[Game Diary] ‘Tales of Graces F Remastered’ shows bonds nurtured aren’t easily broken

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'Tales of Graces F Remastered' made me realize that the bonds we make — when nurtured — are not so easily broken

In the era of the PS3, I bought a copy of Tales of Graces F, intending to play it to enjoy the story and battling.

I bounced off that version of the game before the end of the prologue. The childhood arc comprising the game’s prologue never quite resonated with me, someone who enjoyed games and wasn’t good at talking to people and making connections with them.

Asbel Lhant, the protagonist of the story, also came off as irresponsible and arrogant, and I didn’t want to step into the shoes of someone like that for an entire playthrough.

Nearly 13 years since the March 2012 release of Tales of Graces F, I had the chance to revisit the game in the form of Tales of Graces F Remastered for Steam thanks to a code from the developers. With the passage of time, I see myself finding more hope in it than I used to. As a 41-year-old man who found love and is soon-to-be married, I’m more aware now of how the bonds we make — when nurtured — are not so easily broken.

Editor’s note: Mild spoilers follow for the prologue of the game

Childhood’s end

In Tales of Graces F Remastered, you play as Asbel Lhant, the son of a town’s lord. Alongside your brother Hubert and Cherie, a childhood friend, you eventually make friends with an amnesiac girl — whom the group names Sophie — and Richard, the son of the King of the land,

In the few hours of the prologue, you survive an assassination attempt against your princely friend, forge a friendship pact, and go through a series of events which, if you were a child or teen, would seem like a constant stream of trauma. From the death of a friend, to political machinations leading to what might feel like your family betraying Asbel, there’s a lot to unpack in the opening hours.

By the time this prologue finishes, you may feel resigned to think that a silly friendship pact made at the start of the game will have little importance.

Our experiences help shape our growth

Following a time skip, during which Asbel becomes a knight in the service of the kingdom, makes it clear now that the prologue was meant to spur Asbel to grow as a person.

While his irresponsibility and arrogance were more related to his wanting to shirk his duties as the son of the lord of a town, his childhood friendships and the subsequent traumatic experiences spur him on to become an adept swordsman and knight.

Eventually, he reunites with the friends and family he seemingly lost at the start of the game, leading to the worlds-spanning adventure of Tales of Graces F Remastered.

Asbel couldn’t have gotten there without the formative experiences of his early youth. It’s true he still has rough edges in his early adulthood as a knight, but they’re softened somewhat by his loyalty to the friends and found family he’s made along the way.

For those who haven’t played the game to completion, like I used to back in 2012, there will likely be spoilers abounding online, but I won’t go any further with the story beats here. One thing I will add is that the game now has some embellishments — namely a feature which can give your gameplay some boosts, including turning off non-essential enemy encounters — so you can barrel through and experience the story faster.

That said, what I’ve learned from restarting this game and opening myself up to playing further is that, by connecting with people earnestly, forging bonds with them and nurturing said bonds, that I found hope.

These bonds affect us — and the game — so deeply that, even through loss, a person can find a way to keep going. Even with the passage of time, there’s hope that we can revisit old bonds made and keep strengthening them with others. That’s certainly something worth seeing through to the end. – Rappler.com