Tales of Symphonia

Tales of Symphonia (テイルズオブシンフォニア Teiruzu obu Shinfonia) is a role-playing video game produced by Namco. It was released in 2003 in Japan for the Nintendo GameCube and later for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game consoles. It was also released in the United States in 2004 only for the Nintendo GameCube. It is one game in the Tales RPG series, taking place long before Tales of Phantasia, and it was the first in the series to be officially released in the U.S. in many years. One notable characteristic of the game is its art direction by Kosuke Fujishima, a renowned Japanese manga-ka.

Characters

If the name is different in the English version from the original Japanese version, the Japanese is listed first and the English name is listed second.

Heroes

• Lloyd Irving (ロイド・アーヴィング Roido Āvingu) – The seventeen-year-old hero of the game, he was found at a young age in a forest by Dirk, his dwarf foster father, near his mother's corpse. He wields a sword in each hand and is dedicated to finding a way to save Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. He isn't especially knowledgeable, but he makes up for it with an enduring optimism.
• Collet Brunel (コレット・ブルーネル Koretto Burūneru) / Colette Brunel – Colette is the Chosen of Regeneration for Sylvarant, and she fights with chakrams. As she releases the seals, she loses more and more of her humanity; for example, she loses the ability to sleep, keep down food, and speak. She is quite clumsy and may appear rather shallow, but she is aware that she is Sylvarant's only hope, even though she gets very sick from the Cruxis Crystal.
• Genius Sage (ジーニアス・セイジ Jīniasu Seiji) / Genis Sage – The twelve-year-old sorcerer of Iselia, he is Lloyd's best friend. Genis is very intelligent, but sometimes he is a smart aleck. Genis and his sister pretend to be elves to avoid discrimination, but they are truly half-elves. Genis does not like Zelos at all. Genis excels at use of the kendama, and channels mana through it.
• Refill Sage (リフィル・セイジ Rifiru Seiji) / Raine Sage – She is Genis's older sister and the Professor of Lloyd's school. Lloyd is her worst student, however, so she punishes him very frequently. She is obsessed with archaeology and ruins because of an incident in her past, and she also has a tendency to smack people upside the head a lot. She is the most logical thinker in the party and acts at times as a foster mother. She also has a great fear of water, and dsilikes getting in boats or croosing any large expanse of water, this is because when she was younger her and her parents were being chased out of an area (due to the discrimination of half-elfs) and they had to travel by boat, but she fell out and the water was freezing and she almost drown as the current was so strong, and at the time she thought she was going to die
• Kratos Aurion (クラトス・アウリオン Kuratosu Aurion) – Kratos may look like a twenty-eight-year-old mercenary, but in fact, he is over 4,000 years old. He journeyed with Mithos and his companions in the past to end the Kharlan War, but 4,000 years later, he met Anna. They had a son, Lloyd Irving, but Kvar, one of the Desian Grand Cardinals, transformed Anna into a monster and forced Kratos to kill her. Kratos is one of the Four Seraphim of Cruxis; he was sent by Mithos to make sure Colette didn't stray from her mission to regenerate the world. He is Lloyd's real father.
• Shihna Fujibayashi (藤林しいな Fujibayashi Shiina) / Sheena Fujibayashi – A female ninja from the village of Mizuho. She has summoning abilities, but is reluctant to form a pact with the Summon Spirit of Lightning, Volt, due to a previous failure to do so that led to widespread injury and devastation at Mizuho. She was sent by the King of Tethe'alla to assassinate the Chosen in Sylvarant, but eventually she befriends the group and decides to help them find a way to save two worlds. Sheena has the same family name as Suzu Fujibayashi from Tales of Phantasia. Her friend, Corrine, is her main summon.
• Zelos Wilder (ゼロス・ワイルダー Zerosu Wairudā) – The flirt and playboy of the group, Zelos is the Chosen of Tethe'alla. He greatly enjoys the nightlife of his home city, Meltokio, and he acts very flamboyant and carefree all the time. He flirts with nearly every girl he sees, much to the dislike of Sheena. However, his personality is a mask to hide his true feelings about his role as the Chosen.
• Presea Combatir (プレセア・コンバティール Puresea Konbatīru) – She may look like a twelve-year old, but she is actually twenty-eight. She was used in a Cruxis Crystal experiment which kept her in twelve-year-old form. She was tricked by Rodyle to help capture Colette, but after Lloyd outfitted Presea with a Key Crest to supress her Exsphere, she saw the error of her ways and decided to help out the group. Before he went ill, her father was a lumberjack, and she took up his axe to provide income. Now she uses it in combat.
• Regal Bryan (リーガル・ブライアン Rīgaru Buraian) / Regal Bryant – Ex-convict and President of the Lezareno Company in Altamira. Regal used to live a happy life, until he was forced to kill the love of his life, Alicia Combatir. He willingly gave himself up and was sent to prison. The Pope promised he'd imprison the one responsible for making Alicia a monster if Regal would kill the Chosen. Regal wears handcuffs as a symbol of his crime; consequently, he learned how to fight with his feet, and his weapons are greaves (essentially shinplate armor).

Villains

• Mitos (ミトス Mitosu) / Mithos – Mithos is a friend of Genis' who turns out to be Yggdrasil, the man who runs Cruxis and the Desians. Mithos, resembling a 14 year old child, was a great swordsman who trained under the guidance of Kratos. He had great ideals about a peaceful Aselia (The name of the united world from Tales of Phantasia), but his sister's death made him lose track of whether the world or his sister's life is more important to him. His sister's name is Martel.
• Yuan (ユアン Yuan) / Yuan – He is a double agent. He is the leader of the Renegades, an organization that tries to stop Cruxis and their plans. Yuan is also one of the Four Seraphim of Cruxis. He pretends to be loyal to Mithos so he can find out the plans of Cruxis and thwart them. He is over 4,000 years old. He journeyed with Mithos and his companions in the past to end the Kharlan War. He was engaged to Martel before she was killed. She asked Mithos and Yuan to make the world a better place and to stop the half-elf discrimination right before she died. Mithos tried to do just that, but in a twisted way. Yuan knew that Martel didn't want Mithos to do it that way, so Yuan tries to stop Mithos.
• Pronyma (プロネーマ Pronyma) / Pronyma – She is one of the Five Desian Grand Cardinals, and the leader. She works for Yggdrasil, who is actually Mithos, and is normally always with near him. She is killed by Yggdrasil after calling him Mithos, a honor reserved for his former companions.
• Forcystus (フォシテス Forcystus) / Forcystus – Forcystus is the first Desian Grand Cardinal that Lloyd encounters. He is in charge of the Iselia Human Ranch. He is considered a hero for the Desians
• Magnius (マグニス Magnius) / Magnius – Magnius is the Desian Grand Cardinal in charge of the Palmacosta Human Ranch. He uses General Governor Dorr to collect Gald for the Desians. He is killed by Lloyd and company after infiltrating his ranch. Both him and Kvar were being tricked by Rodyle. Magnius collected Gald and tried to assassinate the Chosen's group for Rodyle. He says that he was decieved.
• Kvar (クヴァル Kvar) / Kvar – Kvar is the Desian Grand Cardinal in charge of the Asgard Human Ranch, and also the cruelest. He is the one who kills Anna who is the mother of Lloyd and wife of Kratos. Kvar is the one who worked on the Angelus Project for Yggdrasil. He and Magnius are both tricked by Rodyle. Kvar was decieving Yggdrasil for a long time. He was killed by Lloyd and Kratos.
• Rodyle (ロディル Rodyle) / Rodyle – Rodyle is the Desian Grand Cardinal in charge of the Remote Island Human Ranch. He uses Magnius and Kvar to get Gald and more to help him with the Mana Cannon. Rodyle does not work for Yggdrasil (since he tricked his leader) and does whatever he wants. He works with the Pope and Vharley. Rodyle also was decieving Presea for a long time by using the Cruxis Crystal on her.

Plot

Journey

Complications arise during the journey. Several times, a mysterious assassin attempts to kill them. This assassin, Sheena Fujibayashi, eventually repents and joins the party. She explains that she is from Tethe'alla, a parallel universe, and that Sylvarant and Tethe'alla compete for mana. While one world flourishes, the other suffers.

Tower of Salvation

When the party reaches the Tower of Salvation, with the help of Kratos Aurion, a mysterious mercenary, the truth is revealed. The Chosen legend is really a plot by Cruxis, a group of half-elves and evolved half-elves, or angels. The two worlds were formerly one, but Yggdrasil, Cruxis's leader, split them in two. Kratos also is revealed as one of the Four Seraphim of Cruxis.

The party narrowly escapes the Tower with the help of the Renegades, an opposition group, and begins seeking to reunite the two worlds. Other characters join: Zelos Wilder, the Chosen of Tethe'alla, Presea Combatir, the mysterious victim of an Exsphere experiment, and Regal Bryant, a prisoner, and, as is later revealed, president of a massive company.

Revelation

The party eventually discovers that Yggdrasil's first name is Mithos, and that he is the same person as Mithos, the hero of the Ancient Kharlan War. Mithos was cast out of the elven village of Heimdall for being a half-elf. He, along with his sister, Martel, Yuan, a fellow half-elf, and Kratos, his human teacher, journeyed to end the war. When this was done, however, he split the world in two with the Eternal Sword, which had been given to him by Origin, king of the Summon Spirits, for the purpose of ending the war. He did this in order to separate the opposing forces that had caused the war into separate worlds. The war also had caused the deaths of the Great Kharlan Tree, planted by the elves when they came to the world in order to provide mana, and Martel. Mithos, desiring to save his sister, bound her Exsphere, which retained her consciousness, to the Great Seed of the Kharlan Tree. Along with Yuan and Kratos, he set up Cruxis to rule the two worlds, convincing them it was the best way to maintain peace.

The Church of Martel and Chosen ritual were developed in order to provide a new body for Martel. Yuan and Kratos grew disquieted with this, as it caused needless suffering through the waxing and waning of the worlds and the Desians, a sub-organization of Cruxis, that were necessary to stimulate fear in the Chosen to awaken his or her Exsphere. Also, Mithos gradually revealed his plans to transform everyone into identical beings through the use of Exspheres, in order to eliminate discrimination. Yuan secretly formed the Renegades, while Kratos begin subverting Mithos's plans under the pretense of helping carry them out.

Eventually, Mithos and his vision are defeated. Lloyd is able to use the Eternal Sword to reunite the worlds and germinate the Great Seed. Martel is freed from the Seed and her consciousness is deposited into Tabatha, an android built in a failed attempt to resurrect her.

Themes

The game's story is inspired by many legends and works. A prominent contributor is Norse mythology. Mithos Yggdrasil's name is taken from Yggdrasil, the world-tree that was believed by the Norse to support and nourish the world. Obviously, this concept of a world-tree is manifested in the Great Kharlan Tree. Kratos Aurion's name is taken from Cratos, the personification of strength and power in Greek mythology. Zelos Wilder's name is also taken from Greek mythology, Zelus being the brother of Cratos and the personification of dedication and emulation. The Hindu/Buddhist tradition was utilized in the naming of several of Sheena's weapons and also one of Raine's (Vajra, Yaksa, Asura, Acalanatha, Hanuman). Islamic mythology was drawn upon for the names of Efreet and Bahamut. Japanese mythology contributed the legendary sword Kusanagi, which is the equivalent of Excalibur in the western world. Even obscure characters such as Sephira of Spanish mythology make appearances. Pagan themes are evident in the concept of the Goddess Martel and the general nature themes present in the game. The universal theme of death and renewal can be seen in the seesawing parallel worlds and the Chosen ritual, and is specificall mentioned during one encounter with a unicorn. Typical high fantasy elements abound in the game as well, such as dwarves and elves. There are also elements from the blibical views; the mentioning of the seraphim comes from the angel caste system. Finally, the game's plot, structure and characters bear marked similarities to that of Final Fantasy X.

The game also carries a strong undercurrent of overcoming racism. Half-elves are distrusted and despised by humans in both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. In Tethe'alla, half-elves are considered to be inferior (due to the caste system), while in Sylvarant, they are a group of enslaving robber-barons who see humans as beneath them, and use humans as slaves and experimental subjects. Spiraling from racism, there is a hint of Nazism in the story, with Mithos wanting a world where everyone is exactly the same, which can hint the Nazi's Aryan ideals.

Game mechanics

Battle

Another interesting aspect of the game's battle system is the ability to execute Unison Attacks. This can be done when the Unison Meter, a blue bar above the characters' status displays, fills completely. In a Unison Attack, each character uses a technique to attack an enemy or enemies at the same time. The techniques used can be selected by the main player by pressing the default A, B, X, or Y button(s) or manually input with the B button and the control stick. If characters use certain abilities in the same Unison Attack, a Compound Special Attack is triggered, causing additional damage. The Compund Special Attacks can only be triggered if TWO characters perform specific attacks of their own.

EX-Gems system

Although the typical system of characters gaining strength and abilities with the accumulation of experience points is present in Tales of Symphonia, the game's EX system adds extra depth. Up to four EX Gems can be equipped on a character at a time. These gems vary in strength, and each level of gem has different abilities, or EX Skills, that can be selected. Compound EX Skills can also be discovered if compatible EX Skills are enabled.

Cooking

Tales of Symphonia also takes a novel approach to character recovery. The RPG standbys of inns and recovery items exist, but characters can also learn recipes from an eccentric character known as the Wonder Chef. If the character possesses the required food items, he or she can prepare a dish that will have beneficial effects upon the party, such as recovery of hit points and technical points, curing of ailments such as poison, or temporary boosting of character status. However, sometimes a recipe may be cooked unsuccesfully, resulting in wasted ingredients and greatly reduced benefits to the party.

Skits

In addition to cut scenes, various skits between the characters can be viewed while in the overworld, in towns, and in dungeons. Some become available automatically, while others only occur when a hidden spot on the world map is discovered. These skits are not required for plot progression, but they provide additional character development and background information. Hidden skits can also affect Lloyd's relationships with other characters, which has some effects upon the game's story. While the Japanese version of the game offers speech in every skit, the skits in the American and European versions are text only.

Titles

There are certain ways in Tales to get "Titles." Titles do a few things. One thing they can do is increase a characters stats. It can also change their On-Screen appearence. For example, Lloyd Irving can get a title called Beach Boy, which gives him a hailarious swim suit outfit, or Regal Bryant has God of the Kitchen, which gives him a nice Chef outfit and can increase the effects of cooking, depending on the dish(You may not notice it at first). When you get to certain levels, or do certain events in the game, you can get Titles. Titles can also be obatained (rarely) when you get Skits, like Zelos's "Idiot Chosen".

See also

• Tales of Phantasia
• Tales of Destiny
• Tales of Eternia

External links

• Official English Website
• Official Japanese website for the GC version
• Official Japanese website for the PS2 version