The Tales series, known in Japan as the Tales of series (「テイルズ オブ」シリーズ), is a franchise of fantasy Japanese role-playing video games published by Bandai Namco Games (formerly Namco), and developed by its subsidiary, Namco Tales Studio (formerly Wolf Team) until 2011 and presently by Bandai Namco. First begun in 1995 with the development and release of Tales of Phantasia for the Super Famicom, the series currently spans twenty-eight main titles, multiple spin-off games and supplementary media in the form of manga series, anime series, and audio dramas.
While entries in the series generally stand independent of each other with different characters and stories, they are commonly linked by their gameplay, themes and high fantasy settings. Most of the main Tales games have been localized for North America and Europe, although almost all of the spinoff titles have not been released abroad. While generally seen as a niche series in English speaking regions, Tales is considered a high-profile property in Japan, just behind other series such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. As of 2024, the series has shipped over 30 million copies.
Video games
In 2007, series producer Makoto Yoshizumi defined two classes of Tales games, "Mothership Titles" and "Escort Titles". "Mothership" essentially means "Main series", where as "Escort" essentially means "Spinoff". In 2020, a different internal organization scheme was announced; "Original" for games featuring new stories as well as their sequels, and "Crossover" for secondary entries drawing characters and worlds from various past titles.[1][2][3] The games are also frequently given what is called a "Characteristic Genre Name", which is a short subtitle or phrase that outlines the game's overall theme. There are also terms that are used in remakes or ports of games: "R" stands for "remake" or "re-imagination" (as in Hearts R), while "F" in Graces F stands for "future", in reference to the game's extra story content.
Original Titles
Crossover titles and Spin offs
Tales of the World, Narikiri Dungeon, Radiant Mythology
Other media
Anime
Radio
External links
References
- 『テイルズ オブ』シリーズ総合プロデューサー吉積信氏に直撃！ Famitsu, August 3, 2008, retrieved August 12, 2014^
- Review of the original live-stream by Abyssal Chronicles, including archived screenshots January 21, 2020, retrieved February 18, 2024^
- anifan_jp - lore diggers united. [Tales of Crestoria] Tales of History (Games)