Many things in the video game space annoy fans to no end. Unfortunately, many have been on display over the last several years. For example, we all know video games that came out “way too soon” and thus were buggy messes that hurt the title’s overall quality. Another thing is all the drama that video game developers put their employees through to get the game out “on time,” even though fans have and will wait for games to be ready for release. But, then, like with the upcoming Tales of Symphonia Remastered, there are game devs who make ports or remasters but don’t do the “due diligence” to make them great.
Fans were excited when Tales of Symphonia Remastered was announced for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. The title was one of the best RPGs in the minds of many and easily the most popular game in the series. It had a wonderful story, great combat mechanics, beloved characters, voice actors, etc. So having it remastered for the present was something to be appreciative of. However, as many looked closer at the game, they wondered if this was a true “remaster” or more of a port to get money from.
The game releases tomorrow, and the reviews for the title have not been kind. On Metacritic, the game currently stands at 71. While that isn’t bad, that’s not good either. If anything, it’s average. Moreover, the reviews indicated that this is the “bare minimum” of a remastered title and not something fans should look forward to if they played the original and wanted more.
Multiple reviews noted that while the “core elements” are intact, Bandi Namco “did nothing” to improve on some of the game’s flaws. Whether it be the graphics, the audio, the combat, etc., they didn’t do anything to “bring it into the modern age.”
Many noted that this is only something to get if you are “looking for nostalgia” to enjoy. Even then, some reviews said that this game keeps getting worse with every port made for it.
Sadly, this falls into one of the pet peeves of gamers where a developer tries to bank on nostalgia and profit from it, and yet they’re not willing to do anything to make the game better even though the title deserves it.
Thankfully, not all developers are like that, but the fact that we’re still seeing this in 2023 is not encouraging.
