Tales of Symphonia Remastered Switch Review: Nostalgia and Flaws Coexist

Hello everyone, I'm Lao Wang, a veteran gamer with over ten years of experience in the gaming world. Today, as a veteran gamer, I'm going to talk to you about this remake brimming with nostalgia - Tales of Symphonia Remastered. I believe many players, especially those who, like me, experienced the GameCube era, have a special affection for this game. But is this release on the Nintendo Switch platform just a rehash, or a nostalgic revival? Let's delve deeper together.

1. Tales of Symphonia Remastered Game Introduction: A Classic Returns

Tales of Symphonia was originally released in 2003 on the GameCube platform and is a classic title in the Tales series. The story follows the young Colette as she accepts an oracle and embarks on a journey to revitalize the world. She and her companions fight against evil forces to save the world, facing trials of friendship, sacrifice, and choice along the way.

Tales of Symphonia Remastered is a high-definition remaster of this classic, landing on the Nintendo Switch platform, giving both new and old players the chance to experience this epic adventure again. However, this remaster is not a complete remake, but rather an optimization based on the PS3 version, which creates some hidden problems that we will discuss in detail in the following review. If you want to experience a smoother and more powerful gaming experience, you might want to look forward to the future Nintendo Switch 2.

2. Tales of Symphonia Remastered Gameplay Review: Familiar Taste, Slightly Outdated Experience

2.1 Battle System: Limitations of Linear Motion

Tales of Symphonia's battle system uses a linear motion battle system, where players control their character to move freely on a 2D plane, performing actions such as attacking, defending, and casting skills. This battle system was very innovative at the time, but it seems a bit outdated today.

Pros:

• Satisfying Combos: By combining different attack methods and skills, you can create gorgeous combos for a satisfying combat experience.
• Strategic Depth: Requires selecting appropriate skills and tactics based on enemy attributes and weaknesses to effectively defeat them.
• Ally AI: Ally AI is relatively intelligent, automatically assisting and attacking based on player commands and combat situations.

Cons:

• Linear Movement: Being restricted to movement on a 2D plane limits combat freedom and feels somewhat clunky when dodging enemy attacks.
• Camera Lock: The camera tends to lock onto the character, making it difficult to observe the surrounding situation and affecting combat judgment.
• Cumbersome Controls: Frequent switching between targets and skills makes the controls a bit cumbersome.

2.2 World Exploration: Maps Full of Memories, Insufficient Optimization of Details

The world map design of Tales of Symphonia Remastered is exquisite, containing various terrains and scenes such as forests, snow mountains, deserts, ruins, etc. During exploration, players can discover hidden treasure chests, side quests, and story Easter eggs, adding to the game's fun and replayability.

Pros:

• Map Design: The world map design is exquisite and full of exploration fun.
• Hidden Elements: Contains a large number of hidden elements, such as treasure chests, side quests, and story Easter eggs.
• Diversity: Diverse scenes, each with a unique style and atmosphere.

Cons:

• Map Loading: Map loading speed is slow, especially when switching scenes, which requires a long wait.
• Insufficient Details: Map details are slightly rough, with a gap in graphic quality compared to modern games.
• Labyrinth Design: Some labyrinth designs are too complex, making it easy to get lost.

2.3 Story Progression: Classic Story, Still Touching

The story of Tales of Symphonia tells the story of Colette saving the world, full of elements of friendship, sacrifice, and choice. The main storyline is clear, and the plot rhythm is tight, which can attract players to keep playing.

Pros:

• Main Storyline: The main storyline is clear, and the plot rhythm is tight.
• Character Development: The characters are distinctly shaped, each with their own personality and background story.
• Touching Elements: The plot contains a large number of touching elements that can touch the player's heart.

Cons:

• Classic Story: The plot is slightly clichéd and lacks novelty.
• Some Plot Points: Some plot points are too long and affect the game experience.
• Character Portrayal: Some character portrayals are not deep enough and lack three-dimensionality.

Overall, Tales of Symphonia Remastered retains the essence of the original in terms of gameplay, but also exposes some outdated designs. If a complete remake could be done on the Nintendo Switch 2, it would bring a better gaming experience.

3. Tales of Symphonia Remastered Graphics and Sound Review: Nostalgia Bonus, Insufficient Optimization

3.1 Visual Presentation: Improvement from High Definition, Difficult to Hide Rough Textures

Tales of Symphonia Remastered has been high-definition remastered, improving resolution and texture quality. Character models are more refined, and scene details are richer, bringing a certain visual improvement.

Pros:

• High Definition: Improved resolution and texture quality.
• Character Models: Character models are more refined.
• Scene Details: Scene details are richer.

Cons:

• Rough Textures: Some textures are still rough, with a gap in graphic quality compared to modern games.
• Obvious Jaggies: Jaggies are obvious, affecting the visual experience.
• Unstable Frame Rate: In some scenes, the frame rate will drop significantly, affecting the gaming experience. Especially in two-player mode, the frame drop is more serious.

3.2 Sound Performance: Classic Melodies, Still Touching

The music of Tales of Symphonia was produced by Motoi Sakuraba, full of epic and adventurous feelings. The classic melodies can evoke players' memories and bring touching moments.

Pros:

• Classic Melodies: The classic melodies can evoke players' memories.
• Epic Feel: The music is full of epic and adventurous feelings.
• Atmosphere Setting: The music can well set off the game atmosphere.

Cons:

• Sound Effects Material: Some sound effects materials are relatively old, with a gap in the sound effects level of modern games.
• Sound Effects Balance: Some sound effects are poorly balanced, affecting the listening experience.
• No New Soundtrack: No new soundtrack has been added, which is a bit regrettable.

Overall, Tales of Symphonia Remastered has been optimized to a certain extent in terms of graphics and sound effects, but there are still some shortcomings. If deeper optimization can be done on the future Nintendo Switch 2, it would bring a better audio-visual experience.

4. Tales of Symphonia Remastered Handling Review: Classic Controls, Slightly Clumsy

The operation method of Tales of Symphonia is relatively traditional. The player controls the character to move through the joystick, and attacks, defends, and releases skills through buttons. The handling feels a bit clumsy and requires a certain adaptation time.

Pros:

• Simple Operation: The operation method is simple and easy to understand, and easy to get started.
• Button Layout: The button layout is reasonable and convenient to operate.
• Customization: Supports custom buttons, allowing players to adjust according to their habits.

Cons:

• Clumsy Movement: Character movement is slightly clumsy, especially in combat, making it difficult to flexibly avoid enemy attacks.
• Camera Control: Camera control is not flexible enough, making it easy to get lost.
• Input Lag: There is a certain input lag, affecting the game experience.

5. Tales of Symphonia Remastered Pros and Cons Summary: Nostalgia and Flaws Coexist

5.1 Pros

• Classic Story: The plot is deeply moving, full of elements of friendship, sacrifice, and choice.
• Character Development: The characters are distinctly shaped, each with their own personality and background story.
• Beautiful Music: The music is full of epic and adventurous feelings, and can evoke players' memories.
• High Definition: The picture has been high-definition processed to improve the resolution and texture quality.

5.2 Cons

• Rough Graphics: Some textures are still rough, with a gap in graphic quality compared to modern games.
• Unstable Frame Rate: In some scenes, the frame rate will drop significantly, affecting the game experience.
• Clumsy Controls: Character movement is slightly clumsy, especially in combat, making it difficult to flexibly avoid enemy attacks.
• Linear Combat: The linear combat system is slightly outdated, limiting the freedom of combat.
• Slow Loading: The map loading speed is slow, especially when switching scenes, which requires a long wait.

6. Tales of Symphonia Remastered vs. Similar Games: Nostalgia Bonus, But Lack of Competitiveness

Compared with similar JRPG games, Tales of Symphonia Remastered has certain gaps in graphics, operation, and combat systems. For example, compared with the Xenoblade series, Tales of Symphonia Remastered has rougher graphics, clumsier operation, and a more limited combat system. However, the story and music of Tales of Symphonia Remastered are still very attractive. For those nostalgic players, this game is still worth playing. However, for those players who pursue a high-quality gaming experience, Tales of Symphonia Remastered may not meet their needs.

For example, we refer to IGN's review of the game IGN Tales of Symphonia Remastered Review, you can see that the game's problems with graphics and frame rate have indeed been criticized.

7. Tales of Symphonia Remastered Score and Reasons: Nostalgia Adds Points, But It Is Difficult to Hide Flaws

Based on the above reviews, my score for Tales of Symphonia Remastered is: 7.0/10.

• Story: 8.5/10 (The classic story can still touch players)
• Graphics: 6.0/10 (The improvement brought by high definition makes it difficult to hide the roughness of the material)
• Sound: 8.0/10 (Classic melodies, still touching)
• Operation: 6.5/10 (Classic operation, slightly clumsy)
• Gameplay: 7.0/10 (Familiar taste, slightly outdated experience)

Scoring reason:

• Pros: Excellent plot, beautiful music, high-definition picture.
• Cons: Rough picture, unstable frame rate, clumsy operation, linear combat.

In general, Tales of Symphonia Remastered is a nostalgic work, and it is worth playing for those nostalgic players. However, for those players who pursue a high-quality gaming experience, Tales of Symphonia Remastered may not meet their needs. I hope that the future Nintendo Switch 2 can bring more powerful performance support to this game, so that players can experience a smoother and more exquisite game screen. At the same time, we can pay attention to nintendo switch2 price information in order to make better choices.

At the same time, I also hope that the future Nintendo Switch 2 can provide better compatibility with old games, so that we can run Tales of Symphonia Remastered smoothly. According to existing information, nintendo switch2 compatibility may be compatible with previous cartridges, which is good news for old players.

8. Tales of Symphonia Remastered Guide: Beginner's Guide

8.1 Newbie Precautions

• Familiarize yourself with the battle system: understand the character's attack methods and skills, and master the techniques of combos.
• Allocate experience points reasonably: According to the characteristics and needs of the character, reasonably allocate experience points to improve the character's attributes and skills.
• Collect equipment: Collect various equipment to improve the character's combat power.
• Complete side quests: Completing side quests can get extra rewards and plots.
• Explore the map: Explore the map to discover hidden treasure chests and plot Easter eggs.

8.2 Common Skills

• Use attribute restraint: According to the enemy's attributes, choose the appropriate skills to attack.
• Make good use of defense: When the enemy attacks, defend in time to reduce the damage received.
• Cooperate with teammates: Cooperating with teammates can create more powerful combos.
• Flexibly use skills: Flexibly use various skills according to the battle situation.
• Pay attention to recovery: Recover the character's HP and MP in time.

9. Tales of Symphonia Remastered Recommended Groups: Nostalgic Players and JRPG Lovers

Tales of Symphonia Remastered is suitable for the following groups:

• Nostalgic players: For those players who have experienced the GameCube era, Tales of Symphonia Remastered can evoke their memories.
• JRPG lovers: For those players who like JRPG games, Tales of Symphonia Remastered is a classic JRPG work.
• Story lovers: For those players who like story-rich games, the story of Tales of Symphonia Remastered is full of elements of friendship, sacrifice and choice.

10. Tales of Symphonia Remastered Future Prospects: Looking Forward to Nintendo Switch 2 Enhancements

Although Tales of Symphonia Remastered has landed on the Nintendo Switch platform, allowing more players to have the opportunity to experience this classic, there are still some problems in terms of its graphics performance and performance optimization. I hope that the future Nintendo Switch 2 can bring more powerful performance support to this game, so that players can experience a smoother and more exquisite game screen. At the same time, I also look forward to seeing more remakes of classic JRPGs on the future Nintendo Switch 2. nintendo switch2 first look may bring more surprises.

As a veteran player, I look forward to the Nintendo Switch 2 bringing more powerful performance and a better gaming experience. I hope that future game developers can make full use of the performance of the Nintendo Switch 2 to bring us more high-quality game works.