Tales of Graces is an action role-playing game created by Namco Tales Studio and released by Namco Bandai Games for the Wii. It was first released in Japan in December 2009. This game is the twelfth main game in the Tales series. It was later released on the PlayStation 3 under the name Tales of Graces f in Japan in December 2010. The PlayStation 3 version was translated and released in English in 2012. A remastered version, called Tales of Graces f Remastered, was released on January 17, 2025, for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.
The game takes place in the world of Ephinea and follows Asbel Lhant. As a child, he becomes friends with a girl who has lost her memory and sees her die before meeting her again seven years later.
Both Tales of Graces and Tales of Graces f were well received in Japan. The Wii version sold over 100,000 copies, and the PlayStation 3 version sold 200,000 copies during their first week of release. The game was adapted into four manga collections, a novel series, and eight drama CDs. The English version of Tales of Graces f received praise for its gameplay but had mixed opinions about how it looked and felt.
Gameplay
Tales of Graces includes two main areas: the field map and the battle screen. The field map is a 3D world that looks real, where players walk through on foot. Short scenes showing characters interacting include moving pictures of characters, text showing what they say, and characters speaking with real voices. The battle screen is a 3D version of a place where players control characters to fight enemies controlled by the computer.
During battles, the game uses the Style Shift Linear Motion Battle System. Players choose four characters to fight, while others are controlled by AI that follows rules set by the player before the battle. Chain Capacity (CC) is a number showing how many actions a character can perform. Using actions lowers the number, but it increases again over time. Both the player and enemies have an Eleth Gauge, which fills up to allow unlimited actions and protection from being stunned. Each character has two skill systems: Assault Artes, which are set moves, and Burst Artes, which are assigned to specific button presses. Improving skills and abilities depends on Titles and their levels. Titles are earned by progressing in the story and completing tasks during battles. Each Title has five levels, and players advance them by winning battles.
Plot
The game takes place in the world of Ephinea, which is divided into three countries: Windor, Stratha, and Fendel. Each country uses a type of energy called "eleth," found in crystals called "Cryas." The three largest Cryas, known as "Valkines Cryas," are the main sources of eleth for each nation.
Asbel Lhant, Hubert Lhant, and Cheria Barnes are children from Lhant, a village in Windor. One day, they meet a girl who has forgotten her past. They name her Sophie. Richard, the prince of Windor, visits Lhant and becomes friends with the group. After Asbel and Sophie save Richard from an attack, Richard invites them to visit Barona, the capital of Windor. Asbel and Sophie secretly go to Barona. When they reunite with Hubert and Cheria, they enter the castle through a hidden path as instructed by Richard. They find Richard unconscious and are attacked by a powerful creature. Sophie sacrifices herself to save the others.
Asbel wakes up in Lhant and learns Sophie has died. He also finds out that Hubert was officially adopted into the Oswell family to help Asbel become the Lord of Lhant. Distressed by Sophie’s death and political changes, Asbel leaves home and joins Barona’s knight academy, training under Captain Malik Caesar.
Seven years later, Asbel meets Cheria and learns his father died defending Lhant from Fendel’s attack. They return to Lhant and meet a revived Sophie, who has forgotten her past. Fendel attacks Lhant again, but Hubert arrives with Stratha’s army to help. He explains that Windor asked Stratha to protect Lhant and takes over as Lord after banishing Asbel. The group investigates rumors of Richard’s death and finds him in the castle’s hidden passage. Richard reveals his father was killed by his uncle, Cedric, who now rules Windor. They meet Pascal, a skilled engineer from the Amarcian tribe, who joins them. As they travel, Richard becomes unstable and has violent outbursts. With an allied army, they defeat Cedric and restore Richard to the throne.
Richard plans to invade Lhant to free it from Stratha’s control, forcing the group to betray him. They travel to Stratha with Malik to negotiate Hubert’s official appointment as Lord of Lhant. Stratha agrees if Pascal fixes their malfunctioning Valkines Cryas. Though successful, Richard escapes with the energy from Windor’s Valkines. The group plans to stop Richard at Fendel’s Valkines but fails. They learn Richard’s final goal is the Lastalia, the planet’s core. There, they confront Richard, who mortally wounds Sophie before sealing the entrance with a barrier.
Unable to heal Sophie with magic or medicine, Pascal suggests traveling to Fodra, Sophie’s home planet, for help. They find a space shuttle left by Pascal’s ancestors and meet Emeraude, the last human on Fodra. Using advanced technology, Sophie is healed and remembers her past. She is a special human-like being created by Fodra to defeat Lambda, the monster that attacked them seven years earlier. Lambda is now possessing Richard. Emeraude helps the group bypass the barrier, where they defeat Richard. Emeraude tries to take over Lambda’s power but fails and dies. Lambda fuses with the Lastalia, allowing the group to see his memories of suffering caused by humans. They defeat Lambda, but instead of letting Sophie sacrifice herself, Asbel absorbs Lambda into his body. He convinces Lambda to see humanity’s worth, and Lambda agrees to sleep deeply.
In the story “Lineage and Legacies,” monsters become a widespread problem. The group investigates and finds Fodra’s core has reactivated, seeking revenge for environmental damage. They defeat Fodra’s soldiers, the “Little Queens,” and let Lambda absorb Fodra’s consciousness before he sleeps again. The group separates, and Asbel marries Cheria, adopting Sophie as their daughter. In the distant future, Sophie tells her story to Asbel and Cheria’s great-great-grandson.
Asbel is the son of Aston Lhant, the Lord of Lhant. After Sophie’s death and Hubert’s adoption, Asbel leaves for Barona to train as a knight. He later becomes Lord of Lhant, marries Cheria, and adopts Sophie. He has ranked third in popularity polls for Tales characters.
The game’s producer, Hideo Baba, wanted Asbel’s story to show the challenges of growing up and balancing expectations with personal dreams.
Sophie is a girl who forgot her past and is later revealed to be a special human-like being made of tiny particles. Her death caused her particles to enter Asbel, Hubert, and Cheria, giving them powers. She is adopted into the Lhant family to ease her fear of immortality. After fusing with a “Little Queen,” she ages and gains more emotions. She is a playable character in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 and has ranked in popularity polls.
Hubert is Asbel’s younger brother, adopted into the Oswell family to help Asbel inherit Lhant. He resents Asbel for leaving Lhant but reconciles with him later. He becomes a military lieutenant in Stratha. He ranked in popularity polls but later fell off. He appears in Tales of Hearts R as a character.
Cheria is the granddaughter of Lhant’s family butler. She was sick as a child but was healed by Sophie’s powers. She loves Asbel and is a key supporter in the story.
Development and release
On July 7, 2008, Namco Bandai Games announced that the next main game in the Tales series was being made for the Wii. A video preview of the game was shown in October 2008 during the Nintendo Autumn 2008 Conference. At Jump Festa 2009, the game was given the temporary name Tales of 10 and it was shared that the game had been in development for two years. In the first week of April 2009, the game was officially named Tales of Graces. The name was registered by Namco Bandai Games one month earlier. That same week, it was announced that the game was developed by the same team that made Tales of Destiny. In the same month, the game’s theme was shared as Mamoru Tsuyosa wo Shiru RPG (which means "RPG to Know the Strength to Protect"). At the September Tokyo Game Show, the game’s theme song was revealed to be Mamoritai (White Wishes) by BoA. This was the second time a Tales game had both an English and Japanese version of its theme song. The game was released on December 10, 2009, and was also sold as a bundle with a new Wii system. The game included a minigame called Kamenin Merchant! for the Nintendo DS, which was released for the Nintendo DSi on December 2, 2009. To promote the game, Namco Bandai Games and House Foods created a special mabo curry package. In March 2010, Namco Bandai Games began recalling Tales of Graces due to technical issues. Customers could exchange their game for an updated version until July 2011.
The PlayStation 3 version of the game, called Tales of Graces f, was first mentioned in the July 28, 2010, issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump and officially announced by Namco on August 2, 2010. The game’s producer, Hideo Baba, said the decision to make the PlayStation 3 version was made in February 2010 because of fan interest. The PlayStation 3 version added a feature called "Accelerate Mode" and a new story called Lineage & Legacies. People who preordered the game received a DVD with a video showing the game’s main characters meeting characters from Tales of Destiny 2. A demo version of the game was released on October 7, 2010, and the full game was made available on December 2, 2010. A special edition of the game included a letter set. Namco and House Foods again created a mabo curry package to promote the PlayStation 3 version. Tales of Graces f was later released with a 15th anniversary cover art edition on August 4, 2011, and with a "PlayStation 3 The Best" label on August 2, 2012.
A version of the game for North America was first hinted at on Namco Bandai Games’ Facebook page in January 2011. A puzzle on the page led to a URL that, when solved, showed a distorted image. The image was fixed on February 2, 2011, and revealed the North American version of Tales of Graces f. On May 11, 2011, Namco officially announced the North American, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific versions of the game. The text was translated by 8-4, and the voice acting was produced by Cup of Tea Productions. The North American version was released on March 13, 2012. The EMEA and Asia-Pacific versions were released on August 31, 2012, along with a special edition. The game was made available on the North American and European PlayStation Network in March 2013.
A remastered version of the game, called Tales of Graces f Remastered, was released on January 17, 2025, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Windows. This version includes improvements to the game, all previously released downloadable content, and new scenes that were not available outside of Japan for the first time.
Tales of Graces included downloadable costumes for the playable characters. People who preordered the game received codes for costumes of Asbel, Sophie, and Cheria from Tales of Vesperia. Costumes based on The Idolmaster Dearly Stars for Sophie, Cheria, and Pascal were released on December 16, 2009. On December 23, 2009, a Hatsune Miku costume for Sophie and a suit set for Asbel, Hubert, and Malik were released. Between January and March 2010, unique costumes designed by Mutsumi Inomata were released for each character. Additional downloadable content, such as challenge battles, was also made available.
Tales of Graces f included similar downloadable content to its Wii version. Preorderers received codes for costumes of Asbel, Sophie, and Richard from Tales of Destiny 2. On the release date, Code Geass costumes, a Toro costume for Pascal, and Sophie’s Hatsune Miku costume were available for download. On December 9, 2010, the Idolmaster set, suit set, school uniform set, and a Haseo costume for Asbel were released. The unique costumes designed by Inomata were released on December 22, 2010. In January 2011, additional costumes were released to make the characters look like other characters from the Tales series.
In North America, all downloadable content for Tales of Graces f, except for costumes from other franchises, was translated and released between March 13, 2012, and April 10, 2012. In Europe, the same downloadable content was released between August 29, 2012, and September 26, 2012. For the Tales of Destiny 2 preorder costumes, North American customers who preordered through GameStop received a code for them. In Europe, the code was included with the day one special edition.
Media adaptions
After the release of Tales of Graces, four manga adaptations were created. These include three collections of comic stories and one traditional manga series. The first collection, Tales of Graces Comic Anthology, has three volumes published by Ichijinsha. The second collection, Tales of Graces f Comic Anthology, has one volume published by Ichijinsha and was released on March 25, 2011. The third collection, Tales of Graces f Sub Travels, was published in Viva Tales of Magazine from Volume 8, 2011, to Volume 10, 2012. These chapters were later collected into a single volume by Dengeki Comics on November 27, 2012. A traditional manga series titled Tales of Graces f was written and drawn by Megumu Aya. It began in Viva Tales of Magazine in Volume 2, 2011, and is still being published. ASCII Media Works collected the chapters and released the first volume on October 27, 2011.
A novel series titled Tales of Graces f: Chikai no Hana (Tales of Graces f: Flower of Promise) was created. The first volume is called Jō (Above), and the second is called Ka (Below). Both were published by Enterbrain in February and May 2011. A book titled Tales of Graces f Official Scenario Book was released by Yamashita Books on June 4, 2012. It explains the game’s story and fictional world. Tales of Graces has six strategy guides total: three for the Wii and three for the PS3. These guides were published by Shueisha, Namco Bandai Games, and Enterbrain.
Ten drama CDs were created by Frontier Works, and an original soundtrack was made by Avex Group based on the game. Drama CDs numbered 1 to 4 are side stories that take place during the game’s events. They were released between May 26, 2010, and August 25, 2010. Other drama CDs, such as Anthology Drama CD: Tales of Graces f 2010 Winter and Anthology Drama CD: Tales of Graces f 2013 Summer, are side stories that happen after the game’s events. These were released from 2010 to 2013. The original soundtrack, Tales of Graces Original Soundtrack, was released on February 10, 2010, and includes four discs. It reached the 128th position on Oricon’s music charts.
Reception
Tales of Graces sold 113,000 copies on its first release date, and sales reached 216,000 within its first year. The game was re-released as part of the Nintendo Selects collection on March 24, 2011. Famitsu praised the complex gameplay but noted that the game took too long to load. The game was listed on Famitsu's "Greatest Games of All-Time" in 2010. Tales of Graces f sold over 200,000 copies in Japan during its first week and reached over 300,000 copies a year later. Tales of Graces f was later re-released as part of the PlayStation 3 The Best collection on August 2, 2012. Famitsu again praised the gameplay and noted improvements in the game's graphics. A survey by ASCII Media Works's Dengeki Online in 2011 showed that Tales of Graces was ranked seventh among games readers would want to see adapted into an anime.
For the English version of Tales of Graces f, critics praised the gameplay but had mixed opinions about the presentation. IGN described the battle system as "a beautiful ebb and flow to each confrontation," while GameSpot called it the most detailed and advanced system in the Tales series. Electronic Gaming Monthly and Joystiq praised the depth of the system, with Joystiq saying it was "an actual challenge instead of mindless button-pressing." Meanwhile, Game Informer said the combat was simple but enjoyable. Critics also discussed the game's alchemy system, with IGN calling it "easy to learn" and Joystiq describing it as "difficult to manage" because of the large number of items to collect. IGN, Game Informer, GamesRadar, and GameTrailers criticized the need to revisit earlier parts of the game. GameInformer, GameSpot, and GameTrailers mentioned the small world design, with GameTrailers saying the paths were too limited and the dungeons felt repetitive.
The plot, graphics, and audio received mixed reviews. Game Informer, GameSpot, and GamesRadar said the story and characters were overused. Game Informer called the childhood story part boring but noted the story improved after a time skip. GameSpot agreed, calling the prologue the "weakest part of the story on its own" but "important for adding depth and moving beyond clichés." GamesRadar shared GameSpot's view and praised the character's transformation into a villain. For the graphics, IGN said they looked outdated, and Joystiq described them as faded with unsmooth movements. For the audio, IGN, Game Informer, and GamesRadar said the music was not very impressive and the voice acting was acceptable. IGN said the voice acting "works" but some parts had weak scripts. Game Informer compared the voices to a well-made anime, and GamesRadar said they matched the characters. Meanwhile, GameTrailers criticized the overall presentation, saying the story was predictable, the characters uninteresting, the lighting flat, the animations stiff, the lip-syncing poor, the music forgettable, and the voice acting boring.