Tales of Symphonia Remastered Reviews
Tales of Symphonia's excellent story and characters are held back by dated mechanics, repetitive combat, and some technical issues.
The game maintains its endearing charm and an ambitious and huge development, but not all the dynamics remain fresh today nor has enough been done to update it on a technical level.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Tales of Symphonia Remastered isn't going to win any awards. It's a soulless cash grab that has come with as little effort by Bandai Namco as possible. If you're a die-hard fan, there may be something here for you, but really you're just paying for the nostalgia hit. Those who didn't play the original and are looking to pick up and enjoy a slice of video game history should let this one go past - there will hopefully be another iteration of this in a few years' time and maybe they'll put more effort into that one.
Tales of Symphonia Remastered is still a great action JRPG and an important one in establishing the now long-running series, but there are better ways to experience it than this.
Symphonia regenerated the traditional RPG structure with smartly designed battle mechanics and well-fleshed out cast of characters. It remains a favorite of mine to this day and I'm glad to get the opportunity to experience it again, even if this re-release can never truly recapture the original effect it had on me. The remaster translates the regenerative nature of Symphonia competently, but this is the kind of game that deserves a remaster that goes the extra mile.
Close to two decades later, Tales of Symphonia Remastered is a reminder of how neatly crafted the original GameCube and PS2 title was. Barring a few rough edges, this is still a great action RPG, full of charm and character. The only real downside is that the remaster itself leaves a lot to be desired.
Tales of Symphonia returns to the market with a rather lazy remastered. The combat system has aged badly and the polygonal models deserve more, but it still remains one of the most exciting chapters of the Tales of franchise ever.
Review in Italian | Read full review
If you love JRPGs, you owe it to yourself to play Tales of Symphonia, and Tales of Symphonia Remastered is an easy way to do that. I’d even recommend this game to fans of retro gaming in general. I really wish I could recommend it to everyone. Unfortunately, the slightly clunky design and aged graphics make it hard for me to do that.
Tales of Symphonia Remastered shows exactly why it's a classic game: a fine story with plenty of heart and consequence. Gameplay even lets you make it as simple or involved as you wish. Navigation is a terrible chore, though, and the remastered efforts feel too much like a basic port to be anything else.
We're admittedly a little mixed on Tales of Symphonia Remastered. Though the story is compelling, the character building is satisfying, and there's lots of content to experience, Bandai Namco's near-nonexistent efforts to scrub out the rough edges of this 20-ish year old game definitely hold it back from greatness. Things like the stiff combat, dated visuals, and awkward writing limit the appeal here, which makes this remaster feel like a missed opportunity. It's easier to recommend this to those who have nostalgia for the original and want to relive those memories, but it's tough to say whether newcomers should pick it up. This is far from the best action RPG on the Switch, and it's arguably not even the best Tales game on the Switch. We'd give this one a light recommendation as its positives do outweigh its negatives, but with the caveat that you should probably wait for a deep sale or buy it used. There are much better RPGs to play on the Switch today, and this one doesn't quite deserve a spot near the top of your list.
Tales of Symphonia Remastered is a product that was only made to comply, so compared to remasters of other franchises, it falls far, far behind. On the other hand, if there are new users who want to play it for the first time, it is an accessible option today. Although for the asking price, perhaps it would be best to wait for a discount.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
This remaster of a classic game does not pay tribute to the original game. The game is very archaic visually and it has a hard time convincing.
Review in French | Read full review
While we understand and appreciate Bandai Namco's decision to bring Tales of Symphonia to as many platforms as possible, in order to allow new generations to (re)discover one of the most important chapters of the franchise, we firmly believe that such a lazy remastering is not the most effective (nor the most respectful) method to revive a great classic of the past and celebrate its twentieth anniversary.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Tales of Symphonia is a beloved classic of Bandai Namco's Tales series, but this latest version is a disappointing mess of issues, play a different port instead.
Tales of Symphonia Remastered fails to capture the magic of the original on modern consoles, and it should probably be avoided, especially on Nintendo Switch.
Tales of Symphonia is still one of the biggest highlights in the series with a fantastic assortment of characters, some simple but enjoyable combat and great story to keep players invested throughout.
It's really a shame that Bandain Namco didn't realize how important and beloved Tales of Symphonia is for both the franchise and the public. This is a barebone remaster, with a missing game and a little overpriced too, even if the game itself stil deserves praise.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Tales of Symphonia Remastered is a solid, albeit dated trip down memory lane.
It's difficult to justify calling this new version a remaster at all since it includes all of the problems with the previous version while introducing entirely new problems on top of that. The bare minimum for a port of a retro game should be that you won't notice any technical problems if you haven't played the original, and Tales of Symphonia Remastered does not even clear that bar. It is playable; it's still Tales of Symphonia, but that is the absolute least we can ask of it, and that is the absolute most we've gotten from it.
Tales of Symphonia Remaster is a low effort re-release thst could have brought a legendary title to the new generation by fixing the rough edges and add few quality of life changes, but sadly this release didn't contain any of that to the more than 20 years old game.
Review in Arabic | Read full review