Tales of Phantasia

"A breath-taking SNES RPG by Namco."

Tales of Phantasia is one of the best SNES RPG's I've ever played, although not many people have played it yet. The main reason for this is that this game only has been released in Japanese.

Graphics: 9.8/10
The graphics are really awesome: The characters, mirrors, water and even the backgrounds are highly detailed. The only bad thing at this point is the map. It's like you're a giant when you are loafing across the map.

Sound: 10/10
Yeah, it's true! There are many, many voices in this game. In a battle the characters say the name of the spell they use. There's even a vocal song, although the quality isn't very good.

Gameplay: 11/10
Wonder why I give it an 11? Here's the answered. Namco invented a whole new battle system. You can control one character in a linear battlefield. You can use attacks, techniques and items. The other 3 characters are controlled by the computer. You can choose what they've got to do and how often.
There are different types of magic, which makes the battles more interesting.

Story: 9.8/10
The plot is commonly very good, although some assignments are somewhat indistinct. This doesn't mean the story sucks. It's a very thoroughgoing story. Tales of Phantasia is one of the best SNES RPG's I've ever played, although not many people have played it yet. The main reason for this is that this game only has been released in Japanese.

Graphics: 9.8/10
The graphics are really awesome: The characters, mirrors, water and even the backgrounds are highly detailed. The only bad thing at this point is the map. It's like you're a giant when you are loafing across the map.

Sound: 10/10
Yeah, it's true! There are many, many voices in this game. In a battle the characters say the name of the spell they use. There's even a vocal song, although the quality isn't very good.

Gameplay: 11/10
Wonder why I give it an 11? Here's the answered. Namco invented a whole new battle system. You can control one character in a linear battlefield. You can use attacks, techniques and items. The other 3 characters are controlled by the computer. You can choose what they've got to do and how often.
There are different types of magic, which makes the battles more interesting.

Story: 9.8/10
The plot is commonly very good, although some assignments are somewhat indistinct. This doesn't mean the story sucks. It's a very thoroughgoing story.

Replay Value: 8/10
This is definitely the worst part of the game. After you beat the game once and you try it a second time it doesn't make as much sense as the first time. There will be some techniques or weapons you wasn't able to get the first time, but you'd better spend your time with another great RPG like this one.

You really should import Tales of Phantasia (It's Japanese) or download a translated ROM. This is (one of the) best SNES RPG I've ever seen!

You must own the original cartridge, otherwise delete the ROM within 24 hours

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/04/01, Updated 02/04/01