Symphonia’s graphics received a necessary upgrade on the jump from GameCube/PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3, and while I’m not personally a fan of the super deformed cel shaded graphical style Symphonia employed, it is colorful and vibrant, fitting the game’s tone while being aesthetically pleasing enough to add to the game’s charm. I am ashamed to say that this strategy worked on me, though it is still telling that the best recommendation I could give for the storyline is that its best qualities reminded me of my halcyon days of watching overrated harem anime. That’s not to say it’s entirely a failure, it’s just that the writing and character chemistry is so clumsy that the only saving grace is the fact that the ever present skits have dialed up the wacky anime romcom hijinks in a desperate bid to hold players’ attention. While Tales of Symphonia had a serviceable story, Dawn of the New World is written like fanfiction, with generally uninteresting - almost unlikable - characters, and a contrived romance subplot that I can only describe as decent by stooping to the level of comparing it to the likes of Twilight. Dawn of the New World does much worse in this regard. Thankfully, such moments are relatively rare, and the game never takes itself so seriously that such lines rob it of its charm. That being said, the dialogue is stilted and unnatural at times, robbing some serious scenes of any impact they may have. Symphonia approaches its subject matter with panache and enthusiasm, and as a result makes the underlying themes of racism and discrimination more poignant while developing characters in an immensely likable manner. While the story and characters seem by-the-books and uninspired, the methods in which these archetypes and tropes play out are what make the story interesting. Together, the two set out to restore balance to a world thrown out of balance by the events of the previous game. After being saved by Marta, a girl whose affection for Emil is as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face, Emil gains the power of the guardian spirit Ratatosk, which grants him great strength during battle while simultaneously changing his entire personality from a meek shrinking violet to an abrasive and confident combatant. Dawn of the New World follows the exploits of Emil, a shy and introverted boy who is constantly abused by his guardians and bullied by his peers. Two years after the end of Symphonia, Dawn of the New World explores the repercussions of the original game’s ending. With nowhere else to go, they join Colette on her quest to save the world. On the day Colette leaves for her journey to regenerate the world, Lloyd and his best friend, child prodigy Genis, run afoul of one of these ranches, causing an incident that ends with them being expelled from the village. Sylvarant is currently living in a state of fear due to Desians, who are oppressing and systematically enslaving humans in Desian-operated ranches. He is childhood friends with Colette, a ditzy “girl next door” who also happens to be The Chosen, a savior who will one day bring prosperity and fortune to the declining world of Sylvarant. Symphonia tells the tale of Lloyd Irving, a swordsman with more muscles than sense, who can never score more than 25% on a test without celebrating his best score yet. It’s simply by virtue of not being as good a game as its prequel. Its sequel, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, fares much worse, but this is not due to advances made in succeeding installments. Tales of Symphonia stands the test of time much better, though some aspects have left it feeling slightly dated beside its mainline successors. Of course, I also said the same about the original Final Fantasy when I played that on a NES, and time has whittled that nostalgic enthusiasm from a fine blade down to a stunted handle. Released a decade ago, during my freshman year of undergraduate study, I quickly declared it the best game I’d ever played. If ever there was a game that had the potential to make me feel the merciless progression of time shaping me into an angry codger, Tales of Symphonia would be it.
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