TheTales offranchise is one of the most essential pillars of the JRPG genre.Final Fantasymay be its most defining property, andDragon Questhas a history that none can rival, but they are far from the only series available to fans. Nintendo tends to nurture such offerings, providing hardware that allows for JRPGs to flourish.
Nintendo’s September 2022 Direct confirmed thatTales of Symphoniawill make its way to the Switch. It’s one of the most critically acclaimed games in the series, and has found a home on a multitude of consoles as well as PC, but the portability of Nintendo’s hardware makes this remaster all the more enticing. People may be curious about past titles, and there are still a handful that have yet to be ported to Switch that are more than deserving of a place in the eShop.
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Tales of Arise
WhileTales of Symphonia’sLloyd did not make it as a fighter inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, there is a pressing need for the newest entry in the franchise to be ported to Switch.Tales of Arisereleased in 2021 and quickly became one of the most revered installments yet. Boasting larger areas and a more refined battle system, Alphen and Shionne’s story upheld the expectations of fans while pushing the franchise to new heights. Though the game is beautiful, its art style and flashy gameplay doesn’t seem like it’d be too much for the Nintendo Switch to handle.
WithTales of Vesperiaalready on the system in its definitive edition form, there still needs to be more representation of the franchise overall onceTales of Symphonia Remasteredreleases.Tales of Arisehas to be next, if anything to show how far the IP has come since the mid-2000s. It’s recent enough to be entirely new to a large swathe of players, while also leaning on the principles that made the series great all those years ago. It might not need a “remaster” in the traditional sense, but a Switch-specific port would be appreciated.
Tales of Hearts
FewTalesgames can boast the benefit of portability, butTales of Heartsdepends on it. Initially releasing in 2008 on the Nintendo DS, and later venturing onto the PlayStation Vita catalog in 2013 under the nameTales of Hearts R, the eleventh mainline entry in the series is overlooked because of the restrictions of the DS and the lackluster sales of Sony’s handheld device.
LikePersona 4 Golden,Tales of Hearts Rwould do well if it jumped to the ever-popular Switch in pursuit of a larger audience. It’s a game that deserves more attention, and is worthy of a playthrough beforeTales of Symphoniaarrives on Switch in early 2023.
RELATED:Why Tales of Arise is Not Getting a Direct Sequel
Tales of Xillia and Xillia 2
With the pair releasing in the August 2013 and 2014, respectively,Tales of Xilliaand its direct sequel were isolated on the PlayStation 3 when the PS4 was taking up headlines. As such, they were largely ignored by those outside of theTalesfandom. This is a shame, as their dueling protagonists are well-developed, and the story did enough to keep players guessing, making a sequel feel like a formality.
Tales of Xillia 2is a worthy follow-up, taking advantage of the advancements that the first game made to help see the PlayStation 3 into the sunset. Both games were largely a victim of their release window. Thelack of availability on hardware other than the PS3is an issue, and a Switch port would shine a light on one of the most underappreciated modern duologies in the Namco-developedTales ofproperty.
Tales of Symphonia Remasteredwill release in early 2023 for Nintendo Switch.
