Tales of Graces f is often heralded as having the best combat of the long-running action-RPG series, and it’s unfortunately been “stuck” on the PS3 - at least over in the West, since its initial release here in 2012. Bandai Namco only just announced Tales of Graces f Remastered, and it’s being released on pretty much all platforms–Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, and PC. I had the chance to go hands-on with Tales of Graces f Remastered and talk to the game’s producer, Yuki Ishikawa.
In Tales of Graces f Remastered, Asbel Lhant makes many lifelong friends as a child. There’s Hubert Lhant, his brother; Sophie, an amnesiac; Cheria Barnes; a girl from his village; and Richard, a prince from a neighboring kingdom. Drama and trauma send Asbel astray from his would-be life of a lord to a knight academy, and after seven years, he reconnects with many of his childhood friends.
There’s plenty of political drama, transformative character growth, and the power of friendship to be had in Graces’ story. Ishikawa emphasized that the core concept or core value of Tales of is storytelling, specifically focusing on character drama. “So even though it’s a very straightforward kind of story (in Tales of Graces f)–do you choose friendship or do you choose to save the world–.
..it’s something that resonates strongly with me,” Ishikawa explained.
Ishikawa pointed out Graces f’s battle system is its other best feature, as many series fans call out .