Tales of Phantasia

"A fantastic game that is more than worth the wait!"

We all know the story by now. Tales of Phantasia on the SNES is one of the best-thought-out games for the system, and it stays in Japan. Then there's a full-blown remake on the Playstation. Well, that one stayed in Japan as well. After that, parts of each of the two versions were taken and crafted into a GBA game, the third release of this game. It stayed in Japan for three years... and has now crossed the Pacific Ocean to North America, likely due to the success of the related Tales of Symphonia on the Gamecube.

Graphics: 10

The sheer number of sprites programmed into this game is overwhelming. Yes, there are recolors, but even then, each enemy has a battle animation for staying still and for each of their attacks. And that's not even going into Cress's astounding number of sprites... each and every one of his swords and shields looks unique in battle, and his techs are quite diverse, especially at higher levels. There are easily a thousand different Cress battle sprites programmed in here... the other characters mostly only change the weapon they're holding when their equipment changes, and their techs don't involve their moving around nearly as much as Cress, but they look fantastic, and that's that.

Oh, right. Battle backgrounds and maps. The maps are clearly SNES-era, evoking some nostalgia for those who have played games on that system. Battle backgrounds are quite nice, letting you run quite some distance to the left and right while the angle of the ground's graphics changes, a nice touch. The overworld map is a little small compared to some others, but near the end of the game you'll be constantly finding new places to visit. In towns and dungeons, the graphics look a little washed-out at times (Venezia City is a prime example), but the little touches more than make up for that. Rooms overflow with furnishings, chimneys bellow smoke, birds and flowers are abundant, there are even hidden paths behind a few trees!

Verdict: Dated town and dungeon graphics, but the immense amount of sprites more than makes up for that.

Sound: 10+++

I really can't fault the sound here very much. About the only thing is that I have no idea what the heck Mint says when she finishes off the final enemy... other than that, the voice acting is above-average. Cress, for one, actually has a rather nice deep voice, which is a breath of fresh air compared to all the other 17-year old male heroes we've seen with nearly-interchangeable high tenor voices. Chester is distinct with a bit of attitude in his clips, Claus sounds a little older like he's supposed to, and thank goodness that Mint and Arche don't sound like they're chirping. Their voices are what I would consider "normal" for 17-year old girls. Truthfully, the first time my sister heard the voices, she assumed they were added for the GBA version. She was impressed that they were fully-voiced in battle in the SNES version released so long ago in Japan.

Music is another new bag of goodies. So far, I have heard an incredibly wide range of tunes, from the happy boingy craziness of Arche's theme to the mellow notes of Mint's theme. A couple songs are even featured in other Tales-series games, such as "Fighting of the Spirit", which reappeared in Symphonia. Hearing the originals in their 16-bit sound brings me back to the glory days of the SNES... especially Sakuraba's solo piano tune...

Verdict: Amazing VA work! And music that has stood the test of time just like FF7's, though the latter's music is far more widely known.

Controls: 10

Really, this isn't a category to skip over for a Tales game. With the concept of "Linear Motion Battle" introduced in this game (back on the SNES), knowing what you have assigned to what button can be a lifesaver. Cress's actions in battle are all assigned to the A and B buttons with various Control Pad inputs logically determining how he'll attack (pressing down-A won't make him jump, that's for sure). Adding in the two L-shortcuts so you can have any character's spell at your command was a stroke of genius... I honestly don't know if this was from the PSX version or new to the GBA, but having Mint's best healing spell two button-presses away is not to be underestimated. Of course, there is the issue of "The SNES had eight buttons, and the PSX had ten, but the GBA only has six!". I have to say that was handled quite well, with A and B being used for most actions, Select for the menu (this one trips me up, I keep pressing Start), and L/R/Start as needed.

Shop menus are done quite well, having the ability to buy, equip, and sell the old equipment in one session at the counter is truly a good idea. It's not as perfected as Golden Sun's, where the buying-equipping-selling was as automatic as you wanted it to be, but it's not to be overlooked as a programming achievement on the SNES.

As for basic world map control, Cress has full-directional movement that shouldn't pose a challenge.

Verdict: All the basics are in place, and then there's a few places where Namco went the extra mile.

Story: 10

I don't even know where to begin on this one. At first, it looks like just a typical cliched story, with Cress's motives the same as so many others... but the game throws you for a loop soon after, and keeps the surprises coming. Even going so far as to make a couple of obvious twists come as a complete surprise because of how the programmers chose to implement them.

As for the time-travel theme, don't think for a second that this is just another Chrono Trigger-wannabe. A few themes are similar, such as fixing the present by meddling in the past, but time travel is quite minor in Phantasia, really giving the story a chance to span the entire world in multiple time periods... and of course you can see the results of some of your actions (or inactions!) in the earlier era once you travel to later times. And you only get one shot at the past, so make it count!

Verdict: Nonstop. Brings new twists to old cliches (remember, this was an SNES game. Some themes might have been copied since, but this game started a few good ones). Not to mention long. The main story will have you spending hours in a couple of the dungeons, and in some, that's not counting the battles. Learn to love Save Points all over again - you'll be happy you did!

Everything Else And The Kitchen Sink: 10

Four general areas can't define a game. Heck, even this review can't define Phantasia properly. The atmosphere in each area comes together through the combination of everything, not the picking-apart of the elements... the first place you'll visit outside of the town of Toltus truly gives the sense that it's the magical place that it is... and the difficulty keeps pace with the story very well. You might feel overleveled, but then a normal enemy will have a couple thousand hit points and you're about Level 20 with ~1000 hit points. Curveballs like that are a good idea... you're always on your toes, especially when those guys are one of only three monsters in an area.

Also, fans of Symphonia will have conniptions over how many little things they recognize, whether it's the name of a goddess or just how the world map looks... even the secret character has a connection, more direct than you'd think!

FINAL verdict: Go out and grab this game! I say "Dated? Shmated!" Not everything matches the SNES version, but not everything matches the PSX version, either. I'd even be willing to bet that some new content was introduced in the GBA version... and I know for a fact that some rather raunchy lines were softened... but you can still figure out just what Arche is dreaming about. The writing is mostly standard fare, but when it's good, it shines. Especially the infamous "boat scene"... I truly could not stop laughing, as Claus and Arche steal the show right there. Pink hair really does mean there's a problem or the character will be nothing but trouble... Serra, Presea, Marcia, Makalov, and now Arche. Grab a copy of this game... you won't regret playing an updated blast from the past that is finally legal to own an English version of.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/20/06