| >> Review (SNES) by a745 - Tales of Phantasia |
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The first time I played this game, it sort of reminded me of Final Fantasy I. The graphics were not that good, but of course, this is understandable because I was playing the SFC version. One thing I didn't like about this game was the annoyingly high encounter rate. It was like, having an enemy encounter EVERY 10 SECONDS (I later found out that this was toned down in the GBA and PSX versions). But seriously, this game is in the "oh crud we're so underrated" list of games...
First off, I have to admit that the game's storyline is somewhat cliche. It's another saving the world plot (but then again, most RPGs are like that). What will get you hooked however, are the in-depth character relations/backgrounds, plus some out of the blue plot twists. This, after all, is what started the Tales series. Not only is the story quite absorbing (even if it is normal), but you'll find most of the series' humor all packed in this little game. It's a great balance of devotion, angst, romance, and humor. It's definitely fit for all ages.
The one main thing to note about ToP is its introduction of Tales' Linear Motion Battle System (LMBS). This unique battle system which features real-time battles came as both a treat and a nuisance to some players. A treat because it lets players experience engaging in battles quite near to the real thing (what, you expect to be able to pause while in a real battle?), and a nuisance because some players want to relax during their games, and just push buttons here and there. For hard core RPG gamers however, this game was simply win. The problem is that the original LMBS is quite slow and repetitive compared to its successors, so gamers may experience boredom from pressing that attack button again and again and again...
What won me over in this game are the characters, their designs, and their backgrounds. Kosuke Fujishima really outdoes himself by introducing beautifully designed characters, all of which are just so lovable. Safe to say that most of the characters here are still part of Namco's Top 30 character poll each time. So much love is shown for them that these characters appear as cameos in various ways in the succeeding games.
Anyway, back to the game. Some say this game didn't really impact many people because it was developed by WolfTeam. Now I don't really know the background behind this, but I say its because of misjudgment. As I said, if you have nothing else to do, and are looking for a light game to finish (plus a nice soundtrack to listen to), then consider ToP. If you're someone looking for a game to spend more than 80 hours on, then look for a PS2 game.
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| >>Rating by a745 |
Note: When we rate, we compare them to games that came from the same platform.
|| Storyline - 5/10 - It's a mix of FF1 and Chrono Trigger, plus some other time traveling games. Go figure.
|| Gameplay - 6/10 - Despite LMBS being exciting, it gets old as the game gets to the middle.
|| Music - 8/10 - There are some pretty catchy tunes here, mainly Fighting of Spirit :)
|| Graphics - 8/10 - Super-deformed cuteness at its best. The towns are laid out quite nicely too.
|| Replay - 7/10 - If you're looking for something to do, then sure.
Overall:
|| 6.8/10
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