| Graphics: |   4 |
| SFX: | 4 |
| Music: | 5 |
| Gameplay: |  3.5 |
| Challenge: | 4 |
| Replay: | 4 |
| Overall: | 4 |
| Genre: | RPG |
| Reading ability: | US release (GBA) ROM Translation available |
| Company: | Namco |
Background:
This is the game that started the Tales series. I must admit, my introduction to the Tales series was the wonderful Tales of Symphonia on the Gamecube. I normally do not care for English voice acting in video games, but I must admit that the acting in Symphonia was superb, and it's a shame that not all of the spoken dialogue from the Japanese version was voiced for the American version (namely the spontaneous conversations while on the world map).
It is unfortunate that Tales of Phantasia was never released domestically for the Super Nintendo. It was, fortunately, released domestically for the Gameboy Advanced, albeit a somewhat flawed port. The sprites are cleaned up a bit and less blobby-looking, and the voices sound cleaner. However, the overall presentation looks better on the Super Famicom. The domestic GBA game has English voice acting, and the vocals to the intro song are conspicuously absent. Perhaps there were licensing issues with the singer that prevented the song from being released domestically. The song did make it to the Japanese GBA version, however.
The version I am reviewing is the Super Famicom version.
The Game:
The Tales series does not feature a typical turn-based battle system. Just like Star Ocean, this game's battle system is a realtime free-for-all. This can be a major turn-off for many, understandably. However, it is also a refreshing change of pace among typical J-RPGs. You can bring up a menu in combat that will freeze the action, and from here you can use items, select magic spells, etc. However, there is a delay when using the apple gummies (the heal potions of the game), so your characters can take several 100+ HP damage blows between the time the command to use the gummy is initiated to the time it is actioned. This has led me to frustrations on many occasions. If you've played the later Tales games, such as Symphonia, the gameplay is more or less the same, albeit in 2D rather than 3D. Encounters are random.
The game begins when the hero of the game, Cless, goes out hunting with his friend Chester. When they return to their village, they find that the village has been attacked and everyone has been killed, including their families. Along the way, Cless meets a quiet girl named Mint in a prison and they escape together. A sinister plot unfolds, and Cless and Mint are sent back in time to when magic was still commonly used in order to defeat evil. They plead with a spell caster named Klarth to join their party, and later they encounter a girl named Arche who can fly on a broom like a witch.
As I mentioned before, I've played the DeJap translated ROM on my Xbox and not my GBA cartridge. DeJap has certainly made some of the dialogue rather crass, and since I haven't played the game in the original Japanese, I'm not sure how much liberties they have taken with the translation. For example, there's a scene where Cless and the gag are trying to hire a ship to take them overseas, and when the captain declines because he's concerned about the military conflict, Arche offers to "service" him below decks in the cargo hold in exchange for him escorting her and her friends to their destination. Along the way, Klarth is pressuring Cless to admit which of the two girls he likes better, Mint or Arche. I was taken by surprise when Klarth says, "I bet Arche fucks like a tiger." Somehow I'm not sure the original dialogue went that way. Soon after, when Klarth is getting drunk in the ship's galley with a woman he has just met, Arche has a few drinks and passes out asleep on the table. She then has a wet dream involving Cless and shouts out stuff like, "Give it to me HARD!" Again, not entirely sure how the original dialogue played out, but it's interesting nevertheless.
Graphics:
Graphics are fairly typical fantasy JRPG-style. Menus and text boxes are nicely presented. Mode 7 is used appropriately and not in an annoying way at all. As you can see, much of the graphics are exquisite in detail, especially in the battle sequences. You'll notice Cless's reflection in mirrors and in ponds, the wind blowing through the trees, sunlight filtering through the leaves. You will also notice layered parallax scrolling during the side-view battle screens. Character sprites could've been a bit sharper, but in all, the graphics really drew me into the fantasy world.
Music/Sound:
The sound and music in Tales of Phantasia is probably the highlight for not only this game, but for the entire Super Famicom library in general. Even for those who are not interested in RPGs or at least the Tales series, this game is worth checking out at least just to witness the spectacular intro sequence, complete with full vocals for the theme song. This game was released towards the end of the Super Famicom's life, and this game showcases the technical detail that the console is capable of. Amazing!
Gameplay:
Get ready to mash your buttons. Gameplay is somewhat of a disappointment, since it isn't as tight as Tales of Symphonia was. The different attacks aren't as involved as TOS was either. That can be expected since TOP was the first game in the series, though. My big gripe is why Cless runs back and forth in the battle. He runs up to the enemy, attacks, then runs back to his friends. This back and forth can be strategic and it can be frustrating. Cless apparently needs a running start to jump up to attack enemies in the air, but sometimes this doesn't execute correctly. Grr! Maybe I'm just not tackling the nuances of the gameplay properly and I'm just not doing it right. But if there isn't something eluding me with the gameplay, then I'm just annoyed with this unresponsiveness. Furthermore, I should be approaching or retreating the enemy I've targeted, and I don't think I should be stabbing in one direction when my target is right behind me. This happens too often and it's annoying.
Challenge and replay:
I usually prefer RPGs in which I can carefully plot out the actions for each of my party members. However, I do enjoy a break from this and I get excited with the free-for-all battles that are well-known in the Tales series and the Star Ocean series. Because the fights are in realtime (except when you bring up the menu), action can go by very quickly and you'll find your party members KO'd very often before you even know what's going on.
The Good:
Character designs are by Kosuke Fujishima, most well-known for his Ah! Megamisama and You're Under Arrest manga/anime, as well as his character designs for the Sakura Taisen game series. I have a few Sakura Taisen game posters, and I really would like to have a poster of Tales of Phantasia, too...
The Bad:
Get this stupid crab out of my way! I just want to get to that treasure box! Can't I just kick the crab into the ocean and grab the treasure? GRRRRR!
Aside from minor annoyances like this, my main complaint is with the character sprites. Perhaps it's just me, since I am color blind, but the pastel palettes in conjunction with the superdeformed character designs makes it a bit difficult to tell who is who among the characters. Final Fantasy and other RPGs use bolder colors for the characters, making them more discernable. But at least to my eyes, this makes the NPCs hard to distinguish. Even the main characters are hard to distinguish from the townspeople and such at times.
Overall:
It really is a shame that Namco never released Tales of Phantasia for the Super Nintendo in English. When it was re-released for the Playstation in Japan, they still did not port the game. At last, English-speaking gamers were able to get ahold of the game for the Gameboy Advance. For Super Famicom purists like myself, however, this English translation patch is a great thing (despite the questionable translation in parts of the game).
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