You’d be hard pushed to find a videogame that attempts to explain the difference between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in such a blatant and forceful way, yet with Tales of Symphonia you’d also struggle to find a more delightful, wondrous and imaginative game world to be manipulated in. Every location, no matter how small or insignificant, has been created with such love and care that the plot of saving the world is in no way a chore, rather a journey to save something that you, yourself, will want to save.

For a videogame that so proudly displays cutesy characters and backgrounds so well formed they look like a hand painted cartoon, Tales tackles some surprisingly difficult and complicated issues. Lloyd Irving, the star of the show, is himself an idealist who just wishes the best for everyone, yet as the plot develops he realises that this isn’t as straight forward as he initially thought. But he never gives up, marching forward (relentlessness optional) in hope of saving a dying world and those he loves the most. For what is essentially the gaming equivalent of those after-school cartoons you watched as a child, it is impressive how Tales deals with matters such as orphans, murder, sacrifice, hope, suffering, trust and betrayal, even racism and discrimination are tackled, not just on a passing whim, but discussed from multiple points of view and levels of understanding. Make no mistake; this script is no classic, but a videogame that can provoke laughter, sadness and anger at the same time? That has to count for something.

Moral values are thrown towards you to the point of distraction, but they are done so with reason and only help to give depth to the already complex characters. Revenge is usually a story catalyst for videogames but Tales takes the characters into far more daring territory, letting them discover for themselves that the line between Good and Evil is often blurry. The plot of a Chosen One regenerating a dying planet may initially seem clichéd, but it is the characters that are (quite rightly) the focus of events.

If the game sounds cheesy, then that is because it is. Proudly so. Take some of the lines out of context and you can’t help but cringe; there are endless topics of conversation on believing in yourself, listening to your heart and trusting your friends. If anyone were to watch the game being played without being properly introduced, they’d most probably laugh hysterically. Vitally though, Symphonia is so enjoyable that any sentimentality, sensationalism or manipulation flies on by without even registering on the ‘cheese’ meter; instead it becomes safely filed under ‘charm’. Admittedly there are occasions where a character will pipe in with a needless comment about promises and friendship, but these awkward moments are rare.

It is so easy to become entirely engrossed with the tale that the initially daunting boast that the game lasts approximately eighty hours becomes a number that approaches all too quickly. The sense of discovery and adventure is played out beautifully, especially at the beginning when the lead characters naively joke about how great life will be after saving the world and how fun their task will be; the temptation to just see what is around the next corner is all to much. If comparisons must be made, then this sense of voyage and discovery is comparable to Sega’s Skies of Arcadia or even Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring, such is the richness of the world. Despite the initial couple of hours being rather overwhelming, Tales is an easy RPG to play. New features are introduced slowly and are explained when they become available, while every story event is helpfully stored in the well-designed synopsis page. Random battles are completely gone, replaced with the more appropriate visible enemies on the world map and in dungeons. Making contact with an enemy will make the screen shatter to make way for the encounter itself. These battles are brilliantly implemented; fully real time (with optional pauses if you wish to play around with strategies or use an item) and taking place in a 3D arena, the player has the option to take direct control over any of their four selected characters during a battle and is able to perform combos and magic through various button combinations. As such, the fights never become tiresome, even after several hundred encounters. Incidentally, it is possible to plug in extra controllers to allow friends to join in during the fights.

Almost every location in the game features vital amenities, such as an Inn for regaining health and magic points, a save point and a shop: these all help to make the game a pleasant experience rather than a frustrating one. This does of course upset the difficulty a touch, as it is rare that the player will be forced into a difficult battle without being fully prepared. Perhaps the biggest fault of the game is the inconsistent challenge that awaits, where (especially in the first third) you are pitted against some surprisingly damaging foes that can take off considerable health points against a gamer inexperienced at the combat. Later on, notably, it is possible to become so powerful that even plot-essential bosses fall without feeling particularly pressured. This isn’t to say the fights are not enjoyable, of course. Interestingly, the hardest fights in the entire game are well-hidden optional side quests, and even the most dedicated Tales gamer will struggle against the game’s most powerful adversary.

Tales of Symphonia does not earn points for originality, after all, the plot does borrow from Final Fantasy (though its own ideas do eventually blossom) and the gameplay borrows from almost every Japanese-developed RPG in the last five years, but it does earn praise for being so well developed and polished. Faults do exist, but they are rare and insignificant and, ultimately, this grand adventure is such an approachable epic that faults are just swept away during the ride. The most fitting summary would be to say this: Tales will take over your life from the moment you start until the credits roll. The end sequence will take between forty and seventy hours to reach and, although it’ll satisfy, it will also sadden. The game does, unfortunately, end.