Tales of Eternia Remastered centers on six primary party members—Reid Hershel, Farah Oersted, Keele Zeibel, Meredy, Chat, and Max—alongside key story allies like Rassius Luine (Ras). Set across the mirrored worlds of Inferia and Celestia, the narrative unites this distinct cast to prevent a catastrophic collision known as the Grand Fall.
Developed by TOSE and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for modern consoles and PC, this version restores classic 2D Linear Motion Battle System mechanics while introducing fully re-dubbed English voice acting, optional Japanese audio, and voiced skits originally absent in older Western releases.
The Core Four: Inferia and the Celestian Visitor
The story begins in the Inferian village of Rasheans before expanding into an inter-realm journey. The early narrative and core emotional conflicts revolve around four foundational characters.
Reid Hershel
Reid Hershel is the red-haired protagonist of the adventure. Working as a simple hunter on the outskirts of Inferia, Reid has no grand ambitions of heroism. When confronted with world-ending events, his initial instinct is to live a quiet life and leave high-stakes crises to political leaders and kings.
In combat, Reid serves as the primary frontline physical attacker. He wields an assortment of melee armaments, including swords, axes, and halberds. Reid utilizes classic sword techniques such as Demon Fang (Majinken), Lightning Blade (Raijinken), and Tiger Blade (Kogahazan). Over time, his latent Fibrill energy awakens, allowing him to wield powerful Divine Aurora Artes in critical encounters.
Farah Oersted
Farah Oersted is Reid’s energetic childhood friend from Rasheans. Outgoing, hardheaded, and driven by her signature catchphrase, "We can do it!", Farah stands in stark contrast to Reid's passive disposition. Her outward enthusiasm masks childhood trauma stemming from a destructive incident in her home village, fueling an intense need to help anyone in distress.
Farah fights as an agile martial artist, relying on fist and kick combos rather than handheld weapons. Her close-quarters brawling allows for rapid hit strings, and she supplements the team's survivability by learning physical support skills such as Antidote and field healing techniques.
Meredy
Meredy is an eccentric Celestian girl who crash-lands in Inferia alongside her small animal companion, Quickie. She arrives on a desperate solo mission to stop the Grand Fall orchestrated by Celestia's Chancellor, Balir. Initially, Meredy speaks only Melnics—an ancient and foreign tongue to Inferians—requiring Reid and Farah to acquire translation earrings before they can communicate directly.
In battle, Meredy acts as a primary offensive spellcaster and Craymel summoner. Together with Quickie, she channels elemental spirits through her Celestian Craymel Cage, unleashing elemental spells and summoning Greater Craymels once their gauges reach maximum vitality.
Keele Zeibel
Keele Zeibel is a childhood friend of Reid and Farah who left Rasheans to pursue academic scholarship at Mintz University. Logical, intellectual, and physically frail, Keele harbors a mild complex regarding his lack of athletic stamina. He initially approaches Meredy purely as a fascinating research subject before developing a deeper bond with her over the course of their journey.
Keele functions as the party's scholarly mage. Wielding rods and maces, Keele can equip Craymel Cages to execute high-tier elemental spells and healing arts. Balancing spirit assignments between Keele and Meredy dictates which magical abilities each caster can access during battle.
Celestian Allies and Recruits
As the party travels through the barrier into Celestia, additional allies join the mission to halt Balir’s plot and liberate the sky realm.
Chat
Chat is the youthful descendant of the legendary Celestian pirate Aifread. Despite putting on airs of an experienced, commanding sea captain and insisting the party address her as "Captain" with an "Aye, aye, sir," she frequently displays childish tendencies and possesses an intense fear of animals, including Quickie.
Chat grants the party access to the versatile ship Van Eltia, enabling aquatic and inter-realm navigation. In combat, Chat utilizes unconventional weaponry, including bags and throwing tools, to disrupt enemies from mid-range.
Max (Fog)
Max—known as Fog in the Japanese release—serves as the boisterous commander of the Shileska Freedom Army, a resistance faction rebelling against Chancellor Balir. At 38 years old, Max is significantly older than the rest of the party and possesses tremendous physical power, reportedly boasting the strength of a hundred men. He is defined by a casual demeanor and a severely limited vocabulary, routinely replacing complex concepts in conversation with phrases like "that thing" or "that stuff."
On the battlefield, Max equips heavy guns to unleash long-range heavy artillery attacks, giving the party substantial ranged firepower during tough mob encounters.
Rassius Luine (Ras)
Rassius Luine, introduced under the alias "Reis," appears early on as an easygoing traveling merchant who assists Reid and Farah in navigating legal disputes and treacherous mountain paths. In reality, Ras is a senior knight loyal to the Kingdom of Inferia who harbors his own Fibrill power and an aptitude for Aurora Artes.
Though initially tasked with obeying royal directives that place him in conflict with the party, Ras feels genuine sympathy for the group, ultimately providing crucial aid before Reid takes on the trials of Seyfert.
Party Roles and Combat Characteristics
Tales of Eternia Remastered utilizes the Aggressive Linear Motion Battle System (A-LMBS). Battles run in real-time along a 2D plane where characters chain standard strikes into special artes, while mid-tier spells execute continuously without freezing combat action.
| Character | Home World | Primary Weapon Type | Combat Archetype | Distinctive Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reid Hershel | Inferia | Swords, Axes, Halberds | Frontline Physical Melee | Chains multi-hit sword skills and unlocks Divine Aurora Artes. |
| Farah Oersted | Inferia | Knuckles / Barehanded | Fast Striker & Martial Artist | Rapid physical combos paired with martial healing artes. |
| Keele Zeibel | Inferia | Rods, Maces | Elemental Mage & Scholar | Long-range Craymel spells; low physical stamina. |
| Meredy | Celestia | Whistles (with Quickie) | Craymel Summoner & Caster | Melnics speaker; commands Greater Craymels via her Craymel Cage. |
| Chat | Celestia | Bags, Projectiles | Mid-Range Disrupter | Captain of the Van Eltia; relies on unique tool-based gadgetry. |
| Max | Celestia | Heavy Guns | Heavy Ranged Artillerist | Leader of Shileska; provides high-damage explosive covering fire. |
| Ras | Inferia | Swords | Guest Hybrid Swordsman | Knight of Inferia; wields swift sword techniques and Aurora abilities. |
Magic Progression: Craymel Cages and Fringing
Unlike characters who learn abilities strictly via leveling up, Keele and Meredy depend on the Craymel Cage system. As the party defeats Greater Craymels across both realms—such as Undine, Sylph, Efreet, Gnome, Volt, Celsius, and Rem—these elemental spirits are housed inside the mages' Cages.
By using the in-game Fringe system, players mix the experience and affinities of housed spirits to unlock new advanced spells. Because a single spirit cannot be in two Cages at once, assigning Undine to Keele and Efreet to Meredy (or vice versa) determines which character gains access to specific attack elements, healing spells, or tactical buffs.
Character Updates in the Remastered Release
The remastered release of Tales of Eternia introduces several targeted adjustments that modernize character management and voice presentation:
- Full Cast Re-Dub & Japanese Audio: The English script has been re-localized and recorded with an entirely new voice cast, replacing the original 2001 PlayStation English audio. Players can toggle between new English voiceovers and the original Japanese performances at any time.
- Voiced Skits Restored: The original Japanese release featured extensive character skits that provided insight into party banter and relationship dynamics. While largely removed in the original English release, all skits are restored and voiced in the remaster.
- Victory Quote & Mystic Arte Subtitles: Real-time battle chatter, post-battle victory conversations, and Mystic Arte callouts now display clear character portraits and subtitle text on the HUD.
- Title Inheritance in New Game Plus: The day-one update adds character Titles to New Game Plus data carryover. Players can casually enjoy the main campaign on their first playthrough and preserve acquired titles during subsequent runs for full completion.
- Progression Boost Multipliers: Players looking to build character skills without excessive grinding can toggle optional boosters, including a 4x multiplier for cooking proficiency and custom EXP or Gald rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tales of Eternia Remastered support local co-op multiplayer?
No. The remaster is based on the 2005 PlayStation Portable release, which was configured as a single-player experience. The official game listings on modern platforms confirm single-player functionality only.
Can you carry over character titles to New Game Plus?
Yes. Bandai Namco confirmed that character titles can be toggled to carry over directly into New Game Plus, making missable or time-limited title achievements easier to manage across multiple playthroughs.
Are all character skits voiced in English?
Yes. The skits originally left unvoiced or omitted during the original Western localization have been fully translated and voiced as part of the updated localization package.
