A year after its debut in Japan, Tales of Symphonia is almost ready to reach American shores. It’s not the first GameCube RPG, but it’s certainly the largest and most traditional one yet. The game has more in common with the Final Fantasy series than Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles did…and yet, the Tales franchise carries its own quirks and style, which make this game different than any other RPG you’ve probably played.

The first thing you must know is that the game is beautiful. All the characters and enemies are lightly cel-shaded, giving the game a manga or anime style. But the environments are presented in a different visual style, one I can only compare to hand paintings. The textures are light, with many pastel and other soft colors, while polygonal edges have been carefully adjusted to look round, not like edges at all. The combination is revelatory; see our screenshots and movies to see what I mean. There is also a depth of field motion blur applied practically all the time. It does a very nice job of unfocusing objects in the distance, but sometimes the filter is used in cut-scenes and at other inappropriate moments, often blurring a character’s lower body or creating some other bizarre picture. On a final note about graphics, it must be said that the overworld looks pretty awful. The artistry shown in the rest of the game just isn’t applied to the overworld, and it’s lacking in technical accomplishment as well. Still, the game looks great overall.

The Tales series is known for its unique battle system, and Tales of Symphonia makes an excellent case for the feature. You control one character directly, and up to three other members of your party are controlled by the computer (or other human players, if you plug in additional controllers). The fighting is in real-time, though you can pause to use items and enter commands for the AI. In order to help simplify the camera and controls in the 3D battlefields, each character can only target one enemy at a time. Movement controls are always relative to the targeted enemy, so left and right on the joystick simply move closer or farther away from the target. It’s a brilliant and almost invisible system; a spectator would probably never guess how you are able to fight so effectively in a cluster of allies and enemies, but the controls can be picked up in just a few minutes. Computer-controlled allies are surprisingly effective in battle, although the magic users tend to be indiscriminant with their spell choices. A few menu tweaks can fix most behavioral inadequacies and get those bots fighting with style. The problems are eliminated, of course, if you’re playing with other people.

By far the most addictive and impressive part of Tales of Symphonia is its story. The game juggles a large ensemble cast of main characters, and the story themes and plot are anything but shallow. Unlike typical RPGs, the game doesn’t begin with a small-scale quest that eventually grows into saving the world…Tales of Symphonia is about saving the world, right from the start. But the path to salvation, as well as the true nature of what that salvation will accomplish, are kept in flux. It’s practically impossible to guess which characters are loyal, which external forces are working against you, or which course of action is the proper one. The characters are often just as confused as the player, and many cut-scenes revolve around group discussions about where to go next or which organization is the true enemy. The answer is often not strictly defined. The story is filled with betrayals, sudden revelations, and deep character histories. It’s not fair to name any one character the “main” character, as numerous people develop integral roles in the fate of the world. Tales of Symphonia is not afraid to tackle religion or morality. Some characters are killed in cold blood, others become killers themselves and later wrestle with the implications. Yet for all the complexity of its subject matter, the story somehow manages not to take itself too seriously. The game is genuinely funny at times, and characters develop a light-hearted repertoire, often through the unusual but ingenious “skits”, simple dialogues that are completely optional but help so much to flesh out the characters and their relationships.

The translation to English is, by and large, excellent. The writing is confident, playful. Skits are unfortunately not voiced (apparently they were in the Japanese version), but they number in the hundreds, so I can understand the omission. When voice acting is used, it’s mostly very good, and that is a huge relief. A few characters are perfectly realized by their actors, and a few more fail miserably or are simply grating to the ear. The majority of characters are above average, good or great but not fantastic. Considering that dozens and dozens of characters are voiced, the results are admirable. Overall, I’m pretty happy with how the English version is shaping up. The text translation and voice acting are a complement to the story, not an obstacle to enjoying the game, and the story itself is wonderful.

I don’t want to stray into hyperbole, but Tales of Symphonia is a beautiful, wonderful RPG, the kind I grew up playing for days at a time with little sleep and no meal breaks. Its story has the same light, swashbuckling feel that I enjoyed from Skies of Arcadia Legends, but this game and its subject matter are aimed at an older audience. How the writers and translators have balanced such seemingly opposite forces, I don’t know. These are the most deeply and sensitively developed characters I’ve ever seen in an RPG. It reminds me of the Working Designs treatment for Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, but Tales of Symphonia goes much deeper and deals with more characters. The game definitely could not be accused of being angst-ridden, a rising problem among modern RPGs. The game has enough universal charm to win over both hardcore fans and the Final Fantasy VII generation. I think GameCube owners and RPG fans of all persuasions are going to love it.