With Tales of Symphonia Remastered releasing in February 2023, I took the chance to revisit a childhood Japanese role-playing game, or JRPG for short. A genre of games that emphasizes story-driven adventures, character development, and strategic combat. While the anime-inspired visuals were still appealing, the port quickly revealed its flaws, including framerate drops, pacing issues, crashes, and missing dialogue, all of which were compounded by the PlayStation 2’s reduced 30 FPS battle. Fans on Reddit expressed frustration with the Tales of Symphonia Remaster, calling it one of the laziest and least improved remasters in recent memory. After encountering these same problems myself, I decided not to complete the remaster. Instead, I tracked down the original GameCube release from 2004 to experience the game as it was meant to be played for the first time this past year.
The story begins in the world of Sylvarant, a land where mana, the essence of life, is slowly fading. Players assume the role of Lloyd Irving, a headstrong teenager who joins his childhood friends as they support Colette, the Chosen, on her pilgrimage to regenerate the world. The journey begins by unlocking a series of elemental seals in various dungeons and awakening new powers in Colette. Along the way, they face off against the Desians, an oppressive group that enslaves and experiments on humans, only to learn that the battles are the beginning of a larger conflict, one that extends beyond the world of Sylvarant.
The real highlight of Tales of Symphonia is its approach to combat. Battles take place across a 3D backdrop where characters can string together basic attacks and special attacks, called arts, to create a variety of combos. Enemies range from straightforward melee fighters to magic users who can devastate your team, especially depending on the difficulty setting. Things can get deeper with the addition of EX Gems, which let you customize characters and unlock compound skills or special bonuses if you slot them wisely. The downside is that the game explains little of this, often leaving you, the player, to rely on a guide. Outside of combat, exploration across Sylvarant and beyond is often filled with puzzles, some more frustrating than others. A few, like the infamous Ymir Forest sequence, tested my problem-solving skills and mostly my patience.
Beyond the combat and puzzles, what really makes Tales of Symphonia stand out is its cast. Each character has a strong personality. Lloyd is headstrong but well-intentioned, Colette is earnest and determined, and the additions only make the group more memorable. Zelos is charming, Presea is quiet but terrifying with her axe, Regal carries this mysterious air, and Sheena, the deadly ninja, is a woman with a strong determination that keeps the team sharp. One unique addition to Tales of Symphonia is ‘skits.’ When prompted, players can activate small dialogue scenarios between characters, often revealing their thoughts, vulnerabilities, and some humorous moments.
While it may be rough around the edges, the original Tales of Symphonia still shines with a great story, a cast you care about, and combat that actually feels fun.
