and must resort to sectioning off parts of the space station and hiding, and their numbers diminish. However, after thousands of years have passed, the impassable "Fellion Wall" falls, and in are people called "ancients" - people essentially
cryogenically frozen Cryopreservation or cryoconservation is a process where biological material - cell (biology), cells, Biological tissue, tissues, or Organ (anatomy), organs - are frozen to preserve the material for an extended period of time. At low temperature ...
from the era when humanity still lived on Ra Ciela. It appears human from this era once also possessed the ability to create "Song Magic", and thus, these people allow for the ability to fight back against the Sharl.2013-09-29
Ar no Surge first details and screenshots
Gematsu
Alternatively, there's another cult-like faction of people who believe in giving up and disappearing away with the Sharl, complicating matters. The game follows the events of two separate pairs of main characters. Delta, an elite fighter from the organization of PLASMA, travels with his childhood friend Cass, who has the ability to wield song magic. Both are Ancients from the city of Felion. The other pair is Ion, also able to wield rare Song Magic, and Earthes, a humanoid robot of unknown origins. Earthes is similar to a
silent protagonist In video games, a silent protagonist is a player character who lacks any dialogue for the entire duration of a game, with the possible exception of occasional interjections or short phrases. In some games, especially visual novels, this may extend ...
in the game - he is a vessel of which the player is supposed to be communicating directly into the game world, with game characters directly addressing the player,
breaking the fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th centu ...
. Other prominent characters include Nay, a friend of the four who holds a leadership role called the "Divine Empress", Kanon, a rival-turned-friend of Ion's past, Zill a church
bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
who advocates working with the Sharl, Sarly a scientist friend of Delta and Cass, and Shirotaka, an
otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, such as anime, manga, video games, computers or other highly enthusiastic hobbies. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. ...
computer hacker A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who achieves goals and solves problems by non-standard means. The term has become associated in popular culture with a security hackersomeone with knowledge of bug (computing), bugs or exp ...
friend of the groups.


Development

''Ar Nosurge'' was first announced in September 2013, as part of developer Gust's 20th anniversary plans. The game was directed by Akira Tsuchiya, who had previously directed Gust's ''
Ar Tonelico is a Media mix, multimedia project series made in collaboration by Gust Corporation and Banpresto (currently subsidiaries of Tecmo Koei and Namco Bandai Games respectively) consisting of video games, manga, and an OVA. The name of the series is al ...
'' trilogy of video games, and ''
Ciel Nosurge ''Ciel Nosurge'', full name , with the title translating to "World of the Girl -Requiem to a Lost Star-" is a life simulation video game for the PlayStation Vita developed by Gust. The player's objective is to help Ion, a girl with amnesia, regain ...
''. The games, along with ''Ar Nosurge'', are all part of Gust's extended "Exa Pico" fictional universe. The events of the ''Ar Tonelico'' trilogy connect to each other, but largely just occur in the same fictional universe rather than directly overlapping into ''Ar Nosurge''. ''Ciel Nosurge'', however, is considered a prequel to ''Ar Nosurge'', and contains many common characters and settings, with the two often referred to collectively as the ''Surge Concerto'' duology. Despite this, Tsuchiya created ''Ar Nosurge'' to be an entirely self-contained story that requires no knowledge of the other game's to understand the game's story. The game was meant to mix the anime style of Gust's other main franchise, ''
Atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or vi ...
'', while added a more in-depth
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
story element to it. The game's key concept was to create a game world that felt like an "actual existing world", where the player is playing a role in the story as themselves, using the
video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can typically be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally ...
to communicate as themselves to the characters in the game. Exploring realistic and in-depth bonds between characters was a main focus for the development team as well. Some story events, such as the "Purification Ceremony" scenes, feature sexual overtones and innuendo; Tsuchiya implemented this to create more realistic interactions and relationships between characters. The game's battle system was developed to be flashy in presentation to hold the player's attention, but simple and quick in execution, as to keep the focus on the story and characters. All aspects of the gameplay were built to feed into the game's story, in order to create a better sense of immersion. Not all ideas related to creating a sense of immersion were included in the final game; at one point, the game contained enemy characters in battles that could "notice" the presence of the player, and would try to do things to "harm" the player, such as deleting their save game information. However, this was deemed too detrimental to the enjoyment of the game, and was removed prior any of the game's releases.


Release and versions

''Ar Nosurge'' first released on the
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
in Japan on March 6, 2014, slightly delayed from its initial January 2014 release date. The PS3 version was announced for an English localization shortly afterwards. While the game was commonly spelled ''Ar No Surge'' prior to localization, its final English title would be ''Ar Nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star''. It was released in North America on September 23, 2014, and in Europe on September 26, 2014.2014-06-25
Ar nosurge coming to Europe on September 26
Gematsu
North American publisher
NIS America is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was founded in 1991 and has developed several role-playing video games, most notably the ''Disgaea'' and '' Marl Kingdom'' series. Its mascot is the penguin-like ''Disgaea'' charact ...
released a limited edition on their online store that included a copy of the game, the soundtrack, a hardcover art book, and a poster. Some retailers bundled some of the game's
Downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
(DLC) as a pre-order bonus as well. A number of sets of DLC was released for the PlayStation 3 version, including additional sets of "Purification" scene scenarios for the characters Kanon and Nay, two new "Genometrics" scenarios for the character Shirotaka, and some cosmetic character costumes. The game's soundtrack and two mini-albums with all of the game's vocal tracks released in the same month, while a prequel
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
was released in promotion of the game the month prior in ''
Monthly Shōnen Sirius is a Japanese monthly ''shōnen'' manga magazine published by Kodansha, and first issued in May 2005. It is issued in perfect-bound B5 format and retails for 580 yen. The magazine also serializes manga through their ''Twi Siri'' Twitter ...
''. An enhanced port of the game, ''Ar Nosurge Plus'' was released for the
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...
shortly after. This release contained all of the original's DLC, additional cosmetic character costumes, and a new expanded tutorial. It was released on October 2, 2014, in Japan, and July 2015 in North America and Europe. After an extended lack of developments related to the game, in 2019, Gust and Tsuchiya announced that they planned on doing more with the game in the future. Another enhanced release, ''Ar Nosurge DX'', was announced in 2020 for the
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
,
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
, and
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
platforms. Initially announced for a January 2021 release date, it received a small delay to March 4, 2021, for Japan to address some minor quality issues. Three separate limited editions were released in Japan, including one that costs over $1,000 due to the extra art and music related items included. No mention has been made on the possibility of a worldwide release of this remaster of the game.


Reception

The game was generally well received by critics. Critics generally praised the game's story, albeit with the notion that it could be confusing and overwhelming at first. ''Hardcore Gamer'' praised the game's emphasis on story over common JRPG concepts like grinding, stating that although the story and scope may be overwhelming at first, that "once the stories start to intertwine, and a few startling revelations come to light, the script doesn't seem quite as bonkers. Characters you'll grow to love change alongside your own, and a multitude of communicative sources...make it easy to become invested...while it doesn't break the glass ceiling of video game narrative design, it certainly leaves its hand prints across the stretch." Similarly, ''RPGSite'' said that the ''Plus'' version of the game "remains one of the better modern entries in the genre. Players will uncover some brilliant character relationships and outstanding music that will remain with you long after the credits have rolled." ''
Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...
'' gave the game a review score of 32/40. The PlayStation 3 version of ''Ar nosurge'' sold 27,037 physical retail copies within the first week of release in Japan, placing fifth within the Japanese software sales rankings for that particular week. The Vita release of the ''Plus'' version sold another 9,240 units at retail in Japan later in the year as well, placing ninth for the week. While no exact Western sales figures were released, Sony revealed that ''Plus'' was the eighth most downloaded game for the Vita in North America in its release month of July 2015, which encompasses all sales of the title, as it did not receive a physical retail release outside of Japan.


See also

*''
Chronos Materia is a cancelled role-playing video game by Gust Co. Ltd. The title was announced in 2013 as a PlayStation Vita exclusive title, but was quietly cancelled in April 2016. The game was intended to be a new IP by Gust, that would have mixed many of ...
'' - a new IP proposed by Gust in 2013 that would have shared elements of the ''Ar Nosurge'' and ''Atelier'' series that was cancelled in 2016. *'' Baten Kaitos'' - a 2004
JRPG While the early history and distinctive traits of role-playing video games (RPGs) in East Asia have come from Japan, many video games have also arisen in China, developed in South Korea, and Taiwan. Japanese role-playing games Japanese c ...
by
Monolith Soft trade name, trading as Monolith Soft, is a Japanese Video game developer, video game development studio originally owned by Namco (later Bandai Namco) until being bought out by Nintendo in 2007, best known for the ''Xenoblade Chronicles'' ser ...
that shared a similar
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...
breaking premise of the player having a direct role in the game.


References


Notes


External links

*
Official European websiteOfficial American Website
{{Ar tonelico 2014 video games Japanese role-playing video games PlayStation 3 games Video games developed in Japan Video game sequels PlayStation Vita games Role-playing video games Gust Corporation games Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 4 games Windows games Single-player video games