Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

A lack of role playing games in the already wide berth of the Wii's library is definitely something many gamers have noticed. With the immediate future looking bright for the genre on the console, with titles coming from traditional development houses Capcom and Square Enix and new content coming from the likes of Marvelous, there is clearly a lot to look forward to. Not looking to be left out of the party, Namco Bandai have brought their Tales of series back to Nintendo's home console in the form of a sequel to the most successful Tales of title in the West. But is this worthy of being a sequel to Tales of Symphonia or is it merely an attempt to appease begrudged RPG fans?

Gameplay

Taking place two years after the tale of the inaugural game, Dawn of the New World sees a return to Sylvarant and Tethe'alla with both worlds now joined together thanks to the work of Lloyd and crew defeating Yggdrasil and planting a new Mana Tree in the first game. However, with the joining of the two worlds, there was always going to be friction between people on both sides and after two years and many natural disasters occurring causing lakes to dry up and weather patterns to become obscure, both sides are now at each other's throats with both the Church of Martel and a group known as the Vanguard being occupied in large scale scuffles. In the midst of all of this, there lies the mystery of what has happened to the original hero, Lloyd Irving, and who he is really fighting for.

This time round, you'll jump into the shoes of character Emil and be accompanied by a girl know as Marta who carries the mark of Ratatosk her forehead after trying to set him free. After recruiting Emil as one of the Knights of Ratatosk and explaining why they are trying to awaken the lord of all monsters by way of collecting the Centurion eggs, you'll set out to save the world once again from destruction. The main plot focuses heavily on clichéd themes such as revenge and love and while initial slow, the game does start to come into its own after the first couple of chapters. The new characters provide some interesting personalities but those hoping to see and hear from the cast of the original will be glad to hear that all will make an appearance at one point or another, even joining your squad at times.

If you've played any of the Tales of series prior to now, you'll instantly be familiar with the mechanics of the game. You'll traverse a world searching for the Centurion eggs and clearing dungeons and bosses while trying to resolve the issue of a dying world. Dawn of the New World doesn't stray from the basic formula Namco Bandai have used in prior Tales of games and while it certainly works and makes for an enjoyably lengthy experience, albeit one which isn't quite as long as the original, the formula does begin to feel archaic in comparison to some of the more modern RPGs that are coming out. The straying away from an overworld map which you can freely traverse doesn't help this feeling making for a much more linear experience as you can only go certain places once you've done certain plot points, unlike the original.

The gameplay is still heavily RPG based, with skills and artes to learn as well as your typical levelling up, although the game isn't a grind fest as you can pick and choose your battles as you see fit with the monsters walking around the maps. The battling is similar to the previous title, focusing on a more action oriented style of play and slight improvements have been made to the battle system to make it more enjoyable. The game offers a greater sense of movement within the sectioned arenas where the battle take place, with manoeuvrability around enemies now giving more freedom. Improvements have been made to the unison attacks, crossing over from the first one. Previously, you would do a unison attack with a specific member of your team but now thanks to the inclusion of an elemental alignment system, the combination of these attacks and their forms provides a greater sense of strategy to the proceedings.

The biggest inclusion however, and the one that genuinely makes the game standout amongst its Tales of peers, is the monster recruitment option. As you go about the main story, you'll encounter and add new Centurions to your squad. These are beings which can't fight but can employ monsters of their given element to fight for them and as such, you can go into certain battles and, provided you have the correct Centurion, can recruit these monsters to fight for you. And once recruited, they act just like your squad mates, having their own skills and attacks and continue to level up to the point where they can evolve into bigger and more dangerous monsters. It's a fantastic idea that is well implemented, with over 200 monsters available to recruit, and really adds some depth to the already deep battle system.

Like the many Tales of games before it, Dawn of the New World isn't for those looking for something that is quick and easy. At upwards of 30 hours for even the most basic of run throughs, it's a game that will certainly last you a significant amount of time and that's before you factor in the side quests. Those who have a save file from the original game can import it to unlock some extras which is also a nice touch but you don't get anything major so it's not an imperative to have played the original, although you'll enjoy this more if you have.

Controls

The game makes use of the Wii-mote and Nunchuk for all elements of the game, with no other control methods supported, and while it certainly works well, it would have been nice to have had support for either the Classic or Gamecube Controller because the controls do feel more cumbersome especially when in the middle of a battle. Everything is, as it should be, purely button based, with the only incline of motion use coming through on the new overworld map screen but it is much easier to simply use the analogue stick for this. The controls follow the template for those set out in the original title but by doing so, and as already mentioned, it does become cumbersome in battles because the B button isn't the most resilient for pulling off special attacks on the Wii-mote, being more attuned to shooter games. It's manageable but you'll just wish that the developers had included the option for other control methods.

Graphics

Little has changed visually since the original appeared on the Gamecube back in 2004. If anything, though, the game does show its age as it uses the exact same engine as that game, with there being little in the way of improvement to the cel-shaded anime graphics used. Locations are all well done and look decent from the standard viewpoint but when in game cutscenes bring the camera closer to the buildings and scenery, you'll immediately see the noticeably low resolution textures and the general untidiness to the proceedings. From this stand point, it does look as though the graphics have been merely phoned in and it could be argued that the locations in the original game hold up better than those on offer here. Character models, however, show a level of quality that easily surpasses that of the locations, with some good animation and design, with the game presenting the atypical style we've come to expect from Namco Bandai's Tales of series. They do have some slight drawbacks such as being slightly emotionless with regards to facial expressions and the characters' mouths simply flap when there is speech. They're drawbacks that ultimately make the game feel ever so slightly worse off than the original game. The anime cutscenes continue the series' stellar work of providing some extremely well done and highly polished work but for the most part, the game sticks to in game cutscenes.

Sound

Music has always been a big part of not only Namco Bandai's Tales of series but of all role playing games and where the visuals may let up, the game's soundtrack certainly shows the developer's credentials for creating beautiful music. While it may be typical of the genre, it's all presented extremely well and enjoyable to listen to, providing a mixture of soothing sounds that ebb their way to more vigorous tracks when the game's content changes. So much so that with the vast array of music on offer, each individual who plays the game will undoubtedly easily pick out their own favourites. Voice work isn't quite of the same standard but it does its job well, although the scripting doesn't help it to sound less cheesy and unnatural.

Final comments

Whereas Tales of Symphonia set the standard for the series in the West and provided one of the best RPGs on the Gamecube, this sequel feels more like a passable attempt to provide simply something to fill a gap in an empty market on the Wii. It provides a great story arc with plenty of action to follow it over a lengthy run time but in comparison to the original, a comparison that simply cannot be avoided, it just doesn't quite pack the punch as that title did and takes a little too long before the game really gets into a groove. Even the improvements to the battle system, which are great touches, don't help the game out much. It's a sequel that fans of the original will get the most out of and enjoy thoroughly, if only because there isn't anything better than it yet, but those who haven't played the original will ultimately find it a dated experience.

Pro: Improved battle system, ability to recruit monsters is a great touch, story arc is good even if it takes too long to get going
Con: Visuals look sketchy at times, voice work is occasionally patchy, gameplay does feel a bit dated
Final score: 7

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