I’ve played my fair share ofJRPGs, including stone-cold classics likeChrono TriggerandFinal Fantasy 7, but the one that stands out above the rest for me isn’t a title that’s achieved quite the same level of household recognition. Released on the Nintendo GameCube in 2003,Tales of Symphoniahas had no shortage of acclaim, typically ranking near the top of the long-running and eternally popularTalesseries. It’s not as likely to be found in the same spot onlists of the best JRPGsas a whole, however, and it’s a game that’s easy enough to overlook.
The biggest hurdle forTales of Symphonia, as I see it, comes from the fact thatit’s not a watershed release in the history of the genre. There’s no great leap forward in technology, tone, or general ambition that makes the gamevastly different from its predecessors, and a lot of its ingredients will be immediately recognizable to JRPG veterans. Even so, innovation isn’t everything, and the way thatTales of Symphoniaassembles and delivers its familiar parts results in an experience that I love to death.
Tales Of Symphonia Is The Complete JRPG Package
The Rare Game That Does Everything Well
In some ways,the aspects ofTales of Symphoniathat feel the most quaint also serve as its calling card, quickly establishing why theTalesgames are frequently categorized as comfort food JRPGs. The game opens on a chunky cel-shaded model of the protagonist, Lloyd Irving, snoozing in a schoolhouse with a “Zzz” text bubble above his head. The set-up for a story involving the journey of the goddess’s “Chosen” is laid out in the form of a school lesson, delivered in front of the silent background gag of a character-shaped hole in the classroom wall.
10 Must-Play JRPGs To Try If You Love Open-World Games
For the open-world enthusiast hoping to dip their toes in the deep JRPG well, there are a handful of amazing worlds waiting to be explored.
Over the course of a journey that spans two worlds,Tales of Symphonianever abandons that charm, and poking around in the corners of its towns and dungeons is a consistently rewarding process. From the humorous party chatter to the Wonder Chef NPC who hides himself in random background objects,Tales of Symphonia’s deceptively simple style belies a game made for those who love to stop and smell the roses. Accompanying everything is a magical score by legendary composer Motoi Sakuraba, responsible for the music in games ranging fromMario TennistoDark Souls.
Charm is the name of the game, butTales of Symphoniais just as capable of delivering on a serious level asanyFinal Fantasygameis. While I’m frequently disappointed by JRPGs that stretch about 20 hours of plot into a 60-hour cycle,Tales of Symphonianever stops developing its narrative, and even the less surprising reveals keep the plot moving in exactly the right way. I also tend to balk at turn-based random encounters unless the combat is especially sophisticated, andTales of Symphonia’s action battles and deliberate enemy placement do a lot to keep me from fatiguing.
Tales Of Symphonia Remasters Have Never Gotten It Right
Numerous Ports All Have Additional Flaws
Tales of Symphoniais available on every major modern platform, so you don’t have to own a GameCube (or a Wii and a GameCube controller) to conveniently play it. The problem, however, is thatno port or remaster ofTales of Symphoniahas ever been as good as the original. That caveat isn’t exclusive toTales of Symphonia— I think PS1Final Fantasygames are way better on original hardware and a CRT than in upscaled ports, for example — but the situation is a bit unique.
FF7 Remake Part 3 Isn’t The Final Fantasy Remake I Want The Most
I’m ready to see how Cloud’s story is resolved this time, but there’s a different game that I’d still be way more excited to dive into.
Every modern release ofTales of Symphoniacan be traced back to a basis in a Japanese PS2 port of the game, which did add some additional content into the mix. It also introduced some issues, most of which are minor, but one in particular is pervasively annoying.WhileTales of Symphoniaran at 60 FPS on the GameCube, it’s locked to 30 FPS on every other platform, including the obviously capable PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Even on PC, there’s no mod that can appropriately patch the port ofTales of Symphoniato be 60 FPS, and a basic conversion would make the game run at double-speed.
Piling onto that is the approach taken by the most recent release,Tales of Symphonia Remastered, which upscales the low-resolution textures to smudgy and often unattractive results. I don’t think anything about theTales of Symphoniaremasters is necessarily ruinous, and I initially fell in love with the game by playing the Steam release. But it’s still better on GameCube than anywhere else, which is exceptionally silly over two decades later.
The GameCube Shouldn’t Be The Only Great Option
The Tales Series Deserves A Return To Form
I’m not one to generally beg for remakes or remasters of great games, as I’d typically rather see improvements applied to interesting games that didn’t quite fulfill their potential. If theTalesseries ever did take on a big-budget remake,Tales of Symphoniawould be one of the most obvious options, but I’m not asking for anything like that. I’d just like the original experience to be better preserved and disseminated, andI’d be happy to see even its dinkiest moments in a fundamentally unchanged but appropriately polished package.
I’d be even more thrilled by a newTalesgame that’s as good asTales of Symphoniaor the PS2 and Xbox 360 standoutsAbyssandVesperia.Like a lot of JRPG franchises from the era,Taleshas struggled to find its footing in the modern era, hemorrhaging many of the strengths of its best entries. ComparingTales of ZestiriatoSymphoniashines a spotlight on the newer title’s repetitive story, bland NPCs, and cookie-cutter dungeons.Berseriafixed many of these issues, andArisetook on more ambition, butTalesstill hasn’t clawed its way back to its former heights.
Tales of Arise Review: A Gorgeous & Inviting JRPG
Tales of Arise is a gorgeous JRPG that blends its beautiful landscapes with an avalanche of mechanics, making it an utterly engrossing experience.
At this point, I’m not holding out hope forTales of Symphoniato get the treatment it deserves, and I’d still recommend the game in any form to JRPG fans who haven’t yet played it. I wish I could be more enthusiastic about people picking up the game on newer systems, though, especially considering how well an appropriately handled remaster would translate.Tales of Symphoniais an exceptionalJRPGthat’s at its best on the GameCube, and I’d love to see it get the new life it deserves elsewhere.
