One of the best-kept secrets in video gaming has been Namco’s Tales series. Originating on the Super Nintendo, the series has combined a distinct battle system with some sharp graphics and solid storylines. However, it hasn’t gotten nearly the attention it has deserved until now, when Namco’s Tales of Symphonia was nearly impossible to find in stores. I personally went to five different stores to find a copy on the first week of release. The hype certainly made it seem like it was a reason for owning a Gamecube; is it true?
The game centers on Lloyd Irving, a teen orphan raised by a dwarven adopted father near the town of Iselia. He’s friends with Colette, who is destined to save the world of Sylvarant as the Chosen of Regeneration from a severe mana shortage (mana isn’t just the catch-all term for magical power in this world – it’s the very source of life. Final Fantasy 7 could not be reached for comment). Also, hopefully, this will save the world from a group of half-elf slavers called the Desians, who run ranches where they force humans to do... well, something (that you probably can figure out after an hour of game time and experience with plenty of Square Enix titles).
As you may guess, Lloyd can’t help but join along Colette’s journey, along with his friend Genis, Genis’ sister (and teacher to all three) Raine, and the terse mercenary Kratos. Of course, the journey is fraught with peril, Colette hides information about the journey from Lloyd, and the world’s situation is much more dire than anyone, least of all Colette’s would-be assassin Sheena, suspects. It doesn’t take long before the journey takes a dramatic and desperate turn.
The story starts off, to be honest, incredibly hackneyed. I gave you the bare-bones setup as the game presents itself. That, and a good knowledge of console RPGs should be able to guide you through at least the first ten to fifteen hours of the game. Seriously, absolutely nothing happens in that time span that you can’t see coming. You sit through it partly because, while predictable, it is well written, and you keep holding out that things will get better.
Fortunately, it does get better. Drastically better. I suppose that Namco wanted to give you the standard RPG layout before turning everything on its head, but they do so to a fault. You might say that it’s because I’ve simply played that many console role-playing games, and while that is true, I think Namco got just a little too lazy for the premise. However, once you hit the Tower of Salvation, that’s when the plot comes alive and starts staking out its own terms. Granted, it still has its clichés, but they aren’t nearly as overwhelming as are those in the first few hours of play.
Instead, the game does seek to carve out bold new territory in terms of its story. It builds off of elements present in nearly all of these games and manages to consistently keep you on your toes the rest of the way. There’s only one part near the end that’s even remotely hackneyed, and the game manages to recover from the brief misstep nicely and continues with the strong storytelling. By combining plot twists with solid characters you can connect with, Tales of Symphonia manages to rope you in and you’d probably keep playing even if only to watch how the next part unfolds.
One problem with the game’s approach, though, is that it relies too heavily on MacGuffins to get the plot moving. If we were just talking about an action game where the game needs to keep constantly moving, it would be one thing. However, we’re talking about an RPG, where stories have time to develop (after all, the world isn’t going to come close to coming to an end until you reach the final boss). There’s no excuse to leave so many plot threads, from the fate of Mizuho to the fate of the Pope, unresolved. It’s like Namco forgot about a good quarter of the ideas they put into the game, and thus never bothered to resolve them. It isn't that I’m missing something – I combed every inch of the game, and hunted down every side quest I could. The people in this game just can’t focus on too much at once, and the game suffers for it.
One small redemption for the game, though, is the appearance of skits regularly throughout the game. Periodically, the game notifies you that pressing Z will result in a discussion between the characters. Moreover, there are shining points throughout the game that will result in a skit between Lloyd and another character. These skits, more often than not, have little to do with the actual plot. In fact, they are all optional. However, they do help flesh out each character quite well. You get a better feel for each character, and it helps you connect to each one. Without the skits, at least half the characters wouldn’t develop nearly as much as they do with them. However, for those that get annoyed by too much plot, they’re completely optional. I highly recommend them, though, because they are often a release valve for how frustrating the main story can get for its dangling plot threads.
However, where the game doesn’t suffer is the extremely solid battle system. As in previous Tales games, you control your character in real time, dodging and blocking along with your attacks and special techniques. Where this game works, though, is that the battles are now on a plane, and flanking is a much more viable option against your foes. Moreover, you have to plan your strategy better because it isn’t nearly as easy to provide cover for your party members, particularly the ones casting spells. Moreover, the game is refreshing in that you, more than your stats, determine how well you connect with your enemy and how well you defend against their attacks. It takes some time getting used to the battle system, but once you do, it’s quite enjoyable.
Perhaps the best part, though, is that the battles themselves can have up to four players joining in. Obviously not in areas where you are under four party members, but when you have a full compliment, you can bring your friends along. In fact, once everyone gets used to the quirks of their particular character (spell casting in general can be a dicey proposition at first), you can produce even better combinations in battle, causing more damage and opening up a few of Lloyd’s better titles. While there are some stretches (one near the end, as your approach the main villain in his base, stands out) where you are on less than a full roster, overall this game is one where you can bring over friends to enjoy.
Of course, since I brought them up, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the titles. Tales of Symphonia’s best aspect is that each character in the game has several titles they can take. These titles determine which statistics improve better than others do when your level increases. That way, if you’re more interested in certain battle styles with your characters, you can shunt their stats down a certain avenue. Perhaps the only problem is that there is no way ever shown in the game to get some of the titles. Some you get just as a matter of the story, and some are earned in doing things you’d do anyhow (like leveling up, or casting a lot of spells), but some are just odd, like for using Lloyd’s starting weapon until the second fight in Palmacosta, and would be impossible to figure out without the guide (which you are naturally supposed to buy right now). It’s one thing to put fun secrets in the game like that; it’s another when they don’t ever give you a clue as to how to find them. Games are supposed to be about figuring out challenges, not stabbing in the dark until you are frustrated and have to buy a strategy guide.
One, slightly less impressive, customization you can make on each character is choose which skill set they learn. Each character has two sets of skills, and which set they get is determined by the abilities that they equip using useful items called EX Gems. Now, I like the idea, in practice, that you can get two almost totally different sets of abilities depending on which type of character you want to develop: the warrior that relies on a single strike, or the technician that takes advantage of many blows in battle. The problem is that there is very little practical difference between the different abilities. While the titles certainly give you a lot of freedom in developing your character, choosing which set of abilities your character gets is overrated. I hope soon that a manufacturer actually makes quantifiable differences between the abilities a character gets.
Overall, for an action RPG, the controls are pretty solid. In battle, the controls are pretty smooth, and more often than not I find it easier to simply dodge an enemy’s attack than to block it. One thing that you do have to get used to, though, is the characters’ reactions to attacks, and how that affects your own countering ability. While Colette is pretty quick and able to start blocking quite quickly, it takes time for Lloyd to stop slashing and prepare for an attack, and you never want to risk Raine and her slow recovery from attack getting countered, even if that means sending Lloyd in to distract her foe and possibly taking the blow meant for her. In fact, the only problem in the controls is that they are oddly imprecise when you try to do an immediate rising attack; often, it will have you attack and perform a standard aerial attack instead. This isn’t too often an issue; it’s usually just the difference of one hit in your combo, as both types of moves will generally smack higher opponents just as well. Despite this, the controls are quite solid overall.
One last thing to note, though, is that in addition to the usual money and experience awards for the battle, you get bonus points for how well you do in battle, expressed as a Grade score. This Grade, through the game, can be traded for materials to improve your equipment and EX Gems to give your characters additional abilities. This alone is welcome, because I like any game that awards me for style, and better style results in better Grade. However, the best part comes when you beat the game. You are allowed to restart the game using the Grade you accumulated through your entire run through the game. In addition, you can use that Grade to buy options for your restarted game, like keeping your old titles, earning additional experience, or keeping your abilities from the first run. I like a game that opens up new stuff for me to play with once I’ve cleared it. One particularly sneaky upgrade I did make sure to get was the Grade upgrade – so I can earn even more Grade to use for a spending spree after this run through the game. I probably should feel guilty over this. I’ll let you know if I ever do.
Graphically, the game begins with a quite impressive sequence animated by a team from Production I.G., who were responsible for anime titles like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Love Hina. This sequence actually touches on several major plot points and at least one side quest, and you’ll end up thinking of it as you hit each part of the game. Sadly, that’s all you can do, because you won’t see the anime again until the game’s ending. This is a huge gyp, considering that the introduction is extremely well done and does serve quite well to pull you into the game almost immediately.
Instead, Symphonia relies heavily on cel-shaded 3D characters for everything that isn’t background images. I can see why they chose the style, as it does invoke the stylized anime look that the game is searching for. However, the shading applied illiberally. At times, it’s too thick and it comes in a bit too grainy. At other times, it’s absent and the characters look like Colorforms. Moreover, the characters look off, particularly compared to their appearance in the opening and on the status screen. It’s like they couldn’t decide if they wanted to use a regular anime look or go with super-deformed, and the end result is that the characters look like they’re stuck in the middle. Truthfully, the humanoid characters don’t fare too well in their design.
However, I must say that the monster design did impress me. While it does rely fairly heavily on palette swaps, even those do feature at least some small feature changed. The enemies overall don’t have quite the impressive factor of some other RPGs, but they are sharp and don’t have you scratching your head, with the possible exception of the hare. A couple of the earlier bosses do look a bit too busy, but overall the enemies are the game’s best graphical achievement.
The game’s music is pretty solid overall, with very few missed notes. While it sadly doesn’t have quite the breadth of soundtrack as many RPGs have (past and present, this game has fewer music tracks than several 16-bit role-playing games I’ve run through), the music that the game does have is a solid selection overall. The music is generally afraid to actually stand out, but it does frequently heighten the mood of the current situation and build upon the feel of the scenario. However, unlike the truly great RPG soundtracks, it never expands and imprints upon the situation over which it plays. You might enjoy the songs as they play, but you’re not going to sit there and ever think of the music that plays as Colette and Lloyd talk after clearing the Balacruf Mausoleum.
The voice acting, however, is going to stick with you. The voice cast contains several notable voice veterans, including Scott Menville as Lloyd, Jennifer Hale as Sheena, and Cam Clarke as Kratos. Okay, I’ll run on the assumption that you don’t watch nearly as much cartoons as I do and will just have to trust me that these guys often do know what they’re doing. They anchor several relative unknowns, such as Colleen O’Shaughnessy (Genis) and Heather Hogan (Colette) who all do a vastly better job than their predecessors at voicing Japanese properties. No longer do all the males sound flat and all the females sound like they’re constantly shouting. Each actor and actress knows how much effort, and more importantly what kind of effort, to put into each scene. There isn’t any Japanese voice talent in this game, but this is a game that will show language purists that we’ve come a long way since the uneven voicing in games like Valkyrie Profile.
However, this isn’t to say the voicing is perfect. Inviting some of the veterans of the trade, like Tara Strong, works out well. She’s Presea here, but you’d only have the vague hint that she does Raven in Teen Titans. You’d have to know she does Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls and Timmy in The Fairly OddParents from the credits, because she’s quite skilled at doing different voices. Crispin Freeman is a little more obvious, if you listen closely to Regal and the dub version of Balmung in .hack, but even then he, and Jennifer Hale, are pretty solid and distinct. But then you get to Cam Clarke, who sounds almost exactly like he did when he voiced Die Fledermaus in the animated version of The Tick, and Leonardo in the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. However, he doesn’t always sound like that, so that might just be a case where he didn’t think people would pin him immediately. Scott Menville, however, isn’t even trying to disguise the fact that he’s also voicing Robin in Teen Titans. He sounds no different at all. My wife heard me playing and thought at one point I was just watching an episode of the show she hadn’t seen before.
The problem, like I said, is not that they can’t emote well using those voices. The problem arises in that prejudices you have for those other parts invariably leak into how well you enjoy this game. Thus, I ended up liking Kratos far more than the game would have you initially, because I loved The Tick so much growing up. Given how much I can’t stand Robin in Teen Titans (I swear, there’s only been one good Robin-centric episode, and if either my wife or I see "Robin becomes Slade’s apprentice," either part, one more time, we’re going to hurt Cartoon Network programming executives), I invariably took a good twelve hours just warming up to the main character. I’m not saying that you’ll encounter the same prejudices I did. All the same, however, voice actors should make a conscious effort to keep their roles distinct, to allow people to come into each piece of entertainment unfettered by past prejudices.
Of course, after all that, I wouldn’t refuse the chance to interview anyone associated with the game. Despite my nit-picky complaints about many aspects of the game, this is an incredibly solid role-playing game that has deservedly earned it reputation as a must-own game for any role-playing fan or Gamecube owner. It might not be able to take a place among the truly great games of the genre, with its problems in tying up plot threads, but it will deservedly get plenty of play for a long time, and it will be remembered for several things. It will be rightly hailed as the game that finally got Namco the attention it deserved for its role-playing games. It will be remembered as proof that Nintendo could have solid role-playing games on its systems again. And, perhaps, it will be proof that a game can even transcend prejudices people bring about its voice actors.
