Tales of Graces, Bandai Namco JRPG where Asbel Lhant grows up defending his friends in a threatened world. Real-time Style Shift Tales combat with attack swapping between A-artes and B-artes, two stamina bars. No online, generous sixty-hour runtime. Polished signature Tales anime art direction, Motoi Sakuraba soundtrack. Japan-only on Wii, PS3 Tales of Graces F is expanded. Very successful combat.
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Category
RPG1 player12+
Description
Action RPG by Namco Tales Studio and Namco Bandai, Japan December 2009. Asbel Lhant and friends reunited after years apart battle a mysterious threat in the kingdom of Windor. Reformed Artes combat system with real-time combo chains and triggered Artes, friendship bonds influencing abilities and deep two-part narrative. One of the most beloved Tales of episodes for its combat system.
Tales of Graces review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
Mutsumi Inomata's characters carry the whole screen. Elongated silhouettes, costumes with layered thicknesses, ribbons and collars worked down to the detail: the studio translates those plates into two-tone shaded volumes, with no gradient, so the drawing stays recognisable in motion. The prologue played in childhood, with its shorter proportions, acts as a counterpoint and makes the adult chapters easier to read.
Motoi Sakuraba slips progressive rock into a fantasy frame. The battle themes are built around a soloing organ and keyboard, with asymmetric bars and abrupt key changes that keep the loop from settling, while the town pieces return to a well-behaved orchestral writing. That double nature is why you recognise a fight from the very first notes.
Friendship is not the backdrop of this story, it is its subject. A long prologue played in childhood seals a promise between three people, then the game jumps years ahead to check what remains of it in adults whom duty, family and war have pulled apart. The final adversary draws his strength from that same promise, which makes it impossible to fight him without judging oneself.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Following Asbel and his friends through a richly developed two-part narrative already offers a substantial main story, extended by an Artes combat system that rewards deep mastery. Chaining real-time blows, triggering the right Artes and strengthening the friendship bonds that unlock abilities invite you to optimise your team relentlessly. This combat depth, often cited as the series' finest, encourages exploring every facet over the long haul.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Is Tales of Graces still worth playing in 2026?
An action RPG from Namco Bandai and Namco Tales Studio, Tales of Graces follows a young knight and his companions through a childhood friendship put to the test, in a heroic fantasy story carried by the in house real time combat system, the Style Shift Linear Motion Battle. The fluidity and depth of the clashes, the character writing and the careful art direction make it an excellent JRPG. The sometimes talkative pace and this version's Japan exclusivity weigh it down. An excellent game for fans of Japanese action RPGs and the Tales series on Wii.
