Tales of Phantasia

"Tales of Phantasia is in my top two of all games."

Tales of Phantasia (ToP) is a great RPG. It was released in 1995 by Namco in Japan only. ToP was the first video game to have voice acting in it. It was the first game in the "Tales" series.

Story: 8/10
The story line is a lot like an average RPG. The main character wields a sword and wants to avenge the death of his parents. However, there are several unique characters that you will meet. They supply you with your offensive and defensive magic. You travel through time a few times (like Chrono Trigger). The nemesis of ToP is a human-looking alien who plans to destroy the planet for mysterious reasons. Storyline may seem a little bland to gamers who have no clue, but ToP keeps you playing anyway.

Graphics: 10/10
The graphics in ToP will stun people who have played a SNES before. The detail put into the game is amazing. Every town has its own well-thought design. The sprites for all the characters are good enough for any RPG. Your hair moves if you jump up in the air. They have animals crawling around in caves, and you can see your reflection in the water. The creator of the game had to of put a lot of time into all the design it contains. They are better graphics than any SNES game I have seen.

Sound: 10/10
The only better soundtrack is on Chrono Trigger. The music always fits the attitude of the plot. The town music is all happy unless the town is under attack. The sad music is truly beautiful. The battle music is great and goes well with the game play. The only problem is that at the end of a certain cavern, the sound messes up and the music sounds a little weird. I find myself humming most of the tunes in the game. Then there is the voices. Those Japanese voices sound amazing ,and you might find yourself saying them with the characters. The intro to the game even has a lady sing a song.

Game play: 9/10
ToP consists of the usually RPG wandering about and going to different towns. The battle system, however, is one of the best I have used. The battles are in real time so everyone moves at once. You control the main character and run forward and attack, and then run back to your original position. You can also just turn while running back to keep from a consistent run and attack and run. The other characters and controlled by themselves and their AI is actually really good. Basically, you keep the monsters, humans, spirits, etc. from reaching your other characters by attacking them and allowing your other characters to use their spells, healing, or summons on the enemy.
The worst part about the battle system is while one of your character is waiting to do their magic, they will be stunned and have to start the spell over. You can also use this to your advantage by attacking your opponent while they are trying to do a spell.

Replay value: 9/10
If you truly love the game, like me, and you want to do everything possible, it might take you 41 hours. I loved every 2,460+ minutes of it. It would not take that long however if you don't want every single spell or summon, the best weapons and armor, all side quests completed, all titles for Cless possible, and level 99 for all your characters. I found myself wanting to play the game over and over after I beat it the first time. Something about ToP is just addicting.

Overall: 10/10
The game has numerous classical qualities to it. It is definitely a game for any true gamer to play. It is higher than any Final Fantasy and up there with Chrono Trigger. I would recommend that you buy it... but it was only released in Japan. You will need to find the rom for it and get the DeJap English patch for it. If you liked the GBA version of the game, the original version is higher rated in every way. Find a way to play it.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/04/06