Tsugunai: Atonement

Not to be confused with Tsugunai, a 1984 Japanese single by Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng.

Tsugunai: Atonement
File:PS2-Tsugunai-Atonement.jpg North American cover art
Developer(s)	Cattle Call
Publisher(s)
Composer(s)	Yasunori Mitsuda
Platforms	PlayStation 2
Release date(s)
Genre(s)	Role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player

Tsugunai: Atonement (つぐない) is a role-playing video game developed by Cattle Call for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) game console. The game was published by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on February 22, 2001 and was published by Atlus in North America on November 29, 2001.

Story

The main character, Reise, is a Raven, a sort of mercenary who takes dangerous jobs to earn a living. The game opens as Reise climbs an ancient tower to retrieve the Treasure Orb, a sacred artifact. In doing so, he angers the gods, who retaliate by separating Reise's body and soul. In order to atone for his sins, Reise must demonstrate kindness and courage by assisting the denizens of a small fishing village. He accomplishes this by possessing the bodies of those he needs to help, in order to allow them to accomplish tasks that they will not or cannot accomplish by themselves. In time, he ends up saving the village from a great evil.

Characters

The principal characters that Reise possesses throughout the story are:

• Fisela: A tomboyish female fisherman who hates her father. She believes that her father didn't care for her mother enough in her last days. Reise eventually falls in love with her at the end of the story.
• Ashgo: An apprentice monk. He is a complete klutz and gets in people's way, but the abbot sees his potential.
• Raffer: The former commander of the castle guard. He has become a fugitive, but has amnesia and can't remember what crime he committed.
• Ifem: A Raven who owes a large debt. He takes jobs that he can't handle in order to pay it off.

Gameplay

The game is broken up into around 35 different "quests". Some of them involve the principal characters, while some are more peripheral and let you explore the lives of some of the other characters in the village. All combat-oriented quests involve the principal characters. Once Reise meets the quest's objective, the quest is solved and the story advances, often changing the situation in the village and opening up new quests.

Even though the game involves many different characters, the mechanics treat the characters as equal, except in the case of the weapons they can equip. Magic, supplementary equipment, and items are carried over from quest to quest, regardless of whom Reise possesses.

Music

The musical score for Tsugunai: Atonement was created by composer Yasunori Mitsuda, famous for his work on games in the Chrono series, Mario Party, Tobal No. 1, Xenogears, and Shadow Hearts. The official soundtrack, featuring enhanced instrument samples, was named an cinniùint and was released in Japan on December 25, 2001.

Reception

Tsugunai: Atonement sold poorly, debuting at number 19 on the Famitsu Japanese sales chart and selling 6,261 units. Upon its release in North America, the game was met with a mostly average critical reception alongside some mixed reviews. Tsugunai: Atonement currently holds aggregate scores of 68.5% on GameRankings and 67 out of 100 on Metacritic.

External links

• Tsugunai: Atonement at MobyGames