So the countdown for the
next installment in the Tales series
has come to an end -- and with it, the reveal of Tales of Xillia 2.
While I have my
reservations about it being a direct sequel (and the fact that Tales of Xillia 1 has yet to appear in
the states), I’m okay with this. You may
think me a hypocrite for accepting another sequel in this franchise while
blasting it elsewhere -- i.e. Final
Fantasy XIII-2 -- but that’s because A) I’d like to pretend that the Fabula Nova Crystallis project doesn’t
exist, and if I don’t look at it it’ll go away, and B) in my experience, the Tales series has been consistently good.
And by consistently
good, I mean it’s probably one of the most unappreciated franchises in the past
decade or so.
Sometimes I think we
live in a parallel, distorted-mirror universe.
The moment we as a species master the art of inter-dimensional travel,
we’ll visit the other Earth and see a number of interesting sights. Domesticated animals are required to wear
clothes; Gordon Ramsay went into electronics; Final Fantasy (post-VII,
if you’re particularly devoted to the franchise) languishes in obscurity, while
the Tales games are hotter than a
pyroclastic flow. As a result, all wars
have come to an end and we’ve all embraced peace…because everyone’s too busy
playing the games to bother fighting.
Okay, I’ll admit that
I’m a bit biased because I’m still recovering from Final Fantasy XIII (and more recently, certain parts of Kingdom Hearts 2 and Birth By Sleep in general). Square Enix -- or maybe I should say
Squaresoft -- has done some fantastic work in the past, and for better or worse
they manage to make some colorful worlds with satisfying gameplay and
characters. But damn, can you imagine if
it was the Tales series that was so
popular it got referenced by Two and a
Half Men?
His Mystic Arte turns him into a tiger.
Likewise, I’ll admit
that the series isn’t exactly perfect. Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
is the weakest game in the series (that I’ve played), effectively giving the
franchise its Final Fantasy X-2. I liked Tales
of Legendia, but apparently I’m one of the four people out there that
did. Tales
of the Tempest supposedly sucked.
But in my experience, based on the games I’ve played -- in order, Symphonia, Legendia, Abyss, Vesperia, DotNW,
and Graces f -- I think that if I had
to choose one franchise to follow to hell and back, it would be this one.
…Okay, besides any
given Atlus game.
There are just so many
things that the Tales series
consistently does right. Call it preference
-- or fanboyism -- if you will, but give me a chance and I’ll at least try to prove my case.
A Mix of Action, Comedy, and
Drama
Thousands of years ago,
I explained that my love of Animorphs came
from my perceived understanding of “balance.”
To put it VERY simply, a good story -- not always, but typically --
strikes a nice harmony between things happening, things that make you happy,
and things that make you sad/think. It’s
why Animorphs sought to include
references to Sean Connery and featured a preponderance of cinnamon buns in a
story ostensibly about the horrors of war and the corruptive influence it has
on all parties involved.
"My butt grew huge! I had megabutt!" --Actual line
You would think that
video games would be the perfect place to strike a balance. Yet, time and time again they’ve shown us
that there’s still a lot of ground to cover; there have been games that sacrifice
everything for explodey bits and gore, games that try to make you think but end
up coming off as pretentious (and brain-dead), and games that could sooner run
for president than tell one decent joke.
And yet, with little fanfare, Tales
games have been doing it for years.
There’s action --
conflict internal and external -- that justifies the need for sword-to-sword
combat. There’s drama that asks the
heavy questions, and invites you to explore the depths of the character and the
world at large. There’s no shortage of
comedy -- a self-awareness and spirit that pokes fun of characters and
conventions, and just plain takes a shot at whatever’s on-hand in the
story. How do you get out of a giant
turtle’s body? Out the butt, of course! What are your weapons? Courage, love, and sexuality! The Moses Happy
Dance!
There was a quote from the producer of Valkyria Chronicles on the subject of
the story and tone: “Even in times of war, there’s more that fills the hearts
of men than thoughts of hatred for the enemy. For the very reason that death
could be just around the bend, people need to live life to the fullest, and
that means laughing just as hard as they cry. That was our theme.” The Tales
games aren’t just going for laughs or dramabombs; they want to try to give
you the full experience, and they’ve got the process down pat.
A Prime Example: Graces f’s early hours
It feels like just
yesterday that I was playing through Kingdom
Hearts 2 and wishing that I didn’t have eyes as I suffered through Roxas’
prologue. Given that, you’d think I’d be
plagued by PTSD flashbacks as I played through Graces -- not as sword-slinging hero Asbel as I knew him, but as
his tweenage self. You’d think that I’d
blast it to kingdom come, saying that it was just filler until the main
story. But there’s a difference between Graces and KH2. For one thing, Graces’ prologue is actually connected
to the plot; for another, it actually sets up and contributes to our understanding
of FIVE of the seven main characters.
Third, something actually happens -- and not any knuckle-dragging
through awful mini-games.
A lead character in a JRPG...smiling? What sorcery is this?!
You want action? How about thwarting an assassination plot,
exploring a cave and fighting a demonic creature, and seeing a girl murdered before
your eyes? You want drama? How about abandoning your brother and secret
admirer AND your home to become an invincible knight that’ll never lose another
friend, simultaneously casting aside your childish pride and title as lord-in-waiting? You want comedy? Two words: Tiger Festival.
I think I just found
the name of my first child.
A Wild Cast
The Tales series is infamous for its
distinctly Japanese style (putting the J in JRPGs since 1995!). Therefore, it’s doomed to ridicule in the
West. Meanwhile, gamers will lap up any title featuring faceless soldiers, guns, and/or zombies. Riveting.
Quality.
JRPGs, depressingly
enough, have become a niche genre. Games
from the east have fallen out of favor, and even those that manage to slip
through the cracks are still given no small amount of heat (up to and including
Final Fantasy…though not without
justification). It’s a shame, too; if
half the sales that went toward Operation
Raccoon City went to any given Tales
game…well, refer to my earlier statement about world peace, and add reaching
nirvana to that.
It’s true that Tales casts rely on clichés and
archetypes to give you a basic glimpse of a character. Vesperia
had Flynn, the straight-arrow of a knight.
Symphonia had Lloyd, the
requisite dumb-but-kindhearted hero. Legendia had Will, the smart old guy --
old in this case being twenty-eight -- with a checkered past. (Hell, I think it’s a requirement for each
game to have one guy several years older than the rest of the party.) But whereas other, poorer games -- JRPGs
included -- are content with giving you that archetype and leaving it at that, Tales games do what they can to flesh
out members of the main cast as well as the villains. So yes, while Sophie from Graces might be the requisite amnesiac
girl with hidden powers and lacking in social graces (I see what you did there,
Namco), she also brings with her a slew of quirks, a love of crab omelets, and
a brutal dissection of what it would mean for a girl in her situation to
actually exist in a real-life circumstance with every implication observed. One of these things is not like the others…but
we’ll get to that in a bit.
A Prime Example: The Vesperia Cast
As I understand it, Vesperia’s leading man Yuri Lowell is one of the most popular Talescharacters, period. There’s a reason for
that; in a genre infamous for oversleeping idiots and brooding whiners, Yuri
proved himself cynical but capable, pondering but proactive; several of his
defining moments came from him practicing vigilante justice, and murdering not
one, but two untouchable lords/politicians
in rapid succession. (Kind of makes me
wonder if he should be on trial for the casual murder of countless mooks
throughout the journey, but I digress.)
His motion of taking the law into his own hands made him a direct foil
to the aforementioned Flynn; while the knight managed to keep his hands clean
and worked to create a revolution in line with the law, at times he found
himself frustrated with the system, and actually got promoted because of things
with the system, and actually got promoted because of things Yuri did. In spite of that, Yuri comes to grips with
his actions; while he doesn’t burst into tears and scream at the sky, he
realizes that he’s stepped into a moral gray area that keeps him from espousing
justice so readily. It’s not enough to
slow him or the plot down, but enough to change the perspective of both his
allies and players.
Or maybe they just got lost in his eyes.
And on that note, no Tales game -- no story, period -- can
work without characters playing off each other.
To do that, they need to be distinct and, be they evil or good, a
delight to see. That’s why you’ve got
characters like Raven, the supposed “dirty old man” who’s actually a war
veteran, has a mechanical heart, and moonlights as one of the toughest bosses
in the entire game. Or Estelle, the
well-meaning (if a bit naïve) princess with a healing ability that effectively
poisons the world. What’s important to
note is that, even if you’ve seen screenshots and descriptions of these
characters prior to release, you can go in expecting to like one character (“Raven’s
going to be amazing,” I said to myself) and coming out liking another (“I can’t
decide if Raven or Karol’s my favorite!
Woe is me!”) Who’s Karol, you
might ask? Just a kid who starts out as
a coward and eventually becomes tough enough to solo the damn universe.
The World, and Impact Therein
Towns, dungeons, and a
world map. If nothing else, you can
expect that much from a JRPG. Give
players that much, with all the standard toppings (forest level, ice level,
lava level, etc.), and they’ll be satisfied.
Take away pieces of it, and…look, I’m trying my hardest not to take
another shot at Final Fantasy XIII
here, but it’s really hard.
THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN
Tales games, as expected, have routinely delivered on that
front. While there have been some black
sheep (Legendia featured only one
major town), there are still enough varied locations in the series to stay
diverse and memorable across installments.
Remember Symphonia, and how it
had two separate worlds? Remember the low-tech
style of even the largest towns in the mana-destitute Sylvarant, while the mana-wealthy
Tethe’alla had sprawling cities and modern flair offset by the underprivileged
living on the crumbling fringes of society?
Or how Graces featured entire
countries revolving around elemental crystals in stark contrast to their
environments, but only as a measure to control the harsh climates and
conditions?
Each world takes on a
character of its own -- doubly so when the merry gang of adventures takes part
in what goes on within it. While you’re
travelling about and applying a strict policy of sword-to-bandit-faces, it’s
common for you to act as an ambassador between multiple parties, ranging from
organizing the emigration of a small village to another world, all the way up
to reconciling the differences between countries with a few choice moves. That’s right; Tales games manage to do the impossible, and make politics FUN.
Diplomacy, ho!
Pictured: aggressive negotiations.
A Prime Example: Tales of the Abyss
Almost as if aware of its
trend, Abyss manages to kick both
main character Luke and the player right in the brain stem; Luke’s motions
toward becoming an ambassador -- as suggested by his teacher Van -- end up
leading to the fall of a mining colony and the deaths of tens of thousands;
said colony sinks into a shifting abyss of muck and miasma deep within the
earth. Luke spends the rest of the game
trying to make up for his mistakes and selfishness (although you could argue
that it could have been prevented if everyone thought to treat Luke like a
person instead of the average Jersey
Shore fan…but I digress). Said
efforts include doing what he can to stop a war, acting as a liaison between
countries, deciding what to do with a sudden population spike via emotionless
clones popping up all over the planet, and dealing with the deeply-entrenched
dogma that stretches across the planet…oh, and killing the Pope when he turns
into a big ugly demon.
If there wasn’t already
a game out there called Tales of Destiny,
Abyss could have easily taken the
title. That dogma I mentioned? It is serious business. In a nutshell, “The Score” is a record that
predicts events large and small, from wars and red-headed saviors to individual
readings that tell you about auspicious days; it’s to the point where some
people don’t leave the house if The Score says not to. There’s a religion based around it, and part
of your “diplomatic measures” includes protecting one of its most notable
figures. It’s as much an enemy as the
monster-pope, and even then it’s not the religion’s fault. But back on the subject of the world…well, let’s
just say it’s called Tales of the Abyss for
a reason and leave it at that.
Kids love it.
The Combat
During his Final Fantasy XIII review, Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation asked why the game
couldn’t just let him walk toward an enemy and bash it with the X button. While I respect him and his reviews (even if
he didn’t exactly love Skyward Sword),
I can’t help but wonder if the Tales
games slipped under his radar. Or maybe
he was just trying to make a joke and a point by way of not discussing it. Or maybe he just really hates present-day JRPGs,
and the less time he has to spend with them the better.
Which is a shame,
because as far as I know, there’s never been a Tales game where you wait your turn and attack through menus like a
gentleman engaging in a duel with a waitress at a restaurant. Using its increasingly-complexly-named “Linear
Motion Battle System” or LiMBS, battles take place in an arena where you fight
with an array of skills, spells, and items in real time. You’d think that the combat would be slow and
finicky because it’s an RPG; you’d be wrong.
It almost feels like you’re playing a fighting game, as you have to
block, move around the field, dodge enemy attacks, manage your items, protect
your party members, and bust out some ZOMGcombos. There’s plenty of variety between the
characters, too. From standard
in-your-face swordsmen to spellcasters to heavy hitters, there’s one character
per game that’ll suit your fancy.
Knight in shining armor...DO WANT.
And like a fine wine,
the battle system gets better with age.
I remember in Symphonia when moving
out of the way of certain area-of-effect attacks involved targeting a different
enemy so you could move from one 2D plane of movement to another. In Abyss,
you gained free-run, allowing you to more easily move around the field with a
full 3D range of movement. Vesperia added instant kills; after
hitting enemies with a certain-attribute attack, you could pull the trigger and
murder them with one blow. Graces purportedly has the best battle
system of them all right now, giving you full range of motion, an emphasis on
dodging enemy attacks, multiple fighting styles per character, and doing away
with standard MP counts so you can attack (almost) at your leisure.
And now in Xillia 2, you can execute some real-time
weapon change. I’d call that a win.
A Prime Example: Tales of the Abyss
I could take the high
road and cite the skill system, over limit system, or the ability to create
some lengthy combo videos…but instead, I’ll just post a video showing off their
bitchin’ damn super moves.
Deconstruction
“Deconstruction means to take apart a trope so as to better understand
its meaning and relevance to us in real Life. This often means pursuing a
trope's inherent contradictions and the difference between how the trope
appears in this one work and how it compares to other relevant tropes or ideas
both in fiction and real Life.”
What does this mean for
Tales games? Well, it means two things: first, it’ll take
you through some familiar territory. It’s
purposely clichéd and cookie-cutter at times, particularly near the beginning,
or before you have a chance to learn too much about the characters. And then, suddenly, just when you think you’ve
got the story all tied up and figured out, NARRATIVE DROP KICK! World’s sinking into planet-wide
quicksand! Ancient conscious-less entity
of destruction hovers above the planet!
Goin’ to motherfuckin’ Mars, don’t wait up! Tales games
keep you guessing until the very end, and part of the fun in playing them is
seeing just how your expectations are betrayed.
But more importantly…
A Prime Example: Tales of Symphonia
Tales of Symphonia is what would happen if Final Fantasy X-2 actually tried to tell a story.
Lead heroine Colette is
so similar to Yuna you’d think that she was a wholesale copy. I mean, really -- a polite, cheerful girl (and
a bit of a klutz) whose life has been entrenched in scriptures dictating her
destiny? A girl sent on a pilgrimage to
save the world by travelling through dangerous ancient ruins while outwitting
technology-wielding enemies (and occasionally getting kidnapped)? A girl who acts like there’s nothing wrong on
the surface, but is secretly harboring no small number of fears and worries? It’s a miracle there wasn’t a lawsuit.
So you go through the
game, expecting to save the world by dint of Colette’s pilgrimage. And then you discover that saving her world,
Sylvarant, will bring ruin to another world, Tethe’alla. And then you realize that Colette completing
her pilgrimage means her becoming a holy figure in the worst possible way --
sacrificing her humanity and life. And
then you’re ready to head to the final temple, complete the pilgrimage, and
save the world…or at least find a way to save both worlds. And then Colette becomes a lifeless husk, one
of your friends reveals he was an angel all along, and you get your ass sliced
off by said traitor AND ANOTHER ANGEL that’s masterminding the whole operation. And then the game starts for real.
And you’re not even off
the first disk.
To say that a lot
happens would be an understatement, but for now let’s go back to Colette. Given that her entire life has focused on the
pilgrimage and saving the world, she…well, doesn’t take losing her purpose in
life all too well. She puts up a front
as expected, but she shows cracks in her armor repeatedly -- in the optional
skits more than anything, but she has a slew of episodes where the universe
just decides to stomp her face in and she gives the appropriate response. Thankfully she doesn’t go on a killing spree,
but she still comes very near to losing the will to live. And just in case you were thinking that lead
hero Lloyd manages to BS his way to a happy ending, don’t; he learns that his
ideals come with an extreme amount of weight, hard work, and cracking the game’s
ultimate question: how do you save the world?
And that, ultimately,
is the key to the Tales games. It has a question underlying all the colors
and swords, and has its characters use the journey to come up with a solid
answer. How do you save the world? What is justice? What does it mean to protect your
friends? Questions like these give the
entire story focus, and portraying it through a multitude of perspectives and
possibilities gets players thinking. It
keeps them engaged. It adds depth.
And you know what? With all that in mind -- with all those
qualities, and characters, and combat mixed into one solid package -- you get
something pretty nice. You get a great game. And when you do it enough times without
fanfare, without fame or fanaticism, you get something even better. You’ve got yourself one hell of a franchise.
Take note, Squeenix. Namco’s got you in its sights.
/gushing
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