Tales of Phantasia Review
Price: FREE (in-app purchases)
Version: 1.0.2
App Reviewed on: iPad Air
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I must have squealed in delight when I discovered that Tales of Phantasia was being released over here for iOS devices. Released in Japan at the end of last year, the game has had mixed response from critics and users alike, and so as a huuuge Tales fan I took it upon myself to see what all the fuss was about. And whether this iOS port of the FVE of Tales of Phantasia had done the game any justice.
What surprised me the most was that Tales of Phantasia was a free-to-play game, which also brings a whole host of issues with it. Though the game is deliciously inexpensive, the difficulty is ramped up to such a degree that it literally encourages players to purchase items throughout the game for team revivals and so forth, just to advance further. Apple Gels, Life Bottles, and anything remotely useful in the game are a rare sighting. I personally would have preferred to have paid for a game that didn’t employ this model, but beggars can’t be choosers. It definitely changes the balance to a high degree.
I say this with a heavy heart, but the transition of games designed for controllers to touch devices has not been a smooth one, and when it comes to Tales of Phantasia I was largely disappointed. A Tales game for me on an iPad was like a dream come true, but the whole idea of tapping and swiping to get ANYWHERE within the game due to a whole host of random battles (and constant grinding) gets repetitive and left me with a bad feeling overall. I’m sorry Tales of Phantasia. I wanted to love you. Forgive me?