Phineas's Review of

Tales of Symphonia (GameCube)

So, the primary content on my blog will most likely be video game reviews. I love gaming, and I enjoy writing, and so you put two and two together (my lack of math skills not withstanding) and there you go. My first review I will post will be for the most recent game I finished - Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube. Without going into my thoughts on it any further - here is my review.

RPG's have never quite been the mainstay on the GC. With the release of Tales of Symphonia and some recent others (Baiten Katos, etc.), perhaps this'll change.

Tales of Symphonia (hereafter referred to as ToS) is a RPG that tries some new things while beating the proverbial dead horse at the same time. ToS is a colorful romp through the world of Sylvarant as you try to “revive” the world through a series of dungeon crawls. You are Lloyd, and you are tasked with accompanying the “chosen” of mana (Collete) on her quest to save the world. Granted this is a very clichéd story, but that isn’t always a bad thing. This is not a story to be wowed or intrigued by, but one to enjoy for what it is – and in that it succeeds. The cast of characters is interesting in that they are all fairly different from one another. They touch on familiar character builds (swordsman, mage, healer, ninja, etc.), but have enough personality to make them fun to use. The graphics in ToS are nice, colorful, and anime in style. This may turn off some gamers, but I found the graphics to fit the game nicely. Some of the best graphics come out in spells cast during battle (“Revitalize” being one of my favorites). Everything is bright and upbeat for the most part. The sound is typical RPG fare, and the voice-overs are typical of RPG voice actors over-acting their lines.

As far as game play goes you can expect the usual leveling up, buying of equipment, finding items, etc. However, ToS does a few interesting things as well. For one, it pays to hold onto old equipment instead of selling it as old equipment can be used in conjunction with found items to make newer, and more powerful weapons for free at customize shop instead of simply buying them. Also, while the story may not be too complex, the customizable features in the menu screens are. You can customize each character with certain abilities they have learned to certain simple button commands. You can even have you main character use shortcuts to allow him/her to access other on-screen party member abilities in times of need (things like heal, and resurrection). You also have a wealth of individual strategy settings to turn your characters into the kind of warriors you want them to be. You can have your character either stay at the back and heal, focus only on magical characters, or target whatever monsters the main character is currently fighting.

Fighting is done in real time, which is a plus for this title. You are free to roam (roam meaning on a 2D plane back and forth for the most part) the battle field and attack enemies at will. You are accompanied into battle by 3 other party members of your choosing. This is where how you set their skills and abilities and strategies come into play as your comrades are AI controlled. You have the option of using 3 friends to control your other 3 characters in battle – but that’s it. You’ll have to have some patient friends, because between battles they’ll just be sitting around. Overall, fighting is the where ToS shines brightest. As you’re fighting moves level up – you’ll be excited to try out your new moves and keep fighting. One notable ability in the game is that of cooking. Yes, you heard right. Your characters are able to “cook” dishes post-battle and in the menu screens. Found items can create dishes that’ll restore MP at the end of battle, or HP, or both, or even cure status ailments. This ability is nice to have at the end of battle in that it saves you on having to buy potions all the time.

All in all, ToS is a simple and fun RPG with some new elements thrown in to keep it fresh. While its story won’t knock your socks off, most RPG fans should find enough here to keep them going strong through the 50-60 hours of your life you will put into this game.

Don’t say Nintendo never gave anything to RPG fans. ^_^

I give Tales of Symphonia for the Nintendo Gamecube a B+.