Play Tales of Phantasia (E)(WRG) Online

Namco released Tales of Phantasia for the Game Boy Advance in 2006, bringing a classic SNES RPG to a handheld platform during a time when players often sought deeper, console-like experiences on the go. It was a solid port that let a new audience explore its world without much fuss or pretense.

You control Cress Albane, a young swordsman seeking revenge against the sorcerer who destroyed his village, and you travel across continents and through different time periods to stop a greater threat. The game uses a side-scrolling overworld for exploration, with towns and dungeons navigated screen by screen. Combat happens in real time on a separate linear field, where you execute physical and special artes with button combinations, and you can give orders to AI-controlled party members like the archer Chester or the mage Arche. The pacing is brisk for an RPG of its era, though some dungeons feel long and enemy encounters are frequent; the overall difficulty is moderate, with spikes at certain boss fights. It feels satisfying to land combos and see your party work together, especially with the GBA’s surprisingly capable sound hardware giving weight to every spell and strike.