Introduction

Tales of Symphonia is a role-playing video game that was originally released for the Nintendo GameCube and later on the PlayStation 2. Its initial release date in Japan was August 29, 2003, then in Canada and the United States on July 13, 2004, and finally in Europe on November 19, 2004. The PlayStation 2 version of Tales of Symphonia made its debut on September 22, 2004 (exclusively in Japan). In the Japanese version of the game, the song Starry Heavens [by the band day after tomorrow] is played during the introduction scene; the English version has an orchestrated piece. The game was produced by Akira Yoshizumi, one of the senior producers of Namco. Game artwork was directed by Kosuke Fujishima, a well-known manga illustrator. The game uses a "Linear Motion Battle System," a real-time battle system commonly found throughout the Tales series. This game follows the story of Colette, the "Chosen One" who is responsible for restoring the world's mana. Lloyd Irving, a young swordsman and Colette's childhood friend, accompanies her during the journey. In order to regenerate the world, the Chosen must travel to four seals across the continents, release them, and then make the final trip to the Tower of Salvation, where the final seal lies. At that point, the Chosen would become an angel, and mana would be restored.

Characters

Protagonists

Antagonists

Story

Gameplay

Tales of Symphonia uses the Linear Motion Battle System, or LMBS. This is the first fully 3-D version of the battle system in the Tales series. Characters move in a single line yet, they can change their trajectory path depending on the enemy they are targeting. They can attack using regular attacks or techs. Another new feature is Overlimit, which gives the characters faster attacks and to negate staggering. In addition, when in Overlimit mode, special moves called hi-ougis (known as Mystic Artes in later games) can be used. Unison Attacks are also available, where each character in battle uses a technique simutaneously. If certain Techs are selected, a Unison Tech is activated; they are typically much more powerful than their components.

EX Skills can be activated by finding various EX Gems throughout the game. Each character can equip four EX Gems at any given time, and only one skill per gem at a time. EX Gems come in five levels: 1, 2, 3, 4, and MAX (the higher the number, the better the skills; MAX contains every skill from the other gems). These skills grant bonuses in and out of combat, such as increased defense or the ability to pick up food items in dungeons. Combining certain EX Skills can make Compound EX Skills, which typically have greater bonuses and effects on characters. Examples include Concentrate (spells cannot be interrupted) and Chivalry (the more female party members fighting with you, the greater the stat boosts you receive). Compound EX Skills require two normal skills at the least, and some require the equipping of all four gem slots.

PS2 Version

The PS2 Version of Tales of Symphonia was released on September 22, 2004. This version includes additional features that weren't present in the first game (i.e. extra sidequests). Soshite Boku ni Dekiru Koto (also by day after tomorrow) is the opening theme, but the introduction animation is the same. There are two new anime cutscenes as well as hi-ougis for every character (including some bosses). In addition, new events had been integrated into the game. Extra costumes and more scenes were also added into this game. It only expanded the game time by about 30-45 minutes. There were also decreases in frame rates and increases in load time to make up for the PS2's weaker graphics engine.