Tales of Symphonia

Tales of Symphonia is a role-playing video game produced by Namco. It was released in 2003 in Japan for the Nintendo GameCube video game console . It was released in the United States in 2004 only for GameCube. It is one game in the Tales RPG Series, taking place long before Tales of Phantasia, and it was the first in the series to be officially released in the U.S. in many years. One notable characteristic of the game is its art direction by Kosuke Fujishima, a renowned Japanese manga artist.

Plot and Characters

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

The main character in the game is Lloyd Irving, a seventeen-year-old friend of the Chosen who accompanies her on a long, dangerous journey to regenerate the world of Sylvarant. The Chosen's name is Colette Brunel. She has been friends with Lloyd and another boy named Genis Sage since they were young. Genis is very smart and claims to be an elf. It is later discovered that both Genis and his sister (and teacher), Raine Sage, are really half-elves, with mixed human and elven blood. This is relevant because half-elves are not favorably viewed in Sylvarant or other places. This is partially because an organization known as the Desians, made up of half-elves, is wreaking havoc upon Sylvarant. According to legend, this occurs when the world's mana, or life force, grows low. To solve this, the Chosen of Mana, a specially chosen human, must go on a pilgrimage to awaken the Summon Spirits of the land and unlock the path to the Tower of Salvation, where the Goddess Martel can be awoken and the land regenerated. This is the premise, but when the party reaches the Tower of Salvation, with the help of Kratos Aurion, a mysterious mercenary, the truth is revealed. The Chosen legend is really a plot by Cruxius, a group of half-elves and evolved half-elves, or angels. Another world, called Tethe'alla, exists, and the two worlds compete for mana, causing one to flourish while the other suffers. The two worlds were formerly one, but Mithos Yggdrasil, Cruxius's leader, split them in two as part of his plot to resurrect his sister, Martel. Following this, the party narrowly escapes the Tower with the help of an opposition group and begins reuniting the two worlds. Other characters join, including Sheena Fujibayashi, a member of the mystical village of Mizuho and plays the role as summoner in the game, Zelos Wilder, the Chosen of Tethe'alla, Presea Combatir, the mysterious victim of an Exsphere experiment, and Regal Bryant, former president of a massive company. Eventually, the world is reunited with the Eternal Sword, and the Great Kharlan Tree that once gave mana to the world is reborn.

Game Mechanics

Battle

Unlike many traditional RPGs, the Tales of Symphonia battle system is real-time. All four characters in battle can be controlled by players. Alternately, characters with no player to control them are set to automatically execute moves based upon the player-set AI configurations. Battles can be paused at any time, and computer-controlled actions can be overridden with menus. Battle movement is relative to enemy characters. Players can select an enemy character through the Zeldaesque targeting system; character movement is then made with that enemy as a reference point.

Another interesting aspect of the game's battle system is the ability to execute Unison Attacks. This can be done when the Unison Meter, a blue bar above the characters' status displays, fills completely. In a Unison Attack, each character uses a technique to attack an enemy or enemies at the same time. The technique used can be selected by the main player. If characters use certain abilities in the same Unison Attack, a Compound Special Attack is triggered, causing additional damage.

EX system

Although the typical system of characters gaining strength and abilities with the accumulation of experience points is present in Tales of Symphonia, the game's EX system adds extra depth. Up to four EX Gems can be equipped on a character at a time. These gems vary in strength, and each level of gem has different abilities, or EX Skills, that can be selected. Compound EX Skills can also be discovered if compatible EX Skills are enabled.

Cooking

Tales of Symphonia also takes a novel approach to character recovery. The RPG standbys of inns and recovery items exist, but characters can also learn recipes from an eccentric character known as the Wonder Chef. If the character possesses the required food items, he or she can prepare a dish that will have beneficial effects upon the party.

Skits

In addition to cutscenes, various skits between the characters can be viewed while in the overworld. Some become available automatically, while others only occur when a hidden spot on the world map is discovered. These skits are not required for plot progression, but they provide additional character development and background information. Hidden skits can also affect Lloyd's relationships with other characters which has some effects with some story scenes.