21 years later, my favorite JRPG still hasn’t gotten the remaster it deserves

I’ve played my fair share of JRPGsIncluding stone-cold classics like Chrono Trigger And Final Fantasy 7But the one that stands out above the rest for me is not a title that has reached quite the same level of household recognition. Released on the Nintendo Gamecube in 2003, Tales of Symphony has no shortage of acclaim, typically ranking near the top of the long-running and eternally popular Stories Series. It’s not that likely to be found in the same spot on lists of the best JRPGs as a whole, and it’s a game that’s easy enough to overlook.

The most important thing for Tales of SymphonyAs I see it, comes from the fact that It is not a watershed release in the history of the genre. There is no great leap forward in technology, tone or general ambition that makes the game Vastly different from its predecessors, many of its ingredients will be instantly recognizable to JRPG veterans. Even so, innovation is not everything, and the way that Tales of Symphony Assembling and delivering its familiar parts results in an experience that I love to death.

Tales of Symphonia is the complete JRPG package

The rare game that does everything right

In some ways, The aspects of Tales of Symphony Which feel the most quaint also serves as his calling cardQuickly establish what the Stories Games are often categorized as comfort food JRPGs. The game opens on a chunky cel-shaded model of the protagonist, Lloyd Irving, snoozing in a schoolhouse with a “pp“Text bubble above his head. The setup for a story involving the goddess’s journey”Chosen” is laid out in the form of a school lesson, delivered in front of the silent background gag of a character-shaped hole in the classroom wall.

In the course of a journey that spans two worlds, Tales of Symphony Never leave the charm, and poking around in the corners of its cities and dungeons is a consistently rewarding process. From the humorous party chats to the Wonder Chef NPC hiding in random background objects, Tales of SymphonyThe deceptively simple style is a game made for those who love to hold and smell the roses. Accompanying everything is a magical score by legendary composer Motoi Sakuraba, responsible for the music in games ranging from Mario Tennis to Dark souls.

Charm is the name of the game, however Tales of Symphony is just as capable of delivering on a serious level as any Game Final Fantasy Game is. While I’m often disappointed by JRPGs that stretch about 20 hours of plot into a 60-hour cycle, Tales of Symphony Never stops developing its storyAnd even the less surprising reveals keep the plot moving in just the right way. I also tend to balk at turn-based random encounters unless the combat is particularly sophisticated, and Tales of Symphonys action battles and deliberate enemy placement do a lot to keep me from tiring.

Tales of Symphonia remasters have never gotten it right

Many ports still have flaws

Tales of Symphony is available on every major modern platform, so you don’t have to own a GameCube (or a Wii and a GameCube controller) to conveniently play it. The problem, however, is that No port or remaster of Tales of Symphony Was ever as good as the original. That care is not exclusive to Tales of Symphony – I think PS1 Game Final Fantasy Games are much better on original hardware and a CRT than in upscale ports, for example – but the situation is a bit unique.

Every modern release of Tales of Symphony can be traced back to a basis in a Japanese PS2 port of the game, which added some additional content into the mix. It also introduces several issues, most of which are minor, but one in particular is pervasively annoying. While Tales of Symphony Ran at 60 FPS on the GameCube, it’s locked to 30 FPS on every other platformIncluding the obviously capable PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Building on this is the approach taken by the latest release, Tales of Symphonia Remasteredwhich upscales the low-resolution textures to smudgy and often unattractive results. I don’t think about that Tales of Symphony Remasters is definitely doomed, and I initially fell in love with the game by playing the Steam release. But it’s still better on GameCube than anywhere else, which is exceptionally stupid over two decades later.

The GameCube shouldn’t be the only great option

The Tales series deserves a return to form

I’m not one to generally ask for remakes or remasters of great games, as I’d typically see improvements applied to interesting games that didn’t quite fulfill their potential. If the Stories series has ever received a big-budget remake, Tales of Symphony Would be one of the most obvious options, but I’m not asking for something like that. I would just like the original experience to be better preserved and disseminated, and I’d be happy to see even his dinkiest moments in a fundamentally unchanged but appropriately polished package.

I would be even more thrilled by a new one Stories Play that’s as good as Tales of Symphony Or the PS2 and Xbox 360 standout Abyss And Vesperia. Like many JRPG franchises of the era, Stories has struggled to find its footing in the modern era, hemorrhaging many of the strengths of its best entries. comparing Tales of Zestiria to Symphony Shines a spotlight on the new title’s repetitive story, bland NPCs and cookie-cutter dungeons. Bursia Fixed many of the issues, and stand up Taking on more ambition, however Stories has not yet returned to its former heights.

At this point, I’m not holding out hope for Tales of Symphony To get the treatment it deserves, and I would still recommend the game in any form to JRPG fans who haven’t yet played it. I wish I could be more enthusiastic about people picking up the game on newer systems, though, especially considering how well an appropriately handled remaster would translate. Tales of Symphony is an extraordinary JRPG It’s best on the GameCube, and I’d love to see it get the new life it deserves elsewhere.