At a fantastic Nintendo Direct June show for RPG sickos, Tales of Eternia Remastered was a lovely bit of news from Bandai Namco. It's coming to Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, PS4 and PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC (Steam) on October 16.
Originally released in Japan in 2000, and in North America as Tales of Destiny 2 in 2001, Tales of Eternia is the third game in the Tales series. It's the latest in a growing line of remasters that sprung up around the series' 30th anniversary celebrations.
Eternia Remastered follows Tales of Berseria Remastered, a baffling choice that disappointed many fans. Berseria, a 2016 release, was already readily playable and holds up well on its own, so many felt that the remaster added very little. Bringing an older game like Eternia up to speed on modern platforms makes a lot more sense, so today's news has been received much more warmly.
Eternia uses an early, 2D ancestor of the action combat system modern Tales fans are familiar with, and it seems it's been updated considerably for this re-release. Bandai's added a boost function to adjust XP gains and encounter frequency, a high-speed auto-battle toggle, instant battle retry and quick recovery, and an "Extreme" difficulty available from the start paired with a new "Unknown" difficulty setting unlocked by beating the game.
The new visuals and sounds in the remaster can be swapped with the originals whenever you want, which is always nice with remasters. With this news, fans of Eternia have begun praying that the Tales series' recognizable skits will make it into the re-release.
Bandai reminds us all what Eternia's about on the remaster's newly minted website:
"Experience the remastered edition of Tales of Eternia, a timeless JRPG where a band of heroes race to prevent a disaster that could destroy two intertwined worlds ... Rediscover an emotional story filled with charm, adventure, and the signature Tales spirit, perfect for both newcomers and longtime fans."
