Tales of Symphonia Review (PS3 Chronicles Version)

Tales of Symphonia for the Nintendo Gamecube is often regarded as one of, if not THE best game in the Namco's Tales franchise. And in 2014, it (alongside with its sequel, Dawn of the New World) received a remaster for the PS3 called Tales of Symphonia Chronicles. During the transition, it also received several new bonuses that were previously exclusive to the Japanese PS2 version. Despite the battle system showing its age, Tales of Symphonia is still worth playing.

Story

The journey of regeneration is one that must be undertaken by Sylvarant's chosen when the world's mana begins to decline. Without mana, the world will eventually die. To make matters worse, an organization called the Desians (who have several similarities to Nazis) have been wreaking havoc on the world. They capture humans, and imprison them in human ranches. But the chosen's journey will not only bring mana back into the world, it will also seal away the Desians. Or so it seems...

The first 10 to 15 hours of the plot are rather mundane and aren't much different from any other JRPG. But once you get past a certain point in the story, the plot is turned on its head. From there, the game becomes much more enjoyable, and the character development begins. But before then, Tales of Symphonia can feel quite dull.

The game stars Lloyd Irving, a typical idiot hero, and Colette, the current chosen one. As a whole, the cast starts off as very stereotypical. But as the plot begins to unravel, they start to show their hidden depths. As I said before, the story and characters start off cliché and dull, and it takes a while to get interesting. Once it does, though, the overall narrative becomes one of the most memorable in the series.

Gameplay 

Tales of Symphonia is structured quite similarly to classic RPGs like Final Fantasy VII. Outside of battle, you explore towns and dungeons. Unlike modern Tales games, this entry features a typical world map.

The battle system is rather simple. You have a basic combo attack, and that can be chained into Techs (which are called Artes in later games). A Tech can also be chained into a higher-leveled Tech. There are 3 levels of Techs, which correspond to the designation of Base, Master, and Arcane artes in later games. Although the battle system is rather simple, it can have a high skill ceiling. With proper skills, exploits, and knowledge of the battle system, one can create large combos even within the restrictions of this older gameplay style.

In Tales of Symphonia, Techs are also divided up into two branches, Technical and Strike. Which branch your characters will develop towards will depend on what kind of skills they have equipped. This allows you to mix and match different Techs together, and allow more variety on repeat playthroughs should you choose to focus on a different branch than last time.

Skills are equipped through EX Gems. A character can have up to 4 EX Gems (and thus, skills) equipped at a time. Certain skill combinations will also yield Compound Skills, which can bring more unique effects to how you fight. 

Graphics and Other Technical Aspects

These new Mystic Arte cut-ins are gorgeous.

Tales of Symphonia uses a cel-shaded anime art style. Though the game still looks good, the graphics are beginning to show their age, especially in this HD Remaster. Unfortunately, while the Gamecube original ran at a smooth 60 frames per second, the remaster in Tales of Symphonia Chronicles is based off of the Japanese PS2 version, which ran at only 30 frames per second. Newer players won't find an issue with this, but returning veterans may have some difficulty adjusting to the slightly lower framerate.

Soundtrack and Voice Acting

This game's soundtrack is one of the most memorable in the series, and each track stands out. My favorites are the world map and the battle themes. The game's English voice acting is decent, but lacks skit voices. Tales of Symphonia Chronicles adds dual audio to the game, allowing you to listen to the game in Japanese if you prefer.

Length

Tales of Symphonia clocks in at around 40 hours to complete, not counting sidequests. Of course, New Game Plus can add much more replay value to the game. The sidequests can also add a large amount of hours.

Verdict: 9/10

Pros

• A great story, once you get past the first 10 to 15 hours
• The battle system may be dated, but is still incredibly fun to play and promotes skill
• Memorable soundtrack
• Great looking art style
• Lots of sidequests and extras compared to some modern Tales games
• HD Remaster adds dual audio and other bonuses

Cons

• First act of the game can be rather dull
• HD Remaster runs at only 30 frames per second instead of 60
• While the game still looks good today, the graphics are starting to show their age

Tales of Symphonia is great place to jump into the series, especially now that it's available on the PS3. Veterans will still find this game as enjoyable as it was before. Overall, this game is a classic, and definitely worth playing.