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Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a trend.
Tales of Symphonia
Developer: Namco Tales Studio
Platform: Gamecube
Genre: Role-Playing
I've mentioned before, on an innumerable number of occasions, that I have been a huge fan of the RPG genre since I was about 8 years old. I spent the majority of my free time between the ages of 8 and 18 playing RPGs religiously, and whittling away hundreds of hours on a single game. My love for the epic tales was infinite, and in the genre, I could find no flaw.
However, in recent years, those opinions have become warped. I no longer can afford to spend unfathomable amounts of time wrapped up in a single game and engaging in repetitive RPG standards takes it's toll on my too-thin patience. Spending ten to fifteen hours levelling my characters up is a nightmare for me. Thank God Almighty that someone has finally heard my cries of anguish and has created a game that truly deals with these issues. Not since Square's impeccable Chrono Cross have I played a game that has actively and obviously sought to right the most egregious wrongs of the RPG genre. Tales of Symphonia has made me a fan overnight.
Story
The world of Sylvarant is in a state of decay. Upon the planet's birth, the Goddess Martel, Sylvarant's creator and mother, transformed herself into a mighty tree, set to stand guard over the planet for all time. She would sleep, while her angelic subordiantes would keep watch over the people. However, she left the angels with the warning that should the world begin to suffer, she must be awakened in order to regenerate the planet. So, every hundred years or so, a lone human is selected by the angels as the Chosen of Regeneration and is commissioned with the task of journeying across the world and unlocking the planet's elemental seals. Upon doing so, the path to the Tower of Salvation will be opened, the place where the final Regeneration ceremonies must be performed in order to wake Martel.
It has not been long since the last Chosen traveled across the world and failed to complete the trial of Regeneration. Only a decade or so. In the small village of Iselia, a young girl named Collette Brunel has been selected as the angelic Chosen and is preparing for her journey across the world. You play as Lloyd Irving, Collette's best friend and a swordsman in training. The two of you, accompanied by your friend Genis, his older sister Professor Raine and a brooding mercenary named Kratos must travel the world in order to wake the Goddess Martel and restore your failing planet's future.
Okay, so the story is fairly simple. It's not bad by any means, but it's not up to par with most of Square's works. In all honesty, I'd consider the plot to be on an even level with that of the Golden Sun franchise. Not bad, but not outstanding either.
One tip I can give you right off the bat that will make the plot much more enjoyable and believable is to turn off the voice acting before you even start the game. I cannot express how glad I am that Namco chose to include this option, because the voice acting is pretty bad. It is by no means as abysmal as the spartan voice acting in Xenogears or the brain-rupturing dialogue in the original Resident Evil, but it's bad enough to strip the meaning, value and emotional weight out of every spoken line in the entire game. You have the option to turn off the voices in the in-game cutscenes as well as the in-battle voicework. For me, I just turn off the in-game voices, because the battle voicework is just fine and actually adds a lot more life than to just simply have your characters silently siwinging their weapons around.
Gameplay
I say this with every ounce of honesty in my soul: BEST RPG BATTLE SYSTEM EVER. You can't even begin to imagine how addictive the combat system in this game is. Here's how it works: the entire combat engine is in real time. You enter into battles much like you would in Chrono Trigger or Chrono Cross. You can see the enemies on-screen in dungeons and on the world map. Simply run up and collide with one to initiate combat. After being whisked away to the battle screen, everything is handled in realtime. You primarily control Lloyd, but have the option to give the other three characters in your battle party commands at your leisure. For the most part, the other three players will simply be controlled by the CPU while you handle Lloyd on your own. The battles take place in a 3D environment, but on a 2D movement field. What that means is that Lloyd will always be locked onto an enemy, and while locked on, he can only move forward and backward, no lateral strafing. You can jump over your target or take him head on. The A Button is mapped to Lloyd's regular physical attacks and the B Button is mapped to his special Technique attacks. The X Button allows you to block, the Y Button allows you to enter the menu, the R Trigger allows you to lock onto a different enemy and the Z Trigger initiates a "Unison Attack", which is a massive all-party technique at no TP (same thing as MP) cost.
Now, while that may sound fairly simple, it's a bit more complex than it initially sounds. Much like Smash Bros. Melee, Lloyd will attack differently depending upon what direction you press the joystick when he attacks. If you press down+A, he'll do a thrust attack, if you press up+A, he'll do a leaping slash, if you press forward+A he'll do a strong forward slash and if you press A with no direction attached to it, he'll do a quicker, weaker forward slash. The same applies to his Techs. You can customize his button mapping however you like. You can have it set up so the he uses his "Beast" attack to forward+A, his Sonic Thrust set to down+A, his Tempest set to up+A and any number of other combinations. Doing massive damage to an enemy requires you to be familiar with Lloyd's button mapping and knowing which attacks to use in which situations.
In order to do serious damage to an enemy, you've got to use Lloyd's Techs intelligently. He can strike an enemy between three and five times in succession with just normal attacks before he has to pause for a second. In order to lengthen his attacks beyond a measly five strikes, you have to link together Techs, which cost TP to use. In order to link them, you have to use them in ascending order of their level. So, an ideal combo would be three to five normal strikes, followed by Sword Rain (a level 1 Tech) and then Beast (a level 2 Tech). Right there, you're looking at a fifteen to 20-hit combo that renders the enemy completely immobile during it's use. However, knowing how and when to use those attacks is crucial to success. That combo I just gave you would cost you something like 20 TP to use, and that's a lot of TP to waste on a common puny enemy. One of the nicer features about the combat system is that for each normal attack you land on an enemy, you get 1 TP back, and at the end of every battle, you automatically get 10 TP back. So, with proper execution, you can mop up the tougher enemies in a battle with that huge 20 TP combo, and then clean up the weaker ones with normal attacks and be at full TP when the battle ends.
However, the combat system goes much deeper than just that. You also have to pay close attention to your CPU comrades and make sure that they're using their abilities wisely. You don't want to be fighting a fire elemental and have Genis casting Inferno at them the entire time. So, your options are to either guide him the whole way by giving him specific commands constantly, or you can just go into his Tech menu and shut off all the spells you don't want the CPU to use! You can close off all spells in his inventory except his water spells if you want and then re-activate them after the battle ends. This same thing applies to all CPU characters.
But that's not all! Most people, when thinking about a realtime RPG, automatically get pissy about the CPU being stupid and wasting too much magic and then closing in on an enemy and getting killed. That's not the case in this game. Every possible aspect of a CPU character's AI scripts can be altered and tweaked to your preference. Want Genis to stay at a distance at all times and stop using magic once he drops below 50% of his total TP? You got it. Want Collette to only engage an enemy if they approach her and stop using magic once she drops below 25% TP? Done. Want Kratos to always engage an enemy up close but back away and start healing characters once they need it? Taken care of. You can customize the CPU AI scripts in nearly any fashion you could possibly want, and it adds a ton of strategy to the proceedings. You won't just have your characters set to a specific pattern the entire game and beating many of the nastier bosses requires you to change those setting drastically. Hell, you can change the settings in the middle of battle if you want to. In short, this is the only realtime RPG I've ever played in which the CPU characters weren't a total pain in the ass during combat.
All of these factors combine to create the absolute, most satisfying RPG combat system I've ever experienced. Mastering the intricaies of the system is rewarding in the same way that naturalizing the gameplay of Smash Bros. Melee can be. It's just got depth up to it's eyeballs and fun going through the roof.
Another one of my favorite aspects of the game is the random encounter system. Too fucking long have I been cursing my console for daring to spiral me into yet another random encounter only moments after my last one! Too frequently have I been within just a step of that next treasure chest only to hear the vile tones signaling me being attacked by yet another invisible group of enemies. Too long has it been that I've screamed at the Heavens, praying that Square would take a fucking hint from their own Chrono games and actually show me the goddamned enemies I so desperately want to avoid. Thank the Lord that Namco understands these complaints, because never throughout the course of this entire game will you ever be walking on the world map, in the middle of a grass field and suddenly be attacked by an enemy that didn't show up anywhere on the screen. In every dungeon, on every section of the world map, the enemies are plainly visible, and usually avoidable. The fact is, sometimes they're not avoidable. Either they see you and chase you down so damned fast that you can't outmaneuver them, or they'll be right in the middle of a narrow hallway and you can't fit around them. But most of the time, if you don't wanna friggin' fight, you don't have to friggin' fight.
Another worthwhile gameplay aspect in need of mentioning is the "Exsphere" system. Each of your characters is equipped with a special item called an Exsphere, grafted directly onto the back of their hand. These magical crsytal spheres allow the user to enhance their own abilities in various ways. Each character has four slots with which to equip new EX Gems onto their Exspheres which give them these special enhancing abilities. Once a new EX Gem has been equipped onto a character's Exsphere, they can then choose what sort of enhancement they would like to get from the Gem. For example, if Lloyd equips a new EX Gem, he can choose the "Strong" trait, which will increase his attack stat by a certain percentage. Or, he can choose the "Tough" stat to increase his defense. You can change the attributes on each of your characters' EX Gems anytime you like, so if you want a few extra HP on Lloyd for this upcoming battle, you can change his attribute to "Viatlity" and give him more HP. Once the fight is over, you can change it back to whatever you had on him before or leave it alone. Since there are four slots for EX Gems on each character, you can have a maximum of four of these attributes going on a single character at any given time.
Beyond that, the gameplay is what you would expect from an RPG. You accumulate experience points and "Gald" (Sylvarant's currency) just like in any standard RPG, you earn new and better Techniques in combat like an enhanced fire spell for Genis or a new sword Tech for Kratos. You still equip your characters with new armor and weapons and you still sleep at an Inn when you're hurting.
The one final gameplay aspect that I absolutely must mention is the Cooking feature. Now, at first this feature comes across as gimmicky; only there to provide one more thing for you to do. And oh, how wrong that is. The Cooking option is absolutely vital to keeping your characters alive. Throughout the course of the game, you still accumulate healing items like Apple Gels (heals 30% of max HP) Lemon Gels (heals 30% of max TP), Life Bottles (revive a fallen character) and Panacea Bottles (cure status ailments). However, you can only carry 20 of any given item, and each of those items only affects one person. Plus, they're not exactly cheap, and you can find yourself very quickly out of cash if you rely solely on those items to heal yourself.
So, what's your only alternative? Cooking. Throughout the course of the game, you will learn various recipes from a mysterious character named the Wonder Chef. He is hidden in each town, and you have to find him in order to learn his culinary secrets. After learning a recipe. you have the option of using it whenever you like, provided you have the ingredients to make it. What's nice about the system is that cooking ingredients get practically thrown at you after battles and are found in stores for a tenth of what you'd pay for a few Apple Gels. On top of that, any time you use the Cooking option, you make food for the whole party, not just one character. In addition, you are given the option to cook after each and every battle and also anytime you want outside of battle. The one downside to the system is that you can't cook in battle. If you've got a character in need of healing, and you don't have the TP to cast a First Aid spell, you'll need to use a Gel. That's what they're there for. The Gels are intended to be used solely in battle while the cooking option is intended to be used immediately after battle and in between battles.
On top of that, I really like the cooking system because it just adds a lot more character to what is usually a fairly rountine aspect of most RPGs. Too many RPGs just simply throw mundane potions and elixirs at you for your healing needs. Those items have little to no character, and feel dull and boring. The cooking system in Tales of Symphonia is great because, with about 40 or 50 different recipes to be found, the process of keeping your characters healthy seems a lot more realistic and amusing than it would normally. It reminds me a lot of EarthBound. EB used about 100 different types of food that changed depending upon your location. In Onett, you could buy cheeseburgers and fries, in Dalaam you'd find curry and bean dishes and in Summers you'd find Gelato du Summers and Luxury Steaks. Totally unnecessary to the functionality of the game, but it added a ton of character. The same applies here, only the functionality of the cooking system is much more evident than EarthBound's food selection. It's just a brilliant addition to the game.
All in all, in terms of gameplay, Tales of Symphonia is the best RPG I've ever played. To underline this point as bluntly as I can, let me just say this: I have never in my life actually had to pull myself away from levelling-up because I was spending too much time doing it. I have spent a ridiculous amount of time levelling my characters in this game because it is so damned fun. The combat system is absolutely perfect and the cooking system is the coolest method of healing your characters that I have ever personally witnessed in an RPG. In short, in terms of gameplay, this game ranks a perfect 10. There's not a single flaw that I can spot.
I promise that you're through the bulk of the review. The next few sections will be much shorter.
Graphics
The Tales series, from what I've read, has always been a 2D franchise, featuring detailed character sprites and hand-painted environments. The entire series has had a decidedly colorful and quasi-cartoonish look to it. So, with that in mind, it would be obvious to assume that the first 3D game in the series would follow very much in the same vein and would sport a gorgeous cel-shaded 3D graphics engine. Since the release of Nintendo's most recent Zelda game, The Wind Waker, I had not thought it possible to create a cel-shaded game that was capable of reaching that bar. Viewtiful Joe certainly looked nice, and XIII was moderately pretty as well, but every cel-shaded release I've seen since the Wind Waker was paled in comparison.
Tales of Symphonia proudly presents the greatest competition to The Wind Wakers graphical prowess so far. In all honesty, I can't decide which one looks better. On one hand, The Wind Waker's animations, and enemy models are vastly superior. However, on the other hand, ToS sports some of the best cel-shaded character and enemy models I've ever seen, as well as having environments that either match or even sometimes exceed the Wind Waker in most respect. In short, the game is absolutely gorgeous. Each of the characters has a distinct and memorable look, all of the beautifully constructed towns are just jaw-dropping and the dungeons are all very well-designed as well.
If there's one chink in Tales' graphical presentation, it's in the animations department. In battle, the animations are outstanding, with characters moving and attacking with fluid grace. Outside of battle, however, the characters are pretty stiff and don't present the same kind of distinct movement and body language that they offer in-battle.
Sound
Absolutely one of the best RPG scores I've ever heard. Just listening to the main theme played during the opening cutscene and during the main menu is proof enough. Each piece is extremely well written and will engrave itself into your head for days. If there's one problem I have with the music in the game, it's that a lot of it doesn't seem to fit the situations in certain plot segments. For example, there's a situation in one of the earlier towns in which you follow the town's leader into a basement and proceed to have a very dark conversation about a curse inflicted upon his family. Throughout the course of this entire conversation, the happy town theme plays in the background, dulling the emotional impact of the cutscene. For the most part, his doesn't pop up frequently as a problem, but it does happen enough times throughout the game for me to note it as a worthwhile complaint.
The sound effects are also quite well done. Running over grass or stone walkways produces different sounds, waterfalls crash and streams ripple appropriately and the sounds of combat are hectic and constant, with swords clashing and grunts of pain. All in all, the sound effects hold up very well.
I mentioned this before, but I'll state it again here just for the sake of organization. The voice acting in this game is bad. It's just bad. Not terrible, but far from good. If you want to experience the story in a truly emotional and deep way, turn off the cutscene voice acting and just read the text. In all honesty, though, the in-battle voicework is just fine, and actually makes the battles a lot more interesting as a result. My recommendation is to turn the cutscene voicework off and to leave the in-battle voicework on. Points must certainly be given to Namco for including this option. More developers should learn from their example.
Flaws
1. The story is a little standard fare. There are some good twists and some cool ideas, but it's nothing that will change your world. All in all, it's not really so much an actual "flaw". It's just that the story doesn't quite live up to the extremely high bar that the impeccable gameplay sets.
2. The animations outside of battle are a bit stiff. In-battle, the characters move gracefully and fuidly, but once the fights end, they jump right into Robocop mode. Again, this is really more of a "doesn't live up to other standards in the game" problem. The in-game animations wouldn't seem so stiff if the in-battle animations weren't so gracefully done.
3. Occasionally, the music seems mismatched to the situaions. Happy town theme during the serious "my wife and child are dying" speech doesn't fit right.
4. The voice acting is just bad. Turn it off.
Overall
In spite of a fairly standard plot, bad voice acting and some stiff animations, this game is now the absolute most entertaining RPG I've ever played. I have never, in my 14 years of regular RPG'ing, actually willingly forsaken continuing on with the plot in order to level up more. I have now caught myself holding off on going to the next dungeon for hours because I couldn't get myself to stop engaging in random battles just for the sheer hell of it. If and when the time comes for Namco to make another Tales game, if they simply spend some time really creating a truly gripping and moving story line, they could very well have the greatest RPG ever created on their hands. For right now, they'll just simply have to settle for the most fun RPG ever created.
If you own a Gamecube and enjoy yourself a good RPG every now and again, you cannot afford to pass this one up. Tales of Symphonia is the best RPG experience to be had on the console and is the most entertaining game in the entire genre that I have ever played. Hopefully, the gameplay innovations and solutions to all of those most irritating aspects of the RPG genre will be taken into account by developers in the future. Hopefully, Tales of Symphonia will usher in a new era of RPG that truly focuses more on making the game fun, instead of just diverting all attention to the plot. Hopefully, someday we'll see an RPG that takes the impeccable gameplay of Tales of Symphonia and combines it with the masterful storytelling of Final Fantasy. Should that day come, I will openly weep tears of unfiltered joy. But, for now, I'll just remain content with what the future could possibly hold for videogames and play me some more Tales of Symphonia. Buy a copy today and kill a few monsters just for the hell of it. You can thank me later.
Score: 8.5
 
Last edited by Raziel; 2005-04-03 at 06:18 AM.
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