Bandai Namco's first Tales Of game, Tales Of Phantasia, weighed in at a previously unheard of 48MB when it released in 1995. That's a mere wisp of data nowadays, but a veritable beast for a Super Famicom game cartridge. The cost of these high capacity carts, combined with westerners' ho-hum attitude towards RPGs at the time, likely axed any chance it had of being translated. Later Tales games have had better success in the west - 2003's Tales Of Symphonia was arguably its first breakout hit outside Japan - but the series as a whole has always seemed to exist on the fringes of the JRPG dynasty. While the Tales games certainly have a following outside Japan, western JRPG fans still tend to gravitate toward Square Enix's Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games, or Atlus' Persona series.
But the Tales series' low-key existence is seemingly coming to an end thanks to the recently released Tales Of Arise. With its bright, eye-catching visuals and its uniquely frantic battle system, it turns monster slaying from a chore into an addiction, and has won the hearts of many curious newcomers in the process (including yours truly). With this influx of new blood, Tales might stand a chance of grabbing a throne at the heart of the JRPG genre. I recently talked to Arise producer Yusuke Tomizawa, who worked hard to tailor the adventure for a new Tales audience as much as its established fans. He explains how Arise's development went down a long, risky road, but it paid off in excellent review scores, happy fans, and a refreshing new direction for Tales.