Inspiration Friday: The one that started it all

Hello again all, Ohms here.

Today is the first Inspiration Day where we explore the media that inspired me to pursue game development as well as the creation of fictional media in general.

Today we begin with my absolute favorite game of all time, the game that first made me interested in wanting to make video games, Tales of Symphonia!

I can still hear the theme song. Ahh the nostalgia!

All Images and Gifs were taken directly from my own gameplay footage.

Summary

To summarize briefly, Tales of Symphonia is an Action, Japanese style, Role Playing Game where you follow the story of Lloyd, Collette, and their traveling companions as they journey to rejuvenate the world.

For those unfamiliar with these terms, Role Playing Games (RPGS for short) are games in which the player takes on the role of a character in a story, following the story of a world where they are their own built character, or following the story of a character with their own motivations, dreams and ideals.

In many Japanese-style RPGS (JRPGS) the characters already exist within the setting, and while you take part in their story and perform actions in this fictional world as them, you are still following their story. The Action part of the description simply says you actively control the character through the process.

Inspiration - Story

So why do I like this game so much? Well, for one, it is the first game of that specific type that I had ever played. And while there were elements of gameplay and visuals that I enjoyed immensely (that will come later), the story is what drew me in. Without spoiling too much, the game provides you with a narrative along with the main characters, sends you on a quest that seems like a generic quest to save the world… and then hits you with a twist that I for one never saw coming. From then on it explores themes of xenophobia, racial animus, and individual identity as the player and the characters discover that all that they understood the world to be is not as they thought.

A beautiful world with amazing characters

Inspiration - Characters

In addition to an amazing story with so much surprisingly heavy subject matter, Tales of Symphonia has a strong cast of well written characters, each with amusing quirks and characteristics, which do not always fit easily into the general ‘class‘ distinctions of RPGs (wizard, fighter, cleric, etc). I will discuss more of that in the gameplay segment below.

Additionally, Tales of Symphonia introduced me to the now-signature tales ‘Skit‘ system, where the player has the option to ‘listen in‘ to discussions between characters outside of the context of the main or side quest you might be engaging in. These ‘skits’ added greater characterization, and for an avid reader of fiction such as myself, it helped me understand the characters more, and see them as more fleshed out and interesting in their own ways. This gave me a deeper fascination with characterization and the creation of fictional characters.

Inspiration - Gameplay

In addition to the way the various characters of the main party were given strong identities, their gameplay provided a secondary outlet for their unique roles and gameplay styles.

Lloyd - The passionate protag

Lloyd, as shown above, is a dual swordsman, a class archetype that I had not played much of before or since this game. As a fighter he performs incredible acrobatic feats to attack his opponents with skills referencing storms and dangerous creatures, such as “Tiger Blade”, and “Tempest”. At higher levels, Lloyd launches himself at enemies like an acrobatic blender of fury, making him a blast to play.

An example of some early level gameplay

It was gameplay like his, and the desire to break abilities like his down to allow for players to have greater control, that started me on this path. However, Several other characters also inspired me in different ways.

Sheena and Collette, as depicted above, are unusual characters both in their weapons and playstyles.

Collette is the strangest fighter, using a combination of her Chakram rings and holy powers to deal heavy damage from a significant distance.

Sheena, by contrast, is a ninja, but not the kind you would expect. No throwing knives, no chains and sickles, no katanas, but a purely talisman based fighter with the ability to summon the great spirits of the world. She uses her talismans to apply elemental damage, disrupt enemy positioning, and find their weaknesses.

Between these two, I enjoyed the willingness to break away from the stereotypes associated with general class motifs and was inspired to do so in my own work.

Ah Zelos, the smooth pretty-boy

Next we have Zealos, the most fluid fighter of the rest of the crew! While he is one of two “Magic Knight“ class characters you can play in the game, I preferred his style because his regular attacks and moveset fit the style of a dancer, subtly indicating both his agility and seeming-carefree attitude. It made for an enjoyable experience, and I gained a great respect for how animations can show, as opposed to tell, players a lot about a character.

Finally, we have Presea and Regal, the two major powerhouses of the team. Each of them showed how a single aesthetic choice can lead to its own storytelling.

Presea, a young girl with a small frame, has incredible levels of strength, enough to wield a greataxe the size of her own body, striking hard enough to tear up the earth and knock over larger enemies. This then begs the question: What is making her so powerful? And why?

Regal, by contrast, is a man of few words, a powerful fighter who, though free, keeps his hands chained as a geas against their use in battle. The result is a close ranged powerhouse of a fighter who never uses his hands. Why? What kind of tragedy did he suffer that both landed him in prison and caused him to make such a vow?

From these two characters, I learned the importance of keeping your player’s guessing and tying story to gameplay, a principle that I hope to portray in my own work.

Lloyd and da crew

Tales of Symphonia is by far the most influential game for me in regards to my overall desire as a game designer: To develop games that mesh gameplay and story in such a way as to be engaging, fun, and memorable. This game was all of those for me, and it is my hope that Lovers in the Lunar Labyrinth will be at least some of those for you, the reader, as well.

If my project and their inspirations interest you, feel free to subscribe for email notifications, follow my social media, and tell me what you all think!

May the Branches light your path!

- Ωs Emmanuel