Epic music, a talking sword, colorful worlds, attractive characters – this is the stuff RPGs are made of. Or at least it's what RPGs should be made of, and it's what you'll find in Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny. Following the story of Felt (our hero) and Viese (our heroine), two friends and potential lovers, Atelier Iris 2 is a moderately long adventure with a good story, decent voice acting, and a few annoyances that might be too much for some to shake.

Given the peaceful atmosphere and the friendliness of the world, you could almost be surprised when things go awry. But this is a video game and that is what's supposed to happen. Taking place in the world of Eden, Atelier Iris 2 begins with a massive, unexplained earthquake. Though everyone survives the quake (apparently), not everyone is safe. The quake caused half the world to disappear. What does this mean? Where did the world go? No one knows.

Only after hearing a sword speak its first words does Felt begin to pick up the trail. That trail leads him to another world – a strange world that is not familiar with Eden's existence. As far as they're concerned Eden is make-believe. That doesn't stop Felt, a young, vivacious fighter who is determined to find the cause of the disappearance.

Atelier Iris 2's gameplay consists of two parts: (1) fast battles that are fun and easy to get into, and (2) repetitious world navigation. The former is the highlight of the gameplay experience. To me, the story is the first thing a developer should focus on when creating an RPG. However, that does not mean they should overlook the turn-based battles. Atelier Iris 2's combat is simplified with familiar on-screen commands. It's quick because the game doesn't waste time building up big and beautiful attacks. It's a straight-and-to-the-point experience.

At first it seemed that one of the more interesting gameplay features was the ability to synthesize items. I still like the idea, but now it's clear that the final execution doesn't quite live up to the concept. Item synthesizing can affect your progress – if you don't have the right pieces, a potentially long scavenger hunt will begin. I'm normally up for a good scavenger hunt, especially in adventure games. But this can get tedious. Sometimes I would've rather skipped this part and advanced to the next story sequence. Or the next battle that would get me closer to the next story sequence.

Old-school backgrounds are hard to praise when faced with modern visuals. Atelier Iris 2 won't win any awards for breathtaking content, but I like what I see. The character art is especially good. Battles are short on animations (a few motions here and there), but are still pretty fun to look at. Anyone who likes old RPGs will appreciate the effect Atelier Iris 2 was going for. If you were alive during the 16-bit era, this game might make you feel like you've never left.

Atelier Iris 2 has a wonderful cast of characters that range from likable, heroic, and/or quirky to arrogant, evil, and/or creepy. Each is voiced, though not without an unusual flaw, which I'll get to next. Though I can't say I'm familiar with any of the voice actors on board, their work in this game is fairly impressive. There's a bit more passion and believability in their voices than there is with the average game.

Aside from the moments where the dialogue doesn't sound natural, or when it sounds natural but inappropriate for the situation, Atelier Iris 2 is one of the better-sounding titles for PlayStation 2. Felt and Viese would've been likable in the olden days, where text was the only form of story progression. But by giving them voices – good voices – they become easier to identify with. They seem more real, and that makes you care about them that much more.

The music is also quite beautiful, having a memorable sound that harkens back to the days of 16-bit gaming. The quality and clarity of more modern games is there, though it's not as high as Final Fantasy X. But the style of music and the way it's presented is very old-school. I always listen for a great title screen theme because it's the first thing you hear when you start or continue an RPG.

That (the title theme) is just one of several captivating tunes. Most of the tracks seem upbeat in comparison to the dark RPGs released in the late 90s, which again goes back to the more colorful days of 16-bit gaming, long before developers created games like Xenogears and Parasite Eve. Whether you prefer the darkness or the light, Atelier Iris 2's music is easy to love.

What's not so lovable (and downright strange) is the lack of continuity in the voice work. The acting is continuous among characters, but you don't always hear them speak. Text boxes appear with every story sequence, short or long. Character art appears next to these boxes, adding a bit of "character" to the scene.

Everything was going great until I started to encounter text boxes without any sound. The music still played, but the characters could no longer be heard speaking. I discovered this a while ago in the preview build and assumed it was work in progress, but the final version is not completely voiced either. I had hoped my copy had a glitch, but I checked with the publisher and unfortunately it does not.

There are times when it almost makes sense to do away with the voiced dialogue. For example, there was one scene where Felt was talking to himself. However, during this and other sequences, some parts were voiced and some were not! The unfortunate thing about voice work is that it's all or nothing. If we hear it once, we expect to hear it always. I can list the many times when the game got it right and point out the times when it didn't, but that's not going to change anything.

Does this kill the experience of the story? Thankfully no, but it does have a serious impact on the overall quality and continuity of the sound. Though I know I'll remember Atelier Iris 2 for its music, a part of me will also remember it for this mistake.

Gameplay: 7.0
Fun battles, small locations, interesting worlds and… What’s that? You said I have to find another item?

I’ve yet to play an RPG that wasn’t repetitive. Even the best have a slight amount of repetition. That said, Atelier Iris 2 is one of the more repetitive RPGs out there. Toward the latter half of the adventure it’ll be the story that makes or breaks it for most players. If you haven’t been hooked by Felt and Viese’s tale, don’t count on the gameplay to keep you interested. There are better games with more battles and less exploration needed.

Graphics: 7.0
I like the style – I really do. However, it would’ve been nice to see more than a few frames of animation during battle. I’m not looking for Final Fantasy-caliber effects, but when the characters move with less fluidity than a Cartoon Network series, saying it’s “old-school” doesn’t cut it.

Sound: 8.0
Atelier Iris 2 is a wonderful-sounding game that’s plagued by the odd decision to not include voices for every line of dialogue. The quality of the sound isn’t top-notch either – it’s clear, but almost sounds like it was made for a cartridge system, not one that runs DVDs. If you can overlook these flaws you’ll be taken away by the music (catchy, deep, emotional – lots of good stuff to hear). The characters’ likeability is partially due to their voices, which make this one of the best casts this video game era.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
May I add annoying to that list? Nothing is overly difficult in this game, just confusing and (at times) frustrating.

Concept: 7.0
Same old RPG warfare. The world is in danger … a part of it has disappeared … battles must be fought … The battle system introduces an interesting time feature where you may stop your opponent from attacking. But anyone who’s played a Final Fantasy knows that isn’t a new concept. The way it was executed is a little different, as is the item synthesizing system. But the base content, and the result of performing these actions in the game, is not that unique.

Overall: 7.5
Atelier Iris 2’s music, story and cast of characters are a winner. The rest doesn’t quite cut it. If you want a full package, this game isn’t what you’re looking for. However, if what you want is a game with charming characters, battles you can get in and out of quickly, and have the will and the power to endure a series of repetitive moments, you’ll have experienced a classically designed RPG with a lot of quirks, and a lot of heart.