Tales of Destiny DC ~ Stahn Side

Tales of Destiny DC is a wonderful remake of the original, containing a more fun and strategic combat system and containing a great challenge. The story additions and skits to flesh out the cast are wonderful and it's great to see what the swordians actually looked like.

The combat system contains the later used concept of CC (chain capacity) to allow you to use as many moves as you want in a combo as long as you have enough CC for the moves you want to use. CC restores when you stop attacking and doing perfect guards and criticals. So if you strategize correctly you can effectively combo enemies. Since CC doesn't restore like TP does in the earlier games, it's actually not bad to keep using weak spells while you build up your CC, unlike with TP where there was no reason to utilize the weaker spells of an element when you have stronger ones. Also, since every character has an element theyre strong against and weak against, it's actually encouraged to change your party composition based on the dungeon you're in to find it easier to deal with monsters. Same with the kind of damage you do, as some enemies are strong against Stahn's sword and weak against Woodrow's arrows. The artes you have access to also provide a wide array of elements you can target. Furthermore, the game consistently gives you a lot of item drops so utilizing gels, life bottles, etc. in battle is not a problem at all as you will likely have at least 10 of each by the end of the dungeon.

The environments are a mix of 3 dimensional spaces and painted backgrounds, creating an incredibly beautiful visual experience with the addition of the incredibly detailed sprites. I love the sprites a lot they're really expressive and have beautiful colors The monster sprites are equally as detailed and overall its just an incredibly beautiful game. The music is also a wonderful remaster of the original soundtrack even if I think they don't quite pack the same punch. The softer feel fits the spritework and colors.

The skits provide a lot more information on the characters and make them even more loveable than the original in my opinion! I love the Destiny cast but the additional focus on mundane conversations allows their personality traits to shine even more. Leon definitely shines even more in this version than the original. I still have yet to play Leon side but I'm incredibly excited to get to it. The additional story dialogue makes Stahn and Leon's friendship incredibly sweet and makes Stahn and Rutee's relationship very well developed compared to the original.

Finally, the plot is the same as the original which means it's pretty good. I love Tales of Destiny immensely and the war between the er'thers and aetherians is such a wonderful setup. The world feels incredibly vivid and full of life. Incredibly charming game that I recommend anyone play if they're looking for a fun time with a JRPG. Looking forward to Leon side after I play something as a buffer! Tales of Destiny was my second favorite behind Abyss but now it's definitely my favorite!