Tales of the Abyss is the story of Luke fon Fabre's unintentional journey outside of his mansion, which he has been locked inside of for the last several years, since he was found in an abandoned castle after an kidnapping attempt, with no recollection of his past. Luke soon uncovers a plot to destroy the world as he knows it, and he and his ever expanding party of comrades (including a fire spewing mouse-thing named Mieu) must help to unite two kingdoms, and settle on the matter of his own identity before the world comes to an end.

ToA uses the same basic combat engine as its predecessors. The battles takes place on a pseudo-2D fighting ground that resembles the surrounding wilderness. You can set your party members to an AI controlled setting or give commands to each one by cycling through them in battle. This style can be somewhat of a hassle for those RPG fans who are used to the Final Fantasy style of combat, and it takes some getting used to even for Tales series veterans.

The way the rest of the game plays is similar to that of traditional RPGS: you and your party go through many different towns, explore lots of dungeons, and explore. The exploration is done via the World Map screen, which is an isometric view that follows your character around as you move.