Remember the days before FF7? It was a time when RPGs featured 2D sprites with large heads, colorful graphics, storylines where a band of heroes would save the world, and poorly translated text. Okay, well the last two are still a feature of modern RPGs, but developers are slowly improving upon the RPG formula. Tales of Destiny harkens back to this golden age of RPGs on the SNES. Fans of old school RPGs will love the 2D character designs, the upbeat music, and the colorful world in which the heroes of the story exist.
The plot for the most part is simply average RPG fare. A group of heroes band together to thwart the attempts of certain devious individuals from reviving powerful, ancient devices that will allow them to rule the planet. What sets Destiny’s storyline apart from other RPGs though, is the character interactions. The game includes a lively cast of characters including a country boy who seeks adventure, a quiet female warrior, a cocky bard, a ripped brawler and many more. They all have their own personality and background and interact as normal people would. Another special feature unique to Destiny is the talking swords called Swordians, which the characters wield.
Besides featuring excellent character interactions, Tales of Destiny has a unique, action packed battle system. Unlike most JRPGs that feature countless menus that are even daunting to a computer programmer, Tales includes a fighting-game like battle system. You control one character in battle and input button combinations to perform special moves. While, the battles are a bit too frequent, there are enough special moves included in the game that keep it from becoming boring. The soundtrack isn’t as memorable as Tales of Phantasia and other recent RPGs, but it fits the mood of the game well. If you are nostalgic for the days in which RPGs featured 2D graphics, lively characters, and upbeat music, check out Tales of Destiny. Otherwise, go play your fancy RPGs with new-fangled 3D graphics.