Tales of Graces f Remastered emerges as a modernized reimagining of the classic 2009 title, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Tose and Bandai Namco. This new iteration, previously confined to the Wii with its limited graphics quality, took a significant step when it first transitioned to the PS3 as Tales of Graces f. Now, players can enjoy it once more on contemporary consoles, benefiting from a wealth of quality-of-life improvements and an extensive collection of downloadable content (DLC). With these advancements, this remaster stands as the definitive way to delve into the beloved game.
At the heart of Tales of Graces f Remastered lies the adventurous tale of Asbel Lhant, a headstrong youth who yearns to carve out his destiny beyond the constraints of his noble lineage. The story begins as he discovers a girl shrouded in mystery in a serene flower garden and is thrust into an intense situation when he aids a prince escaping from an assassination attempt. This event forges an unbreakable bond between Asbel and his new friends, yet their journey is marred by tragedy and unexpected twists. As time passes, Asbel is compelled to confront the complexities of his past while uniting with old allies to defend his homeland.
Vibrant Characters Enhance the Narrative
In the expansive world of Ephinea, players join Asbel in forming a party to combat the chaos of political strife. The conflict forces Asbel to confront crucial decisions and unresolved issues from his past. While the overarching narrative of Tales of Graces f Remastered is perceived by many as lacking depth within the expansive Tales franchise, it retains an engaging quality that maintains player interest throughout the journey.
Importantly, the game’s characters infuse life into the narrative, compensating for any plot shortcomings. Numerous mandatory cutscenes and optional skits allow for a deeper understanding of the group dynamic, enriching interactions among characters. Asbel, Cheria, Richard, Sophie, Hubert, Malik, and Pascal each contribute unique characteristics, ensuring that even with a smaller core party compared to other titles in the series, the experience remains enjoyable.
The distinct and diverse personalities, coupled with memorable battle styles, ensure players remain invested in every encounter. Pascal, for example, offers a humorous contrast to the more serious tones of her companions, highlighting how individual traits enhance the group’s interaction. If the narrative aspects don’t capture your attention, however, there’s still much to appreciate in the game’s dynamic and engaging gameplay experience.
Immersive Gameplay Enhanced with Customizations
Players Have Full Control in Battle
While the story may leave something to be desired, Tales of Graces f Remastered compensates with exhilarating gameplay and intricate mechanics. Players engage in real-time combat during multi-tiered open-world scenarios, mastering two primary attacks: A-Arte (physical) and B-Arte (magic). With recent enhancements, the customization options empower players to tailor battles more than ever before. This includes customizable button mappings and options to toggle party members between manual and automatic controls, as well as strategic focus adjustments during engagements.
This level of customization extends to character titles, affecting their abilities and enhancing the combat experience. Players can strategically deploy characters based on strengths—such as positioning Cheria as a dedicated healer or utilizing Asbel for melee combat. Moreover, the inclusion of previous DLC content in this remaster introduces Accel Mode, bringing even more unique abilities into the fold.
Key Improvements Make This Remaster the Ultimate Version
Quality of Life Improvements Are Essential
The quality of life (QOL) enhancements play a pivotal role in determining whether players will embrace this remaster. Notably, battle mechanics have undergone significant refinement, allowing players to retry challenging encounters or bypass them altogether, depending on preference. While narrative-driven battles are unavoidable, the avoidance of random enemy encounters while traversing Ephinea is a refreshing addition, addressing a common pain point in similar games.
Add to that the new destination tracker, which is essential for navigation in a world lacking fast travel options. The inclusion of an hourglass icon for time-critical missions streamlines movement across the map. Although the player is guided consistently, potential obstacles can still lead to occasional detours. Nevertheless, learning the map is user-friendly, and combining this feature with speed enhancements reduces the frustration of getting lost, enhancing the overall experience.
Additional quality-of-life features include an autosave function, although it feels somewhat redundant due to the abundance of manual save points available. Players may find that their most recent manual save is often more reliable than the autosave feature, underlining its limited usefulness. Finally, scenes and skits are now skippable, a questionable change that may detract from the rich storytelling—which boasts impressive performances from renowned voice actors such as Bryce Papenbrook and Laura Bailey. Also noteworthy is the elevation of the Grade Shop, now accessible from the start of the game, enabling players to purchase enhancements that influence gameplay significantly, although they may wish to approach this feature cautiously to maintain the classic experience.
Conclusion & Review Score
Screen Rant Awards Tales of Graces f Remastered an 8/10
In summary, Tales of Graces f Remastered serves as a compelling remaster that revitalizes a classic IP with essential upgrades. New players can expect a captivating narrative paired with an engaging gameplay experience, while veterans can relive Asbel’s adventure with a fresh perspective.
Despite critiques regarding the necessity of another remaster, this version’s quality-of-life improvements and added content position Tales of Graces f Remastered as the definitive way to experience Asbel’s journey, marking an excellent start to the 30th-anniversary celebrations of the iconic Tales franchise in 2025.
A digital download code for Nintendo Switch was graciously provided to Screen Rant for the purposes of this review.
Source: YouTube/Bandai Namco Entertainment America
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