Play Tales Of Phantasia (EU) Online

I picked up Tales of Phantasia for the Game Boy Advance back in 2006, a time when handhelds were full of ambitious ports. This one was originally a Super Famicom game, brought over by Namco and Nintendo. It felt like a substantial adventure for a cartridge, a proper console-style RPG you could take anywhere.

You control Cless, a young swordsman seeking revenge, and later a full party of characters. The main goal is to stop an ancient sorcerer from being resurrected, which sends you across continents and through time. Exploration happens screen by screen in towns and on an overworld map, while dungeons are multi-level mazes with puzzles and treasure. Combat uses the Linear Motion Battle System; you run left and right on a 2D plane, attacking with swords or artes (special skills) in real time. The pacing is brisk for an RPG, though some dungeons can feel long. It's a game that makes you feel in direct control of the action, not just selecting commands from a menu.