PS3 classic doesn’t escape the remaster curse as modern gamers want more than prettier graphics

TALES is one of the longest-running video game series, with 17 mainline entries over 30 years.

As with all series that have been around as long as Tales has, it has had its ups and downs.

The last few games have been lacking, and like most fans, we think the earlier games are the best.

Tales of Graces was first released in 2009, making it a great target for a remaster.

The new version does a great job of updating the graphics with sharper character models and environments that look great at the higher resolution.

There are also a great number of quality-of-life additions, such as access to the New Game+ Grade shop straight from the first playthrough.

However, for the most part it’s the Tales of Graces you remember from 2009 running at a higher resolution.

That means a lot of the game feels outdated, from the clunky, unintuitive combat to the pacing of the main story.

It opens with a long prologue where the cast are still children, and many people quit before it gets to the good part.

The time skip happens around three hours in, but the pace doesn’t speed up even after this.

It re-establishes plot points that were built up before the time skip in a way that feels like you are starting from scratch. This means it’s around six hours before you are fully invested.

Once things get going, the overarching story is satisfying and compelling, but with the large number of games releasing every day, modern gamers are used to a snappier opening.

Of all of the game’s components the combat has aged the worst. What felt fresh and innovative in 2009 now feels like an awkward mix of action RPG with resource and gauge management.

The controls also feel off and are mixed with an extremely clunky targeting system.

As with many remasters, Tales of Graces f Remastered hasn’t done enough to update the original for modern gamers.

With the rising cost of game development we can expect plenty more remasters in the future, and that’s not a bad thing as it can preserve excellent classic games.

However, just like with Legacy of Kain, Tales of Graces f Remastered does little beyond graphical improvements, which is not enough given the game’s age.

Tales of Graces f Remastered is out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

If you want to read more gaming reviews, check out our Civilization 7 preview.