Tales of Eternia Remastered: Review in Progress

There’s something fascinating about experiencing a beloved JRPG for the first time more than two decades after its original release. By that point, a game built up a reputation. Fans have spent years celebrating its characters, praising its combat, and explaining why it deserves a place among the genre’s classics. The Tales series has been full of games reaching a variety of highs and lows but Eternia is a game that’s been recommended to me for a long time.

So what happens when you approach that same game without any of those memories?

That’s the position I found myself in with Tales of Eternia Remastered. Despite being a longtime fan of JRPGs and having played plenty of games in the Tales series, Eternia is one of those entries I never got around to experiencing. I’ve heard people talk about it for years, and I’ve always been curious about what made it so special. With the Nintendo Switch 2 edition arriving, I finally had the opportunity to find out.

Huge thank you to Bandai Namco for providing an early review code for this game.

I’ve been playing it ahead of its release, and while I haven’t finished the adventure just yet, my impressions so far are overwhelmingly positive.

I can already see why Tales of Eternia has maintained such a passionate following. Its characters are immediately appealing, the combat is surprisingly enjoyable, and there’s a distinct charm to its presentation that reminds me why I fell in love with this series a long time ago.

At the same time, experiencing it without the benefit of nostalgia has made some of its limitations more apparent and I think that’s what makes approaching this remaster for the first time so interesting.

An Old-School Adventure With Plenty of Personality

Originally released on PlayStation, Tales of Eternia follows Reid Hershel and his childhood friend Farah Oersted, whose lives take an unexpected turn when they encounter a mysterious girl named Meredy.

Their journey eventually expands into a much larger adventure involving the worlds of Inferia and Celestia, with the fate of both hanging in the balance.

It’s a familiar premise for anyone who has spent considerable time with classic JRPGs, but I’ve never believed that a story needs to completely reinvent the genre to be enjoyable. Sometimes, all I want is a compelling adventure with an interesting world and characters I genuinely enjoy spending time with. So far, Eternia has delivered exactly that.

One of the first things that stood out to me was how much personality the main cast has. Reid and Farah have an entertaining dynamic that immediately gives their relationship some depth. Reid’s relatively relaxed attitude contrasts nicely with Farah’s determination to help others, creating a natural source of humor and occasional tension.

Meredy brings another interesting element to the group, and I’ve enjoyed seeing how these different personalities interact as the adventure progresses. That’s something the Tales franchise has always been particularly good at.

While these games frequently tell stories involving enormous threats and complicated conflicts, some of their most memorable moments come from the relationships between party members. Although I’m still making my way through the story, I can already understand why so many fans hold this particular cast in such high regard.

Combat That Helped Shape the Future of Tales

If there’s one area where Tales of Eternia has genuinely surprised me, it’s the combat.

I’ve always known that the earlier Tales games played an important role in establishing the series’ action-oriented identity, but actually experiencing Eternia has given me a greater appreciation for how ambitious its mechanics were at the time. Instead of relying on traditional turn-based encounters, battles take place in real time across a two-dimensional field.

You’re actively controlling a character, moving around enemies, performing attacks, and incorporating special abilities known as Artes into your approach. It’s easy to look at this system today and recognize how much the franchise has evolved since then.

Modern entries feature increasingly elaborate combat mechanics, greater movement freedom, and more sophisticated ways to coordinate attacks with your party, but what’s impressed me is how enjoyable Eternia still feels despite those advancements. There’s a satisfying simplicity to its combat that I’ve grown to appreciate.

The fundamentals are relatively straightforward, but learning how to chain attacks together and make better use of different abilities gives battles a satisfying sense of progression and because I’m approaching this game without having played the original, I don’t have any established expectations about how the combat should feel. I’m experiencing it entirely on its own terms.

That said, it’s impossible to ignore how much action RPGs have changed over the years. Movement is more restrictive than what many modern players are accustomed to, and the overall flow of combat can feel noticeably different from newer Tales entries.

Someone coming directly from Tales of Arise for example, might find the transition particularly jarring, but I think there’s an important distinction between a combat system being old and being bad. So far, Tales of Eternia has convinced me that those two things aren’t necessarily connected.

The mechanics might show their age, but the foundation is still incredibly enjoyable.

The Remaster Makes a Classic More Approachable

One of the things I appreciate about Tales of Eternia Remastered is that it doesn’t appear interested in disguising the game as something completely modern. This is still very much a classic JRPG, and I think that’s an important part of its identity. However, the remaster introduces several quality-of-life improvements designed to make the experience more convenient for contemporary players.

These include adjustable encounter settings, destination guidance, and options that can help streamline certain aspects of the game. I appreciate that these additions exist because they acknowledge how much expectations surrounding JRPGs have changed. Older games frequently required more patience when it came to exploration, random encounters, and understanding where to go next.

That approach isn’t inherently wrong, but I can understand why it might discourage someone who has primarily experienced modern games. The ability to make adjustments while preserving the original adventure strikes me as a sensible compromise, and as someone discovering Tales of Eternia for the first time, I think these features make the game a more inviting prospect.

Of course, quality-of-life improvements can only accomplish so much. They can make an older game more convenient to play, but they don’t fundamentally change the design philosophy beneath it. That’s something worth remembering when approaching a remaster like this.

Playing on Nintendo Switch 2

I’ve been playing Tales of Eternia Remastered on Nintendo Switch 2, and I think it’s the perfect platform for a game like this.

I’ve always loved playing JRPGs on handheld systems, and there’s something about classic adventures that makes them especially well suited to portable play. Being able to pick up the game, make some progress through the story, and return to it whenever I have time is a convenience I genuinely appreciate.

What I particularly like about the presentation, though, is that the original artistic identity remains intact. There’s a distinct charm to the character designs, environments, and overall visual style that immediately reminds me of the PlayStation era of JRPGs and I mean that as a compliment.

Not every older game needs to be rebuilt from the ground up with modern character models and entirely redesigned environments. Sometimes, preserving the original presentation while making it more convenient to experience is exactly what I want. For players who appreciate that classic aesthetic, Tales of Eternia has plenty of appeal.

Can a Classic Still Impress Without Nostalgia?

This is ultimately the question I’ve found myself thinking about most throughout my time with Tales of Eternia Remastered. When people discuss JRPGs from the past, nostalgia inevitably becomes part of the conversation and there’s nothing wrong with that.

The games we experienced growing up often shape our opinions of the games we play as adults, but I don’t have that relationship with Eternia. I’m not revisiting familiar locations or reconnecting with characters I loved 20 years ago. I’m discovering all of this for the first time and I’m sure many others will be doing so with the release of this remaster. So far, I’m having a genuinely great time.

A Very Encouraging First Impression

I’m not ready to deliver a final verdict on Tales of Eternia Remastered because I still have more of the adventure to experience. There are story developments I haven’t reached, additional mechanics I want to spend more time exploring, and plenty of opportunities for my opinion to evolve before I see the credits. Based on what I’ve played so far, I’m extremely happy that I finally gave this game a chance.

The characters are fantastic, the combat remains surprisingly entertaining, and there’s an unmistakable charm to the entire experience that has made it easy for me to understand why Tales of Eternia is remembered so fondly.

It’s also refreshing to approach a classic without the nostalgia that so often influences conversations about older games.

For longtime fans, this remaster offers an opportunity to revisit a beloved adventure. For newcomers like me, it’s a chance to discover an important piece of Tales history and understand why it continues to mean so much to so many people.