Tales Of Symphonia Remastered - What We Know So Far

The "Tales" franchise can trace its origins back to the mid-90s where it struggled to compete with established giants like "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest." Now it's one of the most popular JRPGs on the market. "Tales of Arise" is the most recent game, which scored an impressive 87 on Metacritic and fans are already eagerly anticipating the release of "Tales of Luminaria," but the series owes a lot of its success to one title in particular. "Tales" didn't really get much attention until Namco came out with the game that many consider to be the pinnacle of the franchise: "Tales of Symphonia." This masterpiece was released in 2003 for the GameCube and follows the story of Lloyd Irving and his friend Colette Brunel as they embark on a journey to save the world of Sylvarant, only to learn that saving their world may destroy another. The game's popularity has led to it being re-released on several other platforms over the years, but now it seems there will be another new way to play it.

A remaster of "Tales of Symphonia" was announced during the Nintendo Direct on Sept. 13. This new version of the game will feature updated graphics and a litany of new features that will help bring it up to speed for the modern generation of gaming. Here's what we know about it so far.

The first thing that "Tales of Symphonia" fans want to know about the new remake is when they will actually get to play it. Well there's good news on that front. According to Bandai Namco's official announcement, players can expect to return to Sylvarant sometime in early 2023. No specific date has been given yet, but it is exciting for fans to learn that they will only be waiting a matter of months rather than years before they'll be able to play it. It also means that Bandai Namco is planning on releasing it several months before the game's 20th anniversary, which will be in August of that same year.

What's more, Bandai Namco has also announced what platforms the game will be available on. Players can expect to find "Tales of Symphonia Remastered" on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Oddly enough, no mention was made of PC, PS5, or Xbox Series X/S. While many gamers haven't managed to get their hands on one of these newer systems yet, it is nevertheless strange for a new game not to be on the most recent console generation over two years into its life cycle.

Those who are interested in seeing what the new remaster will look like should definitely check out the announcement trailer that was shared during the Nintendo Direct. This brief showcase opened by showing a gorgeous animation featuring Lloyd drawing his swords and Colette standing in a field of wheat. It then cuts to several different scenes that display the actual gameplay design, which is very similar to the design the game had when it was originally released. It shows the Desian Grand Cardinal Forcystus overseeing a work camp, Lloyd speaking to Colette, and their party preparing to embark on their ship.

The Nintendo Direct announcer narrates the trailer as well. "The journey of world regeneration begins anew," he says. "The world of Sylvarant is controlled by shadowy forces called Desians. To stop them, a person known as the Chosen One must ascend the Tower of Salvation." The trailer then goes on to introduce two of the characters that players will be able to recruit as allies in the game: Zelos and Presea. The narrator closes the trailer by reminding players that "the fate of two interconnected worlds hangs in the balance."

It's clear to see from the trailer that Bandai Namco has upgraded the visuals to modern HD standards, and while it doesn't seem that it has redesigned the character models, this visual upgrade has clearly gone a long way toward updating the game for a modern audience. But this raises the question: What else did the studio change from the original "Tales of Symphonia"?

"In addition to improved graphics, this title has added an event skip function, improved some specifications such as the date notification on the save screen, and improved playability." Bandai Namco stated in its announcement. "Other updates include frame rate stabilization during battles, and improved sea movement performance when operating ships.​" These kinds of simple, quality of life improvements are sure to make the game feel more approachable to a modern audience while simultaneously maintaining the classic experience that veteran fans are looking to enjoy. It's unclear what Bandai Namco means by "improved playability," so there may be other new features that were not discussed in the announcement as well. The company has stated that more information will be forthcoming as the game gets closer to release.