Best Tales Games to Consider as Your Next JRPG

Ever since the Tales series started off with Tales of Phantasia in 1996, Namco (and later Bandai Namco) have released almost twenty mainline titles in the long-running JRPG franchise. With its anime art style and action-oriented combat systems, it set itself apart from competitors such as Square’s Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series. But with so many main titles, spin-offs, and remasters, it can be daunting for a new player to jump in and start. Here are some recommendations for either your first or your next Tales game.

As a disclaimer, this is not a comprehensive list! Some of the games I recommend, such as Rebirth and Abyss, didn’t make it because they didn’t fit any of the categories I came up with.

Best Retro 2D Tales Game: Tales of Destiny Remake

While the original Tales of Destiny was fine, it suffered from some jankiness that might make it hard to play for a modern audience. The 2006 PS2 version looked amazing with its 2D sprites and 3D environments. Between its fast-paced CC battle system and its story (which is fairly classic JRPG fare with an updated version of Leon which better matches his future characterization), it’s definitely one of the best games to play if you want to experience the magic of the Tales series.

Best Tales Spin-Off: Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 is the third and final entry in the Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology series. Though the plot isn’t anything to write home about, the sheer number of playable characters, as well as being able to see characters from various Tales games interacting with each other, makes it a fairly fun game. It can be a little overwhelming though.

Best Tales Game to Play When You Want to Cry: Tales of Legendia

What makes a story sad is subjective, but Tales of Legendia is definitely the one that’s made me cry the most for more reasons than one. Despite how great the story is and how endearing the characters are, it’s absolutely horrendous to play. But legitimately, the ending of the game gets me every time. Even for Tales standards, it’s very character-driven, with a lot of moments that don’t necessarily serve to move the story forward. In that sense, players who don’t care about the cast might feel some way about that.

Best Tales Game For Those Who Want a Challenge: Tales of Destiny 2

As a disclaimer, I mean the actual Destiny 2 (the sequel to Destiny) and not Eternia. Tales of Destiny 2 doesn’t have a particularly complicated battle system, but it can get difficult especially with its plethora of annoying bosses. Though fun, it’s definitely not the easiest Tales game to beat.

Best Tales Game to Ignore: Tales of Zestiria

Ever since its launch, controversies nipped at Tales of Zestiria’s heels and even almost a decade after its initial release, things have not gotten better. The story doesn’t live up to its initial hype and is surprisingly straightforward, with basically only one act and little depth. That goes for the characters as well. Though the battle system can be really fun to customize once you know what you’re doing, the game doesn’t do a fantastic job at explaining it, which means most people might not be able to make the most of it. While Zestiria serves as a sequel to the superior Berseria, you really don’t need to play Zestiria to understand it.

Best Tales Game to Play Alone: Tales of Berseria

Tales of Berseria is perfectly fine to play with multiple people, but I personally find that its camera work is so busy that it’s easier to play it solo. Its AI is also pretty good too, and I’ve experienced very little issues with it. As mentioned in the above Zestiria entry, Berseria takes place in the same timeline and world. However, there is no need to suffer through Zestiria if you just want to play Berseria.

Best Tales Game to Play With Friends: Tales of Vesperia

Tales of Vesperia has a lot of fun and unique characters to play as in battle, but the AI is pretty stupid. It can be a bit annoying to have to constantly mess with them to make sure they don’t do anything dumb and even then, they’re nowhere near as good as previous Tales games. I actually have a conspiracy theory that, like with Resident Evil 5 and 6, Bandai Namco made the AI terrible on purpose to encourage multiplayer. Judith is the worst offender, as she is borderline useless in battle without a person controlling her.

Most Fashionable Tales Game: Tales of Graces

Most Tales games have collectible costumes and accessories you can put on your characters to make them look and silly. Tales of Graces, in my opinion, is one of the best games when it comes to cosmetics. The unfortunate thing is that the majority of the costumes are paid DLC. Outside of fashion, Tales of Graces has a clean UI, a beautiful watercolor aesthetic, and a fast-paced battle system that straddles the line between “Wow, so pretty!” and “Wow, I’m going to have a seizure!”

Best Tales Remaster, Remake, or Port: Tales of Innocence R

As much as I wanted to put Tales of the Abyss on this list, even if it meant putting it here as a “best port,” I can’t in good conscience ignore Tales of Innocence R. This is the PlayStation Vita port of Tales of Innocence, which originally came out on the Nintendo DS. I generally think the Vita ports of the DS games were really well-executed, and they add enough new content and characters that it feels worth it to play the same game twice. The downside is that Innocence R and Hearts R are both on the Vita, which was hardly a popular console.