Tales of Graces | |
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Developer(s) | Namco Tales Studio |
Publisher(s) | Namco Bandai Games [lower-alpha 1] |
Director(s) | Kazuya Ishizuka |
Producer(s) | Hideo Baba |
Designer(s) | Tatsurou Udou |
Programmer(s) | Ryuichi Ishizawa |
Artist(s) | Mutsumi Inomata |
Writer(s) | Daisuke Kiga |
Composer(s) | Motoi Sakuraba Shinji Tamura |
Series | Tales |
Platform(s) | Wii Tales of Graces f PlayStation 3 |
Release | WiiTales of Graces f PlayStation 3 |
Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Tales of Graces [5] is an action role-playing video game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Wii. It was initially only released in Japan in December 2009. [1] It is the twelfth main installment of the Tales series. The game was ported to the PlayStation 3 under the title Tales of Graces f [lower-alpha 2] and was released in Japan in December 2010. [2] The PlayStation 3 version was localized and released in English in 2012. [3] [4]
The game takes place in a world known as Ephinea and follows Asbel Lhant. During his childhood, Asbel befriends an amnesiac girl and witnesses her death. Seven years later, he is reunited with the girl who retains her amnesia. [6]
Tales of Graces and Tales of Graces f both received positive reception in Japan. The Wii version sold over 100,000 copies while the PS3 version sold 200,000 copies during their week of release. [7] [8] The game was adapted into four manga collections, a novel series, and eight drama CDs. The English localization of Tales of Graces f received praise for the gameplay with mixed reviews for its presentation.
Tales of Graces consists primarily of two major areas: the field map and a battle screen. [9] The field map is a realistically scaled 3D environment traversed by foot. On the field maps, various skits between the characters can be viewed. They involve animated character portraits, subtitles, and full voice acting. Skits concern anything from character development to side details. The battle screen is a 3D representation of an area, in which the player commands the characters in battles against CPU-controlled enemies. [9]
During battle sequences, the game uses the Style Shift Linear Motion Battle System. [10] Four characters are chosen to battle and characters not controlled by a player are controlled by artificial intelligence with instructions set by the players beforehand. [3] The "Chain Capacity" (CC) denotes the number of skills and actions a character can perform. [9] Usage brings the CC down and is recharged over time. During battle, the player and enemy has an "Eleth Gauge". When the Eleth Gauge is filled, the user or the enemy receive unlimited CC and become resistant to stunning. [9] Each character has two skill systems: "Assault Artes" which are pre-determined combos and "Burst Artes" which can be mapped to specific inputs. [3] Skill and attribute development are dependent on "Titles" and their levels. [11] Titles are earned through story progression and completion of miscellaneous criteria during battle. Each Title has five levels which are advanced by completing battles. [11]
This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience.(April 2023) |
The game takes place in a fictional world called Ephinea. Ephinea is divided into three countries: Windor, Strahta, and Fendel. Asbel Lhant, Hubert Lhant, and Cheria Barnes are children from Lhant, a village of Windor. One day, the three befriend an amnesiac girl from outside their village who they name Sophie. [Game 1] That same day, Lhant is visited by Richard, the prince of Windor, who befriends the four of them. Richard returns to Barona, Windor's capital city, and invites them to sneak into his castle via a secret passage. [Game 2] There, the four are mortally wounded by an unknown monster but are saved when Sophie sacrifices herself. Asbel regains consciousness in Lhant and is told about Sophie's death and Hubert's political adoption into the Oswell family to secure Asbel's future as the Lord of Lhant. Daunted over Sophie's death and the political events at home, Asbel runs away from home and enrolls in the Barona knight academy. [Game 3]
Seven years later, Asbel learns from Cheria that his father died defending Lhant from an invasion by Fendel. [Game 4] The two return to Lhant and are saved from Fendel's army by Sophie and later Hubert with the Stratha military. Hubert reveals Stratha has been ordered by Windor to secure Lhant and assumes the position of Lord after banishing Asbel from the village. [Game 5] Hearing rumors of Richard's death, the party investigate and find him in the castle's secret passage. Richard explains his father was killed by his uncle, Cedric, who then assumed the throne. [Game 6]
The three travel to meet a trusted Duke and are joined by Pascal, a prodigy from an engineering tribe known as the Amarcians. [Game 7] With the Duke's army, the party overthrows Cedric and Richard regains the throne. [Game 8]
Richard orders an invasion of Lhant to rid it of Stratha's control, forcing the party to betray him. [Game 9] Acknowledging Hubert's efforts as Lord of Lhant, Asbel and the party, joined by Malik Caesar, travel to Stratha to negotiate with the government to formally instate Hubert as Lord. The government agrees on the pretense that Pascal fixes Stratha's valkines, a large crystal which supplies a life sustaining energy known as eleth; Pascal succeeds but Richard appears and absorbs the valkines' eleth, and flees. [Game 10] The party learn Windor's valkines has also been absorbed and plan to intercept Richard at the final valkines in Fendel. [Game 11] Hubert joins the party as they travel to Fendel but fail to stop Richard. Deducing the Lastalia, the planet's core, is Richard's target, the party find Richard there; Richard mortally injures Sophie before sealing the entrance to the Lastalia. [Game 12]
The party is unable to heal Sophie with magic or medicine, so Pascal suggests the party travel to Fodra, a nearby planet that Sophie originates from, to find a cure. [Game 13] After finding a space shuttle left by Pascal's ancestors, the party travel to Fodra where they meet Emeraude, the last remaining human on the desolated planet. [Game 14] Using advanced machinery, Sophie is healed and regains her memories, revealing she is a biological humanoid engineered to defeat Lambda, the monster that attacked them in their childhood and is currently possessing Richard. [Game 15] Emeraude helps the party bypass the barrier on the Lastalia where they confront and defeat Richard. Emeraude betrays the party and attempts to absorb Lambda's power but dies in the process. [Game 16] Lambda begins to fuse with the Lastalia, causing the party to see his memories and learn about his suffering caused by humanity. [Game 17] The party defeats the materialized Lambda; since Lambda can not be killed by normal means, Sophie intends to sacrifice herself to kill him. Instead, Asbel absorbs and convinces Lambda to let him show humanity's worth. Lambda agrees before falling into a deep sleep. [Game 18]
In the after-story Lineage and Legacies, the monster population has become an epidemic, forcing Asbel and his friends to reunite and investigate the cause. [Game 19] Hypothesizing that the eleth from Fodra is influencing the monsters, the party travel there and discover Fodra's core has reactivated. They learn the core is sentient and wants revenge on the humans for Fodra's environmental decay. The party defeats Fodra's soldiers, the Little Queens, and have the reawakened Lambda absorb Fodra's consciousness. In doing so, Lambda returns to his deep sleep in order to dissuade Fodra's hatred. The party separates and returns to their daily life, concluding with Asbel proposing to Cheria. In the distant future, Sophie shares the story of the party's adventure with Asbel and Cheria's great-great-grandson.
Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai, Yuki Kaida (childhood) (Japanese); Bryce Papenbrook, Kate Higgins (childhood), (English)
Asbel is the eldest son and successor to Aston Lhant, the Lord of the village Lhant. After Sophie's death and Hubert's adoption into the Oswell family, Asbel leaves for Barona where he trains to be a knight in order to atone for his failure to protect Sophie. [Game 20] After the events of Tales of Graces, he assumes the position as Lord. In Lineage and Legacies, he marries Cheria and adopts Sophie into the Lhant family. Since his debut, Asbel has ranked third in the Tales character popularity polls. [12] [13]
Asbel is a playable character in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 , Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave and is a character class in Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon X . He also makes a cameo in .hack//Link 's pre-order DVD. [14] The game's producer, Hideo Baba, wanted Asbel's story to portray the need to conform to social guidelines and expectations as one grows up. [15] Through Asbel's conflict on succeeding his father's Lordship or following his dreams as a Knight, Baba wanted the players to understand the importance in protecting what is important to them and to follow through with their own path and dreams. [15]
Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa (Japanese); Cassandra Lee Morris (English)
Sophie is an amnesiac girl Asbel, Hubert, Cheria, and Richard befriend. She is seemingly killed after protecting them from Lambda. She reappears seven years later when Asbel and Cheria were in danger. Sophie is revealed to be Protos Heis, a humanoid made of tiny particles acting in concert with each other. Her death seven years ago is explained as Sophie breaking up into particles residing inside Asbel, Hubert, and Cheria to heal their wounds and is the reason the three possess mystical powers. [Game 21] During the events of Lineage and Legacies, Sophie expresses her fears of life after the death of her friends due to her immortality. [Game 22] To lessen her fears, Asbel formally adopts her into the Lhant family. [Game 23] After fusing with a Little Queen, Sophie ages to an adult and is able to express a greater variety of emotions. Since her debut, Sophie has ranked on the Tales character popularity polls. [12] [13] Sophie is a playable character in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3.
Voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima, Mikako Takahashi (childhood) (Japanese); Steve Staley (English)
Hubert is Asbel's younger brother. He is fostered into the Oswell family to secure Asbel's succession to Lord. [Game 24] Hubert resents Asbel for deserting Lhant, perceiving the act as spiting his sacrifice, and his parents for abandoning him. [Game 25] [Game 26] He overcomes his anger when he reunites with his family seven years later. Due to his capabilities, he is appointed the lieutenant of the Strahta military. Hubert ranked on the fifth Tales character popularity poll and fell from the rankings afterwards. [12] [13] He makes a cameo in Tales of Hearts R dressed as the Sony mascot Kuro. [16]
Voiced by: Shiho Kawaragi (Japanese); Laura Bailey (English)
Cheria is the granddaughter of Lhant's family butler. She was sickly as a child but is healed due to Sophie's powers. She harbors a crush on Asbel but treats him coldly after he leaves Lhant. She later reveals her sorrow in having Asbel abandon her and reconciles with him. [Game 27] She also becomes Asbel's wife. Since her debut, Cheria has ranked on the Tales character popularity polls. [12] [13] Game Informer listed Cheria as one of the best characters in the Tales series. [17] Cheria is a playable character in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 and Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave.
Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa, Yuko Sanpei (childhood); David Vincent, Wendee Lee (childhood) (English)
Richard is the prince of Windor who befriends Asbel and Sophie after his visit to Lhant. Before meeting Asbel, Richard has a strong distrust in others due to others using his status for their own gain and his uncle Cedric's attempts to murder him. [Game 28] When Cedric poisoned and left him to die in the underground passage, Lambda saves his life by fusing with him. Seven years later, Lambda's influence causes Richard to become violent and urges him to destroy humanity by fusing with the Lastalia. After separating from Lambda, Richard is determined to atone for his crimes which causes his popularity to soar in all three countries. [Game 29] Since his debut, Richard has ranked on the Tales character popularity polls. [12] [13]
Voiced by: Hiroki Tochi (Japanese); Jamison Price (English)
Malik is Asbel's instructor at the knight academy. His maturity and gentlemanly demeanor makes him popular with women. In the past, he was a revolutionist of Fendel who wanted more for the lower class. After the events of the game, Malik becomes Fendel's ambassador. He is voiced by Hiroki Touchi. [18] Malik ranked on the fifth Tales character popularity poll and fell from the rankings since then. [12] [13] He makes a cameo in .hack//Link's pre-order DVD. [14]
Voiced by: Kana Ueda (Japanese); Kate Higgins (English)
Pascal is an Amarcian prodigy, a tribe of engineers. She has a hyperactive personality and is fascinated in mysterious technology and in Sophie's origins. Since her debut, Pascal has ranked on the Tales character popularity polls. [12] [13] She makes a cameo in Tales of Hearts R dressed as the Sony mascot Toro Inoue. [16]
Voiced by: Shigeru Nakahara (Japanese); Keith Silverstein (English)
Lambda is an advanced lifeform created on Fodra. His mistreatment by humans fueled his hatred towards them. During the party's childhood, he resides inside Richard after he was injured by Sophie and as a result, saved Richard's life. Seven years later, Lambda is reawakened when Richard receives a fatal wound. Lambda empowers Richard and manipulates him to achieve his goals of destroying humanity. After he is defeated by the party, Lambda is absorbed by Asbel who convinces him to give humans a chance. In Lineage and Legacies, he absorbs Fodra's consciousness to dissuade her hatred as Asbel did for him. [Game 30]
Fodra is a sentient desolated planet. A thousand years ago, Fodra started annihilating humanity with its personal army, the Little Queen [Jp 1] , to preserve its environment. [Game 31] Fodra's scientists were able to shut down Fodra's core and relocate the surviving humans to Ephinea. In Lineage and Legacies, Fodra is reactivated and resumes its genocide. It is confronted by the party, forcing it to merge the remaining Little Queens to form Fodra Queen [Jp 2] which is defeated by the party. Fodra's consciousness is then absorbed by Lambda who intends to dissuade its hatred. As the last Little Queen nears death, Sophie accepts her request to merge and watch over Fodra. [Game 32]
On July 7, 2008, Namco Bandai Games announced the next core product of the Tales series is developed for the Wii. [19] A trailer for the game was shown in October 2008 during the Nintendo Autumn 2008 Conference. [20] During Jump Festa 2009, the game was given the code name Tales of 10 (テイルズ オブ 10, Teiruzu Obu 10) and is revealed to have been in development for the past two years. [21] In the first week of April's Weekly Shōnen Jump, the game's name was revealed to be Tales of Graces; [22] the name was trademarked by Namco Bandai Games a month prior. [23] That same week, the developers were revealed to the same developers from Tales of Destiny . [24] In the same month, the game's theme was revealed to be Mamoru Tsuyosa wo Shiru RPG (守る強さを知るRPG, lit. "RPG to Know the Strength to Protect"). [6] During the September Tokyo Game Show, the game's theme song was revealed to be Mamoritai (White Wishes) by BoA, which marks the second time a theme song in the Tales series has had both an English version and a Japanese version. [25] The game was released on December 10, 2009, and was also available as a bundle with a new Wii system. [1] The game included Kamenin Merchant! (かめにんマーチャント!, lit. "Turtle Merchant!"), a minigame for the Nintendo DS. [26] Kamenin Merchant! was released for the Nintendo DSi on December 2, 2009. [27] To promote the game, Namco Bandai Games and House Foods collaborated on packaged mabo curry. [28] In March 2010, Namco Bandai Games began to recall Tales of Graces due to software bugs. [29] Namco allowed customers to exchange their game with an updated version until July 2011. [29]
The PlayStation 3 port, titled Tales of Graces f, was first revealed on July 28, 2010's Weekly Shōnen Jump and officially announced by Namco on August 2, 2010. [30] [31] The producer, Hideo Baba, explained the port was decided in February 2010 due to fan demand. [32] The port adds an "Accelerate Mode" to the gameplay and an after-story entitled Lineage & Legacies. [10] Preorderers received a DVD which contains a video of the game's protagonists meeting with characters from Tales of Destiny 2 . [2] A demo was released on October 7, 2010, and the game was released on December 2, 2010. [2] [33] A limited edition of the game included a letter set. [34] Namco and House Foods restarted the packaged mabo curry to promote the game. [35] Tales of Graces f was later re-released with a 15th anniversary cover art edition on August 4, 2011, and with PlayStation 3 The Best label on August 2, 2012. [36] [37]
A North American localization was hinted on Namco Bandai Games' Facebook page by a puzzle on January 24, 2011. [38] When solved, the puzzle reveals a URL to a distorted image which was restored on February 2, 2011, and reveals Tales of Graces f's localization for North America. [39] [40] On May 11, 2011, Namco officially announced the North American, EMEA and Asia-Pacific localization of Tales of Graces f. [41] [42] The text was translated by 8-4 while Cup of Tea Productions produced the dubbing. [43] [44] The North American localization was released on March 13, 2012. [3] The EMEA and Asia-Pacific localization released on August 31, 2012, along with a day one special edition. [4] The game was made available on the North American and European PlayStation Network in March 2013. [45] [46]
Tales of Graces offers costumes for the playable characters as downloadable content. Pre-orderers received codes which give Asbel, Sophie, and Cheria costumes from Tales of Vesperia . [47] Costumes based on The Idolmaster Dearly Stars for Sophie, Cheria, and Pascal were released on December 16, 2009. [48] On December 23, 2009, a Hatsune Miku costume for Sophie and a suit set for Asbel, Hubert, and Malik were released. [49] [50] Between January and March 2010, a set of unique costumes designed by Mutsumi Inomata were released for each character. [51] [52] In addition to the costumes, challenge battles were also added as downloadable content. [53]
Tales of Graces f received similar content as its Wii predecessor. Pre-orderers received a code which gives Asbel, Sophie, and Richard costumes from Tales of Destiny 2 . [2] On the release date, Code Geass costumes, a Toro costume for Pascal, and Sophie's Hatsune Miku costume were made available to download. [54] On December 9, 2010, the Idolmaster set, suit set, school uniform set, and a Haseo costume for Asbel were released. [52] [55] The unique costumes designed by Inomata were released on December 22, 2010. [52] In January 2011, various costumes were released to make the characters resemble other characters from the Tales series. [56]
In North America, all Tales of Graces f's DLC, excluding cameo costumes from other franchises, was localized and released between March 13, 2012, and April 10, 2012. [57] [58] Europe received the same DLC which were released between August 29, 2012, and September 26, 2012. [59] [60] For the Tales of Destiny 2 preorder costumes, North American preorders from GameStop received a code for them; [61] in Europe, the code was included with the day one special edition. [4]
Tales of Graces spawned four manga adaptations after its release: Three anthology collections, and a traditional manga series. [62] [63] The first anthology collection, Tales of Graces Comic Anthology [Jp 3] consists of three volumes by Ichijinsha. [62] The second anthology collection, Tales of Graces f Comic Anthology [Jp 4] , consists of a single volume by Ichijinsha and was released on March 25, 2011. [63] The third anthology collection is Tales of Graces f Sub Travels [Jp 5] was serialized in ASCII Media Works's Viva Tales of Magazine Volume 8, 2011 to Volume 10, 2012 issues. [64] [65] The individual chapters were then collected and released in a single volume on November 27, 2012, under the Dengeki Comics imprint. [66] A traditional manga series titled Tales of Graces f is written and authored by Megumu Aya [Jp 6] . It began serialization in Viva Tales of Magazine beginning in its Volume 2, 2011 issue and is currently ongoing. [67] ASCII Media Works collected the chapters and released the first volume on October 27, 2011. [63]
Tales of Graces spun off a novel series titled "Tales of Graces f: Chikai no Hana" (テイルズ オブ グレイセス エフ 誓いの花, lit. Tales of Graces f: Flower's Promise). [63] The first volume is subtitled Jō (上, lit. Above) and the second Ka (下, lit. Below). They were released by Enterbrain in February and May 2011. [63] Tales of Graces f Official Scenario Book [Jp 7] by Namco Bandai Games was released by Yamashita Books on June 4, 2012. [68] It details the game's plot and fictional world. Tales of Graces has received six strategy guides in total: three for the Wii and three for the PS3. Shueisha, Namco Bandai Games, and Enterbrain were the publishers. [62] [63]
Ten drama CDs, produced by Frontier Works, and an original soundtrack by Avex Group were created based on the game. [69] [70] Drama CD: Tales of Graces [Jp 8] 1 to 4 are side stories that take place during the game's plot. They were released between May 26, 2010, and August 25, 2010. [69] Anthology Drama CD: Tales of Graces f 2010 Winter [Jp 9] , Anthology Drama CD: Tales of Graces f 2011 Summer [Jp 10] , Anthology Drama CD: Tales of Graces f 2012 Winter [Jp 11] , Anthology Drama CD: Tales of Graces f 2012 Summer [Jp 12] , Anthology Drama CD: Tales of Graces f 2013 Winter [Jp 13] , and Anthology Drama CD: Tales of Graces f 2013 Summer [Jp 14] are side stories after the events of the Tales of Graces. [70] [71] [72] Tales of Graces Original Soundtrack [Jp 15] was released on February 10, 2010, and contains four discs. [69] It ranked 128th on Oricon's charts. [73]
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
GameRankings | 78.96% [74] |
Metacritic | 77/100 [75] |
Publication | Score |
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Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8/10 [76] |
Eurogamer | 8/10 [77] |
Famitsu | 36/40 (Wii) [78] 37/40 (PS3) [79] |
Game Informer | 7.75/10 [80] |
GameSpot | 7/10 [81] |
GamesRadar+ | 8/10 [82] |
GamesTM | 6/10 [83] |
GameTrailers | 6.7/10 [84] |
IGN | No Rating [3] |
Joystiq | [11] |
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | 7/10 [85] |
Play | 77% [86] |
Publication | Award |
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Japan Game Awards | Future Division Award [87] (Wii) |
Tales of Graces sold 113,000 copies on its initial launch date, and sales reached 216,000 within its first year. [7] [88] The game was re-released under the Nintendo Selects label on March 24, 2011. [89] Famitsu praised the depth of the gameplay but criticized the loading time. [78] The game was listed on Famitsu's "Greatest Games of All-Time" in 2010. [90] Tales of Graces f sold over 200,000 copies in Japan during its first week and reached over 300,000 a year later. [8] [91] Tales of Graces f was later re-released under PlayStation 3 The Best label on August 2, 2012. [36] Famitsu repeated their praise of the gameplay and lauded the graphical upgrades. [79] A survey by ASCII Media Works's Dengeki Online in 2011 revealed Tales of Graces is ranked seventh on games readers would want to be adapted into an anime. [92]
For the English localization of Tales of Graces f, critics praised the gameplay while the presentation received mixed reviews. IGN described the battle system as "a beautiful ebb and flow to each confrontation" while GameSpot considered it to be the most technical and robust system of the Tales series. [3] [81] Electronic Gaming Monthly and Joystiq praised the depth with the latter calling it "an actual challenge instead of mindless button-pressing". [11] [76] Meanwhile, Game Informer considered the combat to be simple but fun. [80] Critics have also commented on the game's alchemy system, with IGN calling it "an approachable pursuit" and Joystiq describing it as "unwieldy" due to the number of collectibles. [3] [11] IGN, Game Informer, GamesRadar, and GameTrailers all criticized the backtracking needed in the game. [3] [80] [82] [84] GameInformer, GameSpot, and GameTrailers commented on the small world, with GameTrailers panning the linear pathways and "invisible walls" which prevent exploration along with the "cut and paste" dungeons. [80] [81] [84]
The plot, graphics, and audio have received mixed reviews. The plot and characters have been called cliché by Game Informer, GameSpot, and GamesRadar. [80] [81] [82] Game Informer called the childhood prologue monotonous but commented on the improving story after the time skip. [80] GameSpot agreed, calling the prologue the "weakest part of the story on its own" but "crucial point of reference" which adds depth and eventually breaks away from the cliché. [81] GamesRadar shared the same opinion as GameSpot and praised Richard's transformation into a villain. [82] As for the graphics, IGN considered them outdated while Joystiq described it as washed-out with jerky movements. [3] [11] For the audio, IGN, Game Informer, and GamesRadar, considered the music underwhelming and the voice acting acceptable. IGN describes the voice acting "works" but some parts suffer from weak script. [3] Game Informer compared the voices to a well-produced anime and GamesRadar considered them fitting for the characters. [80] [82] Meanwhile, GameTrailers criticized the presentation completely, citing the plot as predictable, the characters unengaging, the lightings flat, animations stiff, lipsyncing off, forgettable music, and the voice acting as dry. [84]
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: CS1 maint: postscript (link)Namco Tales Studio (March 13, 2012). Tales of Graces f (PlayStation 3). Namco Bandai Games.
The Tales series is a franchise of fantasy role-playing video games published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, and developed by its subsidiary, Namco Tales Studio until 2011 and presently by Bandai Namco Studios. First begun in 1995 with the development and release of Tales of Phantasia for the Super Famicom, the series currently spans seventeen main titles, multiple spin-off games and supplementary media in the form of manga series, anime series, and audio dramas.
Tales of Symphonia is an action role-playing video game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco for the GameCube. The fifth main installment of the Tales series, it was released in Japan on August 29, 2003, in North America on July 13, 2004 and in Europe on November 19, 2004. In Japan, the game was ported for the PlayStation 2 with additional content and was released on September 22, 2004.
Tales of Eternia, known as Tales of Destiny II in its original North America release, is an action role-playing game published by Namco as the third main title in their Tales series. Initially released for the PlayStation in November 2000 in Japan, an English version was later released in North America in September 2001. It was developed by members of Telnet Japan's "Wolfteam", who had previously worked on its predecessors Tales of Phantasia and Tales of Destiny. The game's producers gave it the characteristic genre name RPG of Eternity and Bonds. A port was released for the PlayStation Portable handheld in Japan in March 2005, and the PAL region in February 2006.
Tales of Destiny is an action role-playing game originally developed by Telenet Japan's "Wolf Team" as the second main title in Namco's "Tales of" series. Originally released for the PlayStation in Japan in December 1997, an English version was later made available in North America in September 1998. The game features many of the same development staff as its predecessor, Tales of Phantasia, including composers Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura, with character designs by series newcomer Mutsumi Inomata. Its producers gave it the characteristic genre name RPG of Destiny. A remake for the PlayStation 2 was released in November 2006, which was followed by an updated version called Tales of Destiny Director's Cut in January 2008, both exclusive to Japan. The remake was also given its own unique genre name by its producers as RPG called 'Destiny'.
Tales of Legendia is an action role-playing game that was developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2 as the seventh main title in their Tales series. Originally released in Japan in August 2005, it was later made available in English in North America in February 2006. The game was created by a development team known collectively as "Project MelFes", which was composed of members of Namco's Tales Studio along with developers from the company's Tekken and Soulcalibur fighting game series. It features character designs from anime artist Kazuto Nakazawa and music from composer Go Shiina, as well as songs performed by Do As Infinity, Donna Burke, and Kanon. Its producers gave it the characteristic genre name RPG Where Bonds Spin Legends.
Tales of Rebirth is a Japanese action role-playing game published for the PlayStation 2. It is the sixth main entry of Namco's Tales series of video games. The game was developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco Games. The game was released for the PlayStation 2 on December 16, 2004, and then later re-released on the PlayStation Portable on March 19, 2008. Rebirth, set in a world populated by humans (Huma) and beast people (Gajuma), follows the adventures of Veigue Lungberg, a human whose friend Claire Bennett is kidnapped by agents of Agarte, heir to the throne of the kingdom of Karegia. Setting out to rescue Claire, Veigue and those who join him becomes entangled in escalating racial conflicts consuming the land.
Tales of the Abyss is an action role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio as the eighth main title in their Tales series in celebration of the series' 10th anniversary. Originally released for the PlayStation 2, the game was published by Namco in Japan in December 2005, and Bandai Namco Games in North America in October 2006. Its development team included director Yoshito Higuchi, producer Makoto Yoshizumi, and character artist Kōsuke Fujishima. The game features music by series composers Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura, and includes the opening theme song "Karma" by Bump of Chicken, which is replaced with the instrumental version in the western release. Namco has given Tales of the Abyss the characteristic genre name To Know the Meaning of One's Birth RPG. A port for the Nintendo 3DS handheld was released in Japan in June 2011, followed by an Australian and European release in November 2011 and a North American release in February 2012.
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Tales of Innocence is an action role-playing game, developed and released for the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Vita. Innocence is the ninth main installment in the Tales series, developed by Alfa System and published by Bandai Namco Games. It was released in December 2007. A remake for the Vita developed by 7th Chord, Tales of Innocence R, was released in January 2012. Multiple elements are carried over from previous entries in the series, including the action-based Linear Motion Battle System. Innocence R includes both an updated battle system and additional story content. Both versions remain exclusive to Asia.
Tales of Vesperia is an action role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio. The tenth mainline entry in the Tales series, it was released for the Xbox 360 and published in Japan and North America by Namco Bandai Games in 2008, and in European territories by Atari in 2009. An expanded port of the game for the PlayStation 3 was released in 2009 in Japan. An enhanced version, subtitled Definitive Edition, was released for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in January 2019. The gameplay is similar to previous Tales games, featuring a new version of the series' trademark action-based "Linear Motion Battle System", while also introducing new elements such as online leaderboards.
Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon X is a remake of the Game Boy Color role-playing video game, Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon, for the PlayStation Portable developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco Bandai. It released in Japan on August 5, 2010. The original game was the first sequel in the Tales series, which normally does not have connected storylines. The story begins 205 years after the beginning of Tales of Phantasia. The game's theme song is Glass Flower and was sung by Hanako Oku.
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 is the sixth entry in the Tales of the World series, and the third entry in the Radiant Mythology series. Like most of the "Tales Of" games, the game is only available in Japanese. Like other games in the series, it features a group of characters from various Tales games.
Project X Zone is a crossover tactical role-playing game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Monolith Soft with assistance from Capcom and Red Entertainment and published by Namco Bandai Games. The game is a follow-up to the 2005 video game Namco × Capcom and features characters from Namco Bandai, Capcom, and Sega. The game was released on October 11, 2012 in Japan; June 25, 2013 in North America; and July 5, 2013 in Europe. The game received mixed to positive reviews on release; praise went towards the game's cast, combat system, and presentation, but criticism was directed at its repetitive gameplay and confusing storyline.
Tales of the World: Tactics Union is a tactical role-playing game released for Android mobile devices by Bandai Namco Games. It is a spinoff of the Tales series of video games. It was released on July 2, 2012 in Japan, with no announcement towards release in English speaking regions. In January 2013, the game was ported to the iOS platform, and in October 2014, a 3DS version entitled Tales of the World: Reve Unitia was released as well.
Tales of the World: Dice Adventure was a web browser-based board game in the Tales series of video games. It was released on April 26, 2012 in Japanese language only, though it was playable in any region with a Namco Bandai ID. Service for the title official ended on June 28, 2013.
Tales of Xillia is an action role-playing game released exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It is the thirteenth main installment of the Tales series and is developed by Namco Tales Studio with Namco Bandai Games as the publisher. The game was released in Japan on September 7, 2011, and was localized in North America and PAL region in August 2013. The game takes place in a fictional world called Rieze Maxia where humans and ethereal spirits live in harmony. It follows Jude Mathis and Milla Maxwell who elude government officials after sabotaging a weapon of mass destruction known as the Lance of Kresnik. The plot's central theme is Yuruginaki shinnen no RPG.
Tales of Xillia 2 is an action role-playing game for the PlayStation 3 released on November 1, 2012, in Japan. It is the fourteenth core product in the Tales series and was developed and published by Bandai Namco Games. The game was localized for North America and Europe in August 2014.
Tales of Phantasia is an action role-playing video game developed by Wolf Team and published by Namco for the Super Famicom. Originally released only in Japan in December 1995, it is the first title in the Tales series. it was later ported to a number of other platforms, including a Japan-exclusive version for the PlayStation in December 1998 and a Game Boy Advance version published by Namco in Japan in August 2003 and later published by Nintendo in North America and Europe in March 2006, which marked the first time the game was officially available in English. A PlayStation Portable remake known as Tales of Phantasia Full Voice Edition followed in September 2006, featuring full voice acting during story scenes, which was later included with further enhancements as part of Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon X in June 2010. The game's producers have given it the characteristic genre name Legendary RPG beginning with the PlayStation version, with the Full Voice Edition given the moniker Legendary RPG Embellished with Voices. An unofficial fan translation of the original Super Famicom version was released on February 12, 2001 by Dejap.