Tales of Graces f Review

Tons of New Stuff
A lot of new stuff is introduced in Tales of Graces f, particularly the ability to combine items to make a new and better one. Those who are familiar with the alchemy system, like in Atelier games, will now have the ability to make items which can enhance weapons or be used or sold for high profit. The items that you get after battles from monsters will be required for the alchemy system. Another addition that improves the game is the Ethel Mixer. Just like what cooking does in previous Tales games, the Ethel Mixer will give you the opportunity to put an item inside the mixer and, depending on if it’s food or an item, it will be used automatically at a random time.

Another new addition in Tales of Graces f is the epilogue, in which the new stuff was added to the PS3 version of Tales of Graces f. Following the conclusion of the game, the epilogue will be available and it adds ten more hours to the overall gameplay. The story of the epilogue takes place six months following the game’s conclusion. The addition of the epilogue makes the ending of Tales of Graces f satisfying.

Trials of Graces
Those who like challenges where you can battle enemies and gain items, Trials of Graces are there for your enjoyment. Based on the enemies you previously fought, you will have an opportunity to battle them with your party from the campaign and receive items in the process. The harder difficulty you set for the campaign, the harder the trials get. Think of Trials of Graces like a challenge room where you will be put in a certain battle and all you need to do is take them enemies out and survive.

NOT

Starts Off Slow
When it comes to Tales games, they always tend to have a slow start. As for Graces f, you should expect the game to start off slow and pick up after eight or so hours of playing. Since 1/4 of the game is focused on the childhood arc, many will find the story a little bit too dull, but once it picks up in the middle of the game, the players will get hooked on the story. Those who have no patience for this should give Graces f a chance since once you get past the slow beginning, you will enjoy the game’s story and gameplay.

No World Map Exploration
It’s been common for a Tales game to have a World Map, but in Graces f they scrapped that idea. Instead of having a world map, players will go through fields that connect the locales with a detailed location geometry similar to what Hearts have. Even though the environments are exemplary in terms of design, it’s disappointing to not let us control the camera. If you are hoping for some kind of an airship or air travel, then you will be disappointed by the limitation of the in-game world map.

Too Much Backtracking
While it’s bearable for some RPG games to have back tracking, Tales of Graces f overdoes it, especially at the beginning of the game. During the childhood arc of Tales of Graces f story, you will be doing a lot of backtracking and that can get tedious. It is worth noting that this only happens in the first part of the game, but later on it gets better.

VERDICT

With the improvements and new additions that Namco has implemented in Tales of Graces f, it has become one of my favorite Tales game to date. The drought of Japanese RPG games here in the United States are indeed saddening, but now that Tales of Graces f is out, fans of the genre should not hesitate to buy it immediately. New features such as the battle system and the heart warming story are enough of a reason for any fans of the franchise to pick this game up.

[Editor’s Note: Tales of Graces f was reviewed on the PlayStation 3 platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]