Tales of Graces F Remastered came out on the Wii in 2009, then received an expanded PS3 version. The game showed off Bandai Namco’s commitment to the Tales of series. Its fast-paced combat and character-driven storytelling made it a debated release among fans.
The new version updates Tales of Graces F Remastered with HD graphics, 60 FPS performance, and features such as auto-saving and encounter toggles. These changes keep the game’s core elements intact.
The package includes all DLC content, giving both old and new players extra material to experience. The game maintains its focus on friendship and connection themes, though some aspects like basic environments and story pacing remain unchanged.
Friendship and Redemption: The Narrative Heart of Tales of Graces F Remastered
Tales of Graces F Remastered presents a straightforward yet sincere story about redemption, human connection, and friendship. The plot centers on Asbel Lhant, a young man facing the results of his rushed childhood choices. The story starts with a childhood section that shows Asbel’s early optimism, which gets tested through loss. This part sets up the main ideas of grief, making peace, and growing up.
The story stays simple but works well through its small-scale, personal focus. The characters talk about kindness and what makes people human, creating real emotional moments in small scenes. The story keeps to standard plot elements but stays interesting by looking at personal problems that make sense even in its made-up world.
The characters in Tales of Graces F Remastered mix standard types with deeper traits:
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- Asbel Lhant: The main character starts off stubborn and too idealistic, which some players might dislike. His path of learning to mix responsibilities with personal ties makes him more rounded, though his changes seem sudden sometimes.
- Sophie: A girl who lost her memories and has a sad past, Sophie brings heart to the group. She learns about herself and sees the world like a child, which works well with Asbel’s wish to keep her safe.
- Hubert: Asbel’s brother, who they haven’t seen in years, puts up a cold front that hides his hurt feelings and want for acceptance. His rough relationship with Asbel shows family problems that feel real.
- Pascal: A weird scientist who brings fun to the story with her odd ways and charm. She’s smart and loyal, making her more than just comic relief.
- Malik and Cheria: Malik plays the older teacher role and Cheria the romantic interest, but both feel real enough to work. Cheria stays strong without making noise about it, and Malik gives good advice that helps everyone work together.
The story does well when it talks about being friends, saying sorry, and looking after people you care about. Small scenes between fights let players see how the group gets along, which builds their personalities beyond the main story.
The story has weak spots. The talk about friendship gets old sometimes and loses some feeling. Bad guys stay flat and basic. The personal stories work, but nothing big surprises players.
Mastering the Flow: Combat and Progression in Tales of Graces F Remastered
The Linear Motion Battle System (LMBS) in Tales of Graces F Remastered mixes JRPG combat with action and smooth movement. The Style-Shift system lets players switch between A-Artes for physical attacks and B-Artes for magic moves. Players mix different moves to hit enemy weak points or react to fights as they happen.
Chain Capacity (CC) runs the battle system. Each move uses CC, which fills back up during fights. Players get CC back by attacking, rolling, or blocking at the right time. The fights move fast and need skill – players must time their moves right instead of just pressing buttons.
The Title system helps characters grow. Players can get many Titles by finishing story parts, winning fights, or doing small tasks like walking. Titles give new moves, extra traits, or better stats when players earn SP in fights.
The Titles match the game’s story and each character’s growth. They show how characters change – like how Asbel starts with Titles that show he acts without thinking, then gets Titles that show him becoming a better leader.
Players can change how their team fights by setting up AI rules. Like Final Fantasy XII, you can pick which moves they use and how they act. Players can control everything or let the computer handle basic fights.
The game lets players pick different control styles – full control, some help, or computer-controlled. New players and experts can both enjoy it.
The Grade Shop opens after beating the game. Players spend Grade points from their first run to change things in New Game+, like getting more experience or keeping their Titles. The game has extra bosses and ways to get better at fighting after the main story ends.
A Tale of Contrasts: Visuals and Audio in Tales of Graces F Remastered
The anime-style look of Tales of Graces F Remastered shows bright, clear character designs. The new version makes the character models better with fixed textures and finer points, running at 60 FPS. These fixes make the fighting moves and story scenes look smoother than before.
The graphics update isn’t the same everywhere. The characters look good, but the places they go through are too basic and straight. The backgrounds seem old, with plain surfaces that don’t match how nice everything else looks. The bright characters don’t fit with the plain world around them. This shows the game’s old roots, even after the updates.
Motoi Sakuraba’s music fills in where the graphics fall short. The songs go from big orchestra pieces to fast fight music. Each song fits the story’s feelings, during quiet parts or boss fights.
The voice acting has good and bad parts. The Japanese voices match the characters well, but the English ones can sound stiff or too strong. Some lines break the story’s mood. Still, all the sound works together to keep the game’s feeling and message clear.
Streamlined Adventure: Quality-of-Life Features in the Tales of Graces F Remastered Remaster
The new Tales of Graces F Remastered has added features that make it easier to play but keeps its JRPG style. Auto-saving stops players from losing time if they forget to save. Players can try fights again right away if they lose, which makes the game less strict for new players while still being hard for skilled ones.
Map signs show players where to go through the big maps. Players can turn these signs off if they want to find their way like in older RPGs. They can also turn off random fights, letting them look around, solve puzzles, or find items without stopping to fight.
The Grade Shop returns in this version, ready to use from the start. Players spend Grade points they earn to change their next time playing. They can pick faster leveling up, quicker skill gains, or keep their Titles and gear. The Grade Shop lets each player pick how hard or fast they want the game to be.
This version has all the extra stuff that came out before – new clothes, extra conversations, and songs from past Tales games. Players can dress up their characters differently or hear old Tales music. Secret dungeons give players things to do after beating the main story.
A Journey of Peaks and Valleys: Pacing and World Design in Tales of Graces F Remastered
Tales of Graces F Remastered tells its story through good character writing, but moves too slowly at times. The first few hours show the main characters as kids, which takes too long before the real story starts. The game makes players go back to old places many times without adding new stuff to do or interesting story bits.
The game’s dungeons work sometimes but fail other times. Some have fun puzzles and good maps, but others feel the same and make players do boring search tasks. These parts slow down the game, breaking up the story’s flow with simple problems to fix.
The game’s areas feel small, with straight paths that stop players from looking around much. Other RPGs from that time had bigger, different-looking places to see. The places in this game look made just for moving through, not like real spots where people live.
The new version fixes some problems by letting players move faster and showing them where to go. These changes make walking around less boring so players can pay attention to the story and fights. The game stays fun because of how it looks and how the characters talk to each other.
A Tale Worth Revisiting: Replayability and Final Thoughts on Tales of Graces F Remastered
The Grade Shop makes playing the game again fun by letting players keep Titles, skills, and extras. Players pick how they want to play – they can get experience points faster to make fights easy, or make enemies stronger for a harder time.
Extra stuff after the main story gives players hard places to fight. These fights need players to be good at Style-Shift moves and team building. People who finish the main story still have lots to do.
Players can save without thinking about it in this new version, turn off fights when they want, and use all the extra stuff that came out before. The fighting moves fast and needs skill, and players can change lots of things about how they play.
Some parts feel old – the story doesn’t surprise much, the caves and towers all look the same, and some places look worse than others. The English voices don’t always match how serious the story is.
Old Tales fans and people who like JRPGs should try this game. They might like the fighting and how the story focuses on the characters.
The Review
Tales of Graces F Remastered
Tales of Graces f has good, quick fights that need skill, and many ways to change how you play. The new version is easy to pick up and play again, with updates and extra stuff added in. The story can be guessed ahead of time, some parts look old, and it moves too slow sometimes. Still, the game makes players care about its characters, and people who like JRPGs might enjoy its old-school style and fun fighting system.
PROS
- Engaging and fast-paced combat system with deep mechanics.
- Robust customization options through Titles and the Grade Shop.
- Quality-of-life improvements in the remaster, such as auto-saving and encounter toggles.
- A memorable, character-driven story with emotional themes.
- Includes all DLC content, enhancing replayability.
CONS
- Predictable plot and pacing issues in both the narrative and dungeons.
- Simplistic, corridor-like environments that limit exploration.
- Uneven visual quality, with polished character models but dated backgrounds.
