Tales of Destiny is a very cool RPG that I played a while ago, but didn’t write a blog post about it. Before I play any of the other games in the Tales series, I wanted to write down my thoughts on this one. I have a few memories of this game, and when I went back to play this game, I found that it wasn’t how I remembered it.
My friend Drew introduced me to this game. The way he talked about it made me think it was some insanely difficult game. I don’t remember how far I got into this game when I first played it, but I do know that it wasn’t as difficult as he claimed.
When I came back to play this game, I was very impressed with it. I knew a little bit about the gameplay, so some of what was in the game wasn’t a surprise. What I remember the most about this game was how it felt like two games being mashed together into one.
TLDR: One of my favorite RPGs on the PS1.
Narrative
The most notable thing about this game for me was how there is a natural ending halfway through the game. Then, it starts up again with a new set of villains. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it was just a little odd for me when I went back to play the game.
There is a backstory that explains that there was a war in this world’s past. Both sides created super weapons, and one side emerged as the victor. This is when we’re introduced to the Swordians, who are people who have been fused with swords. Some of these swords have been destroyed, lost, or corrupted.
We follow the character Stahn, who manages to obtain the Swordian Dymlos. The first part of the story has your party trying to obtain an object called the Eye of Atamoni. Once you stop this group of people, a new group of people takes the Eye of Atamoni and uses it to create a landmass that covers the sky.
This is when we learn a bit about the war between the Aetherians and the Erthers. It is a class struggle, and eventually, a group of Aetherian scientists switches sides and creates the Swordians so the Erthers are able to win the war. This second group of villains is trying to bring the Aetherians back, and it is up to you to defeat them.
I like the game’s story. Tales of Destiny has a lot of lore to it, and the story is told well. It felt odd when I played it a few years ago, but that was because I had forgotten about the two endings. It is fun that characters’ motivations change, but it just felt like this was two games smashed together.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Tales of Destiny really stood out to be back in the 1990s. I had played action RPGs before, but none of them played like this game. It also has some interesting things in it that I really like.
I really liked the battles in this game. They stood out from what other RPGs were doing in the 1990s. It uses an active time system, so turns take place randomly depending instead of in a set turn. This is also more of an action RPG that takes place on a side scrolling screen.
There is a magic system in the game, as well as a special attack system. You can give commands to your AI controlled party members while controlling the main character yourself. This is something that I really enjoy, and once you get the hang of things, it is very easy to control.
One thing I remember being told was that this game has a high encounter rate. That isn’t something I experienced when I went back to play this. I didn’t feel like I got in more battles than in any other RPG from this era.
There are a number of characters who aren’t all that important, especially when you have the Swordians. The magic system is connected to the Swordians in some cases, so you want to have them in your party, at least I did. This made the characters who can’t equip them a little useless for me.
Overall, I love the gameplay. It has some problems, but it is much better than several other games in this genre. Tales of Destiny stands out to me in several ways, and the gameplay is a big part of that. I really enjoy what this game has to offer.
Visuals
This is one of those games that looks like it either started as an SNES/Super Famicom game and then was ported to the PS1. I don’t think this is a bad thing; it is just one of those things that happens when a new console generation comes out. There is always a game or two that changes platforms.
Because this game uses pixel art rather than 3D graphics, it holds up better than some other PS1 RPGs. The world map, towns, and sprites on the battlefield look great! I really love the graphics in this game.
Character sprites are great! I love how enemies and your party look on the combat screens. It is easy to see who is casting a spell, and easy to break this up. The enemies look pretty unique, which is always nice to see. Not all of the boss characters are great, but most of them look good.
Battles play out on a side scrolling screen, which works quite well for a game like this. Those screens look very good. I like that they change depending on where they’re taking place, and that they have some depth to them.
There are a few cutscenes in this game. They look very good, even if it would be nice if there were more of them in the game. Most of these cutscenes use in game graphics, but they look very good! This is more cinematic than some games.
Overall, I really like the graphics in Tales of Destiny. The graphics in this game hold up much better than the other games that tried to use only 3D graphics. It is a wonderful looking game that has great pixel art.
Reviews at the Time
I was very surprised when I saw the reviews. While I’m normally a little off on my scores, I wasn’t expecting to see scores between 4.9 and 8/10. It was a little shocking to see stuff like this when I read it.
GameSpot hated the game and gave it a 4.9/10. The reviewer didn’t like the story, but his criticism sounded like he had never played an RPG before. He strongly criticised the graphics, which I was expecting to see. He ended his review by saying there is “so little exciting or new here that you are probably better off playing another RPG.”
Game Informer had three people review the game. Their scores were 6.75, 6.75, and 7/10. The three reviewers didn’t like the battles, thought the story was boring, and thought it was mediocre.
IGN gave the game a 7.5/10. The reviewer liked it a lot more than the other publications. I think this is one of the reviews they translated from another language, but I’m not too sure. The reviewer did point out the graphics, but said that they had fun with the game.
I was expecting to see the reviewers mention the graphics, but it comes across like they don’t like the genre that much, or they only liked Final Fantasy VII. It is a little odd to see stuff like this, but that is how some people thought back in the day.
9/10. I really enjoyed this game when I played it. Even if it wasn’t as difficult as I remember, it is much better than some of the other RPGs on the PS1. I really enjoy the action RPG battles and how you can control your AI companions.
Pros
- Good Gameplay
- Competent AI Companions
- Good Graphics
Cons
- It feels a bit longer than necessary
- A bit too easy
Conclusion
Tales of Destiny is one of the better RPGs on the PS1. I know the series is well remembered today, but I wasn’t sure how well this game was viewed back in the late 1990s. It was released in the wake of Final Fantasy VII, so it probably got some unfair comparisons.
When I looked at the reviews, I was very surprised that they were so low. Reviewers around this time cared a lot about graphics, even if the game looked better than some of the other RPGs released at the same time. I was also confused by some of their comments on the gameplay.
When I went back to play this game, I really enjoyed the story and the gameplay. The active time action RPG system was very good! Even when I played the game back in the day, this game stood out to me.
The Tales series was something I didn’t really follow back in the day. I do have Phantasia and Destiny II, but I haven’t really played them yet. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get to them at some point because I really liked what was in this game.
If you liked this post, check out some of my other posts about PS1 RPGs. Such as Jade Cocoon or Thousand Arms.