Do you know the feeling when you hear about a game that is blowing off the socks of Japanese gamers and you wish that the game in question would be released in the United States? This is exactly what I felt when I brought back a little gem from Tokyo so very long ago. The game was Tales of Phantasia, a role-playing game that was well loved in Japan but never saw the light of day in the States. Of course, that is until now when the U.S. is finally getting the game for their Game Boy Advance. Better late than never, I always say.

Tales of Phantasia tells the story of Cress Albane and his friend Chester Burklight from the village of Toltus who decide to go hunting one sunny and bright day. Hunting game deep in the forest where the mysterious Spirit Tree grows, the pair hear the village’s warning bell. Fearing the worst, the boys run back home only to find it destroyed and the bodies of loved ones scattered throughout the ruined streets. Who exactly were the attackers and why they chose to destroy Toltus is a mystery both grief-stricken survivors decide to set out and solve. This quest takes Cress and Chester on a journey through time to fix the past and keep the awful events that lead to the destruction of their home and the deaths of their families.

The good news is that Cress and Chester aren’t alone on their mission. They meet a cast of interesting and likeable characters along the way that join their party. There’s Mint the healer of the group, Arche the half-elf magic user, Suzu the spunky female ninja and Claus who summons spirits. Each character brings his or her own individual ability to combat situations. Cress, for example, is a swordsman and works better up close and personal while Chester is an archer and is much more effective working from long distances. You will also have to figure out what formation helps during combat so you will use strategy throughout the game.

Speaking of combat, you’ll be locked in battle often in this game. The good news is that battles are done in real-time so you’ll have complete control over your various attacks. You can perform jumping attacks, conservative attacks and make use of your Deadly or Secret Skills (which are skills you have to preset). You have the option to defend, which helps deflect blows and use items on the fly or reverse formation when things aren’t looking so good. Having full control means no two battles are ever the same and quicken the pace to make these battles quick. The bad news is that you’ll run into battles way too frequently that it begins to hinder the pace of the game. Sure you can flee but having to do so just become annoying when you have to do it as often as you do in this game.

Control-wise, the freedom you have during real-time battles are handled well enough to the point that you will quickly get the hang of battles. Some attacks require a combination of buttons to be pressed but its nothing that gamers won’t get comfortable with after their third battle. Controlling your characters while exploring the map isn’t any different from the portable Zelda games and that’s definitely not a bad thing. You’ll even be pushing objects out of the way just like Link does.

Thankfully the game isn’t all battles. You’ll actually get to explore a huge world map with various interesting locations and enter various towns as well as dungeons. The world map is so expansive that you’ll soon come across Techbirds, machines that look like birds you can use to fly over the map. The most unique feature the game introduces is the Cooking System that allows you to collect a number of ingredients and cook a meal that revitalizes your health or restores your magic. You’ll be able to cook everything from rice balls to cheeseburgers. The story is deep enough that you’ll also have a number of side quests that help make this a surprisingly lengthy game.

As for the game’s graphics, Tales of Phantasia looks beautiful even on the GBA’s small screen. I highly recommend playing this game on the Nintendo DS for the optimal visual experience. The character models look good in battle, although their heads look pretty huge. The various monsters you’ll encounter are wonderfully detailed as well. What does stand out, though, are the environments that are beautifully rendered and thus makes exploration such a treat. Even the dank dungeons look great. The visual effects are well done and impressively flashy at times like the introductory cinematic.

The sound is a mixed bag that combines a great score and poorly recorded voice work and solid sound effects. The game’s running soundtrack is beautifully handled and changed depend on what town or area you travel to or when you get into a frequent battle. The voice work, on the other hand, sounds muffled through the GBA, DS or the Game Boy Micro’s speakers and unfortunately earphones don’t help either. The sound effects aren’t anything special but work fine within the game.

Tales of Phantasia might be a dated RPG that will make you feel as though you’ve already seen this and done that but with its beautiful visuals, enchanting story and good characters you can’t go wrong with this game if you like your RPGs on the go. Sure the battles are way too frequent and break the flow of the game but can you really say no to a game with a lot to see and do?

Gameplay: 6.5
The old-school appeal of the game will bring you back to the classic RPGs of yesteryear and that’s not necessarily a bad thing but the numerous random battles will keep you from enjoying the exploration of this interesting world. While combat is a part of the game that has been seen many times before, it’s the good story and great characters that will have you hooked.

Graphics: 7.5
This is one really good-looking Game Boy Advance game with neatly rendered characters (even with the big heads) and a universe filled with many interesting sights. Even the visual effects are flashy and add some style to what could have been some dull battles.

Sound: 8.0
The soundtrack is the real treat here and the sweeping orchestration makes the story feel quite epic. There’s some voice work found here but it sounds muffled even with earphones on. As for the sound effects, it’s nothing we haven’t heard before in an RPG made for the GBA.

Difficulty: Medium
You’ll face a number of monsters in the game and you’ll face them very often. Some monsters, especially later in the game, really give Cress and his friends a run for their money. Thankfully you can save often and upgrading your characters will give them an advantage.

Concept: 7.5
The game’s story is nothing special or unique but fans of the role-playing game genre will enjoy the deep storyline and wonderfully written characters. While the battle system is nothing new, the Cooking System is an interesting concept that works perfectly in the game and there are Techbirds you can use to fly over the map.

Overall: 7.7
Despite its dated gameplay style and way-too-numerous battles, Tales of Phantasia is an enjoyable role-playing game fans of the genre will certainly enjoy. With beautiful graphics, a deep story and a number of likeable characters, this is a great game to have if you missed out on this game the first time around or are looking for a worthy portable RPG.