Tales of Rebirth
Tales of Rebirth is yet another game from the series released on PS2 and PSP that we’ve never gotten in the west. Thematically, it might actually be one of the most interesting Tales games as well, taking place in a world where a human race, known as Huma, and a beast race known as Gajuma coexist in relative peace. You play as Veigue Lungberg a young man from a snowy village who’s close friend Claire Bennett, and heir to a throne, is kidnapped. Veigue sets off to rescue her, and as you’d expect finds himself embroiled in a massive conflict.
Tales of Rebirth is basically the perfect fusion of everything old and new in the Tales series, at least at the point in time it was released. Rebirth does still use the Linear Motion Battle System, with a bit of a twist, however. Like Symphonia, players can move their character onto three different planes in Rebirth, attacking the enemies on that plane or dodging and attack from an enemy on another one. A Force Gauge controls the skills a character can use in battle, and the gauge depletes as you fight. Of course the series traditional skits return once again, shedding light on story moments as well as smaller character moments.
Tales of Rebirth has some big story themes it touches on, primarily with the theme of coexistence. This is represented through the ethnic conflict between the Huma and Gajuma that players encounter in the game. It’s definitely disappointing fans in the west have never gotten their hands on Rebirth, which proves to be an interesting fusion of old and new ideas in the series. Hopefully, it’s something we can still experience at some point in time, and would be the perfect title to receive a digital-only release on a handheld.
