Namco Bandai Announces Release Date for Tales of Hearts R

IGN is reporting that Namco Bandai has announced a release date for Tales of Hearts R, the PS Vita remake of the Japan-exclusive DS title, Tales of Hearts.

Tales of Hearts R will appear exclusively on the Vita in North America starting November 14. A remake of 2008’s Tales of Hearts, the Vita version will feature full voice acting, new events in the main campaign, an overhauled combat system that focuses on aerial fighting and two new playable characters, Calcedony Arkham and Galad Grinus.

Strangely, this is the third version of Tales of Hearts. Japan received two, simultaneously released games, one with anime-style cut-scenes, and the other presenting cinematic scenes in a Pixar-inspired style.

The Tales franchise is well-known and beloved for its unique combat systems and intriguing characters, and Tales of Hearts is one of the best in the series. It’s nice to see that Tales of Hearts R will use fully-voiced characters for the American release, since many Tales games have had only text localizations in the West. Another Tales game, the PS3-exclusive Tales of Xillia 2, will make its way to US shores on August 19.