[[2026 Games]] [[2026 Game Collections#^0f79dc|2026 Game Collections]] ## 2025-12-17 It was extremely nostalgic coming back to this game. It’s unfortunately also very clunky coming back to this game. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy my time with it — far from it — but I doubt I’ll find a need to check it out again after this first playthrough in 21 years. **Tales of Symphonia** is the **Final Fantasy VII** of the **Tales** series. It’s the game that put the series on the map for American audiences, and I’d doubt we’d see any of the following games if it didn’t get the exposure it did. It was a “right place, right time” sort of game — when the [[GameCube]] was starving for [[JRPG|JRPGs]], [[Bandai Namco]] was happy to provide, so **Symphonia** got a huge boost. I know people who haven’t touched a single other **Tales** game but that has played **Symphonia**. For its time, it was a banger, too. Even if it’s aged now, the appeal is still there, especially if you make it your first **Tales** game. It’s still gorgeous thanks to that timeless cel-shaded style, and the plot is one of the few from the **Tales** series that has a bunch of ridiculous twists that somehow manage to work. The cast is great, too. Lloyd being voiced by the **Teen Titans** version of Robin is a lot of fun, especially when you consider that Jasper from **Rogue Galaxy** is voiced by Terry from **Batman Beyond**. I’m also a huge Genis fan, for nostalgic reasons best reserved for another post. Colette is endearing, Raine is relatable, and Kratos is ~~zaddy~~ cool and mysterious. Maybe it’s because of Sakuraba’s one-note, terrible music[^1], but the vibes and puzzles and pacing all come together to make **Symphonia** almost feel like a real-time combat version of [[Golden Sun]]. All that said, as someone who’s never been a fan of the TP-based **Tales** games, **Symphonia** has to be the worst of them all. Resources are always so scarce, the combat is sluggish, and there’s simply no sauce. Put this game next to something like [[Tales of Graces F - Remastered|Tales of Graces]], and can’t compete at all. It’s sad that the *act* of playing **Symphonia** is such a drag, because it’s still wonderful otherwise. Worth checking out if you want the trip down memory lane. [^1]: is this a hot take? I hope not. He’s really very not good at making JRPG music, I dunno how he keeps getting work