A look back at: Tales of Symphonia

A game that's basically about combating racism, but you gotta do it right, basically.

The most popular Tales game, albeit PROBABLY not the absolute best. I honestly think that the battle system still needs better work, since the linear motion mechanics of old still apply for a 3D battlefield and the game's got no ambush mechanics to speak of. Plus, having to use techs or attacks constantly just to LEARN new ones can get stale and the randomness I don't appreciate. Maybe it's luck stat? I don't know. Regardless, it's also good practice to use every character you can at least once to ensure what they are capable of. Lloyd's the most obvious, and perhaps the most fun, but I've experimented with using spellcasting of Raine, Kratos, and Zelos (usually to gain their techs), and then using other fighters like Kratos, Zelos, and Regal. Lots of possibilities here, just like there's lots of possibilities for relationship-building and sidequests. Jeez, there really had to be that many. You can find cursed objects, rebuild an entire town, duel with a defected ninja, etc. I think I may have actually missed only one major quest, the Niflheim one, but dammit I got TOO MUCH WORK TO DO that I really don't have time for it all.

Hence the somewhat rushed way I managed to complete this at the beginning of March. But I took good time on weekends and other off-periods to make the most of things, and the plot of the game was worth it. Tons of character development, save for maybe the last few playable characters, and arguably for relationship building it's very likely you'll wind up with Colette and Genis on the first go. I certainly loved the idea of screwing with the "chosen one" gimmick, how it really sucks to be Chosen and how many other Chosens have failed. There were plot twists all over the place besides that, and the main villain's goal of ending all discrimination is noble, yet his methods turn to "basically just kill everything". Which frankly sucks, because all of his motives are drawn by the fact he had a sister and that somehow being a half-elf is somehow the worst of both worlds. Yeah, I can see some people not liking the villain now.

But there's a lot of variety in Tales of Symphonia, tons of things to just do, and tons of ways to play this game that there's no one way to really do it. Heck, I managed to beat the final boss without a major healer character (alright Zelos had healing spells and I primarily controlled him, but he doesn't have revival or status-healing spells and also I did overlevel for the boss since I did optional bosses first). It's worth at least one try. And now I have Dawn of the New World on my bucket list for later too.