This guide is intended to present the skits in Tales of Symphonia in chronological order and to show not only precisely where they trigger but how they trigger as well. Skits are short conversations between characters that have hardly any bearing on the game itself but provide some extra character development and lore for those interested. The skit title will appear in the bottom-left portion of the screen: press the relevant button, and the skit will start playing. In the Japanese version of the game, all skits were voiced, but sadly they are unvoiced in the English translation.
All skits can be accessed by talking to the Elder in Katz Village in a New Game Plus playthrough. The skit library in Katz Village assigns each skit a number, but this does not strictly reflect their chronological appearance in-game. Additionally, certain skits are missing from the Katz Village list. My guide will give you the earliest possible instance I’ve found of a skit occurring, but many will be available for a while longer, only disappearing once you pass certain points in the story. Some skits on the other hand have very narrow windows of opportunity in which they occur, and some I have never succeeded in triggering despite multiple playthroughs (these latter skits will be listed at the end of the guide).
Not included in this guide are the skits triggered by walking over the glowing spots in the overworld, as these are multiple-choice conversations that change Lloyd’s standing with his companions, rather than being “true” skits. I recommend Phaelin’s Affection Guide for more information on these. This guide does include spoilers, so I recommend it only for those who have beaten the game once and want to see every skit possible in their next playthrough. If you just want information on the skits that grant titles (and therefore Steam Achievements), I’ve put these at the top of this guide in their own section.
Disclaimer:
Although this guide is my own work and based on my own research, I’m indebted to a Japanese fansite, Magic Phantasian, which illuminated for me a skit trigger I had understood only partially: certain skits require party members to have been in a certain number of battles before they will trigger. I will mention those skits where this information was relevant and give credit where due.
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