{"id":134490,"date":"2023-08-29T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-154644"},"modified":"2023-08-29T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T17:00:00","slug":"anniversary-tales-of-symphonia-became-a-gamecube-jrpg-favourite-20-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2023\/08\/29\/anniversary-tales-of-symphonia-became-a-gamecube-jrpg-favourite-20-years-ago\/","title":{"rendered":"Anniversary: Tales Of Symphonia Became A GameCube JRPG Favourite 20 Years Ago"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n
\"Tales<\/a>
Image: Bandai Namco<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On 29th August 2003, the Journey of Regeneration began…<\/p>\n

Tales of Symphonia<\/a> is celebrating its 20th anniversary in Japan today. The action RPG made a real splash when it launched on the GameCube \u2014 its international release followed a year later in 2004, and it has seen numerous ports to the PlayStation 2 (Japan only), PlayStation 3, Steam, and now modern consoles.<\/p>\n

We’ve talked about the GameCube being a bit starved in terms of JRPGs, which is why Tales of Symphonia felt like such a significant moment for fans of the genre. Its use of cel-shaded visuals, anime cutscenes, and full English voice acting (which, despite being a little cheesy, many are pretty fond of) combined with the action combat made this an RPG fan favourite back in the mid-2000s.<\/p>\n

For many, it was also their first taste of the Tales series, Bandai Namco’s flagship RPG series. In North America, the franchise may have made its debut on the PlayStation with Tales of Destiny<\/a>, but Symphonia was the first game in the series to reach Europe.<\/p>\n

[embedded content]
The original opening in North America and Europe. Ah, memories…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Acting as a distant prequel to the first game in the series \u2014 the Super Famicom’s Tales of Phantasia<\/a> \u2014 Symphonia follows Lloyd Irving, whose best friend is the Chosen, a person who is picked to go on a journey to restore mana to the world. Lloyd accompanies Colette alongside his best friend Genis in order to protect her, but the group discover secrets about the world order as they go.<\/p>\n

The story isn’t entirely original, but what makes Symphonia (and other games in the series) resonate with so many is the cast of characters. Lloyd is a highly relatable protagonist \u2014 straightforward, acts without thinking, but passionate about what he believes in. Other highlights include Zelos, a flirtatious Chosen who sasses basically everyone<\/em>, and Kratos, a mercenary with a strong sense of honour.<\/p>\n