Talking Point: Which ‘Tales’ Game Will Come To Switch Next?
Big, bold characters. Comfortable story beats that deal with multiple worlds, gods, and the power of friendship. Confusingly titled battle systems. And colourful anime openings featuring J-pop songs. The Tales series has made a name for itself over the last 30 years for many different reasons, and it’s why many — myself included — call it the comfort-food JRPG.
Despite growing up with big names like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, I can pinpoint the exact moment I knew that RPGs were my genre: Tales of Symphonia‘s release on the GameCube. It was cheesy, over the top, full of heart, and exactly what I needed as I stood on the brink of my teenage years.
This year the series celebrates its 30th anniversary as its first title — Tales of Phantasia — launched nearly three decades ago on 15th December 1995. Right now, there are 17 mainline (‘mothership’ — you’ll get used to the terminology) Tales games out there, and Bandai Namco is currently working on a 30th Anniversary Remastered Project — the goal being to rerelease older entries on modern systems. Last month’s Tales of Graces f Remastered is the first to bloom from that project.
The Switch has seen two other rereleases — Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition, Tales of Symphonia Remastered (though you might want to skip that version) — with a handful of other modern entries available on PC. But we’re still missing multiple games, many of which are stuck in Japan, while the rest are relegated to older consoles.
I’m confident we’ll see more remasters on either Switch or Switch 2, so, looking back at 30 years of history, I’ve plucked out five (ish) games that I think we’re likely to see next. No spin-offs or mobile games.
Tales of Phantasia
No Tales game has been rereleased more times than Tales of Phantasia. In Japan, you can get it for the Super Famicom, PS1, GBA, PSP, and cell phones. That would normally be a case against it getting another premium-priced port, but there’s a very strong reason why I think this should be remastered.
The only official English releases we got were the GBA port and an iOS version, which was famously free-to-play but required you to be connected to the internet and was stuffed egregiously with microtransactions. It shut down in 2014, to no one’s surprise. The GBA version is the un-ideal way to play this.
Despite all of these issues, I adore Tales of Phantasia. Its story focuses on time travel and environmentalism and features an extremely well-written antagonist. And I love Kosuke Fujishima’s character designs (one of the series’ regular character designers) — they’re incredibly simple, but give a slight twist on classic RPG classes like Medic, Mage, and Summoner.
The combat is a little basic — though that’s hugely improved in those PS1 and PSP versions, the latter of which also features full voice acting. And if you’ve played Star Ocean: First Departure R, it’s not going to feel that different.
Simply put, the West deserves a good version of Phantasia. Bandai Namco could pull a Falcom and work with the people who created the fan translations. As long as we avoid the Kangaroo War translation debacle…
Anyway, with the game’s 30th anniversary coming up, this feels like a no-brainer.
Tales of Eternia
After Phantasia, the Tales series jumped ship to the PlayStation until 2003’s Tales of Symphonia. North America got its first taste of the series with Tales of Destiny, while Tales of Eternia (known as Tales of Destiny II — unrelated to the actual Japan-exclusive Tales of Destiny 2) followed suit soon after.
I think both PS1 games deserve rereleases, but Destiny’s PS1 release hasn’t exactly aged well in the gameplay department. The PS2 Director’s Cut remake is the way to go there — and my word does that look incredible.
Eternia, though. This is the best 2D Tales game. Even 25 years after its release, it plays like a dream. The combat is excellent and every 2D game from here has evolved from Eternia’s template. The cast and story are charming. Motoi Sakuraba’s music is at its best here. It’s essentially the perfect package and would be one of the easiest games to bring to Switch.
I’d 100% prefer a Tales of Destiny remaster — second-hand copies of the PS1 game regularly go for over $100 — and Eternia at least has a PSP version (the only way you can play it in Europe, and easily importable and region-free for North America). But updated skit portraits, no encounters, fast-forward — all of these could benefit a new rerelease of one of the cosiest Tales games.
Tales of the Abyss
If it’s a story-based RPG you’re after, Tales of the Abyss is the best choice in this series. A grander, more mature narrative. A bigger, more diverse world. The ability to run around in full 3D in battle — no more 2D planes and line-based constraints! I love Tales of the Abyss; it’s my favourite game in the series by a mile.
It’s got wonky pacing issues and there’s a lot of backtracking in the final hours, but its core story about free will, redemption, and individuality is beautifully handled. The main cast is a bunch of traumatised screw-ups — some whose actions have shaped the world and narrative for the worst, while others have lived a lie of a life — who are attempting to do right in their way. And Luke’s transformation from spoilt brat to empathetic, caring person over the course of 50 hours is incredible. Just… bear with him for the first 10 or so.
By today’s standards, Tales of the Abyss can feel a bit dated. It doesn’t help that the only version some of us can play (i.e. Europeans) is the 3DS one, but that’s how I played it, and I still fell head over heels for this. The PS2 US release is better, but those long load times don’t do it any favours.
As a fan favourite, I think Abyss has a really good chance of getting a rerelease. If Vesperia and Graces — two other fan picks — can both get Switch remasters, I see no reason to skip over the best game in the series. Don’t fight me.
Tales of Xillia & Tales of Xillia 2
Of all five picks here, this is the one that’s almost definitely making the jump to modern consoles and, likely Switch (and/or Switch 2) soon.
I know I’m cheating here with two games, but Bandai Namco would be foolish not to package Xillia 1 & Xillia 2 together. Sure, it skipped it with Tales of Symphonia and Dawn of the New World on Switch — which was previously bundled in the Chronicles version on PS3 and PC — but with the Xillia games, both are part of the main series. Splitting hairs here.
Xillia 1 feels incomplete and rushed without Xillia 2. Xillia 2 also has the best TP (Tech Points) based combat in the series, but you can’t really play it without playing the first. There’s too much narrative build-up and the relationships you form are vital to your enjoyment of the sequel.
Plus, the Xillia games represent a bit of a step forward for the series — there are more open zones, crafting systems are expanded on from Graces, and there’s no fixed camera angle when exploring the world. It’s an important part of the series’ legacy, no matter how you slice it.
At the very least, Xillia 1 is probably a lock, as last summer retail listings popped up for a Remaster.
Tales of Arise
This is probably the biggest stretch of the bunch here, but c’mon, Tales of Arise is one of the most critically and commercially successful entries in the series. Bandai Namco would be silly not to put this on the Switch 2. Yeah, this one would probably skip the Switch.
This is the most recent mainline Tales game released on consoles, and was lauded in particular for its battle mechanics. Linear Motion Battle System this is not. You can now run in full 3D without holding down any shoulder or trigger buttons. Healing spells now consume Cure Points, which are shared among the party. Swapping in and out characters during battle is easier than ever. And you have more options than previous Tales games. Oh, and everyone is fun to play as.
Combat isn’t the only place Arise got an upgrade. The visuals are extremely polished, with a greater emphasis on environments. Skits now feature dynamic character models rather than animated portraits. It presents a clear break from past titles, but with one toe dipped in the series’ history in a way that had a lot of long-time fans… debating.
The game got some follow-up DLC in 2023, called Beyond the Dawn, but that was much less well-received. Still, if you bundle it in with the main game and rerelease it on Switch 2, people probably won’t complain. Right?
In reality, I’d love to see some of those Japan-only titles finally make their way to the West, like Innocence or Rebirth. But I think Bandai Namco will keep it safe to start with.
Anyway, enough about what I think — tell us what Tales game you’d like to see on Switch or Switch 2 next by voting in the poll below and leaving a comment.