Characters you wanted. *Spoilers*

[AsukaNeumaki]

I personally was hoping the entire game that Akane would join the party.
EDIT* changed title because I also wanted Harvy and Richa playable Reyvateils to mak up for Tyria's lack of personas and you know like just so instead of two True End Route characters you would get 4 that in the end would equal up to one full third Reyvateil

[vampko]

I think you'll find a lot of people think that...

I certainly wanted her to be a possible vanguard...

[AsukaNeumaki]

She would've been such an awesome character and I was waiting for her but then she's all like I know you are allied with Clustania now sorta but I'm still not helping you. I activated the Rinkernator already so screw you. I also sorta wanted to see Mute playable only you know she doesn't strip in her supermove

[aquagon]

I mostly agree with the thoughts of having more characters and having allowed Akane to be a playable vanguard. However, there are two small problems with the rest:

Harvestasha and Richa couldn't playable Reyvateils because Richa would serve better as a vanguard, not to mention that she is already engaged to Hikari Gojo. As for Harvestasha, she isn't even a Reyvateil, and because of being merely an holographic projection of the Third Tower's AI control system, she can't fight either (the fight against her in Ku is an exception because she can attack you as long as you are inside the Binary Field).

[LAMV]

There can't be more Reyvateils because that would have been too many. There is never more than three Reyvateils in any of the Ar Tonelicos (Saki, Finnel, and Tyria each count as 1 Reyvateil despite their personas). However, I do think Akane should have been a vanguard at least; all the teasing was annoying. But I guess they just didn't feel like creating a switch party member function.

Spoiler:

Still, playable Harvestasha woulda been nice despite it being impossible. Dat almost-see-through dress, mon...

[aquagon]

However, I do think Akane should have been a vanguard at least; all the teasing was annoying. But I guess they just didn't feel like creating a switch party member function.

Technically, there is a switch party member function, but it only serves to swap Reyvateils. My guess is that they didn't have the budget to implement further party members, considering what each of them needs: equipment sets, Supermoves, Ultra Supermoves (all of the previous needing their own recipes), Purged model, anime cut-ins, participation in the Party and Synthesis Talks, and such.

[vampko]

However, I do think Akane should have been a vanguard at least; all the teasing was annoying. But I guess they just didn't feel like creating a switch party member function.

Technically, there is a switch party member function, but it only serves to swap Reyvateils. My guess is that they didn't have the budget to implement further party members, considering what each of them needs: equipment sets, Supermoves, Ultra Supermoves (all of the previous needing their own recipes), Purged model, anime cut-ins, participation in the Party and Synthesis Talks, and such.

Yeah, I'm banking on it being the budget as well. I only hope we can get another Ar tonelico game, even if it's only a spirtual sucessor, on the PS3, so that we can see that sort of game with all the leaps and bounds GUST has made in mastering development on the PS3

[LAMV]

^ Well I don't know if it counts as "spiritual successor," but there was some recent game, I think by Sega, that was very similar to Ar Tonelico. Except they call those magical girls "Songstresses" instead. It might have had dating-sim elements, I can't remember. It was definitely an anime-style JRPG, and I think it might have been a Shining game, I dunno. I just remember the Songstressses part.

I don't know what became of it.

[AsukaNeumaki]

I do know why Harvy couldn't be playable I thought it would be cool to play has her. I mean she's just tagging along by the end and I guess Richa could fit has a vanguard. It would be cool to see them has DLC because DLC can break all canon no matter what but that will never happen

[SaturnineTenshi]

Aquagon just explained why.

Anyway, Akane would have been nice. She even seemed a possible romance interest after dominating her thrice over.

[Teddie Sage]

More playable characters in battles... Playing only with Aoto, Cocona and Hikaru gets boring after a while.