A great "Tales" game
posted by frostywontons (SUISUN CITY, CA) Jul 9, 2012
Member since Jul 2012
Tales of Graces: f is a PS3 port of a Wii game. The "f" refers to the "future" arc, which serves as an epilogue to the original story. Truthfully, Graces is an old game (Japanese players have had this for over a year) but it still serves up some serious fun and supplants itself as one of the better "Tales" game of recent years.
The game starts out slow (as most "Tales" games seem to do) and will not pick up until somewhere around 15-20hrs (you can opt to skip the child arc on a second play through!). However, once the gears start rolling you'll hardly have a moments rest to catch your breath. The story is intriguing and the characters memorable. Do not be surprised if you find yourself attached to a particular character. The only gripe I have is that the overall scope and diversity of the world feels small. There are really only a handful of locations and most do not feel radically different from the next.
The battle system is familiar but different. Unlike past "Tales" games Graces uses a "Chain Capacity (CC)" resource system rather than a TP system. Most actions consume CC (e.g. free running) but CC will also replenish on its own. This new system gives more technicality to battles whereas past systems involved mashing basic attacks combined with a spell every now and then.
Overall, Graces will be a joy for Tales fans and is definitely worth the time of any JRPG fan. The graphics are not pushing any boundaries but they are not terrible. The music, too, is a typical mix of JRPG tunes. Game play hours, though, can easily exceed sixty. Even a casual play through can easily take up forty hours. A definite buy for any JRPG and RPG enthusiast.
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