A Return to The Tales Universe - Celebrating 25 Years of RPG Magic
Howdy everyone Life Leveler here with another review and this is one many of my followers on TikTok and other social media avenues have requested heavily. So, without further ado lets get into it.
Tales of Arise arrived September 9, 2021 and I have finally completed the game for review and discussion. I will start with the fact I love RPG's. They are my favorite type of game from the amazing stories, to the characters, the vast connections, and deep intricacies that are interwoven into the stories.
Tales of Arise is special as it celebrates the 25th anniversary of the franchise. It amazes me how these games continually get better over time. I had recently completed Tales of Xillia 2 on the PS3 as it was one of the few Tales games I had yet to complete. This game was impressive in it's own merits and I have a review on my blog on Shopify for my e-commerce business and channel. You can view it on the website if you want my thoughts and impressions on this title. Tales of Arise continues what makes the series stand out and special with an anime stylized look but this time around utilizing the Unreal Engine 4 instead of a custom in-house engine to develop the graphics and assets as had been the notion in the previous entries in the series. The look is different but surprisingly looks amazing and fantastic while still maintaining the stylized anime look and feel for the characters.
The combat system has been overhauled but in many ways fantastically. It is more streamlined in pulling off combos with artes and being able to keep combat fast paced and dynamic. I enjoyed the boost strikes added to the mix. These are triggered upon an enemy being near defeat with the tap of the D-Pad and it triggers a cool final sequence combat finisher. You will notice them in combat and tutorials are great explaining the new changes but the staples are still there with mystic artes, dodging, and so on. It finds a way to strike a balance between the classic framework while adding some new mechanics at the same time.
The story starts in the world of Dahna and its a grim outlook for the world as a war outbreak is going on between Dahnans and Renans. This is because of many issues of misunderstanding and overruling. There is an element of being outcast as Dahnans are repressed as slaves for the Renans who have the ability to use artes and rule over them with power and authority. Until, one slave named Alphen referred to as "Iron Mask" in the beginning has had enough and wants a m=world of peace between Dahnans and Renans. Along the way he meets Shionne and many other to take down the Lords of the World to change the tides of fate and destiny restoring the world to peace.
The story becomes very deep between the characters as you understand the people, astral energy, and the ties that bind it all together. It is a fantastic story I couldn't recommend any more and one of the best in the franchise.
Alphen and Shionne have quite the dynamic together and while it doesn't start the greatest as the story unfolds becomes a story of tragedy, love, romance, growth, and understanding that connected with me on a mental and emotional level. I also enjoyed seeing the other characters and learning about their stories and origins too.
The pros of the game combat is fast and fluid, limited/no grinding which I love in an RPG and when I did want to level up felt optional on extra quests. It did help me sure to get better gear and power up but wasn't forced as many RPG's tend to do. The story as well is both fun, refreshing, shows the real struggles of the diatomic of the human condition, and the story between Alphen and Shionne was such a treat to experience along the way. The majority of the side quests were both rewarding and easy to complete especially paired with fast travel making it easier to navigate between towns and planets. I enjoyed this more streamlined approach as well as being to save anywhere. The days of having to save at a specific save points are finally gone. The linear aspect of many RPG's can be both a blessing and curse in my adventures of playing games over the years especially when playing an RPG for hours on hours. This is a breathe of relief to not be plagued with these pain points and shortcomings when life happens or you don't have hours to dedicate to getting to that checkpoint. Another common scenario is leveling up your team a lot then hitting a boss fight and getting smashed and losing all that progress. This is also avoided as well which is a major plus.
The cons not too many aside from some dungeons being a bit on the lengthy side, dialogue can sometimes go on a bit longer then I like or cause the action to stop to a halt when viewing the skits along the way. I will say most of the skits I love for the silly humor, offbeat moments albeit but many I found during the journey interrupt the pacing and flow. I will state that you can skip the skits and not watch them at all.
However, this is a staple of the franchise and I feel if you don't experience or watch them your missing out on some of the same whimsical charms and what makes the Tales experiences stick with you long after the game is completed.
Overall, if you love action or RPG's games I highly recommend this game. My rating is to level up you will enjoy this even if you have never played a Tales game. It caters to both veteran fans such as myself and new players to the RPG. This is evident in the refined and modernizes gameplay mechanics and fast fluidity to it all. It tells an amazing story, solid combat, great pacing, and an overall fun time. Lastly, a point to make is that honestly with the mixed year of 2021 similar to 2020 both in gaming and the world in general this is exactly what the doctor ordered. It gives me something exciting amongst the chaos and a story of renewed faith and hope that we sometimes forget but need that gentle reminder of that no wall can't be shattered when your knocked down.
What games are y'all enjoying in 2021 this holiday and that were released this Fall? Let me know in the comments below!! Happy Gaming!!
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