how is the plat. for this?

[RJP_X]

is it terribly hard and stressful? or a lot of fun to be had? this was one of my favorite games a long with abyss back in the GCN and PS2 era. i started it sometime last year but stopped cause it seemed hectic. but i have platted the xillia games, graces, and hearts. idk if i'll plat zestiria, even though i finished the story, i didn't enjoy it much. maybe the grind of the game will be decent fun someday since story is done. >.<

 

i just don't think i understood the affection stuff and it seemed like so much could be missed easily.  but as many times as i've played symphonia back on the GCN i never fully explored, i wasn't a completionist till trophies. although full exploration of Tales games has been a joy from my time getting platinum for those ones.

 

how would you recommend a first, and future playthroughs?

[TheFinalEmblem]

This game is probably the hardest of the Tales games to plat; at the minimum, you're looking at least 4 playthroughs, and that's given you manage not to screw up even a small thing. This game basically requires you to 100% it since you'll need to get all the titles, which in itself requires a ton of work, encounter all the enemies, obtain every item, beat the secret/optional bosses, get 1 million chips at the casino... You're gonna need to be following a lot of guides for this. I was able to do it in 4 playthroughs, and it took about 150 hours, and because the cutscenes are unskippable... prepare to watch them a lot. GL if you're going for this, you're gonna need it.

[acasser]

It's a somewhat time-consuming Platinum:  You'll need three full playthroughs and most of a fourth at a bare minimum, and even that requires you to know what you're doing and when.

 

It can be a rather "unfun" Platinum as well, because there's a fair amount of regimentation and the like required.  You'll need to keep lists for all sorts of things, such as the missables, and you'll also have to govern yourself very thoroughly for particular things -- e.g., the "Gung Ho" title.

 

As far as how to go about things?  I'd find a good guide and follow it to the letter.

[SkyMason]

Just absolutely time consuming. I literally had to keep a text file to keep track of what to do and when, it's just so easy to mess up and condemn yourself to another playthrough, especially with the affection mechanics. Needless to say, I haven't actually got the plat yet (though I'm not too far away all things considered). This is one of my favourite games (srs) but it was still draining for me to need to meticulously plan how I play the game over multiple playthroughs. I love the game, but my honest advice is to not bother.

[RJP_X]

thanks guys although i'm definitely discouraged now lol. graces was definitely my longest plat. took 224 hours for me, but when i got it a little after release i was trying to do mostly everything in a single play, that ended around 200 hours. then i ran a 2nd playthrough getting the beating bosses under 60 second trophies that i was unable to do my first run. could've probably been shortened lol.

 

so 150 seems sort of a blessing, but maybe it would take me over 200 hours lol.

 

i was thinking the remainder of the year work on this, SAO HF, and Persona 5.(still need to get it.) but maybe i should forget about this then. :c i wonder even though SAO HF is a rarer plat. if its a lot more tame in comparison. i just would have liked to get a few nice ultra rares from ps3 and vita before hopefully getting a ps4 by the end of the year. lol. attack on titan was my rarest plat. which is rarer than symphonia, but of course owner account takes into effect. far less owners than symphonia. was definitely a pure grind though, 100 hours though.

[killerJAZZ420]

Took me 258 hours. 

8 playthroughs with 3 being just runs based on what i remembered from when i was younger. Messed up trying to get Regal and Zelos titles if i remember right. 
Great game though and a solid plat to have. 1 of my favorite games and getting it done on PS3 was a highlight of my trophy hunting lifetime.

[RJP_X]

12 minutes ago, SkyMason said:

Just absolutely time consuming. I literally had to keep a text file to keep track of what to do and when, it's just so easy to mess up and condemn yourself to another playthrough, especially with the affection mechanics. Needless to say, I haven't actually got the plat yet (though I'm not too far away all things considered). This is one of my favourite games (srs) but it was still draining for me to need to meticulously plan how I play the game over multiple playthroughs. I love the game, but my honest advice is to not bother.

i find i need notepad for about every RPG i've played this year. but yeah symphonia does sound very worrying with it though. at least with the other tales, i mean you got to or i did follow a guide through them. but they weren't so bad with constant strings of misables. a lot of fun grinding without extreme worries i guess. to bad they didn't make symphonia's trophy list more like them.

[Beyondthegrave07]

I heard this one can be a pain with a lot of missables like others have said, though I've also heard it's one of the best titles in the series.

[ExHaseo]

I'm a little biased, but I thought it was fun. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. Seeing everything the game had to offer was great, and with each playthrough, I got to see more of the characters through the different events, which was cool.

[RJP_X]

3 minutes ago, ExHaseo said:

I'm a little biased, but I thought it was fun. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. Seeing everything the game had to offer was great, and with each playthrough, I got to see more of the characters through the different events, which was cool.

that's how i felt with P4G. it was a lot of work, keeping to a strict schedule for books/social links, having many guides open, keeping a notepad for every hardcore rise line and being absolutely strict with it that i even got it before getting naoto in my party. overall i was over prepared for the game and honestly i could have relaxed a ton as it wasn't as much work as i made it. lol. but damn it was certainly a wonderful feel, fully exploring the game.

[grimydawg___]

7 minutes ago, RJP_X said:

that's how i felt with P4G. it was a lot of work, keeping to a strict schedule for books/social links, having many guides open, keeping a notepad for every hardcore rise line and being absolutely strict with it that i even got it before getting naoto in my party. overall i was over prepared for the game and honestly i could have relaxed a ton as it wasn't as much work as i made it. lol. but damn it was certainly a wonderful feel, fully exploring the game.

It's the journey that's enjoyable, not necessarily how much time you spend with the platinum/100%.  As you can see, folks who've done it enjoyed the game enough to where they spend 200+ hours on it.

[Appappachai]

The only particularly annoying thing I can remember is the red light green light game with Genis for his weapon/title. I swear those kids cheated sometimes. Other than that if you plan your playthroughs (like which titles will you get at which time such as no gels and gung ho and eternal apprentice) I don't think I put more than 140 hours into it. Also, look at the Flanoir guides. The guide by Kratos15354 works pretty good but you will want a separate affection guide

[evilartifact]

Definitely one of the hardest Tales games. Took me about a month to platinum, and that was after I went back to it later after completing the story. The mini-games, especially Red Light, Green Light, are quite difficult, and the title for finding all treasure is highly missable, since you can't go back to some areas. Good luck if you attempt it!

[RJP_X]

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Edited September 30, 2017 by RJP_X