In many ways, the Tales of The series is defined by duality. It’s one of the oldest RPG franchises, but almost no one has heard of it. Its highs are some of the highest in its genre, but it also contains some of the worst games I’ve ever played (seriously, let’s never talk about Tales of Zestiria again). It’s a series that tries to reinvent itself with each new game, but somehow remains more fixed than any long-running RPG franchise I can think of. With Stories of getting upBandai Namco seems to have finally revolutionized the series’ formula in a big way, but it seems more defined than ever by its duality.
So it seems wonderfully fitting that the game has now found a home on Nintendo’s latest hybrid console, the Switch 2. Oh, the duality.
when i checked Stories of getting up Upon its original release in 2021, I described it as a much-needed evolution for Bandai Namco’s long-running JRPG franchise. The series had spent years perfecting a familiar formula, but Emerge It felt like a real step forward rather than another incremental update. Its more cinematic presentation, its stronger visual identity, its attractive real-time combat system and its attractive cast helped it stand out not only among the previous ones. Stories games but also within the broader landscape of role-playing games. While some of the narrative pacing issues and genre clichés kept it from being a perfect experience, it represented one of the strongest modern entries in the series and an easy recommendation for dedicated fans and newcomers alike.
Several years later, that verdict remains largely unchanged. Stories of getting up It’s still a compelling action RPG with a satisfying combat system that builds gradually over dozens of hours. The game’s emphasis on relationships between characters, expressed through the series’ signature skits and group interactions, gives its cast a sense of warmth and personality that many RPGs struggle to achieve. Its world may be divided into relatively small segmented regions rather than a seamless open world, but that design choice allows each location to feel handcrafted and visually distinct. The result is a journey that remains engaging from both a gameplay and presentation standpoint, even as newer RPGs have entered the market.
The Nintendo Switch 2 version successfully retains many of those strengths. From a visual perspective, the game adapts remarkably well to Nintendo’s new hardware. Image quality is solid whether playing docked or handheld, and the game’s distinctive art direction continues to do much of the heavy lifting. Stories of getting up It employs a stylized presentation that combines detailed environments with a pronounced sharpness and contrast effect. This creates a subtle appearance of outline around objects and characters, giving the game an almost illustrated quality. At its best, the visual style can resemble a moving painting, helping the game retain its appeal years after its original release.
One of the biggest advantages of Stories of getting upThe design of is that its environments are relatively compact compared to many contemporary role-playing games. Instead of spreading resources across vast open spaces, developers concentrated details on smaller maps filled with environmental flourishes, distinctive architecture, and atmospheric touches. The Switch 2 version benefits significantly from this approach. Areas remain rich in visual detail and the game’s artistic strengths come through clearly on both large screens and the handheld display. Despite being several years old, it’s still one of the best-looking games in the franchise and still looks impressive on modern hardware.
The performance is somewhat less convincing. While the frame rate generally stays above 30fps, it doesn’t keep a constant lock on. During gameplay, the frame rate can fluctuate noticeably, switching between a stable 30 fps and what appears to be an unlocked frame rate during certain moments. The result is a presentation that can appear uneven even when the game technically runs within an acceptable range. A more aggressive frame rate cap would likely have improved perceived smoothness and created a more consistent experience overall.
Even with those performance quirks, the Nintendo Switch 2 version is still a solid version of an excellent RPG. It retains the visual ambition, engaging combat, and memorable characters that made the original release so successful, while offering the flexibility of portable play. For the players who missed Stories of getting up The first time around, this remains one of the best entry points into the series. And for returning fans, the Switch 2 version offers another compelling way to revisit one of the franchise’s biggest and most successful reinventions.
