In Japan, there's a third RPG series that reigns supreme next to both Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest: the Tales series. It's a series that I've known about ever since the GameCube era, when the popular Tales of Symphonia was localized, but which I never gave much thought until this year, when I had a chance to play both Symphonia, now remastered on the PS3 along with its sequel Dawn of the New World, and Tales of Vesperia, released for the Xbox 360 on August 26, 2008. I must say, the games were indeed quite unfamiliar to me, as someone who usually plays Final Fantasy and other "turn-based" RPG's. The games share a similar anime aesthetic and an innovative gameplay system that is far more involved then what you might find elsewhere. It is, most certainly, a different breed of RPG. And quite a fascinating series at that!
The most immediate and striking part of the Tales series must surely be its rather brilliant anime style. Kosuke Fujishima is the character designer who worked on both Vesperia and Symphonia, as well as other games in the series, and the designs enter the games not only through some remarkable anime openings and cutscenes, but through the cel-shaded and stylized graphics. There's an excellent score for each game, both composed by Motoi Sakaruba in partnership with several other composers. A great selection of music with an emphasis on sweeping orchestration, but also on the use of electric guitar riffs, as in the case of Vesperia. Presentation-wise, these games hold up in a great way.
But there is also something to be said for the innovative and unique battle system at work here. I talk of course, once again, of both Vesperia and Symphonia. The first and most notable aspect is that in both games, more than one person can control a character in the main combat scenarios. This of course means that, if some so chose, Vesperia and Symphonia can be played with up to four players in a co-op RPG adventure. This presents an entirely different case than what some, especially myself, are used to, where combat can now be organized strategically between players rather than assigning duties. You can, however, do just that and assign a vast range of tactics to a character not being controlled by a human. However much depth you wish to put into assigning these roles and tactics is of course up for you to decide. What seperates the combat of the Tales games like Vesperia and Symphonia from the other big RPG's is that battles take place in real time in a 3D environment, unlike the turn-based style found in other series. You control a character either in a straight line, or in free roam, and can approach enemies and use a variety of attacks and special abilities to defeat opponents. This form of battle is known as a Linear Motion Battle System, with some variance depending on the game. Characters can be assigned abilities to a button and control stick-direction, in order to pull of a special attack, known as an Arte. In both Vesperia and Symphonia, there is an Over Limit, not unlike Limit Breaks found in Final Fantasy, that can be built up via a meter and depleted to perform powerful attacks.
Let it be said that...I'm not very good at this form of combat, hehe, as those whom I played Vesperia with can attest to. I believe it to be a fascinating and highly in-depth system, however, and it gives both Vesperia and Symphonia an added layer of complexity and nuance.
Indeed, it was and still is quite a treat to be able to experience an RPG with a group of people, and have us all be engaged. Being able to play Vesperia with a group of friends, at least for a moderate period of time, was a unique endeavour, and proved to be an amusing, if befuddling, time.
Tales of Vesperia has, like many other RPG's, an extensive amount of content. There's a vast open world to explore with many impeccably designed cities to be found. Monsters are visible on the overworld, and can be directly avoided so as to not engage in combat. Like previous games, you can find ingredients in the world to use towards cooking and creating food and items to either be used or sold. Weapon abilities are gained by using certain weapons and gaining experience with them. By doing so, you unlock abilities with enough given experience, and can then swap out for another weapon with a different set of abilities, if you so chose. These level up via Skill Points, and Learning Points.
Vesperia tells the story of a world reliant on blastia, a form of energy from a long since passed civilization that powers infrastructure and protects the cities. Blastia is also used as a powerful enhancement to members of the Imperial Knights, and others who can successfully wield it. Yuri Lowell, a former Knight, investigates a missing Blastia Core and comes into contact with one Estellise, or Estelle as she is later known, and together they venture out to locate not only the Blastia Core and its theif, but also an old friend of Yuri's, Flynn. There are other characters met along the way, such as the pipe-smoking dog Repede, the mage Rita, the (annoying) young hunter Karol, and more. You will find that Vesperia has a positively substantial voice cast, with a near fully voiced game. Character interaction is one of the highlights of the adventure, and characters interact and talk with one another not only in cutscenes, but uniquely in combat, as well as in "skits," minor events that are triggered when given a prompt on the controller while exploring the overworld. These skits are delightful mini-scenes between the characters via their portraits, and it's all fully voiced! You may of course recognize the voice of Yuri as one Troy Baker, quite a popular voice actor these days!
For my first tours into the different worlds of the Tales series, I come away very impressed indeed! There is an excellent and reliable sense of presentation and production values found in these games, and I can understand why some swear by these games and their combat systems. It is very, very, anime, so take that as you will, but that art style is something to behold, let me say. There's plenty of these games around, many having been finally localized here in the West, and I'm eager to locate and play the first entry in the series, Tales of Phantasia, either on its original Super Famicom platform, or its re-release on the Game Boy Advance.
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