LogFAQs > #896746806

27. Tales of Symphonia (Team Rocket Elite)


Tales of Symphonia was one of Board 8's original "Flavor of the Month" games (Remember Heroic Mario rotating Lloyd, Kratos, and Zelos in and out of his #1 character spot? Those were the days). At the very least, I think it was the first one that I latched onto personally. Since it is a Tales game, it's got its fair share of problems. Its "action" scenes can be unbelievably cheesy, like enemies standing still for ten seconds as Lloyd's Demon Fang slowly travels along the ground to hit them. It's got some of the worst dungeons I've ever encountered in an RPG, Ymir Forest and Latheon Gorge being the worst offenders. Despite all that, Tales of Symphonia has a certain irresistible charm to it for me, even after all these years. One of these days, user SaveEstelle will understand that charm or die trying...!

First of all, it has one of my favorite playable casts in a JRPG. Lloyd's a complete idiot in many ways, but he's got a good heart and always wants to do what he can to save everyone, perhaps to an unrealistic and unreasonable degree sometimes because he can't always save everyone. Kratos is the stereotypical mysterious cool dude who knows more than he lets on, but he pulls it off well. I could go on and on with each one, but I won't. The characters can be cliched at times, but they've got such great cast chemistry (further enhanced by the Skits). I just love seeing them interact with one another, whether it's a serious moment or a comical one. I've even warmed up to Colette over time. My personal favorite is Presea, who introduced me to the emotionless doll girl trope. I thought she was excellent from the moment she was introduced, and her character arc is really endearing. Plus, she has some of the best unintentional humor due to the fact that she takes everything so seriously ("My ribbon...does not spin"). One of my favorite little touches in Symphonia is the fact that it has an affection system, where your choices have a value attached to them to each party member. There are several scenes that can play out differently depending on who you have the most affection points with, and it's not limited to just female romantic interests. If you want to have a bromance with Zelos, you're more than welcome to do so. It's a really cool system that I wish more games used like that.

Tales of Symphonia's plot feels a bit derivative of Final Fantasy X for the first stretch of the game, but it gradually opens up and becomes its own thing as it goes on. Oddly enough, my favorite scene might be one that's technically non-canon. I won't go into spoilers, but it's the consequence in the next dungeon of choosing Kratos at Flanoir. It's just a really bittersweet moment for reasons that are obvious if you've played the game. I think Symphonia does a good job of balancing comedy with drama. It never goes too strong with one or the other. It's got a really fun soundtrack that does a good job of setting the appropriate mood for a scene. Maybe some other Tales game will supplant it as my favorite in the future, but I'll always have fond memories of Symphonia.

Bonus Question: What is your favorite cast in a video game?
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