Tales of Symphonia remains one of the most influential JRPGs ever made. More than twenty years after its original release, its greatest strengths are still its storytelling, worldbuilding, and memorable cast. While its narrative has stood the test of time, many of its gameplay systems have not—and this remaster does surprisingly little to address them.
The story is unquestionably the game’s defining achievement. What begins as a familiar fantasy adventure gradually evolves into something far more ambitious, tackling mature themes while constantly rewarding the player’s curiosity. The characters are consistently engaging, and the world is crafted with an impressive level of care, making exploration feel meaningful throughout most of the adventure.
Combat, however, is much more of a mixed bag. While functional and occasionally satisfying, it lacks the fluidity and depth. Over the course of such a lengthy adventure, battles become repetitive, and the mechanics begin to show their age. The gameplay supports the story, but it’s average at best.
Visually, the cel-shaded art style has aged reasonably well. The character designs still have charm, but the presentation is merely adequate. Environments can feel simplistic, animations are limited, and the remaster does little to make the game feel refreshed. It looks acceptable, but it never impresses. This is a game whose presentation could have been dramatically improved with more effort.
The soundtrack is consistently enjoyable and complements the adventure well. While it features several memorable tracks, it is the story—not the audiovisual presentation—that leaves the strongest lasting impression.
The game’s greatest flaw is its pacing. For a large portion of the adventure, the story moves at an excellent pace, constantly introducing new ideas and keeping the player invested. However, the final stretch significantly overstays its welcome. The game repeatedly reaches moments that feel like natural conclusions before continuing onward, causing the ending to lose momentum and making the experience feel considerably longer than necessary.
The remaster itself is, unfortunately, the weakest part of the package.
Beyond higher resolutions and minor visual touch-ups, there are virtually no meaningful quality-of-life improvements. Features that have become standard in modern JRPG remasters—battle speed-up, movement speed options, streamlined menus, improved UI, faster animations, or other conveniences that respect the player’s time—are absent.
Even more disappointing, this version is based off a 30 FPS PS3 port and, while perfectly playable, contributes to the feeling that this version is more of a cheap port than a thoughtfully modernized remaster.
Considering how beloved Tales of Symphonia is, the presentation could have been so much better. This release feels like a missed opportunity to give one of the genre’s classics the definitive edition it deserved.
Despite these shortcomings, Tales of Symphonia could be worth playing today because its storytelling carries the experience. Its exceptional narrative, memorable world, and lovable cast overcome dated mechanics. However, I can’t really recommend this version as the one to play.
Story: 9/10
Worldbuilding: 9/10
Combat: 7.0/10
Graphics & Presentation: 6.5/10
Music: 8.0/10
Pacing: 6.0/10
Remaster Quality: 3.0/10
Overall: 6.93/10
As a game, Tales of Symphonia remains a JRPG classic whose storytelling has earned its legendary reputation. As a remaster, however, it falls well short of expectations. With virtually no quality-of-life improvements, a 30 FPS cap, and only modest visual enhancements, this release misses the chance to become the definitive way to experience one of the series’ best stories and characters.
Now that Bandai Namco’s Tales Remaster Project is taking a more serious approach to remastering older titles, they should instead prioritize Tales of Symphonia over more modern entries such as the latest release of Tales of Berseria Remastered.
