Final Fantasy's Biggest Competition Officially Returns In 2026
Overview & Key Takeaways
Bandai Namco's Tales series comes back to consoles and PC in October, and this remaster's got PS1-era style to spare
Bandai Namco's Tales RPG series marked its 30th anniversary last year, and a major cornerstone of that celebration was the announcement of the "Tales Remaster Project," which is... exactly what it sounds like. Since the reveal, we've gotten remasters of Tales of Graces f, Tales of Xillia, and Tales of Berseria. The fourth installment of that project is Tales of Eternia Remastered, a revival of a 2000 PlayStation game, which comes to consoles and Steam on Oct. 16.
If that title doesn't ring a bell right away, there's a good reason. Tales of Eternia was released outside Japan in 2001 as Tales of Destiny 2, even though it wasn't a direct sequel. At that point, it was only the second Tales game released overseas, so Bandai decided to do a little sleight of hand with the title, in order to remind players it was part of an ongoing series. It's a little bit like how Squaresoft released Final Fantasy 6 as Final Fantasy 3 in North America, and the English dub of the Pokémon animated series tried to tell us all that onigiri were jelly donuts. The early 2000s were a simpler time, when Japanese pop culture was still extremely niche and whale tails were considered fashion-forward attire.
Anyway, if you missed out on Tales of Eternia the first time around — perhaps because you incorrectly assumed it was a direct sequel to a game you hadn't played — in a few months you'll get to take this underappreciated RPG for a spin on modern consoles. Tales of Eternia follows the story of a young hunter named Reid. He encounters a mysterious girl, Meredy, who speaks an unknown language. Turns out, she's from another dimension. Along with their companions, Reid and Meredy venture into the realm of Celestia and find themselves swept up in a centuries-long conflict between two parallel worlds.
Image: Bandai Namco / Tose Co. Ltd.
Image: Bandai Namco / Tose Co. Ltd.
Image: Bandai Namco / Tose Co. Ltd.
Image: Bandai Namco / Tose Co. Ltd.
Image: Bandai Namco / Tose Co. Ltd.
Close
Image: Bandai Namco / Tose Co. Ltd.
Image: Bandai Namco / Tose Co. Ltd.
Image: Bandai Namco / Tose Co. Ltd.
Image: Bandai Namco / Tose Co. Ltd.
Image: Bandai Namco / Tose Co. Ltd.
Combining spiffy anime cutscenes with refreshed pixel art, this version of the game appears to hew more closely to the "how you'd like to remember it" school of remasters. Players will be able to switch between the remastered and original visuals and sound effects at any time. Bandai Namco has also included a suite of quality-of-life options, like increased experience gain and battle speed, customizable encounter rates, and toggleable destination icons to make exploring easier.
If you're looking for an old-school experience to tide you over in the months between tentpole RPGs like Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave (this September) and Final Fantasy 7 Revelation (next spring), Tales of Eternia Remastered is one to have on your radar. It launches on Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X on Oct. 16.
