Fans Joke Tales Of Symphonia Remaster Looks More Like A Demake

Tales fans rejoiced earlier this week when Bandai Namco announced that one of the best entries in the long-running JRPG series would come to Nintendo Switch, and other modern platforms, by way of a remaster. Now they have doubts. The publisher has since clarified that the new and improved version will only run at 30 frames per second, dashing the hopes of Symphony Tales get the lap of honor he deserves.

The fifth Tales Game, Symphony tells the story of parallel worlds caught in the middle of an energy crisis. Amidst their journeys, players switch from exploring a world map to battling enemies in real-time combat battles. A clever gem system allowed for plenty of character customization. Back when the GameCube was in trouble and Nintendo fans were still angry Final Fantasyof the exodus to PlayStation, Symphony was a beacon of pure JRPG bliss.

Now, nearly two decades after its original release, it’s coming to PS4, Xbox One and, most importantly, Switch. But while Bandai Namco promises “graphically enhanced and enhanced gameplay,” details are currently sketchy. The only thing we do know is that this new version will be locked at 30 fps on all platforms. While this is a major missed opportunity since modern systems should have no problem running the game at 60fps (or higher on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S), it’s also a bit of a tragedy given that the version original was already running at 60 fps on GameCube, a system that is over 20 years old now.

The outcry of Tales the fans was palpable. A Tweeter by Gematsu breaking news filled with comments and quote-tweets blowing up the decision. Some shook their heads at another subpar JRPG remaster. Others said they would just stick with the existing PC version on their Steam Deck. “Really, nobody asked for it” wrote a person on ResetEra.

Symphony Tales was also released on PS2, but only in Japan. He then received a first HD port on PS3 and PC about a decade later. Still, the game only ran at 30fps on all platforms except GameCube. Ten years ago this might not have been a big deal, at least for console gamers. But with the ubiquity of PC gaming and performance modes on current-gen consoles, I want that smooth 60fps wherever I can get it, especially when remastering older games.

Bandai Namco will sell the latest version for $40. Unless it later reveals major quality-of-life improvements, tweaked gameplay, or new content, it’s going to be a tough pill to swallow. We’re at the point in the game’s story where there are so many gems to mine and repolish. It’s a shame that so many of them don’t get the treatment they deserve.