Prediction

It’s no secret that the SNES was the golden era for JRPGs. Some of the most beloved games of all time came out on the system and are still regarded as the best games in their franchises. It’s also no secret that there are a vast number of games that never left Japan, leaving the western audience wanting for more. Thankfully, the Gameboy Advance was basically a portable SNES, breathing new life back into these beloved games. One such game was Tales of Phantasia, the first game in the long running Tales franchise, finally translated into English for the first time.

I’m not going to mince words here; I am not a fan of the Tales franchise. I’ve heard good things about it, I want to like it, I have attempted several of the newer titles, but I simply can’t. It entirely comes down to the battle system. It’s mostly an action RPG combat, but it’s locked to a 2D plane like a fighting game. At the same time, some of the newer games let you rotate that plane, but you’re still on a 2D plane. So, there were times where I literally couldn’t attack the enemy because they were on a different plane of existence from me. It was very frustrating, and I eventually quit. That combat system is a cornerstone of the whole franchise, so I expect it to show up here in the original game. Maybe it will be less complicated in the original though, and I’ll enjoy it better. Like I said, I WANT to like the franchise, so let’s see what the original game has to offer.

Gameplay

WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!!! IS THAT VOICE ACTING?! IN A GBA GAME?! Even considering this was originally an SNES game, voice acting is incredibly rare. Credit where credit is due, that is amazing to see, and makes me hyped for a game I expect to hate. Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled review.

The game starts with a battle cutscene. There are no names given, so we’ll just say the Hero party is fighting the Big Bad Evil Guy. Serious, look at him, he’s standing twice as tall as anyone else. Things don’t seem to be going too well for them. One party member is already down, and another just took a massive hit.

Thankfully, they managed to hold him off long enough for the mage to cast a powerful spell. A large magic circle appears in front of him and a bolt of lightning comes crashing down on the evil guy.

However, this spell doesn’t defeat him. Instead, he is transported away to a ritual site where a second party is waiting.

One of the members rushes towards the bad guy while he is still incapacitated and holds up a pendant to him. Somehow, this transforms him into stone on the alter. Based on past experience, I’m guessing his soul is probably now trapped in that pendant or something.

We then jump forward “A dozen or so years” into the future. Here, we find Cress (The blond haired boy bottom center) who has been summoned by his father.

Cress’s father, who we find out is named Miguel, asks about the condition of Cress’s mother. Apparently, she has been sick lately. Thankfully, her fever is gone, and she should be getting better now. Still, that’s an ominous flag to set.

With that info out of the way, Miguel begins to ask about the pendant Cress was given. The one he was given for his 15^th Birthday. No doubt this will be when all is revealed to him the grave importance of this pendant.

Before we could hear this crucial information, we cut away to Chester, on his way out to hunt. Leaving behind his little sister to watch over the house.

Chester runs straight for Cress’s house and starts shouting for him to come out. It would seem Chester and Cress already had plans to go hunting together. Hearing this, Miguel decides they can talk about the Pendant later. That’s another terrible flag to set this early in the game.

Cress rushes out the door to meet Chester. In the process apologizing for the delay. However, before they can leave, Cress’s mother, Maria, stops them.

As any mother would be, she’s worried about her son’s safety. There are monsters around after all. But Cress reassures her that they’ll be fine as long as they have their weapons. Chester chimes in that they’ll be fine, and she finally accepts, giving us an Apple Gel should we need it.

With that, we finally have direct control of Cress, so let’s take a look around the Village of Toltus. Right away, we run into this woman on the bridge next to Cress’s house. She’s looking out at the water with her fiancé thinking about their wedding next month. And with that, I’m calling it. All of these people are going to die. Sick but recovering mother, Father with a secret they’ll talk about later, and now a soon to be wedding. These people don’t know they’re already dead.

Shortly after we find a small boy running around, asking Cress to teach him how to sword fight. Then immediately after we see a guard hoping he never has to sound the emergency alarm bell. Could it be any more obvious they’re all going to die?

Well, we might as well explore the town while we can. On the north side of town, just across the bridge, we find the town temple. I’m not sure who exactly it is they worship, but there are a pair of statues depicting a beautiful goddess in the back corners of the temple, as well as a man feeling a bit guilty about admiring them so much.

Heading south from the temple, we found a weapon shop. Unfortunately, we can’t actually buy anything. I’m not sure if we actually have any money anyway. We don’t even get to see an inventory, we’re just given a hint that we need to equip weapons to actually use them.

With that, it appears we’ve explored everything of interest in town. So, we headed towards the exit. However, we are stopped when Tristan, whom Cress refers to as “Master”, calls out to us. It’s a brief interaction. He asks what we’re doing, and we tell him we’re going hunting in the South Forest. To which he comments that sounds nice, and then leaves town himself.

Finally exiting town ourselves, we get our first look at the overworld map. I always loved how you become basically giants as soon as you leave town. Anyway, as the name suggests, the South Forest is just a short, uneventful, trip south of town.

Not far into the forest, we spotted our target, a wild boar. Unfortunately, the wild boar also notices us and runs off. Thus, the hunt begins!

As we search the forest for the wild boar, we come upon our first random battle encounter, in this case, with a pair of Giant Bees. And with that, I have instant regret from trying this game. I have no idea what I’m doing, and there is no explanation. Thankfully there aren’t many buttons on the GBA, so it’s fairly intuitive what button is the attack button. However, why in the hell would the game make the first enemies FLYING enemies that can’t be hit with normal attacks?! Not only that, but the movement speed is painfully slow if it’s trying to be an action RPG combat system.

Thankfully, Chester has a bow, which knocks the enemies to the ground, but that just adds more questions. I don’t control Chester, only Cress. Can I switch to Chester and shoot the bow myself? I don’t know, because it doesn’t tell me. I also can’t figure out how, if it is possible. Eventually I get the idea to press the up arrow while attacking to maybe aim my attack upwards, and that actually works. With that, we successfully won our first combat encounter, but we took way too much damage in the process.

We continued searching the Forest and found a chest with a Life Bottle in it. I’m sure that will come in handy. Not long after we get another random encounter, this time with a group of 3 Owls. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! MORE FLYING ENEMIES?!

I did the best I could, but they swarmed and caused significant damage. By the time the battle was won, Cress’s health was already down in the red! On the plus side, we leveled up, and Cress even learned a new skill. I don’t know what new skill, it doesn’t say. In fact, I don’t know how to use skills, because it didn’t tell me that either.

I managed to open up the menu, and right at the top is the skills submenu. Unfortunately, I can’t make sense of any of it. I somehow managed to attach the Demon Fang attack to the up arrow, I guess? Does the up arrow just automatically do Demon Fang now?

While we’re in the menu, lets see what items we have. Looks like those Apple Gels mom gave us are going to come in handy to patch Cress up. We only have 2 though. Hopefully the forest isn’t very deep.

Checking out some of the other options leads to more confusion, but also a big of curiosity. There is a list of Strats, which I don’t understand. We can change the starting battle formation. Apparently, I can change my character’s Title? I’m not sure how that impacts anything. But there’s also a cooking system that looks interesting. I don’t have anything to cook right now, but that might be fun later on.

Oh, we even get some BIG artwork of the characters in status screen. Again, credit where credit is due, that is more than many games of the time.

In the next battle, we learn a little bit more. I found the battle menu screen to select skills. I don’t use it yet, but I at least found it. I also start to pick up on the fact that the combat needs to be more reactionary. Wait back for Chester to shoot them down before rushing in to attack.

Shortly after, we spotted the wild boar again. Sadly, it once again runs off deeper into the forest.

Sadder still, the next battle goes incredibly poorly. After some initial good hits, I got a bit cocky. To which the Owls responded in kind and brutally murdered Cress. Now he’s nothing more than a ghost haunting the battlefield…

Chester ended up finishing the battle on his own, and I was left briefly confused when we left combat. Back in the forest, Cress is walking around just fine. For a moment, I thought maybe you auto revive after battle if you win. That’s unfortunately not the case. A look at the menu tells me Cress is still incapacitated, and we’ll have to use that Life Bottle we found earlier to revive him, as well as our other Apple Gel. Hopefully nothing else bad happens, because we’re out of items now.

Thankfully, I believe we’ve made it to our destination. As we enter a clearing, Chester runs off on his own to check for the Wild Boar somewhere off screen. Meanwhile, a strange energy starts gathering by the ancient remains of this large tree in front of us.

Suddenly, a ghostly figure appears and instructs us not to defile the tree. At the same time, we’re shown a vision of the tree back when it was still green and full of life.

Clearly, Cress is just as confused as I am about that interaction. It didn’t really tell us anything. I probably wouldn’t have even given the tree a second glance had the spirit not appeared. Chester returns not long after, and senses something is off, but Cress doesn’t mention what happened.

At that moment, the Wild Boar we’ve been chasing shows up on its own and attacks us. Not only that, but it would seem this boar has 3 little babies in tow. Looks like we’re going to be murdering a whole family today.

I managed to figure out how to use the demon fang skill we set earlier, and launch multiple attacks at the Boar. However, our low TP at this level quickly depletes and we’re back to normal attacks. It also looks like the babies escaped while we were fighting the mother, because I didn’t notice either of us actually attacking them, but they seem to have left the fight.

It was a harder fight than the other random encounters, but we prevailed. This was one massive Boar, and it alone should be enough to feed the whole village. So, we headed back home with our prize.

But before we can even catch our breath, we hear the emergency bell being rung back at the village. What happened while we were hunting? There’s no time to lose, we need to get back to the village as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately for us, we’re still in the deepest part of the forest, and the monsters don’t care about our emergency. We’re also low on health, and completely out of items. So it’s better we run from battle rather than stay and fight. This is easily accomplished by running to the edge of the screen. A meter will begin filling, and when full, we will have escaped combat.

We managed to leave the forest and return to the village. It doesn’t take long to see something horrible happen. Overcome by the sight, Chester runs off alone to check his home and the safety of his family.

I know it’s cruel, and I hate to say it, but I called it. Everyone in the village is apparently dead, just as I expected they would be. The buildings have been destroyed and burned, and the village is in ruins. It’s actually quite impressive to have this much damage. We were only gone for about 15 minutes.

Returning home, Cress finds his father dead against the outer wall of their property. Cress’s mother, miraculously, is still alive, and weakly walks towards him, collapsing at his feet.

In her dying words, she tells him to flee the city and go to his uncle in the north. Whoever did this is after the pendant, and will kill Cress too if they find him.

With that, she dies, leaving Cress an orphan, and not knowing the true importance of the pendant he was gifted.

Sadly, things are no better at Chester’s house. Cress finds him on the floor over the body of his sister Ami. As the last survivors of the village, Cress suggests they leave together to his uncle’s house.

Chester, however, can’t simply leave everyone as they are. Dangerous as it may be, he insists on staying to give his family, as well as the other villagers, proper burials. Even if he has to do it alone.

Chester knows the risk he is taking and understands there is no point in both of them dying should whoever did this return. With that, Chester tells Cress to go on ahead alone, he’ll catch up as soon as he can.

As Cress leaves Chester’s house, he has perhaps the least insightful revelation I have ever seen in a main character. Remembering his mother’s words, about how they were after his pendant, he ponders if she meant the pendant he’s wearing. The one that was given to him by his father for his birthday. The only pendant we have been introduced to or referenced so far this whole game. Could she have meant THAT pendant…

Before we leave, we do another run through of the town, but it has been thoroughly destroyed. Everyone is dead, and most of the buildings have been destroyed beyond entry. There is nothing left here for us.

Leaving town, we head north, most likely to that area marked in red on the mini map. Along the way, we get jumped by a couple of bugbears and an owl. Thank God. A random encounter with something that ISN’T flying. It’s a little more difficult without Chester here to keep them at bay, but we somehow managed to defeat them.

We quickly reach a small mountain range to the north and try to pass between them. In doing so, we leave the world map and enter the mountain passage. Here, our path is immediately blocked by a stone figure. That can’t be a good sign.

The statue is too heavy for us to lift, but apparently, we’re strong enough to drag it around. So, we do just that, clearing the ominous human statue from the path. Also, we buy what we can from this random peddler situated in the middle of nowhere, as you do in RPGs, before continuing on our way.

The path ahead doesn’t look like it will be too complicated to navigate. Mostly just a single path. But of course, there will be random encounters along the way. What kinds of monsters will we encounter in the mountains? If you guessed MORE flying monsters, you’re right! We are attacked by a pair of Giant Bees while rounding the corner ahead.

Somehow, we manage to defeat the bees without too much trouble. Not wasting any time, we make a run for it. But we’re not fast enough, as we’re attacked by a flock of Owls not much farther up the path…

A few more battles later, and we actually manage to level up. We are, however, badly injured, and have very limited supplies this early in the game. Thankfully there are a few treasures sitting just ahead.

We quickly enter yet another battle, and through randomly pressing all the buttons, I think I’m starting to understand the combat a little. I believe I even managed to block an attack! But I still don’t particularly like the combat system.

Thankfully, we exit the mountain pass just up ahead, and it’s just a short walk north before we reach the City of Euclid. Hopefully we can rest here for a bit. Maybe grind up a few levels until we know what we’re doing.

Oh right, we came here to find Cress’s uncle. I’m glad Cress remembers what we’re doing. Following his instructions, we headed to the northwest side of town in search of his house.

Letting ourselves in, we thankfully find Cress’s uncle Olson and aunt Joanne. News of the attack has apparently already reached them, and we have the sad duty of informing them of Cress’s parents deaths.

With nowhere else to go, Aunt Joanne suggests we stay here a bit. We had a hard day, so likewise Uncle Olson suggests we go rest for a bit, and we take him up on his offer.

Unfortunately, in the middle of the night, soldiers show up and capture Cress. Uncle Olson has sold us out. If he hadn’t, he feared Euclid would be attacked the same as Toltus was. Cress doesn’t put up a fight, and accepts his capture…

Meanwhile, back in Toltus, Chester is finishing burying the bodies when he hears someone approaching. He takes cover to see who it is, and vows to avenge his murdered sister…

Back with Cress, we’ve been marched into a castle. With guards still flanking him, Cress is brought before a mysterious figure. No doubt this is the person who is after the pendant.

Powerless as he is at the moment, Cress still lashes out, accusing this person of attacking his village. Of course, the figure denies knowing anything about it. He does, however, take the pendant away from Cress.

Now that he has what he wants, the figure orders Cress be stripped of his weapons and thrown in the dungeon. Before we can be taken away, however, we witness the figure bring the pendant to a mirror, where what looks like a grim reaper appears before him. What could that mean?

With that, Cress is brought to the dungeon and locked away. Probably never to leave again, because we’ve already gone over our 30 minute time limit…

 

Verdict

Price – $44.97

It would seem the price has actually come down a bit. I paid roughly $70 for it when I bought it a year ago. For that price, it might be worth it to pick it up for yourself.

Play Again? – Maybe

I’m really on the fence here. I still don’t like the combat system. It NEEEEEDS a tutorial at the very least. Maybe if I look up scans of the manual, I can figure out what I’m supposed to be doing. Also, I just realized I never figured out how to save, so I’ll be starting over from the beginning if I do play again. Good thing I only played for 30 minutes.

Total Deaths – 1 Death – 0 Game Overs

So, I did die once in just my half hour of play. I’m no novice to RPGs, so I feel that’s the games fault. Still, the game provided enough items to get me to the next town and finish the prologue, so it wasn’t too bad.

Fun Rating – 8.5 / 10

From the moment the game starts, those few bits of voice acting really hit you. Voices in SNES games are rare, but they are practically unheard of in GBA games. Put that on top of beautiful sprite work, then match it with great background music, and it’s hard to not enjoy the experience. Until you get into combat. Then I want to throw my system across the room. But I love my system, so just the game. But that game was expensive when I bought it, so I’m just going to glare at it, so it knows I REALLY hate the combat. I don’t understand what I’m doing, nothing so far has explained it, and it’s not particularly intuitive. Maybe with a manual, it would be better. But the game, as presented, going in blind, is a beautiful masterpiece showcasing everything that is wonderful about the JRPG genre as a whole, sadly smeared with a turd of a combat system. I want so much to like this game. In just this first 30 minutes you can tell the game has a ton of potential. But that combat system is such a hard sell for me. The best I can say is, while I know I won’t be picking the game back up any time soon, it is absolutely not a game I am willing to abandon. I still WANT to like this game, and this franchise. I just need to get past the combat.

Dang it indeed, we never figured out how to save!

 

I hope you enjoyed this 30 Minute Review of Tales of Phantasia. If you did, like and follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Also leave your comments, suggestions, and recommendations. If you’re feeling real generous, you can even Donate to help me keep the site going. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you next time.