Cooking (料理 Ryouri?) is a common feature found in several Tales games. This gameplay mechanic enables characters to create edible foods that can restore HP or temporarily boost the parameters of party members through the use of recipes and ingredients discovered throughout each game.
Function[]
The primary function of the cooking system is to create food to restore the health of all battle party members after the end of a battle. The party usually has knowledge of one recipe at the beginning of each game, but more can be acquired throughout the game. After obtaining the necessary ingredients, usually bought from specific shops or dropped from enemies, the party will be able to cook a dish, which has a chance to restore a certain percentage of all of the characters' HP, while also providing additional effects such as recovery from status aliments or increased parameters, as dictated by the chosen recipe. Cooking does have a chance of failing, in which case the ingredients are still consumed but the result will have reduced or sometimes adverse effects.
In addition to this primary function, cooking is also very often a source for several skits, commentating on a specific character's cooking skill, whether it is good or horrendous. Several games also feature titles that are rewarded based on certain requirements related to cooking. In all games cooking is featured in, it is still possible to rest at inns or use items such as Apple Gels to recover health. Cooking simply provides an extra option that is often much cheaper and more beneficial than these alternatives, especially due to the additional benefits that can be gained from certain recipes.
A pair of recurring concepts are that of good and bad cooks. There is often one character in the party who is considered to be a better cook than the others, while one other is noticeably worse than the others. The trend started with the introduction of the system in Tales of Phantasia, with Mint Adenade as the good cook and Arche Klein as the bad one.
Appearances in Original Titles[]
Tales of Phantasia[]
The cooking concept is first introduced in the PlayStation remake of Tales of Phantasia, continuing on throughout all later releases of the game. It builds from the Food Sack system used in the original Super Famicom release of Tales of Phantasia, as well as its sequel Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon and all versions of Tales of Destiny. Recipes are gained mostly by talking to professional chefs who live in each town during each era. This game sets the basic foundations of the cooking system as a means of providing increasingly larger HP and TP recovery benefits with each new recipe learned by the party. Cooking can only be performed manually between battles, but it can be done only once after each battle encounter. Any attempt to cook more than once between each encounter will provide a message stating that the characters are full and cannot eat again. The basic food ingredients can be eaten as if they are consumable items, also recovering HP and TP for the party, but the amount recovered is minimal and very inefficient compared to using them for cooked dishes.
When a recipe is cooked, the character who performed the cooking will gain some mastery with the dish, reducing the chance of failure and also boosting the quality of benefits gained. The level of mastery is denoted with stars for each recipe, granted on an individual basis, and each character requires varying numbers of successfully cooked dishes to gain a single star for any given recipe. Lesser counts of successful dishes are required for those recipes that a character enjoys most, such as native Japanese dishes for Suzu Fujibayashi, whereas Arche Klein requires the greatest counts to achieve full mastery because of her inability to cook decently. Full mastery is earned at five stars, and the mastery of all dishes for a single character grants a title to that character.
Tales of Eternia[]
Cooking is further expanded in Tales of Eternia with the introduction of the Wonder Chef, a character who can be found in most towns disguised as some mundane but out of place object. Upon interacting with the Wonder Chef in his disguised form, he transforms and grants the party a new recipe before vanishing in a burst of smoke. While most recipes are gained in this manner, others require the full mastery of selected recipes, and the required masteries must be held by at least a single character. Cooking can be toggled within the menu to activate a single recipe automatically, immediately after every battle or an interval of five or ten battles, regardless of if the characters need the healing or effects provided by the dish. Other activation conditions are also available, such as ending a battle with one or more characters poisoned or knocked out. Once the set condition is met at the end of battle, the dish will be cooked as long as ingredients are available to cook it.
Upon the failure of cooking any dish, a random elemental shard is acquired by the party, and it can be used to increase the vitality of the Greater Craymel associated with that element. This will increase the concentration of Craymels of that element during the start of the next battle, making it easier to summon the Greater Craymel. Strategic use of shards can enable the party to summon multiple Greater Craymels in consecutive order immediately at the start of a battle. Since shards are gained through cooking failures, significant benefits are offered through cooking regardless of if it is successful or not.
Tales of Symphonia[]
Tales of Symphonia allows players to cook immediately, starting off with the basic Sandwich recipe. As the player goes through the game, he or she will be able to find the Wonder Chef in many places through the game, often disguised as common household items such as a plant or a table. He does not need to be found in any specific order, but finding him can reward players with useful recipes such as Paella or the incredibly useful Miso Stew. One point in the game also requires the player to learn the Curry recipe from Tabatha in order to satisfy the needs of a gnome in the Temple of Earth.
The game frequently nominates either Genis Sage or Regal Bryant to be the best cook in the party, depending on the dish. Sheena Fujibayashi is also known to be very good at cooking native Japanese dishes such as Curry or Miso Stew. Raine Sage is said to be, without a doubt, the worst cook in the party. This fact is frequently shown in the game, as Raine can usually only get to about two or three star skill in any recipe, when the max tends to be about five on average and seven in total. Raine's recipes also often include strange ingredients that should not even be in the recipe. Notably, each recipe has a different maximum for the character's skill in the recipe, depending on their proficiency at cooking that recipe and also by their personal taste.
Tales of Legendia[]
The cooking system is known as Baking in Tales of Legendia, since unlike other games in the series, the menu only consists of bread-based products. Baking can be accessed in any town in the game when going up to any oven in certain resting areas. Unlike the newer games in the series, baking items are unable to be used to be healed when on the victory screen. Instead, baked items can only be used from the Basket key item. In a change from most other incarnations of the cooking system, the player is able to use more than one baked item between battles. The only known horrible cook in this game is Will Raynard's daughter, Harriet Campbell.
Tales of the Abyss[]
Cooking appears once again in Tales of the Abyss, although it takes a less prominent role than it does in Tales of Symphonia. Tales of the Abyss contains a total of twenty recipes, which are obtained throughout the game by talking to NPCs, looking at books, or going to certain locations. Every character is able to obtain a max of three stars of skill in every recipe. Titles can be obtained by mastering every recipe for each character, although this can take quite a long time. Out of the main six party characters, Luke fon Fabre and Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear are said to be the worst cooks due to their royal upbringing, while Tear Grants is said to be the best cook in the party.
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World[]
Cooking in this game functions different from the other installments in the series. Instead of healing party members, cooking now helps monsters gain higher statuses and evolve into higher classes. Out the entire cast of the game, Marta Lualdi and Raine are the only known horrible cooks.
Tales of Vesperia[]
Cooking also makes an appearance in Tales of Vesperia. The PlayStation 3 version and Definitive Edition of the game confirms Flynn Scifo to be a terrible cook. There is no specific best chef among Yuri and the others, as everyone can master all recipes and earn a title that emphasizes their skill, though the party tends to consult Judith often on things such as seasonings and flavor. In a humorous new twist for the series, Repede can cook dishes despite being a dog, though he always turns any recipe into Dog Food, providing minuscule healing for everyone while he benefits the most from it.
Tales of Graces[]
In Tales of Graces and its PlayStation 3 port, Tales of Graces ƒ, there are two methods of cooking: one is dualizing which allows to combine two products for a small prize and other requires the Eleth Mixer which depending on individual dish to appear during battle under certain circumstances or after the battle.
Tales of Xillia and Tales of Xillia 2[]
The cooking system is simplified down to simply the food itself. Food can be purchased from stores and then used from the menu, requiring a battle to pass before another food item can be consumed.
Tales of Zestiria[]
Snack Preparation is a support talent that all party members can learn. When equipped, a character has a chance to create food items while on the move. Each character has their own technique and specialty and thus yielding different food results.
Tales of Berseria[]
The party can obtain up to 30 recipes, most of which are obtained by sending Aifread's crew on Expeditions to different areas. Each recipe requires two ingredients and can be cooked by anyone in the party. Instead of mastering recipes, each party member has an overall cooking level. Upon gaining levels, each character gains cooking skills that allow them to add additional effects to the dish and increase their chance of not consuming ingredients. Most recipes give more cooking EXP when a specific character makes them. Recipes that use ingredients found at glowing spots or gathered from Expeditions also provide more cooking EXP than recipes that use store-bought ingredients.
Tales of Luminaria[]
In Tales of Luminaria, cooking is done in the Dishes sub-menu. Recipes can be found by talking to NPCs, looking at books, doing meal-oriented missions, obtained in certain events in a character's Episode or obtained via event rewards during the Fave Fest. The recipes can be filtered into five different categories, ranging from Side Dishes, Main Dishes, Meals, Desserts and Drinks. Each character can only use 2 dishes in battle, except during the Secret Missions.
To master a recipe, a chef's hat (in a total of five per recipe) can be gained by cooking the same dish by intervals of 10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 times. By cooking a character's favorite dish or dishes 300 times in their recipe missions, they will yield a character-exclusive recipe that only the said character can use for maximum effects and neutral effects for the rest of the cast. Recipes obtained during the Fave Fest have potent healing effects for a specific character until its expiration date; if past, will have its potency diminished and be unfavorable to everyone. Ana-Maria Marschner is confirmed to be a terrible cook since her recipes inflicts negative effects and damage to anyone trying to eat it except Charles who can have healing, positive, and negative effects upon eating them.
Appearances in Crossover Titles[]
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology[]
Cooking in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology can only happen with the use of the menu. Unlike other games in the series, the player can only cook appropriate dishes if their cooking level is at the demanded level. Cooked foods can only be used through the item menu. Food items such as Rice Balls and Mabo Curry can be used as mission items for the Craft type quest.
Tales of the Rays[]
In Tales of the Rays, cooking is done by sending characters on a cooking order. Many characters possess special skills that improve effectiveness of cooking, prevent or unlock some recipes from being performed, provided that at least two characters sharing the skill are sent on the other.
Tales of Crestoria[]
Cooking in Tales of Crestoria is done by selecting a dish recipe to make and assigning a character to do a dish associated with it. Some characters are more proficient with different types of cooking, indicated by the dialogue and the number of chef's hats (in a maximum of four), allowing to obtain a Fine or Grand version of a dish which increases the efficiency of the said dish. Dish recipes are mainly unlocked by completing the Main Story and Missions. Only one dish can be used before the start of a battle. Unlike in Tales of Vesperia, Repede can't cook and he has no lines indicating his proficiency.
Appearances in Other Media[]
Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space[]
In Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space, cooking was introduced as part of the Symphony, Tails of Time and the Brave Four: Tales of Chronographia. After Aldo encounters the Wonder Chef, the ability to cook meals at designed places is unlocked. Like in the Tales series, the party needs a recipe and proper ingredients to cook a meal with many characters specializing in some dish, like Yuri in sweets, while others are bad at it, like Cress.