"Tales of Eternia," the third entry in the Tales series, is coming to Korean players in a remastered edition on October 15. Released under the slogan "RPG of Eternity and Bonds," Tales of Eternia was the first title to introduce series staples such as Mystic Artes and guest appearances by characters from previous games. Furthermore, this remaster marks the first time a 2D-era title in the Tales series has been remastered, rather than one of the 3D entries that were previously adapted.
Tales of Eternia perfected satisfying combos through its 2D Linear Motion Battle System within the unique setting of Eternia, where the two worlds of Inferia and Celestia face each other across the sky. Twenty-six years later, as the classic returns to fans, Producer Shuhei Tamakoshi shared what kind of experience the team aimed to deliver with this remaster.
When working on the remastered version, did you focus more on reproducing the original or adapting to modern gameplay sensibilities?
" The Tales Remaster Project has been ongoing for a long time, and Eternia is one of the titles we've been working on as part of it. The Tales series has been beloved for many years, so we refined it to make playing more comfortable for both returning players and newcomers after all this time. While we added features not present in the original, players who want to experience the game exactly as it was can toggle them on and off at any time.
The Tales Remaster Project is progressing in various directions. Is there a reason Eternia is being presented first this time?
" As you said, we are working on remasters for the Tales series in various ways. We are developing projects based on the original source material and other assets, and we announced them starting with the ones that reached a high level of completion.
That's how Eternia was selected, and Eternia itself is also a very meaningful title. It's a game that many fans have requested as well. That's why we are introducing the Eternia remaster first.
You introduced Auto Mode and high-speed battles—is there a reason for adding features to this extent?
" We considered players' playstyles and pacing. As mentioned earlier, these features can be toggled on or off at any time. In other words, if you want to enjoy the feeling of the original game, you can simply turn them off.
On the other hand, we expect a diverse audience, including players who might find the old pacing slow or those who want to breeze through minor sections and re-experience only the climactic moments. You can think of it as giving various players options to tailor the experience to their liking.
Eternia is the first among the 2D entries in the series to be remastered. Can we expect the remastering of other 2D-era titles to pick up pace in the future?
" It is difficult to speak about the overall direction of the remasters here today. Please look forward to future official announcements.
Aside from quality-of-life features, what other areas did you focus on during development?
"Tales of Eternia was released on the PS as well as the PSP, and now it's expanding across multiple platforms. Because of that, we really felt the significant differences in display environments.
In particular, back during the PSP era, the screen was small and the resolution was lower than today, so it looked dense. But this time, larger screens and higher resolutions are the baseline. We worked on the remaster while carefully considering how to preserve the atmosphere of the original even in that modern environment.
It is being presented as a remaster 26 years after the original release. What was the most challenging part of the process?
"The original was an early-generation title from an era without convenient walkthrough websites or modern quality-of-life features like we have today. Back then, players had to figure things out on their own. So we spent a lot of time thinking about how to add quality-of-life features in the remaster without ruining that core experience. It was really difficult to strike a balance so there wouldn't be too big a gap between the experience of veteran players who enjoyed the original and new players.
Previous remastered titles were based on PS3 releases, so their achievement/trophy lists were carried over, but since Eternia had none, you must have had to build them entirely from scratch. How did you establish the criteria for achievements?
"As you said, we had to create them from scratch this time. We added achievement trophies following the original's storyline, so as you progress through the story, you will naturally unlock achievements and earn trophies.
Do you have a word for Korean players ahead of the release?
"With this Tales of Eternia Remastered, we can officially present the world of Eternia to Korean players as well. We hope many people will enjoy it, and we ask for your continued interest in Eternia and the Tales series.
