Where the show does shine though, is with the smoothness and fluidity of the animation.

The designs are taken from the game, again with some minor alterations, so there's no real creative skill involved there. Like many adaptations though, Tales of Phantasia looks and sounds better than it actually is, however unlike most others, the difference here is marginal.

The show doesn't really try to portray itself as anything that claims to have a degree of substance, and to be perfectly frank, this works far better than a faithful 13 or 26 episode adaptation. In essence, the series is nothing more than an abridged retelling of the game's story, and while there are some minor differences, the essential points remain the same. actually works rather well as the plot doesn't really let up at any point, and because of this, watching Tales of Phantasia is more like watching a good action fantasy movie. A band of heroes must defeat the evil sorcerer Dhaos, with much in the way of fantasy action shenanigans along the way. The story is basically the same as that of the game, barring a few minor differences of course. Tales of Phantasia should be a prime example of this. Like all adaptations though, they can be a bit hit and miss and, in the case of some of them, heavily dependent on first hand knowledge of the game itself.

Game adaptations are rapidly becoming a dime a dozen in anime and, surprisingly, the Tales franchise is leading the charge.

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