The game features many of the same development staff as its predecessor, Tales of Phantasia, including composers Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura, with character designs by series newcomer Mutsumi Inomata.

A remake for the PlayStation 2 was released in November 2006, which was followed by an updated version called Tales of Destiny Director's Cut (テイルズ オブ デスティニー ディレクターズカット, Teiruzu Obu Desutinī Direkutāzukatto) in January 2008, both exclusive to Japan.

Taking place in a fantasy world, the game follows the story of Stahn, a young man who comes across a sentient sword named Dymlos and his subsequent encounters with other similar sword-wielders.

At any one time, the AI is controlling the other characters in the party that the player is not directly commanding, taking general strategic orders into consideration when acting.

The menu system also allows the use of general commands given to the entire party during battle, along with instant adjustment of previous strategy or formation orders.

The story of the game begins when country-boy-turned-adventurer Stahn Aileron, who seeks fame and adventure, sneaks aboard the flying ship Draconis as a stowaway.

Dymlos becomes the key to the fame, fortune, and adventure Stahn seeks as the young man meets other Swordians, quickly becoming embroiled in a battle for a relic of the Aeth'er Wars: a huge, extremely powerful Lens called the Eye of Atamoni.

[16] An English version was announced for North America originally for the third or fourth quarter of 1998,[17] and would later appear at the 1998 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Atlanta.

[18] Its North American producer commented that since the game's two-dimensional graphics were so "ordinary", the translation team focused on creating "an outstanding localization" to compensate.

[19] In a June 2006 press conference, Namco Bandai Games announced that a remake of Tales of Destiny for the PlayStation 2 was in development and due for release some time the following winter in Japan.

[20] The remake contains several new features, including three-dimensional environments, re-drawn character sprites, and an expanded version of the original PlayStation releases' Linear Motion Battle System known as the "Aerial Linear Motion Battle System" (AR-LMBS) that emphasizes mid-air combat and elaborate combination attacks.

In addition, all key cutscenes are now fully voiced, as well as a new feature called the Active Party Window where characters interact with each other during the adventure.

This version was designed to be compatible with the original PlayStation 2 remake's save data, and features new story events and battle difficulty settings.

A three-volume set called Drama CD Tales of Destiny (ドラマＣＤ　「テイルズ　オブ　デスティニー」Ｖｏｌ．１, Dorama CD `Teiruzu Obu Desutinī') was released between October 1998 and January 1999 by Movic Records,[27][28][29] which were followed by another three-volume collection called Radio Tales of Destiny DJCD (ラジオ　テイルズ・オブ・デスティニー　ＤＪＣＤ, Rajio teiruzu Obu desutinī DJCD) released between April and June 1999.

[47] The English version received generally positive reception in North America, earning a 73% average score from aggregate review website GameRankings.

[42] IGN praised the game for its gameplay, story, and sound, but criticized the graphics for not being much better than what the Super NES was capable of, and the frequency of the battles.

[19] Problems cited included "...a stale and exceedingly slow-moving story...boring, moldy characters and dry, musty dialogue..." and poor graphics, stating that it looked and sounded "...far too much like an SNES game, Tales of Destiny seems like it was originally intended to be a sequel on the SNES that got delayed well into the PlayStation's life cycle.

[42][48] Next Generation reviewed the PlayStation version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Tales of Destiny is a simple yet enjoyable romp through what RPGs once were – long adventures featuring lots of character interaction and battles.