Long ago, a studio called Wolf Team had an internal fallout among its developers, leading to a split in its workforce. Those who left Wolf Team banded together to form a new company, tri-Ace.
While tri-Ace went on to create a new franchise,Star Ocean, Wolf Team kept pushing to find a publisher for its debut title,Tales of Phantasia.
After some time, Namco agreed to publishTales of Phantasia, marking the beginning of a powerful partnership and one of thelongest-running JRPG franchisesever.
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Eventually, Namco absorbed Wolf Team into its operations, and theTales ofseries now boasts over 15 mainline entries. This list aims to rank everyTales ofgame, but with a few conditions.
First, only mainline titles with global releases are included, as a fewTales ofnever left Japan. Second, spin-offs and mobile games are excluded. Remember, even though this is a ranked list, being lower on the list doesn’t mean the game is bad. It just means the top picks are more entertaining.
15Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
An Unworthy Direct Sequel
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New Worldisn’t a bad game, but as a direct sequel to one of the bestTales ofentries, it had some big shoes to fill—and unfortunately, it drops the ball in several areas.
The story picks up two years afterTales of Symphonia. The protagonist, Emil Castagnier, is a boy who witnesses his parents being massacred by Lloyd in an event called the Blood Purge. This leaves Emil harboring a grudge against Lloyd, who is hailed as a hero by the rest of the world.
Emil is an insecure, whiny boy who struggles to express himself and is bullied by his relatives and peers. Suddenly, he discovers a mysterious power that activates a second personality, turning Emil into a total badass.
This dual personality isDawn of the New World’smost glaring issue. The sequel undermines its predecessor’s story and characters while trying to elevate a lackluster new protagonist.
The combat introduces a variation of the Linear Motion Battle System with unique twists, such as the Elemental Grid and the ability to capture and evolve hundreds of monsters. It’s solid and enjoyable gameplay but overshadowed by a far-fetched plot and a way too annoying protagonist.
14Tales of Legendia
Good Start, Half-Baked Finish
Tales of Legendiaboasts a fantastic setting. The game occurs on a gigantic ship because the entire world is covered in water. We play as Senel, the franchise’s first protagonist, who isn’t a small-town boy who is amazed by everything new. Also, he trades the sword for fists, swapping the famous Demon Fang for Demon Fist.
The game’s introduction and overall plot are strong, but the second half’s pacing issues make it fall flat. Plus, there are needless backtracking and filler quests (added because Namco thought the game was too short), and you’ll see howTales of Legendiawasted its potential for fun.
Another area for improvement withTales of Legendiais its gameplay. The 2D side-scrolling battles return, offering a sense of familiarity, but the random encounters and beefy enemies drag things out, worsening the narrative’s pacing.
13Tales of Hearts R
The Portable Entry
The originalTales of Heartswas Japan-exclusive, but Bandai Namco releasedTales of Hearts Rfor the PS Vita, including an English localization. The DS original used a 2D perspective across dual screens, while the PS Vita version adopted a 3D view on a single screen.
Kor Meteor is the lead inTales of Hearts R, which unfolds in the worlds of Organica and Minera. Enemies called Xeroms attack or infect people’s emotions, and one of them kills Kor’s grandfather.
Together with Kohaku and Hisui, Kor embarks on a journey to restore Kohaku’s crystallized emotions, which have been scattered across the world. It’s a creative setting with a strong rapport among the main characters.
Gameplay-wise,Tales of Hearts Rfeatures 3D environments, and characters can freely move across the battlefield. Attacking, however, sends the character in a beeline toward the enemy.
TheJRPGintroduces aerial combat, allowing players to launch enemies into the air and chain combos. Union Artes also make an appearance, offering powerful abilities based on character pairings. Tales of Hearts R also features a skill tree where players can develop individual character stats and unlock new skills in the process.
12Tales of Zestiria
The Most Criticized One
Tales of Zestiria
I’m not as harsh onTales of Zestiriaas the broader player base because I think the game has its charms. InTales of Zestiria, we play as Sorey, a boy with the ability to communicate with Seraphim and purify Hellions in the world.
With this gift, it’s up to him to face the big baddie and save everyone. The premise is simple but brought to life by a strong cast of characters.
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The battle system inTales of Zestiriamaintains the action RPG style, but now seamless transitions between exploration and combat occur after engaging a monster in the world map.
The game’s standout feature is Armatization, which allows certain characters to fuse with a Seraphim, unlocking a range of new abilities.
The two biggest criticisms ofTales of Zestiriaare its overly granular and somewhat confusing equipment system and the dungeon design, which is pretty much the same bland corridors. Still, if you are interested in delving into this entry, you can have a good time.
11Tales of Xillia 2
Another Lackluster Direct Sequel
Tales of Xillia 2
Tales of Xillia 2suffers from the same issues asTales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. The game places excessive importance on its new protagonist but fails to justify why, making everything feel far-fetched.
The main character is Ludger Kresnik, a silent protagonist for plot reasons and because the game allows players to make choices at various points in the narrative.
Ludger comes from a family tasked with destroying alternate dimensions, and after accruing medical debt, he’s hired by a company to maintain the balance of the world.
Some characters fromTales of Xilliajoin him, like Jude, Milla, and Alvin. However, for some reason, everyone fawns over Ludger despite him barely saying anything, diminishing the roles of the previous protagonists and turning them into mere side characters.
That said,Tales of Xillia 2has excellent gameplay. The Linked Arte system returns, now emphasizing exploiting enemies' elemental weaknesses. A new feature allows players to swap party members mid-battle.
The Lilium Orb, one of themost creative mechanics in JRPGs, is replaced by the Allium Orb, which converts elemental ore into elements. Once certain thresholds are met, characters learn new Artes and skills, similar to theTales of Hearts Rsystem.
10Tales of Arise
The Western Tales Of
Tales of Arise
Tales of Ariseis the most Westernized entry in theTales offranchise, which might be a good thing for some, but not so much for others.
InTales of Arise, we play the part of Alphen, a man who cannot feel pain, who coincidentally meets Shionne, a woman who inflicts pain on anyone she touches. Together, the perfect pair sets out to help the oppressed planet of Dahna, which is under the rule of Rena.
The first half ofTales of Ariseis fantastic. It starts off fast and intense, showing how the Renans mistreat the Dahnans with persecution and slavery.
However, The second half is marred by lore dumping, sudden plot developments, and villains nobody cares about. The pacing also takes a nosedive, which might be a dealbreaker for those enjoying the JRPG’s narrative up to that point.
The gameplay is as modernized as it gets, fully embracing an action RPG scope. Characters can learn Artes mid-combat, and the skill tree is tied to titles. Investing all points to unlock every ability within a title grants an extra bonus.
The equipment system is pretty standard. In my opinion,Tales of Arisefeels like the least ambitious entryin the franchise, which historically prided itself on introducing bold and innovative progression systems.
9Tales of Phantasia
The Franchise’s Forefather
Tales of Phantasia
Tales of Phantasiais the first mainline game and introduced countless features that would become staples in later titles. It’s considered one ofthe best JRPGs on the SNES, even though it never left Japan. It later received versions for the PS1, PSP, and GBA, with the latter finally being localized in English.
The story ofTales of Phantasiafollows the swordsman Cress Albane on a quest for revenge after a dark knight named Mars attacks his village and kills his family.
During his journey, Cress becomes involved with summoning spirits, elementals, time travel, and other elements that only JRPGs can blend without feeling like a bizarre mishmash.
The game introduced the Linear Motion Battle System, a 2D action-based combat system that was groundbreaking for its time. Random battles placed allies on the left side of the screen and enemies on the right, with all actions occurring on this 2D plane.
While the combat was sometimes clunky, it was a unique experience. New Artes and spells were learned by leveling up, and items could be used by pausing the battle. All in all, it was an excellent introduction to a new franchise.
8Tales of Destiny
The Series Debut on PlayStation
Tales of Destiny
Tales of Destinybuilt on everythingPhantasiadid: better visuals, quality-of-life improvements, and new features. For example, now players could assign Artes to directional shortcuts, allowing for more simultaneous weapon skills.
Tales of Destinyalso introduced multiplayer, and with a multitap for the PS1, up to four players could join battles. While the gameplay remained largely the same, these novelties further refined the experience.
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The story ofTales of Destinybegins with protagonist Stahn Aileron stowing away on an airship. When the ship is attacked, Stahn searches for something to defend himself and discovers a sentient sword named Dymlos.
Armed with this artifact, Stahn sets off on a journey to find other Swordians while navigating a world embroiled in the relics of the ancient Aeth’er Wars.
7Tales of Eternia
The Introduction of Skits
Tales of Eternia—calledTales of Destiny IIin the US for marketing reasons, even though it’s not a sequel—follows the story of Reid and Farah, childhood friends who encounter Meredy, a mysterious girl.
What starts as a simple quest to learn more about Meredy becomes a grand adventure involvingPhantasia’ssummoning spirits and interplanetary travel.
The battle system inTales of Eterniamaintains the Linear Motion Battle format, but spells now occur in real-time, likely thanks to the technological advancements of the era.
That means you have to dodge spells instead of only watching their visual effects play out. Players can switch characters during combat or issue commands via the menu. Overall, the combat remains similar to its predecessors.
Tales of Eternia’sgreatest contribution wasthe introduction of Skits, a staple feature in all subsequentTales ofgames. Occasionally, a prompt would appear on-screen, allowing players to trigger optional conversations among party members. These interactions considerably developed the cast and have evolved with everyTales ofentry since.
6Tales of Xillia
Two Protagonists To Choose From
Tales of Xillia
Tales of Xilliatakes place in Rieze Maxia, a world where civilization coexists with spirits. It’s the first game in the series where you’re able to choose the main protagonist, either Jude or Milla. While some events differ, most of the story remains identical.
Jude is a medical student, and Milla claims to be the Lord of Spirits. The two meet in the same place, outside a facility that Milla is investigating because spirits are mysteriously dying.
Inside, they find humans being drained of their mana, including Jude’s mentor, who dies in the process. Together, they decide to dig deeper into the situation.
The combat is fully 3D, though it’s slightly stiffer than a traditional action RPG. The highlight ofTales of Xilliais the introduction of the Link System.
At any moment, the player-controlled character can link with another party member, gaining support while engaging with an enemy. Discovering new Artes by linking two characters is also possible, creating entirely new effects.
