Tales of Phantasia

"Perfection was attained in 1994"

As a reviewer, I don't see it to be fitting to give every game out there a 10 just because I like it. 10 is a score that only befits a game which is the cream of the crop, a game that goes above and beyond all others of its era. If Tales of Phantasia were released today, it wouldn't be viewed as quite so perfect anymore, but it would surely gain high marks from any reviewer who knows anything about gaming. As I see it, this game was released in 1994, so it deserves a 1994 review...and the people of that time sure weren't expecting this masterpiece. No RPG will ever be perfect, but in 1994, this one was the strongest in every single category, so it comes as close to perfection as possible.

Graphics: 10/10
Absolutely mind bending, and the most hyped feature of the game. These graphics are the staple for 2d Playstation and Game Boy Advance graphics today. The maps' graphics are beautifully detailed with shadows, reflections, well done layering techniques, plenty of sprites that only exist to enhance the realism, and excellent special effects here and there to make the dungeons seem as real as can be for a 2d overhead game. The buildings and the sprites together give off a ''rustic'' feel to a game that seems to to be set in a mystic modern period. (keep in mind, there are three different time periods to wander through) In battle, the monsters are all nicely animated, the backdrops are more than amply detailed, and everyone's techniques have incredible animations that you'll enjoy watching again and again, but which don't take too much time away from the fast-paced gameplay. The cut scenes in this game are like no other, characters' emotions are displayed cleverly through little talk bubbles and a few poses, but graphics are only one area in which this gem shines.

Sound: 10/10
Massive, diverse, long, and all good. There are over 64 tunes to motivate you, make you cry, make you angry, or manipulate you in whatever way you should be when something happens in the story. These tunes dare to stand up to Nobou's masterwork, and a number of them actually do for me. Most dungeons, towns, and so on only share a tune twice at most, with many others having tunes unique to that one area.

The sound effects are absolutely incredible. Each and every attack by the party members and Dhaos have clear vocals inserted along with them. This had been done before, but not to the extent that Tales of Phantasia has taken it. There are literally hundreds of unique battle cries which can also be accessed through the game's built-in sound test. Finally, the cherry on top that makes this game's sound a winner is the infamous opening song, complete with lyrics that are only not understandable to me because I don't know that much Japanese. They went all out with sound, and they more than deserve this 10 score.

Story: 10/10
It's original...sort of. Actually, it's based on a book, I believe, but like all of 1994's great RPG stories, there is some cliche, but there is also enough originality to earn it some high marks. The five main characters are three dimensional in every way, and you learn more about the depth of each character in varying forms, not just the typical ''midnight speech about my horrible past'' tedium. Even some of the puzzles hint you at the nature of the cast, while leaving out just enough information to leave you wanting more. The characters all have their own identities, motives, desires...oh, and the hero speaks. I said before that the setting is a kind of mystic modern era, and that's mostly true, because technology still reigns, even in the past.

As for the story itself? You start off seeing a crew that looks similar to the three party members from the present exchanging words with Dhaos. Actually, you HEAR them exchanging words! They seal Dhaos with two pendants, when you're whisked to the present where Cless and Chester go on a hunting trip, only to find their entire village savagely butchered by unknown forces. The story goes on to involve time travel and a villain like no other. The ending, which is horribly spoiled in the GameFAQs message board, sends out a deep moral question and leaves you thinking about everything you've done. The story itself, the deep characters, and the excellent interaction make for an A+ story that rivals any other of its time.

Gameplay+Controls: 10/10
This is what kept me playing the game through when I couldn't even understand a word of it the first time. Then I played through it a second time, thankful that I knew some katakana by then and could figure out the names of a few things. Third time, the fan translation was out and I really enjoyed the gameplay in its entirety, even though it's not the most talked about feature.

The first thing you'll notice in this game is originality. The battle system is hardly like any other...the only likeness being the basics. (magic, attacking with weapons, etc.) You are on a 2d battlefield about two to three screens wide. Your enemies start on various positions around you, far in front of you, or right behind you. You rush and attack a monster by simply pressing the A button, and you access the menu with the X button. Choose targets (optional, advanced maneuver) with the Y button. Sound simple enough? Well, it gets much more interesting.

You can move left and right within the battles. You can also execute more powerful attacks by pressing A again at the right time while you rush the enemy, and the ''right'' time really depends which of the additional attacks you want to execute. You control other party members with the game's excellent tactics system, which also allows you to manually control their spells, so don't expect another Dragon Warrior IV tactical nightmare! Cless' skills are special, they are controlled with the B button along with the up or down button, and one of four may be executed depending on Cless' position relative to the targeted enemy. (default is closest in Cless' direction) Soon enough, you'll master positioning yourself to execute the attacks you want at any time.

I know I've probably made that sound extremely complicated, but once you try it yourself, you'll see that it's pretty simple!

The dungeons are excellently crafted with dozens of unique puzzles that rival Lufia 2. In fact, Lufia 2 is the only SNES RPG that has more puzzles than Tales of Phantasia. The puzzles are fair, don't take too much time to solve for most people, but still force you to think. I can't really go into this section too much without spoiling the game, but I guarantee that plenty of the puzzles you see won't be found in any game prior to 1994. Whether or not another company decided to rip off this game's puzzles later on is beyond me.

Tales of Phantasia is certainly not without its bonuses either. There are massive amounts of secrets to find, a treasure hunt near the end, and a large and challenging bonus dungeon to make the final boss pitiful cakewalk for explorers like me. Oh, and don't forget about the Coliseum where you're forced to push your mastery of the game and your skills to the limit, for some nice prizes of course! There are hundreds of items, a vast number of them having unique features which make you want to try using each and every one. (just do it by a save point!)

All in all, the game is challenging, but fun and well balanced. The battle system will surely take more time for you to figure out than Dragon Warrior I did so long ago, but once you do, you'll see that it's a welcome change to all the Dragon Warrior/Final Fantasy clones out there.

Fun Factor: 10/10
I would be utterly insane to give this game four 10s and then anything lower in Fun Factor. I adored the most important parts of this game, along with the lesser areas, and I yearn for more. A freeware PC clone, a sequel not on the Playstation, anything. I can confidently say that 99.9% of people will love this game, and most of those who don't are people who dislike anything that's unpopular. Of course, with all the secrets to find, and the lovable fast-paced battle system, Replay Value is about as high as an RPG can ever get.

Overall: 10/10 (50/50)
Gamefaqs Overall: 10/10
A game like this only comes once every decade. Tales of Phantasia is the wonder of the 90's, I wonder what's in store for us for the rest of the 00's?

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/25/03, Updated 04/25/03