Fan favourite, ‘Tales Of Symphonia,’ by Bandai Namco, is back, and this time remastered. Originally released 20 years ago, this latest edition boasts HD visual enhancements, gameplay improvements, and new features. Now, I never played the original, so this critique will be based solely on my current experience with the noted improvements.

You play as Lloyd Irving, along with a plethora of friends as they endeavour to save the worlds of Slyvarant and Tethe’alla from the Desians. When the Desians break a treaty and attack a sacred temple on the day of the great Oracle’s blessing, Lloyd and his party of friends, including the ‘Chosen One’, Colette, embark on an adventure across the land confronting the war within. The story is very intricate, very interesting, and fun to follow along, mainly due to the charismatic cast of characters.

The dynamic of the characters is the true star in ‘Tales Of Symphonia’. They are each charismatic, charming, and unique in their own right, and they all just gel so well together. The voice acting is just as exciting and heartwarming too, complete with the camp we would expect from a game 20 years old.

Gameplay is of a Typical JRPG; following an open world map, battling random encounters, and managing your party as they fight with magic or weapons, from close range or afar. A range of monsters will engage in attacks in a variety of places, whether it be in the woods or a dungeon you encounter along the way. The enemies are pretty interesting and the boss-like characters are even better.

The combat is not turn-based, instead, it’s more action-based, with you being able to control each party member and their abilities at any given time in the fight in the arena-like area. The in-combat menu also allows you to direct where you would like each party member to be, whether close-up melee thrashing or firing fireballs from a distance. Items and gear collected along the way will increase your skills and stat levels, and thankfully, can also heal you in battle. I will say, the menus in the game are very clean and easy to navigate, perfect when managing multiple characters.

While being a remaster, the combat just felt sluggish. It frequently felt off, especially when the screen was filled with more than two or three enemies. At times, it just felt a little too long waiting for certain party members to use magic from the back while I was thrashing in front.

Also, with an influx of enemies on the screen, the frames felt choppy and not as smooth as I would have expected on an XBOX Series X. The music that complements the chibi-like style is also whimsical and retro. Nostalgia inducing at its best.

The cute and vibrant art style is a joy on the eyes, but it’s not very visually impressive, even for a remaster. I don’t know if I am just naive about this series of games but I just expected so much more from the cutscenes and graphics. The environments especially tend to blend in and appear murky in the background, and to be honest, they just feel very empty and bland.

Overall, I can definitely tell why Tales Of Symphonia is a cult classic amongst ‘Tales’ fans. It has such charming characters and a tight and twisting story that is so compelling driving the way. Does it hold up as a remaster though? Not really. Today’s game doesn’t really bring anything new or exciting to the table, and I feel they could have done so much more with this little gem.

Written by: Stacey