Welcome back to the history lesson, If you missed any check out the previous instalments.
Now your all caught up, let’s continue . . .
Tales of the World: Summoner’s Lineage
Released on the GBA in March 2003 and developed by Maho (Magical Company). This being the only Tales game to be developed by Maho, making it stand out as somewhat unique in the Tales pantheon. It also has never gotten a release outside of Japan. The Developer has a history of making strategy games which lead to Summoner’s Lineage being the ‘strategy Tales game’, as opposed to the LMBS which is the standard for the series. Some art assets from previous games were reused so it keeps the same graphical style, while the deviating from the Tales formula in terms of gameplay. It’s a Tales game really in name only, and can be quite polarising for fans of the series. It is a strategy game like Fire Emblem or any game you can think of with Tactics as a suffix, but as strategy games go it’s only okay. You move your characters around a grid based game board on your turn, and the enemies movie on their turn, then fighting happens; which is automated and the outcome is determined by your units stats.
Storywise it follows the adventures of Fulein K. Lester ( whose ancestor is Klarth from the original Tales of Phantasia ) making this technically a third Tales of Phantasia sequel after the Narikiri Dungeon game, which also makes this game another oddity in the series. The story is that summoner gates have opened allowing monsters to pour out into the countryside, and Fulein being a Summoner must go combat the problem. The story is conveyed via character portraits and text boxes in between battles.
It would have been a perfectly serviceable strategy game if it didn’t have the Tales name attached to it. Being part of the Tales franchise with it’s fast paced battles and colourful characters, summoner Lineage stands apart; with its slow grid turn based combat and slow storytelling, sadly leaving this game as a forgotten part of the legacy. While I personally enjoyed the strategy aspects it is the opinion of the majority of the Tales fandom that it is best left forgotten, which is probably why it has never been remade or ported to any other system.
Tales of Symphonia
Tales of Symphonia, probably my favourite game in the series, and maybe one of my all time favourite games. While not the first Tales game I’ve played, this was the first one I played where I was old enough to appreciate what the game was, and not just an experience where I press buttons and fun sounds and pictures happen. I just love this game and have some great memories of playing it with loved ones, even now almost ten years later it is still the subject of a few in-jokes we still tell each other today. But if you don’t want to take my opinion for it, Tales of Symphonia is the highest selling Tales game to date. So at least one other person out there likes it as much as I do. Released in August 2003 in Japan, it received a US release in July 2004, and in Europe in November of the same year.
Tales of Symphonia introduced many firsts for the franchise which have gone on to become staples and it is remembered fondly, unlike the previous installation. The first of the firsts, is that this is the first Tales game to receive an official release in Europe (albeit published by Nintendo and not Namco). First Tales game to receive an English release since 2001 with Tales of Destiny 2 ( actually Tales of Eternia and not Tales of Destiny 2), and the First Tales game to be in 3D. Other Firsts include, first Tales game for the Gamecube, the First Tales game where the LMBS wasn’t just restricted to the 2D plane, and first Tales game where the Skits were preserved in Localisations outside Japan.
In Tales of Symphonia we follow Lloyd Irving on his adventures through the world, which is actually set in the same word as Tales of Phantasia, just 1000 years before, making this the 4th game explicitly set in that universe by my count. It is largely nods and references so Symphonia is stand alone with your mission to escort your childhood friend Colette, the Chosen, whose destiny is to revive the dying world.
The music in this game is fantastic as usual and the English voice cast is very high calibre with Cam Clarke, Tara Strong, Jennifer Hale and Crispin Freeman just to name a few.
The combat in Tales of Symphonia is in a 3D environment, but you are constrained to the 2D plane between you and your currently targeted enemy; but not all enemies are on the same vector, so while it doesn’t end up being fully realised 3D movement, lets just call it 2.5D. The fighting system is the same LMBS just polished up again. You control one character with the rest of party being AI, and you can link attacks into combos and defend and utilise super moves called Artes. These Artes level up into more powerful abilities the more they are used.
Outside of combat the gameplay is very puzzle heavy, nothing overly complex or frustrating, but fun puzzles you’ll need to complete to move on. With lots of outfits and character titles to be collected, and choices that influence the outcome of the game, also fates of certain characters combined with new game+ mode, makes this a great game with lots of re-playability.
The Game received a Japan only PS2 port in 2004, and this enhanced edition included some new moves, costumes, titles and few extra skits. It also went on to inspire a series of anime OVAs split into three story arcs, sadly I haven’t been able to get my hands on it so I haven’t seen it. Along with seven Manga series, two books, and seven audio dramas (all in Japanese obviously); There is an awful lot of Symphonia media out there to consume for fans of the series.
*Update* After I had written this we learned that a HD remaster of Tales of Symphonia and its sequel Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, it will feature new art, music, Artes and costumes. It is planned to released on PS3 in Japan in October with European and North American releases early in 2014 under the name Tales of Symphonia Chronicles. you really wont have any excuse not to play it now.
This game was so crazy successfully for many reasons, selling over 1.1 million units on the Gamecube, You will not be disappointed if you pick this game up! So go find a disc and dust off your Gamecube or Wii, and sit back and enjoy one of the greatest experiences gaming has to offer.
Join us for the next lesson where we will be looking at the Japanese only release, from the other development team, Team Destiny and that is Tales of Rebirth, See you next time!
