vast overworld to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, but was thankful for the various modes of transportation that were continuously introduced. The dungeon puzzles were described as simple and easy to decipher. Irwin, comparing the puzzles to The Legend of Zelda, welcomed them as breaks from the frequent exploration and battles, as well as an expansion of the game's appeal to a broader audience. However, she regarded some of the later puzzles as fetch quests intended solely to lengthen the campaign. While Smith agreed that the quality of the puzzles was not exceptional, he considered them a decent challenge and an improvement over those in Tales of Destiny. Metts dismissed the puzzles as "more annoying than challenging and often feel out of place". Jennifer Tsao of Electronic Gaming Monthly opined that the "stingy" save system made the game "a tad too hardcore". The visuals were admired for their cel-shading effects and anime-influenced art direction, with Jastrzab saying that the stylish characters, animations and special effects enhanced the game's battle sequences. However, Smith disliked the lack of detail and facial expression in the character models, remarking that "the rare occasions where they do show emotion come across as disturbingly jarring". He negatively compared the character designs to Fujishima's earlier work in Tales of Phantasia, saying that Symphonias characters lacked the personality of those in the preceding title, and claimed that "any number of cheaper artists could have delivered equally inspired designs". Smith also criticized the cel-shading style as uneven and shaky compared to that of Jet Set Radio. The settings were admired for their detail and variety, with some commenting that the background art transitioned well into a 3D format from the classic Tales titles. Jastrzab was stunned by the lack of slowdown during the game's chaotic action segments, Turner was also amazed by the consistently high framerate, which he regarded as "a great bonus in a time when most RPGs are content to chug at 30 [fps]". Fahey and Jastrzab were disappointed by the game's lack of cutscenes in the vein of the traditionally-animated opening cinematic. The in-game cutscenes were described by the EGM reviewers and Jastrzab as "dull" and "a little underdone". Fahey and GameSpots Bethany Massimilla remarked that the game's attempt at depth of field effects in some scenes resulted in the characters appearing smeared rather than out-of-focus. The overworld's presentation was criticized as underwhelming; some