Tales of Phantasia
β 3.0%
π 7.3/10
(GameBoy Advance - US, RPG)
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Complete
$72.99
Loose $33.02
Developed by:
Namco
Published by:
Nintendo
Released On:
01 Aug 2003
Also available on:
The story of Tales of Phantasia begins in a quiet village where Cless lives with his parents. One day, while hunting with his friend Chester, he stumbles upon a mysterious talking tree who asks for his help. However, when the conversation ends, they're met with an alarm that signals the start of a horrific event β their village is burnt to ashes and its inhabitants are dead.
Cless' mother dies in his arms, warning him about a pendant he received as a birthday gift from her and his father. Believing this might be connected to the tragedy, Cless sets out on a journey to find answers with his uncle, unaware of the challenges ahead. Tales of Phantasia is a Japanese-style RPG that takes players through an unusual combat system.
The game features action-based battles fought on separate side-scrolling screens. While controlling one character directly, other party members are controlled by AI. Players can pause the game to use magic, items, or choose strategies for their allies at any time.
UPC-A:
045496736910 (United States)
Nintendo Media PN:
AGB-AN8E-USA (United States)
ASIN:
B000CNESHQ (United States)
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Number of Players Supported:
1 Player
Prices as of 09 Oct 2026
Typical $71.00β$72.99 (last 90 days)
New
Complete
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Smoothed
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Market activity: active Β· about 163 sales a year
Activity is a 12-month sales count. Dashed segments rest on two sales a year or fewer.
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Manual
Game Guide
Extracted from the original game manual
In this action-adventure RPG, two young friends must unravel the mystery behind the sudden destruction of their peaceful village by enigmatic forces. As they explore a world blending nature and "magitech," they uncover secrets surrounding the Spirit Tree and their own intertwined fates. Players engage in an epic journey that transcends space and time to reveal the truth behind the attackers and the world's deepest mysteries.
Story
Story
Toltus is a peaceful village, located in the southern half of the continent. One day, two young friends are out hunting in the forest where the "Spirit Tree" grows when they hear the village's warning bell ring out, indicating grave danger.
They rush back to the village, only to find that it has been razed to the ground and is littered with the bodies of fellow villagers.
Who were the village's mysterious attackers? What is the secret of the Spirit Tree? And what of the power of magitech?
The young friends are about to become embroiled in an adventure beyond space and time, tied to a mysterious fate that would be interwoven with the threads of all the world's mysteries...
How to Play
Starting the Game
Select the mode by pressing Up and Down on the +Control Pad, and confirm your selection with the A Button.
β’
New Game: Select this to begin a new game. Use the +Control Pad to select Confirm, and then press the A Button.
β’
Continue: Select this to load saved game data and continue an adventure. Save can be selected on the Field Map or on a Memory Glyph. See page 31 for a detailed explanation of the saving method.
β’
Customize: Select this to adjust various game settings. See page 30 for details.
It is a good idea to learn the game's basic controls before playing. Note that some battle controls can be changed in the Customize menu.
Game Controls
This section describes the controls for each screen.
Menu Screen
β’
+Control Pad: Select
β’
A Button: Confirm
β’
B Button: Cancel, exit screen
β’
L Button: Delete item, remove equipment, prohibit/allow and remove battle skills
β’
R Button: (with the +Control Pad) display next page when viewing Skills, Equip, Items, and Cooking
β’
START: Display help, display Party Window
β’
SELECT: Switch between Help items
Field Map Screen
β’
+Control Pad: Move; (β β) rotate (when using the Techbird); (β β) up/down angle (when using the Techbird)
β’
A Button: Take off/accelerate (when using the Techbird)
β’
B Button: Land (when using the Techbird)
β’
R Button: (With +Control Pad) fine movement control (when using the Techbird)
β’
START: Switch the Navigation Map display
β’
SELECT: Open the Menu Screen
Normal Map Screen
β’
+Control Pad: Move
β’
A Button: Talk, investigate, (with the +Control Pad) move items
β’
B Button: (With the +Control Pad) move rapidly
β’
R Button: Use Sorcerer's Ring (when equipped)
β’
SELECT: Open Menu Screen
Battle Screen (Basic Controls)
β’
+Control Pad: Move, select item; (β β) hold down at the edge of the screen to flee; (with the A Button/B Button) skill shortcut
β’
L Button: Use selected skill shortcut (with A or B Button)
β’
R Button: (With β) hold position, (with β) reverse formation, (with β) change target
β’
START: Switch control mode
β’
SELECT: Display Battle Menu
Normal Attack
β’
A Button: Slash Attack
β’
β + A Button: Thrust Attack
β’
β + A Button: Flying Attack
Jump Attack
Only activates when the player is far from the enemy.
β’
Jumping Slash: A Button, A Button (enter in rapid sequence)
β’
Jumping Thrust: D + A Button, A Button (enter in rapid sequence)
β’
Jumping Flying Attack: D + A Button
Consecutive Attacks
β’
Slash + Thrust: A Button, A Button
β’
Thrust + Upward Slash: D + A Button, A Button
β’
Upward Slash + Jumping Slash: D + A Button, A Button
Deadly Skill/Secret Skill
(When set in the Skills menu)
β’
Command Type: B Button
β’
Selected Skill Deadly Skill: B Button (Short Range)
β’
D + B Button: D + B Button (Short Range)
β’
D + B Button: B Button (Long Range)
β’
D + B Button: D + B Button (Long Range)
Playing the Game
This section describes three important screens used to play the game. Make sure you understand the role of each screen.
Map Screen
The screen displayed in towns, villages, and dungeons is called the Normal Map Screen. Leaving this screen will take you to the Field Map Screen.
Menu Screen
Use this screen to check the state of your characters, as well as various settings. Press SELECT in the Map Screen to switch to this screen.
Battle Screen
This screen will appear whenever you encounter enemies. Battles utilize the Linear Motion Battle System. Your characters will grow stronger with every battle you win.
Equip
Equippable Items
This area shows a list of equippable items and quantities of said items. Simply carrying weapons and armor will not have any effect. Once you obtain a weapon or armor, you must equip it on this screen. You can also quick-equip items easily from the Items Screen. Use this command to equip an item. Select the slot you wish to equip to or change, such as Weapon, Body, or Shield, by using β and β on the +Control Pad, and then select one of the equippable items for that slot from the list that appears on the left side of the screen.
Current Equipment
Press β or β on the +Control Pad to select the slot to equip to, and press β or β to select the character.
When an Item is Selected
This displays how the parameters would change if the currently selected item is equipped. Statistics are displayed in green if the item would increase them, or in red if the item would decrease them.
Remove
Removes the equipped item. It is also possible to remove an item by selecting an equipped
Controls
SELECT
display the Menu Screen
FORM
switch party members around
D-Pad left or right
switch between characters
D-Pad up or down
switch between parameters for that character
A Button
talk to that person or examine that object or take an item from a treasure chest
A Button (held while moving)
move objects (pull or push)
R Button
shoot fire (when Sorcerer's Ring is equipped)
L Button and R Button
shift the Battle Screen to the left and right
START
switch between Auto and Semi-Auto control modes
+Control Pad + or -
walk in that direction
R Button + +Control Pad +
defend against direct enemy attacks
+Control Pad towards outside of screen
flee from the enemy
R Button + +Control Pad -
hold position for a character other than the hero
R Button + +Control Pad repeat
release the Hold command
R Button + +Control Pad up
reverse the formation
R Button (held) + +Control Pad + or -
change the attack target
Tips & Maps
Skills
Set or use character skills. Skills are learned when characters level up and also during specific events. The setting method and operation of skills differ between the hero (Cress) and other characters.
Cress's Skills
Set Cress's skills, which are known as 'Deadly Skills.' There are two methods for using a skill during battle, namely Command Type and Position Type. This section describes the Command Type.
Character Window
Switch between characters with and on the +Control Pad.
+ Control Pad
Set Deadly Skills in the four slots None, Up, Down, and . Use the L Button to clear settings.
Auto/SemiAuto
Selects the battle control mode (see p. 42).
Deadly Skills
Displays a list of Deadly Skills.
*TP Consumption
The TP required to use a Deadly Skill.
*Mastery Percentage
Increases as you use the Deadly Skill. When you have completely mastered the skill, this will show 100%.
For Characters Other Than Cress
Set the skills to be used by characters other than Cress during battle (this includes Cress when Auto is selected). Note that you can also select skills that are usable outside of battle (such as hit point recovery) in this screen.
Character
Switch between characters with and on the +Control Pad.
Use During Battle
Switch to dark text with the L Button to prohibit the use of this skill during battle.
Skill Shortcuts
Press SELECT in the Skills Screen to display a Shortcut Setting Screen, which can be used to set one skill each for L Button + A Button and L Button + B Button combinations (regardless of the character). You can use these skills during a battle by simply holding down the L Button and pressing either the A Button or the B Button.
Auto Mode Commands
This menu is used to give commands for the hero (Cress) to follow when fighting in Auto mode, and for other characters to follow during battle.
Consecutive Attacks
Press the A Button quickly and repeatedly during a normal attack to perform a consecutive attack. Slash + Thrust: A Button, A Button. Thrust + Upward Slash: β + A Button, A Button. Upward Slash + Jumping Slash: β + A Button, A Button.
Skill Types
You can select from two different Button entry methods for using the hero's (Cress's) Deadly Skills with the B Button.
Command Types
These are the types of skill command combinations using the B Button and the +Control Pad (see p. 12). Secret Skill 1: B Button. Secret Skill 2: β + B Button. Secret Skill 3: β + B Button. Secret Skill 4: β + B Button.
Position Types
Position types differentiate between the skills to be used based on enemy distance and slash/thrust types. Different Deadly Skills have different ranges, and each skill name is preceded by either S (short range) or L (long range). Slash: B Button. Thrust: β + B Button.
Items & Weapons
Item Screen Overview
Use this menu to use or equip items, or discard unneeded ones with the L Button.
Sort
Select an icon to sort the items and bring a specific type of items to the top.
Item Name/Quantity
This shows the name and quantity of the item, with up to 15 of each type held at once.
Key Items
Select this to check items crucial to progressing through the game.
Description of Symbols
O indicates the item can currently be used, X means it cannot be used, E means it can be equipped, and B means it can only be used during battle.
Quick-Equip Screen Overview
Select an equipable item and press A to enter selection, showing the character's motion and capability changes from the equipment.
Item Sorting
Various sorting options allow items to be ordered by acquisition, type, usability in battle, equipment slot, name, or category such as armor, food, weapons, medicine, tools, and body equipment.
Shops in Town
Various shops and facilities are found in towns and villages, so be sure to stop by and check them out.
Inns
Use an inn to recover HP and TP to the maximum and recover from status abnormalities, though beds in some houses can also be used.
Weapon Shops, Tool Shops, Grocery Stores, and Others
Visit these shops to buy weapons, armor, tools, food, and other items, or to sell items you don't need.
Memory Glyph
Save your play data by standing on a Memory Glyph and opening the Menu Screen.
Item Types
Weapons and Armor protect or attack in battle with character-specific restrictions, Accessories add special effects, Food recovers HP/TP or enables cooking, Tools assist in specific situations, and Key Items are crucial for adventure progress.
How to Buy
Use the Control Pad to select items and quantities, confirm with A, or press L on equipment to preview stat changes.
Enemies & Characters
Cress Albane
A swordsman from Toltus and son of the local sword-fighting school's master, known for his kind nature and fearless combat.
Mint Adnade
A healer kidnapped by the Order of Black Armor who supports her friends with divine healing powers and prayers.
Claus F. Lester
A summoner from Euclid who struggles with an inferiority complex regarding his magic abilities compared to elves.
Arche Klein
A cheerful half-elf magic user who flies on a broom and possesses a kind heart despite her harsh words.
Chester Burklight
Cress's best friend and a master archer who was orphaned young and works tirelessly while living with his sister.
Suzu Fujibayashi
A ninja girl raised under strict discipline by her grandfather, the village leader, which conflicts with her innocent nature.
Arsia
A striking woman with two different-colored eyes who is both a powerful magic user and an ingenious sculptor living in solitude.
Brambert
The young leader of the elves in Ymir who balances a serious personality with a softer side focused on his people's future.
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