The remastering of the classic games in the Tales saga by Bandai Namco faces a significant challenge due to the lack of source code and master data from the original titles. This inconvenience is not exclusive to the Tales series; in fact, Square Enix experienced a similar problem when reconstructing Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. The project director, Kazutoyo Maehiro, confirmed that the absence of such data complicated the remastering. The situation is similar for Bandai Namco, which now has to investigate the location of the source code and who manages it, according to the producer of the […]
The remastering of the classic games in the Tales saga by Bandai Namco faces a significant challenge due to the lack of source code and master data from the original titles. This inconvenience is not exclusive to the Tales series; in fact, Square Enix experienced a similar problem when reconstructing Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. The project director, Kazutoyo Maehiro, confirmed that the absence of such data complicated the remastering. The situation is similar for Bandai Namco, which now has to investigate the location of the source code and who manages it, according to the series producer, Yusuke Tomizawa, at the Tokyo Game Show.
Playing by eye is quite complicated
The lack of detailed documentation and the work of multiple studies in the development of the series have made the search and analysis of the original data a prolonged process. Tomizawa admitted that finding the relevant information can take months and, once found, often presents gaps that must be filled before being able to proceed with the remastering.
Despite these challenges, Bandai Namco announced the Tales Remaster Project as part of the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the series, starting with the release of Tales of Graces f Remastered in January. The next title on the list is Tales of Xillia Remastered, scheduled for October 31. Bandai’s strategy does not follow a strict chronological order, but rather focuses on efficiency, opting to remaster first those titles that are easier to adapt.
Tomizawa also said: “I know some fans might be thinking ‘What is the release order?’; however, this non-linear production responds to the speed and quantity of releases.” Meanwhile, JRPG fans eagerly await the arrival of these remastered versions, which celebrate one of the most beloved franchises in the genre.
Tales of Xillia, one of the most beloved entries in the Tales Of series, will make its debut on PC on October 31, after being exclusive to PlayStation 3 since its release in 2011. This remaster promises to offer players a renewed visual experience with enhanced graphics, support for 4K resolutions, and several quality of life improvements that will facilitate immersion in its world. Tales of is one of the JRPGs with one of the largest fandoms. Among the improvements are markers for points of interest, the option to disable encounters with enemies, […]
Tales of Xillia, one of the most beloved entries in the Tales Of series, will make its debut on PC on October 31, after being exclusive to PlayStation 3 since its release in 2011. This remaster promises to offer players a renewed visual experience with enhanced graphics, support for 4K resolutions, and various quality of life improvements that will facilitate immersion in its world.
Tales is one of the JRPGs with one of the largest fandoms
Among the improvements are points of interest markers, the option to disable encounters with enemies, skippable cutscenes, and an enhanced mini-map that will show the location of items and treasure chests. These changes are particularly useful in an extensive game like Tales of Xillia, which offers over 50 hours of JRPG content, making the experience more accessible for new players and a relief for veterans.
The game introduces Jude Mathis and Milla Maxwell as protagonists, an innovative feature in the series. What stands out in Tales of Xillia is its combat system known as the Dual Raid Linear Motion Battle System, which focuses on combos within a real-time fighting environment, something that has been praised by many fans since its debut. This package also includes all previously released downloadable content, which features additional costumes and items.
While Tales of Xillia presents a more mature narrative compared to other entries in the series, it retains classic elements that have attracted enthusiasts of the JRPG genre. With its release for PC, all players will have a new opportunity to explore the vibrant world of Rieze Maxia, and there is anticipation that the remastering will provide substantial improvements in the overall performance of the game.
Tales of is the great RPG franchise from Bandai Namco. Although it hasn’t managed to shine on its own in the West until the success of Tales of Arise in 2021, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a beloved franchise. Games like Tales of Vesperia and especially Tales of Symphonia were also highly regarded outside of Japan. That’s why it’s not surprising that they have decided to start systematically remastering their previous games. This is great news because it gives us the opportunity to play some games from the franchise that never […]
Tales of is the great RPG franchise from Bandai Namco. Although it did not shine brightly in the West until the success of Tales of Arise in 2021, that does not mean it is not a beloved franchise. Games like Tales of Vesperia and especially Tales of Symphonia were also highly valued outside of Japan. Therefore, it is not surprising that they have decided to start systematically remastering their previous games.
This is great news because it offers us the possibility to play some games from the franchise that we never got to play in the West. Also, because it means being able to play some of the games that might be more difficult to play today. And that’s why today we’re going to talk about five Tales of. Of the five we would want to be their next five remasters. And if you ask us, they are not too crazy bets: they are the ones most likely to sell like hotcakes.
Tales of Phantasia
Published on December 15, 1995, this was the first Tales of. Developed by Wolf Team and directed by Eiji Kikuchi, everything that defines the franchise was already here. And although it is true that it can be a bit tough to play, it remains an extremely interesting and very beautiful RPG, especially for being a Super Nintendo game.
Why should they do a remaster? To begin with, because it’s the first one. But also, because it’s the game they always return to. They re-released it on the first PlayStation and made a remaster for Game Boy Advance that later also came to PSP and mobile phones. So it wouldn’t be surprising if once they’ve fired up the engines, they decided that returning to the game they always come back to is the most logical and natural move. And given the success of their games, it would make perfect sense.
Tales of the Abyss
Published in 2005 for PlayStation 2, Tales of the Abyss is a divisive game that never made it to Europe. Why was it divisive? Its story was filled with extremely complex concepts, its protagonist wasn’t necessarily likable, and its combat system was quite a peculiar twist compared to what was seen in Tales of Symphonia. But all of this has made it one of the most beloved titles in the franchise, being passionately defended by its supporters.
The reason for making a remaster of Tales of the Abyss is evident: today it would be better understood than in 2005. Where in 2005 it lived in the shadow of Tales of Symphonia and its own ambition, today all its complexity and the parts considered more generic would be celebrated as inherent to the genre. A remaster could prove that its defenders, perhaps, were right all along and Tales of the Abyss is the best Tales of.
Tales of Rebirth
Another PlayStation 2 title, this one exclusive to Japan. In terms of gameplay, it managed to refine many aspects that had been becoming outdated or were clearly hindering the genre. But that’s not the best part of the game. The best part was the spectacular animations developed by Production I.G for it and its spectacular and complex story, based on racial and ethnic conflicts, inspired by the Yugoslav wars. Which had ended just a few years earlier.
If they only had to remaster one game, it would have to be this one. The first reason is that it was never released in the West. The second, is that it is surely the most complex and revolutionary Tales of until the arrival of Tales of the Abyss and from there, almost until Berseria. This makes it an essential title to preserve.
Tales of Hearts
At this point, we enter the peculiar choices of the list. The elections with flavor. But choosing Tales of Hearts has several reasons. To begin with, it is a title that originally came out on Nintendo DS, which later had a remake on PlayStation Vita. And that is the most interesting part. A remaster of the PlayStation Vita version could give it all the weight it deserves.
The reason why it would be interesting to see this remaster is that PlayStation Vita was an exceptional console that almost no one bought. Tales of Hearts is certainly not the greatest Tales of, but it is a very interesting installment of the franchise that has barely been played. And offering the possibility for it to be played more and reach more people is precisely what remasters are for. Making it a more than obvious candidate for this treatment.
Tales of the Tempest
If choosing Tales of Heart was a peculiar but understandable selection, here many people have lost us. And we can understand that. But we can defend it. Tales of Tempest is a Nintendo DS game that has everything that can be attributed to a DS game: it is a reduced and somewhat watered-down version of what a Tales of is. It doesn’t even take much advantage of the console’s capabilities. Now then. Is it a bad game? Absolutely not.
Tales of the Tempest is a good Tales of game that never left Japan. It is not the best Tales of, nor will it likely be anyone’s favorite, but it serves its purpose. Being a competent version of the game for handhelds. And a remaster would achieve what remasters should: make accessible and preserve a game that today is inaccessible to anyone who doesn’t know Japanese and has a DS. Therefore, Tales of the Tempest is a perfect candidate for a remaster. Even if it is not the Tales of that would excite us the most.
