Since its launch, Tales of Symphonia has been heralded as a basic JRPG and has graced a number of platforms. Its life started on the Gamecube in 2003, with a PS2 port in 2004. In 2013 an HD collected version, which incorporates the Wii sequel, hit the PS3 with a Steam launch in 2016, making it an previous sport that hasn’t disappeared from trendy {hardware} and the general public eye. One thing in itself that may be a rarity lately.
Now Tales of Symphonia hits extra trendy consoles, specifically Nintendo’s Swap, PS4 and Xbox One with a remastered version touting enhanced visuals and gameplay.
Tales of Symphonia is about on the planet of Sylverant, a world that’s slowly dying as its mana runs out. To avoid wasting the world, descendants of Angels must endure a trial to awaken the goddess Martel. However not everybody needs that to occur and your journey is fraught with peril, double-crosses and sacrifice.
Tales of Symphonia is a fan favorite sport within the sequence, and a basic, for a very good motive. There’s an excellent story at play right here, made up of a forged of implausible characters with satisfying character arcs, rounded off with nice exploration and a slightly tactical fight system. It nonetheless performs like some other variety of JRPG’s from this period, and even on this one. There’s an enormous world so that you can discover, loads of cities and dungeons to go to and aspect quests to tackle.
The place Symphonia stood aside on the time, was in its visible design and its fight system, which has developed to develop into a sequence staple.
Symphonia ditches the turn-based battling of the time for an motion method, taking part in much more like a 2D motion sport on a 3D fight enviornment. You management one character of your get together of 4 whereas the opposite three characters are AI managed, their fight behaviour set beforehand by your self or left at its default. Whereas the fight arenas and characters could also be 3D, management of your character occurs on a 2D axis. You possibly can run backwards and forwards, block, unleash particular assaults and implement combos primarily based in your D-pad or analogue stick route.
And as with most JRPG’s, the grind may be very actual. You’re going to must sink a good period of time into battles if you wish to make it by way of Symphonia’s fights. Fight is difficult and taking note of enemy assaults and positioning is vital to creating certain you don’t get worn out. In addition to setting your AI teammate’s behaviours appropriately. At their default, they have an inclination to expend all their TP in fights on particular assaults after which blindly rush the enemy with primary assaults as soon as their TP pool is empty.
As such, Symphonia performs as you count on a JRPG to play. And with all JRPG’s, it’s the story and characters that can preserve you invested.
So what does the Remaster deliver to the desk?
Symphonia’s remaster is generally good, nevertheless it does include some caveats. First, you’re clearly trying on the increased show decision. Symphonia seems clear and crisp on this newest incarnation and slightly fairly at occasions on the Swap’s small display screen.
The sport’s cel-shaded visuals aren’t as noticeable right now as they have been again on launch, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a great-looking visible fashion that manages to face out. If something, I’d say sure areas find yourself having a really watercolour look to the setting. Character fashions and textures actually profit from increased polygon counts and higher-resolution textures. Cities, cities and dungeons have additionally acquired that increased decision work to deliver them as much as par with the character fashions.
Fight arenas, particularly the setting work, have additionally been dramatically improved. They haven’t simply been up to date with newer textures, however have additionally acquired some further modelling love. The overworld map although hasn’t acquired as a lot work, sadly. It sports activities some blurry-looking textures that do an okay-ish job of denoting grass, sand and timber however I actually do want that increased decision and extra detailed textures had been used.
Some unlucky points do mar the presentation, sadly. Probably the most obvious problem is that sure areas within the sport undergo from excessive slowdown. We’re speaking sub-fifteen FPS, strolling in treacle sort of slowdown. Initially, I believed it might must do with the surplus of particle results in a single space, however one other dungeon that I couldn’t discover any particle results in additionally had extreme slowdown. It doesn’t make the sport unplayable and hopefully, Namco Bandai can get it sorted with a patch sooner or later.
My final gripe has to do with the digital camera management within the overworld and enemy placement. You possibly can rotate the digital camera however you’ll be able to’t pan it. Whenever you get near mountains the digital camera robotically tilts down, which actually impacts your discipline of view. On the overworld, you may as well see enemies on the map. The issue is that they fade into view when solely toes away out of your character which makes it tough to keep away from a battle while you’re in a rush. To be honest, it is a remaster and never a remake so anticipating previous design is the order of the day.
Outdoors of those points, Tales of Symphonia continues to be an excellent, gripping RPG whose story and characters stand as much as the check of time. A battle might be satisfying in the event you’re paying consideration and, for probably the most half, the visuals look crisp, clear and fairly. In case you haven’t performed it earlier than, it is a nice approach to get in on it now. With the Swap’s added addition of with the ability to play it on the go, as I discover most RPG’s lately have been the best way to play.
Platforms: Nintendo Swap, PlayStation 4, GameCube, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox One, Microsoft Home windows
Seize your copy right here https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Video games/Nintendo-Swap-games/Tales-of-Symphonia-Remastered-2303488.html#Overview
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