Tales of Symphonia (GameCube) Reader Review

The Gamecube wasn’t by any definition a runaway success. A certain Child-like image problem, disc-media restrictions, lack of required controller keys for Multiformat titles, all these blighted the poor little ‘Cube, until it was barely acknowledged as a gaming machine my the masses.
Another area the Gamecube struggled in was a diverse lineup of games; in particular, Traditional Role-Playing Games. What little there was, was greatly appreciated; an enhanced Skies of Arcadia brought adventure, wonder and mystery to Cube owners, and Baten Kaitos offered a unique Card element alongside a visually fantastic world. Heck, even Nintendo themselves got in on the act with a Paper Mario title, that threw away conventional RPG elements and brought in simplicity, humour and original world interaction. Despite all this though, there was a serious gap for a high-profile, dedicated traditional Role-Player built from the ground-up on GameCube hardware.
Namco filled that void with Tales of Symphonia, a game that gave players one of the best experiences on the system, and left a whole new fanbase for an eventual sequel, and subsequent Tales games. Symphonia was no spin-off though, as the fifth mainline Tales game, it was the first in the series to get released in Europe, and the third in the US. Not only that, it is the highest selling Tales game on record. After playing it, you’ll see why.

As was often the case with lengthy Gamecube games, Symphonia was released on two discs. Upon starting up the first, you are treated to an excellent CG Cut-Scene Intro of the Protagonists, the world around them, and what lies in store.
As with any RPG, an interesting and engaging story is a must, and Symphonia delivers. You mainly follow the perspective of Lloyd Irving (pictured right), a slightly dopey but identifiable character with two blades. In control of Lloyd, you help guard Collette, the Chosen of Mana, as she travels to revitalise a decaying world. During those travels you’ll meet other characters that will join your team, such as Sheena: the Big-Bosomed Ninja, Kratos: A Mysterious Mercenary, and Zelos: A Charismatic Womaniser.
Cliche-ridden, you’re probably thinking at this point, and that’s understandable, but the plot and the world it revolves around gains so many twists and turns, you’d be surprised. All of the recruitable Characters are quite likeable, and the main villain, when you finally see who he is, is a decent foe, and one that blurs the line between Good and Evil.

Symphonia’s Battle System is Chaotic, Involving, Quick, and above all else, Fun. There aren’t any random encounters in the overworld; you can see enemies, and therefore choose to avoid or fight them.
Battles work on a 2D plane; you take control of one Character (by default this is Lloyd, although you are free to choose), and guide him or her to fight enemies. In most games this means standing in a line and taking it in turns to trade blows. Not so here, you can run in and kick ass instantly. On the GC Pad, the main A button, combined with different Analog Stick Tilts, executes Weapon Swings, and depending on what you press, you can launch enemies into the air, or knock them back.
The B button, again combined with Stick Tilts, unleashes one of Five pre-assigned techniques; this could be anything you choose, from a multi-sword thrust, a magic blast, or even a healing spell. You can gain new moves and techniques through leveling up by gaining Experience Points through battle.
The X button handles the Block function; you still incur damage, just nowhere near as much otherwise. The Y button brings up a menu where you can change tactics, and use items, and the L and R Triggers take care of determining who you’re aiming at. Controls as a whole are easy to get to grips with, and compliment the system superbly.
Given that your Party of Characters will often consist of the maximum of Four, the computer takes care of controlling your other allies. You can assign a choice of which moves or techniques they should specialize in, and when to help out your character, so there is little lost from not being able to directly control your whole team like usual. The CPU takes excellent care of the other party members, and very rarely slips up, although if you have a couple of Friends at hand, they can take control of your other team members too. A great feature, but sadly limited, as the screen only focuses on Player One. A Splitscreen for this feature would have worked wonders, but as it is it isn’t a defining part of the game. Although there are plenty of other moments to make up for it.

Symphonia utilizes a Cel-Shading effect for the worlds of Sylverant and T’ethealla, and it works wonders. Given the nature of this effect, there aren’t too many Wow moments, but it keeps the game looking lush throughout.
One area that Cel-Shading can’t help however, is the Overworld Map. It is, in a word, ugly. The map is fine to navigate, but certainly not to look at, and it is rather bland and boring, you’ll be glad to get into battles and towns. The Overworld hasn’t really ever been an absolutely essential part of an RPG, but it is very disappointing here.
Another slight problem is a blurring effect with distance, not something that occurs too often, but is quite noticeable. Again, not a dealbreaker, but something that probably will blind you if you look at it for too long.

Symphonia is fully-voiced, at least for the most important scenes, and the Voice Actors sound authentic. There is one character in particular that will probably get on your nerves though, thankfully dialogue can be skipped. Skits are a common feature in Symphonia; a small optional exchange of words between characters at certain points in the story. These help flesh out their personalities, although since they go at their own pace and are completely silent, you may find them more of a hindrance than anything else.
Music as a whole is excellent in Symphonia. A good deal of it gets reused for certain locations, and there can be the occasional dull track, but in general Symphonia delivers on the ear candy, especially for the Battle sequences. Example;

Tales of Symphonia averages in at around 40-50 hours on a first playthrough, and unlockable enchancements for another go ensure that you’ll get a lot of enjoyment time out of this game. There are many side-quests, and even a Coliseum feature towards the end of the game, as well as a Collections Book, so those willing to try for 100% Completion will have a lot to do. Depending on how you choose to play, the game can be a real challenge, and with multiple difficulty levels, can be very unforgiving.
Without doubt, one of the finest Gamecube RPGs, and still one of the best you can play on your Wii, Tales of Symphonia deserves your time and attention.