When Tales of Phantasia was released in 1995, the world was in love and its love spread far greater than no one imagined. The Tales series is known to be one of the longest-running RPG franchises and every game never failed to captivate us. As of last year, there are 17 Tales games and as an avid lover (besides Kingdom Hearts) of Tales, it’s amazing to see how much effort and dedication is put into creating such beautiful games.
The Tales of Symphonia is the fifth game in the Tales series following the journey of Llyod Irving as he and his friends come together to save two worlds on the brink of death. Originally released in 2004 on the Nintendo Gamecube, everyone adored it back then, and it was considered one of the best of its time.
Why is this particular Tales game being remastered you ask? One: this was the first title that was released worldwide and players were keenly interested in playing the game on the newer platforms and two: after releasing the definitive version of Tales of Vesperia in 2021. The ratings were off the charts and fans were wondering if there would be another remaster, if any.
In a recent Q&A session with Bandai Namco, they answer frequently asked questions on what to expect from the Tales of Symphonia remaster and any possibilities of other remasters in the future.
In this remaster, the game will be based on the PlayStation 3 and Steam version with improved graphics, increased frame rates for some artes and other enhancements to maintain the originality. This is to ensure the new generation of players gets to enjoy Symphonia without overly changing its features.
Following its release, Bandai Namco says there’s no extra content for this game nor is any content removed, but has added functions such as improved controls, a skip button for cutscenes and dates for saving files. They mention that the legacy costumes and both opening themes from the PlayStation 3 and Steam version are included in the remaster.
As far as any potential remasters coming through in the future, Bandai Namco isn’t saying yes or no, but they’re currently focusing on the Tales of Symphonia remaster and will await any requests afterward.
Tales of Symphonia Remastered will release on February 17, 2023 on the Nintendo Switch.
Valerie is a senior studying Digital and Print Journalism and minoring in French at the University of North Texas. After her cousin introduced her to video games at nine years old, it was love at first sight and plans to experience the world of gaming journalism in the future. Though her favorite game varies, Kingdom Hearts will always forever be her number one game series. Outside of her studies and gaming, she drowns herself in coffee and tries new food places with her friends and family.
