Tales of Phantasia (1998)

Developer: Wolf Team
Publisher: Namco
Platforms: PlayStation
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Rating: 4.3 of 5, 8 player ratings
Main story: about 25 hours
Completionist: about 35 hours

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A sweeping fantasy adventure that feels like a refined classic, blending snappy real-time battles with rich character moments and a grand, earnest sense of heroic destiny.

classic jrpgstory-drivenepicnostalgicturn-based combatadventurouslightheartedpolishedcharacter-focused

About

The PS1 version of Tales of Phantasia contains new features including an animated opening sequence produced by Japanese studio Production I.G., re-drawn character sprites and backgrounds, a 3D-rendered world map, and re-recorded character audio to better accommodate the compact disc format. The inclusion of animated Skits and a modified version of the battle system resembling that used in Destiny, were added. For the battle system, the team wanted to increase the overall battle speed and combo potential. Suzu Fubayashi, a non-playable supporting character in the original release, was also made playable as an optional party member.

What players say

A foundational, earnest action-JRPG whose PS1 version added skits, voice acting and refined real-time combat that became series staples; cherished as an origin point though some find it stiff and aged next to later Tales games.

Screenshots

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Featured in: PS1 RPGs beyond Final Fantasy

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.