Tales of Arise is an action RPG developed and published by Bandai Namco and is also the seventeenth installment in the Tales franchise. Fans of the series will enjoy similarities from previous games while also introduced to unfamiliar mechanics as well, including a new destructive style of combat. Bandai Namco’s latest adventure is packed full of incredible content to dive into and while there are many areas that it excels at, there are also places where the game misses the mark. This review will stay away from story-heavy spoilers but may touch on details that first-time players may want to be introduced themselves so please keep that in mind.
The story takes place in the medieval/sci-fi fantasy world of Dahna, a land that has been enslaved for nearly 300 years by a nearby technologically advanced planet called Rena. You control Alphen, an iron-masked Dahnan slave suffering from amnesia. While Alphen is commanded to mine the planet of its resources, he suddenly sees a young girl with ashen hair being chased by Renan troops. After Alphen protects her from the troops, they are both rescued by Zephyr, the leader of a group of Dahnan rebels called the Crimson Crows. Alphen then discovers that the girl, Shionne, is a Renan who is on the run from her countrymen. She is also plagued by a terrible curse called the “Thorns” making it so anybody that touches her gets hurt. Suddenly, the Crimson Crow hideout is then under siege by Renan soldiers, forcing Alphen, Shionne, and Zephyr to flee. When they are cornered the exit, Alphen utilizes the power of the Flame Core that resides within Shionne to take control of the Blazing Sword, a powerful weapon made up of elemental Astral energy, to annihilate the soldiers. Shionne is astonished at Alphen’s ability to wield the Blazing Sword without hurting himself but learns that he can’t feel any pain.
After escaping that deadly encounter with their lives, Zephyr asks for both of their help to liberate Dahna from Renan control, and to do so means challenging the five lords who oversee the different realms of the planet. Alphen decides to help in Zephyr’s fight to free his fellow Dahnans while Shionne agrees to join for her own self-interests. Thus begins their adventure as the pair of heroes from two separate worlds work together to face off against the evil race of oppressors along with the help of a colorful cast of supporting characters they meet during their journey.
Regarding the main plot of Tales of Arise, it has a generic premise that hits many of the major story beats you would find in most medieval action-RPGs that you would find out there (Dragon Quest, Trials of Mana, etc.), making unable to stand out and almost appear predictable at times on where the story was going. It’s unfortunate because the setting itself is rich with an intriguing history and has an interesting theme of overcoming racial prejudice throughout which gives a good sense of the untrustful relationship between Dahna and Renan. The plotlines revolving around the realms you visit utilize this somber and moral ambiguous tone well enough, presenting significant story moments in such a powerful way that deeply affect the main cast and their worldviews. It’s just the setup of the journey that falls short for the story and could’ve used more originality to get me better invested. Like previous games, there are also Skits, which are short cutscenes throughout the story that you can activate as well. While these Skits do help to give the audience a better idea of the characters’ thought process during significant story moments, many of these scenes are just ways to dump more exposition and fill in plot holes which sometimes can be a bit grating.
In my opinion, many of the game’s lack of originality has to do with the fact that Alphen is a bland main protagonist. Ignoring the fact that he’s also on the long list of anime heroes with amnesia, his motivations and interactions with other characters are very uninspiring and what you’d expect from someone who is considered the “Chosen One.” His slave background does help him grow to make his own choices, but that growth doesn’t last for long. From the very beginning, Alphen is pretty much flawless. Not only does his ability to not feel pain allow him to wield the ultimate Blazing Sword, a power he didn’t really earn, but his sole reasoning to “help the helpless” gets a little stale at times. While it’s understandable that Alphen is the hero of the story, the game doesn’t do much to add a complicated layer to his character, even after his mysterious past is finally revealed. Another thing about his perfect personality that gets tiring is that he seems to have all the answers. Whenever there’s a moment that he bonds with other characters, Alphen seems to miraculously know how the other character’s feeling and has the right words to say. This may seem like a small criticism, but it’s something that I’ve noticed all the time with him throughout the story. Whether it’s his raw power or leadership skills, Alphen doesn’t seem to have any weaknesses, making him a protagonist that leaves much to be desired.
Shoinne, on the other hand, is a whole different story. At the start of the journey, she comes across as cold towards Alphen and the others due to her sole motivation of eliminating the lords no matter the cost. It’s later revealed that her unapproachable nature is because of her “Thorns” and how she’s never made any close connections to other people because of her curse. Shoinne has many different innate character flaws that over time she can learn and grow from throughout the journey. She becomes less distant with her friends and more willing to lean on them for help. There are also other odd qualities to her character that make her endearing, like the fact that she’s obsessed with food. It can become a little obnoxious at times to listen to her complain about her own selfish needs after a while in the beginning, however, it’s worth it when you see where the story takes her character from there.
Alphen and Shionne’s relationship is basically the center of the entire game, with their connection going on many emotional twists and turns. However, I did want to note that the other companions that join the two protagonists on their journey play very important roles and sometimes outshine them as well. For example, there’s Rinwell and Law, a pair of young Dahnans from the wintery region of Cyslodia who later join Alphen’s cause. Without going into detail, I found myself gravitating towards these two characters more than Alphen and Shionne at times because of their well-written personalities, motivations, and backstories. There was one moment I had while playing the game where I wished Law replaced Alphen as the main character, which goes to show how much these supporting characters help carry the story.
Tales of Arise’s combat system is hyperactive and certainly will keep you on your toes. When you initiate a battle, four characters in your party are thrown into an enclosed arena with the enemies you are fighting. Unlike previous installments, you now can avoid/counterattack an enemy’s attack, which can be a bit tricky to get the timing right but can really pay off. Another big change is that Combat Artes don’t consume from an MP meter and instead from an Artes gauge that constantly recharges during battle. However, Healing Artes consume a different meter called CP, which can be restored through items or resting at an inn. Then there’s the Boost Attack system, which can have you summon out a member of your party to do a specific attack that can be super effective to certain enemies and cause them to be Down momentarily. For example, Shionne’s Boost Attack has her unleash a barrage of bullets which can bring down flying monsters and some high-level bosses as well. Finally, there are the One-Hit KO attacks which are destructive moves that two members of your team can perform on enemies who have been severely worn down. These moves are so satisfying to pull off and their animations are a testament to the game’s amazing visual details.
Overall, the game’s new style of combat is a welcome overhaul to anyone who enjoys fast-paced action and flashy visuals. Giving you full control in moving around the field and dodging enemy attacks is preferable to turn-based style combat you’d find in many other RPGs, making it similar to a game like the Final Fantasy VII Remake. I also think the choice of putting limited restrictions on Combat Artes helps the pacing of a battle, making it so you’re interrupted by needing to heal up on more MP. And of course, the team attacks never get old. There are few downsides which include the battles being almost too chaotic as you’ll find yourself in the middle of the battlefield with several Astral Artes popping off, making it hard to take control of a situation at times. Another thing is that while there’s the option to control different characters during a fight, I found myself only using Alphen because his playstyle was more familiar to me, plus it would’ve only been confusing to keep switching back and forth from different characters. There’s also a difficulty curve to get used to as well. Even though Tales of Arise has DLC items that can help make the gameplay less challenging, I still found most major and minor boss fights to be extremely difficult even on Normal, meaning that there may be places that will require grinding. Nonetheless, the game’s combat was a high-point that can be appealing to casual and hardcore players.
When your party gets worn out from all the battles, you can set up camp at various points on the map. Here you can cook recipes you’ve collected along the way that can provide different stat buffs. You can also re-watch previous plot points by reminiscing about them as well. Alphen can also bond with other members of the party through Skits, which can provide some entertaining and introspective moments between the two characters. These Skits work well to delve more into each character’s backstories and personalities. Although once again, these moments are a bit soured for me as it highlights Alphen’s perfect nature, which can be frustrating at times.
As you may expect from an adventure RPG, along your journey you’ll also run into NPCs who have various side quests for you to do. Many of these quests can also help in leveling your characters so it’s recommended you do every one of them (even though Shionne may complain about it). However, these quests aren’t very diverse and almost always have you hunting down a big monster of some kind. There are some odd tasks like always running into this eccentric food connoisseur who will give you a new recipe after giving him the right ingredients which can yield a humorous exchange now and then, but they’re all fairly similar for the most part. On the plus side, there are times when the characters in your party will bicker among themselves while doing the quests which is not only fun to watch but gives a good sense of their friendships.
There are also a multitude of side activities available to you as well if you want to take a break from liberating Dahna. There’s a training ground where you can challenge yourself against hordes of the powerful monsters that can also give solid rewards if you come out victorious. Eventually, you’ll also be in charge of a ranch where you can grow livestock. And last but not least is the fishing minigame which is very addicting and will make you forget about the lords you were supposed to be hunting down. All of these activities are welcome distractions and worth trying out during your adventure.
Tales of Arise is certainly an exciting new addition to the franchise and Bandai Namco pulled out all the stops to provide an unforgettable experience with all the great content it has. Exploring all the unique cities and regions truly felt like an adventure, which brought me back to playing games like Dragon Quest XI and Chrono Trigger. The characters are also easy to be invested in as they help one another overcome morally difficult situations along the way. While it may lack in its narrative at times, even a story snob like me can’t help but love all the stunning visuals, incredible music, and addicting combat. For any newcomers to the Tales franchise, I can highly recommend Tales of Arise on PlayStation 4 as your introduction to the series.
8.5/10
Check Out the Tales of Arise Trailer:
Tales of Arise releases Sept. 10th. For more information and to pre-order the game, visit: https://www.bandainamcoent.com/
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I've loved playing video games ever since I first played Battletoads on the NES when I was a kid. Since then, I've played a wide variety of games on different systems, including Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and have mostly gravitated towards open-world RPGs and action-adventure games with amazing storylines and character arcs. I'm passionate when comes to writing and interested in working as a narrative designer.
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