3) Tales of Symphonia
Best Tales of Games
Tales of Symphonia could arguably be the game that really put the series on the map in North America. It was one of the first Tales games to be rendered in 3D, although the battle system is still a linear path in a 3D arena.
Religious themes are heavy in Symphonia as Lloyd Irving accompanies his friend Colette who’s the “Chosen of Regeneration” on her expedition to restore the worlds mana.
Throughout their journey, they find out some surprising truths about the Church of Martel and the state of the world, even finding the existence of a second world called Tethe’alla.
Lloyd is a bit of a goody-two-shoes as a character, but he finds out troubling things about his past and his parents. He’s loyal to the end for his friends, and willing to do anything it takes for them.
Characters join him from across both worlds, with nine party members making this one of the largest ensemble casts.
Symphonia is absolutely packed with sidequests, additional stories and skits. It’s a massive game that anyone could easily take 100 hours or more to beat on a first playthrough.
Battles are in a 3D space with characters moving in a straight line to whatever enemy they’re targeting. A huge amount of artes and skills are learnable, with a gauge allowing for powerful unison attacks.
Symphonia is definitely one of the largest and most intricate Tales games in the series. It has a captivating main story with tones of religion and racism being brought up, and a very strong cast to back it up.
It’s a great introduction to Tales, if you’re looking for a place to start.
