An old-school JRPG fan's dream—a Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World bundle for only 40 gald! The Tales series is one of those JRPG franchises that has defied the odds. Many JRPG series have come and gone, but Tales keeps chugging along. There have been nine Tales games released here, with more on the way. It’s actually one of the more successful JRPG franchises in the States, believe it or not. What is the secret of its long-running success? Good games.

Sounds obvious, but as far as I can tell, that’s it. The Tales games are not as flashy as the Final Fantasy series. They don't have multi-million dollar marketing campaigns behind them. They're not edgy. Nor do they do anything to buck, or even modernize the JRPG formula. In fact, they almost seem to revel in the well-worn tropes of JRPGs. And that’s not a bad thing. Tales games know what they are and don’t try to be anything else. And that’s why people love them. Well, that’s why I do. 

I think people also love them because of the kick-ass battle system. It’s all action. No waiting for turns, choosing attacks, watching timers, moving little people on squares, none of that. You run in, pull out your sword, and “have at thee!” as they say. There’s one attack button, but you can switch up your attacks by moving the left analogue stick in different directions. Special attacks are a different button, and you can also choose them on the fly by mapping them to the analogue stick or shoulder buttons. Aside from attacking, you can block, or dodge if you’re fast enough. I highly recommend blocking. You’ll save a lot of gald on healing items. And this game is a little stingy with its money. 

Three other NPCs battle with you, and you can choose the way they fight depending on how you set up their strategy before battles. You can also directly control them during the battle, if you need them to do anything specific like use an item or cast a spell. And you can also play a long with a buddy, but they will only be able to play their character when fighting. Still, there aren’t a lot of two-player JRPGs, so it’s a nice feature.

The story’s not exactly Crime and Punishment, but it’s got enough substance to keep things interesting. The characters are fun and you’ll get plenty of chances to get to know them through the numerous skits in the game. Skits are basically talking character portraits with minimal animation. The skits are optional, if you just wanna burn through the game. I recommend listening to them, though. It’ll give you a little more insight into characters and an occasional chuckle or two.

The world in this game is cute. Like, super cute. Everything is so simplified, it has an old-school cartoonish look. And that’s not necessarily because of the game’s age, that’s the signature Tales style. Of course, in this game it’s a little more pronounced.

Another thing that makes the game so cute is how big your character is on the field map! When you run around, you’re taller than the forest, almost as tall as the mountains, and towns look tiny. I have no idea why it’s like this, but it’s hilarious. In dungeons and towns though, your characters are to scale.

Monsters on the field map are funny, too. They’re black blobby things that quiver when you get close. Only when you engage them, can you see what you’re going to fight. It’s only like this on the field map. Once you’re in a dungeon or temple, the monsters are normal. 

Tales of Symphonia is the first of the Tales series I ever played, and it hooked me right away. There’s something very pure and earnest about it. From the simplistic animation to the cartoony character designs, the whole thing is just charming. And this re-release comes with souped-up graphics, new enemies, and new items and abilities. You can also play it in Japanese, which is kind of a big deal, because the original game was only released in English.

The game also comes with Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, which is the sequel to Symphonia. I didn’t have time to review both, because that’s like a zillion hours, and I’m not made out of time. Anyway, two classic JRPGs for 40 bucks is a really good deal!

Hint: Watch out for the mimic treasure chest called “Fake” in the Triet Ruins. It’s totally immune to physical attacks! Just block it, and have Genis spam Stone Blast to destroy it. I died several times there. 

by Urian Brown