Tales of Symphonia
| Tales of Symphonia | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Designer(s) | Kosuke Fujishima |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2: (Japan only) |
| Release | GCN: August 29, 2003 (Japan), July 13, 2004 (U.S.) PS2 Japan: September 22, 2004 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer cooperative |
Tales of Symphonia (Japanese: テイルズオブシンフォニア, Teiruzu obu Shinfonia) is a role-playing video game produced by Namco. It was released in 2003 in Japan for the Nintendo GameCube and later for the Sony PlayStation 2. In 2004, it was released in the United States and Europe, but only for the Nintendo GameCube. It is the fifth main installment in the Tales RPG series, taking place long before Tales of Phantasia, and was the third in the series to be officially released in the U.S. in many years. One notable characteristic of the game is its art direction by Kosuke Fujishima, a renowned Japanese manga-ka (comic-book artist).
Characters
Template:Spoiler If the name is different in the English version from the original Japanese version, the English name is listed first and the Japanese name is listed second. Also, the English voice actor is listed at the end, in (parentheses).
Heroes
Lloyd Irving (ロイド・アーヴィング "Roido Āvingu"): Lloyd is the seventeen-year-old hero of the game, and was found near his mother's corpse in a forest when he was still just a boy. His rescuer was Dirk, a dwarf, who soon became like a foster father to the orphaned young man. Lloyd wields a sword in each hand and is dedicated to finding a way to save the worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. He is not particularly knowledgeable, but he makes up for it with an enduring optimism. In battle, Lloyd uses double swords and uses special physical attacks. He, along with only Presea, has no magic attacks. (Scott Menville)
Colette Brunel (コレット・ブルーネル "Koretto Burūneru" / "Collet Brunel"): Colette is the Chosen of Regeneration for Sylvarant, and she fights with chakrams. As she releases the seals, she loses more and more of her human qualities, such as her hunger, her voice, and even her sense of touch. She is quite clumsy and may appear rather ditzy, but she is aware that the hope of the world of Sylvarant lies on her shoulders and is very committed to fulfilling her duty. In battle, Colette uses the chakram and specializes in long-range attacks. She is also given several powerful angel skills throughout the early part of the game. (Heather Hogan)
Genis Sage (ジーニアス・セイジ "Jīniasu Seiji" / "Genius Sage"): Genis Sage, the twelve-year-old sorcerer of Iselia, is Lloyd's best friend. Genis is very intelligent, albeit somewhat conceited. He and his sister are half-elves, but due to prejudice against half-elves in the two worlds they pretend to be elves. Genis develops a strong dislike for Zelos Wilder. Genis excels at use of the kendama, and channels mana through it. He specializes in offensive magic, casting damaging spells on the enemy. (Colleen O'Shaughnessey)
Raine Sage (リフィル・セイジ "Rifiru Seiji" / "Refill Sage"): Raine Sage is Genis’ older sister and the Professor of Lloyd's school. Lloyd is her worst student, however, so she punishes him frequently. She is obsessed with archaeology and loves exploring ruins. She is the most logical thinker in the party, acting at times like a foster mother. Raine has a great fear of water and dislikes getting in boats or crossing any large expanse of water. This stems from her expulsion from her homeland as a girl due to her half-elf blood -- her family was forced to travel by boat, and little Raine fell out. The water was ice cold, and the girl almost drowned as the current sucked her underwater. In Nintendo Power Volume 182, Raine was accidentally called "Genis' Mom". Raine specializes in healing and defensive magic, supporting the party by channeling mana through her rods and staves; however, she does have several spells that deal light damage to the enemy, a skill which Genis lacks. (Kari Wahlgren)
Kratos Aurion (クラトス・アウリオン "Kuratosu Aurion"): Kratos may look like a twenty-eight-year-old mercenary, but he is in fact over 4,000 years old. In the past, he journeyed with Mithos and his companions, the group vowing to end the Kharlan War. Four thousand years later, Kratos met Anna. The couple had a son, Lloyd Irving, but Kvar, one of the five Desian Grand Cardinals, transformed Anna into a monster and forced Kratos to kill her. Kratos is one of the Four Seraphim of Cruxis; he was sent by Mithos to make sure Colette didn't stray from her mission to regenerate the world. He is the only angel of Cruxis who is not a half-elf. Throughout the game, he sides with the protagonist and the antagonist and, depending on choices made during a cutscene late in the game, may or may not rejoin the party. Kratos is the seal upon Origin, the King of Summon Spirits. Kratos uses a sword in battle, but he also uses elven magic, an ability he gained by ingesting Aionis, a legendary rock. He later can gain the angel skill Judgment. (Cam Clarke)
Sheena Fujibayashi (藤林しいな "Fujibayashi Shiina" / "Shihna Fujibayashi"): Sheena is a female ninja from the village of Mizuho. She has summoning abilities but is reluctant to form a pact with the Summon Spirit of Lightning, Volt, due to a previous failure of the same nature. This incident led to widespread injury and devastation at Mizuho. Sheena was sent by her village to assassinate the Chosen in Sylvarant, but eventually she befriended the group and decided to help them to find a way to save the two worlds. Sheena has the same family name as Suzu Fujibayashi from Tales of Phantasia. Her friend Corrine, a manmade Summon Spirit, is her main summon, but Corrine sacrifices himself to save Sheena by throwing himself in front of an electrical blast by the out-of-control Summon Spirit, Volt. Sheena fights with a card that has a charm painted on it. She attacks with seals, with deal damage to an enemy and cause a status effect (along with one that revives a party member); she also can add elements to an ally's (or her own) weapon; she can also summon Spirits to attack the enemy. (Jennifer Hale)
Zelos Wilder (ゼロス・ワイルダー "Zerosu Wairudā"): The flirter and playboy of the group, Zelos is the Chosen of Tethe'alla. He greatly enjoys the nightlife in his home city, Meltokio, and he acts in a very flamboyant and carefree manner at all times. He flirts with nearly every girl he sees, much to Sheena's chagrin. In actuality Zelos' personality is a proverbial "mask" to hide his true feelings about his role as the Chosen. Although Zelos seems without a care and doesn't seem to take anything seriously, he does have a darker side. He despises his role as the Chosen, as it has brought him such hardship. His mother was forced to marry his father against her will, the latter being the Chosen during his time. Neither of Zelos's parents loved each other, and each had a separate lover outside the marriage. Because of the rocky relationship he was a product of, Zelos was never wanted or accepted by either of his parents. The boy's birth was simply necessary to create an heir in the Chosen bloodline. If you become best friends with Zelos while playing the game, talk to him at Flanoir, and he will tell you his story, which reveals much about his history and personality. However, there are some choices you make in the game that will turn Zelos into your enemy. In battle, Zelos is the exact same as Kratos, except that Zelos lacks the Judgment ability but he is also faster than him. (Shiloh Strong)
Presea Combatir (プレセア・コンバティール "Puresea Konbatīru"): She may look like a twelve-year-old, but Presea is twenty-eight. She was used in a Cruxis Crystal experiment, which resulted in her being fixed in her twelve-year-old form. Presea was tricked by Rodyle, a Desian Grand Cardinal, to help capture Colette, but after Lloyd outfitted Presea with a Key Crest to suppress her Exsphere, she saw the error of her ways and decided to help the group to save the two worlds. Before he fell ill, her father was a lumberjack, and Presea took up his axe to provide income. Now she uses it in combat. She has very powerful physical abilitis with her axe. (Tara Strong)
Regal Bryant (リーガル・ブライアン "Rīgaru Buraian" / "Regal Bryan"): Ex-convict and President of the Lezareno Company in Altamira, Regal used to live a happy life. This, however, was only until he was forced to kill the love of his life, Alicia Combatir (Presea's younger sister). Regal willingly gave himself up and was sent to prison. The Pope promised he would imprison the one responsible for making Alicia a monster if Regal would kill the Chosen. Regal wears handcuffs as a symbol of his crime. Consequently, he learns how to fight with his feet, and his weapons are greaves (essentially shinplate armor). Regal specializes in mid-air and anti-air attacks. (Crispin Freeman)
Villains
Mithos (ミトス "Mitosu" / "Mitos"): Mithos is a friend of Genis's who turns out to be "Yggdrasil", the man who runs Cruxis and the Desians. Mithos, resembling a 14-year-old child, was a great swordsman who trained under the guidance of Kratos. He had strong ideals about a peaceful Aselia (the name of the united world from Tales of Phantasia), but his sister's death made him lose track of whether the world, or his sister Martel's life, was more important to him.
Yuan (ユアン "Yuan"): Yuan is a double agent. He is the leader of the Renegades, an organization that tries to stop Cruxis and their plans. Yuan is also one of the Four Seraphim of Cruxis. He pretends to be loyal to Mithos so he can learn Cruxis's plans and thwart them. Yuan is over 4,000 years old. He journeyed with Mithos and his companions in the past to end the Kharlan War and was engaged to Martel before she was killed. She asked Mithos and Yuan to make the world a better place and to stop the half-elf discrimination before she died. Mithos tried to do this, but not in the way Martel had imagined. Yuan knew that Martel didn't intend for her wish to be fulfilled in the way Mithos attempted and thus tries to stop him. Later on, he helps the Chosen's group defeat Mithos.
Remiel (レミエル "Remieru"): Remiel is an angel of Cruxis. He guides Colette on the journey of regeneration, and tells Colette (after her asking) that he is her true father. However, he later reveals that he had not told the truth and that the "inferior beings" (Lloyd's group) had made that up themselves. After being defeated by Lloyd's group, Remiel begs for Kratos's help, but Kratos refuses, saying "I was once of the inferior race… a human. Does the ultimate being seek help from that which he despises the most?". Remiel subsequently dies.
Pronyma (プロネーマ "Puronēma"): Pronyma is the leader of the five Desian Grand Cardinals. She works for Yggdrasil, who is actually Mithos, and is usually with him. Kvar believes that she is stealing data from the Angelus Project, but this turns out to in fact be Rodyle. Yggdrasil unhesitantly kills her after she called him Mithos while begging for him to heal her after she lost to Lloyd's group, the honour of using his real name having been reserved for his former companions.
Forcystus (フォシテス "Foshitesu"): Forcystus is the first Desian Grand Cardinal that Lloyd encounters. He is in charge of the Iselia Human Ranch and is considered a hero for the Desians. One of his arms is a strange golden metal capsule-it appears to be some form of projectile weapon that he uses in battle. He is able to eject violent gusts of wind from it. At the end of Disc 1, Lloyd kills Forcystus.
Magnius (マグニス "Magunisu"): Magnius is the Desian Grand Cardinal in charge of the Palmacosta Human Ranch. He uses Governor General Dorr to collect Gald for the Desians. Lloyd and company kill him after infiltrating his ranch. Rodyle was tricking both him and Kvar. Magnius collected Gald and tried to assassinate the Chosen's group for Rodyle, claiming that he was deceived.
Kvar (クヴァル "Kuvaru"): Kvar is the Desian Grand Cardinal in charge of the Asgard Human Ranch. He is also the most cruel. He killed Anna, Lloyd's mother and wife of Kratos. She was involved in the Angelus Project, an attempt to create a Cruxius Crystal independently of the dwarves. The Exsphere, which she was used to grow, was picked up by Dirk and later used by Lloyd. Kvar and Magnius are both tricked by Rodyle. Kvar had been deceiving Yggdrasil for a long time, and was killed by Lloyd and Kratos.
Rodyle (ロディル "Rodairu"): Rodyle is the Desian Grand Cardinal in charge of the Remote Island Human Ranch. He uses Magnius and Kvar to get Gald and slaves to help him with the Mana Cannon. Rodyle does not work for Yggdrasil (since he tricked his leader) and does whatever he wants. He works with the Pope of Tethe'alla and Vharley. Rodyle deceived Presea for a long time by using the Cruxis Crystal on her and was also responsible for her sister's death. Rodyle dies after using a Cruxis Crystal on himself in order to kill Lloyd and crew.
Plot
Journey
The main character in the game is Lloyd Irving, a seventeen-year-old friend of the Chosen who accompanies her on a long, dangerous journey to regenerate the world of Sylvarant. The Chosen, Collette Brunel, had been friends with Lloyd and another boy from their village, Genis Sage, since they were young. Genis is very smart and claims to be an elf. It is later discovered that both Genis and his sister (and teacher), Raine Sage, are really half-elves, with mixed human and elven blood. This is relevant because half-elves are not favorably viewed in Sylvarant or other places. This is partially because an organization known as the Desians, made up of half-elves, is wreaking havoc upon Sylvarant. According to legend, this occurs when the world's mana, or life force, grows low. To solve this, the Chosen of Mana, a specially chosen human, must go on a pilgrimage to awaken the Summon Spirits of the land and unlock the path to the Tower of Salvation (reminiscent of a completed Tower of Babel). There, the Goddess Martel can be awoken and the land can be regenerated.
Complications arise during the journey. Several times, a mysterious assassin attempts to kill them. This assassin, Sheena Fujibayashi, eventually repents and joins the party. She explains that she is from Tethe'alla, a parallel world, and that Sylvarant and Tethe'alla compete for mana. While one world flourishes, the other suffers.
Tower of Salvation
When the party reaches the Tower of Salvation, with the help of Kratos Aurion, a mysterious mercenary, the truth is revealed. The Chosen legend is really a plot by Cruxis, a group of half-elves and evolved half-elves, or angels. The two worlds were formerly one, but Yggdrasil, Cruxis's leader, split them in two. Kratos is also revealed as one of the Four Seraphim of Cruxis.
The party narrowly escapes the Tower with the help of the Renegades, an opposition group, and begins seeking to reunite the two worlds. Other characters join: Zelos Wilder, the Chosen of Tethe'alla, Presea Combatir, the mysterious victim of an Exsphere experiment, and Regal Bryant, a prisoner, and, as is later revealed, president of a massive company named Lezanaro.
Revelation
The party eventually discovers that Yggdrasil's first name is Mithos, and that he is the same person as Mithos, the hero of the Ancient Kharlan War. Mithos was cast out of the elven village of Heimdall for being a half-elf. He, along with Martel, his sister, Yuan, a fellow half-elf, and Kratos, his human teacher, journeyed to end the war. When this was done, however, he split the world in two with the Eternal Sword, which had been given to him by Origin, king of the Summon Spirits, for the purpose of ending the war. He did this to separate the opposing forces that had caused the war into separate worlds. The war had also caused the deaths of the Great Kharlan Tree, planted by the elves when they came to the world in order to provide mana, and Martel. Mithos, desiring to save his sister, bound her Exsphere, which retained her consciousness, to the Great Seed of the Kharlan Tree. Along with Yuan and Kratos, he set up Cruxis to rule the two worlds, convincing them it was the best way to maintain peace.
The Church of Martel and Chosen ritual were developed in order to provide a new body for Martel. Yuan and Kratos grew displeased with this, as it caused needless suffering through the waxing and waning of the worlds and the Desians, a sub-organization of Cruxis, that were necessary to stimulate fear in the Chosen to awaken his or her Exsphere. Also, Mithos gradually revealed his plans to transform everyone into identical beings through the use of Exspheres in order to eliminate discrimination. Yuan secretly formed the Renegades, while Kratos began subverting Mithos's plans under the pretense of helping to carry them out.
Eventually, Mithos and his vision are defeated. Lloyd is able to use the Eternal Sword to reunite the worlds and germinate the Great Seed. Martel is freed from the Seed and her consciousness is deposited into Tabatha, an android built in a failed attempt to resurrect her.
Themes
Many legends and works inspire the game’s story. A prominent contributor is Norse mythology. Mithos Yggdrasil's name is taken from Yggdrasil, the world-tree that was believed by the Norse to support and nourish the world. Obviously, this concept of a world-tree is manifested in the Great Kharlan Tree. Kratos Aurion's name is taken from Cratos, the personification of strength and power in Greek mythology. Zelos Wilder's name is also taken from Greek mythology, Zelus being the brother of Cratos and the personification of dedication and emulation. The Hindu/Buddhist tradition was utilized in the naming of several of Sheena's weapons and also one of Raine's (Vajra, Yaksa, Asura, Acalanatha, Hanuman). Islamic mythology was drawn upon for the names of Efreet and Bahamut. Japanese mythology contributed the legendary sword Kusanagi, which is the equivalent of Excalibur in the Western world. Even obscure characters such as Sephira of Spanish mythology make appearances. Pagan themes are evident in the concept of the Goddess Martel and the general nature themes present in the game. The universal theme of death and renewal can be seen in the seesawing parallel worlds and the Chosen ritual and is specifically mentioned during one encounter with a unicorn. Typical high fantasy elements abound in the game as well, such as dwarves and elves. There are also elements from the Bible; the Seraphim came from the angel caste system. The analogy of two parallel worlds originating from one and split asunder by a character from a team of four adventurers might be a reference to the Longest Journey, in which four drakins split a world into two. Finally, the game's plot, structure, and characters bear marked similarities to that of Final Fantasy X.
The game also carries a strong undercurrent of overcoming racism. Half-elves are distrusted and despised by humans in both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. In Tethe'alla, half-elves are considered to be inferior (due to the caste system), while in Sylvarant, they are a group of enslaving robber-barons who see humans as beneath them and use humans as slaves and experimental subjects. Spiralling from racism, there is a hint of Nazism in the story, with Mithos wanting a world where everyone is exactly the same, which is similar to Nazi ideals.
Game mechanics
Battle
Unlike many traditional role-playing games, the Tales of Symphonia battle system is real-time. All four characters in the battle can be controlled by players.
Alternately, characters with no player to control them are set to automatically execute moves based upon the player-set AI configurations. Battles can be paused at any time, and computer-controlled actions can be overridden with menus. Battle movement is relative to enemy characters; Players can target an enemy character through a Zelda-style targeting system, and that enemy is used as a reference point for movement. The battle style and play control is comparable to that of Super Smash Brothers Melee.
Another interesting aspect of the game's battle system is the ability to execute Unison Attacks. This can be done when the Unison Meter, a blue bar above the characters' status displays, fills completely. In a Unison Attack, each character uses a Technique (special attack) on an enemy or enemies at the same time. The Techniques used can be selected by the main player by pressing the default A, B, X, or Y button(s) or manually inputting them with the B button and the control stick. If characters use certain abilities in the same Unison Attack, they combine into a Compound Special Attack, causing additional damage. The Compound Special Attacks can only be triggered if two or more characters perform specific attacks of their own.
Leveling Up
Although Tales of Symphonia uses the typical experience point system, of characters gaining strength and abilities with the accumulation of EXP, several player-controlled factors determine which strengths and abilities the characters gain.
Each character can equip up to four EX Gems of varying strengths; each Gem can be set to a specific ability, from strengthening stats to providing out-of-battle bonuses (for instance, Zelos's level-2 Personal skill lets him charm items out of women), and certain combinations create bonus abilities. The nature of the EX Gem skills selected also determine whether the character will learn 'technical' or 'strike' Techniques, which alters the nature and sometimes the quantity of the Techniques available. EX Gem abilities, and the resulting technical-strike balance, can be altered at any time.
Each character also has up to 25 Titles, which are earned at certain levels or by completing certain events, and reflect aspects of the characters' personalities. Colette, for instance, gains the title of "Klutz" early on, whereas Raine is quickly labeled with "Archaeological Mania." Most titles determine which stats the character will increase in when they level up, but a few (such as Lloyd's "Beach Boy") provide no bonuses and instead change the character's costume.
Cooking
Tales of Symphonia also takes a novel approach to character recovery. The RPG standbys of inns and recovery items exist, but characters can also learn recipes from an eccentric character known as the Wonder Chef. If the character possesses the required food items, he or she can prepare a dish that will have beneficial effects upon the party, such as recovery of hit points and technical points, curing of ailments such as poison, or temporary boosting of character status. However, sometimes a recipe may be cooked unsuccessfully, resulting in wasted ingredients and greatly reduced benefits to the party.
Skits
In addition to cut scenes, various skits between the characters can be viewed while in the overworld, in towns, and in dungeons. Some become available automatically, while others only occur when a hidden spot on the world map is discovered. These skits are not required for plot progression, but they provide additional character development and background information. Hidden skits can also affect Lloyd's relationships with other characters, which has some effects upon the game's story and ending. While the Japanese version of the game offers speech in every skit, the skits in the American and European versions are text only.
Grade
Grade is awarded after battle. Grade is based on how well you do in battle, that is to say, it is based on many different factors. For example, the higher-hit combo you manage to get per battle, the higher amount of grade you'll get. If a character dies, you'll lose greade. Time of battle also determines the amount of grade received after each battle. In normal and hard modes, the max amount of grade to gain/lose is 20. People have reported that that number triples when is mania mode, that is to say, you can gain or lose 60grade per battle in mania mode! It can be used to purchase items for customization, or to buy bonuses when starting a New Game Plus.
Trivia
Several Easter eggs exist in the game, these include:
- Presea can gain the title "Dream Traveler", which will change her outfit. Her new outfit is identical to that worn by Klonoa, the star of his own game series.
- By wearing certain pieces of equipment, Zelos can gain the title Gilgamesh. This is the name of the hero of Namco's Tower of Druaga, and the equipment used to obtain the title is the equipment used in that game. In addition, the description of the title is a direct reference to events in Tower of Druaga.
- A statue of Pac-Man (another one of Namco's former mascots) can be found in Flanoir. Examining the statue will confirm this.
- Pac-Man also appears on all Hotel signs in the game.
- There is a GameCube in the Renegade's Sylvarant Base. This GameCube is identical to the limited edition ToS GameCube console that was only avalible to winners of a contest at Namco's official ToS website. (In the PS2 version of the game, the GameCube has been replaced with an unidentifiable machine.)
Theme songs
The opening theme for Tales of Symphonia is called "Starry Heavens" by day after tomorrow. It is only sung in the Japanese Nintendo GameCube version of the game. The other opening theme is called "Soshite Boku ni Dekiru Koto" and is also sung by day after tomorrow. It is sung in the PlayStation 2 version of the game (Japan only).
PlayStation 2 version
In Japan, Tales of Symphonia was released for both GameCube and PlayStation 2; the PlayStation 2 version will probably not be released in the US. In the PlayStation 2 version, there are 2 more Anime Cutscenes, characters can learn more Techs and Unison attacks and each character has a bonus costume; however, the load times are longer than in the GameCube version. It is the general consensus that the graphics and sound aren't as good as the GameCube version.
See also
External links
- Official English Website
- Official Japanese website for the GC version
- Official Japanese website for the PS2 version
- Tales of Symphonia at IMDb
- IGN: Tales of Symphonia (GCN) PS2
- Template:Nintendo.com
- TalesOnline.net