The glory of Demon Fang on high-end hardware

A classic entry in the Tales series is getting new life on newer consoles. Tales of Symphonia Remastered brings the story of Lloyd, Co?lette, and company to PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch in early 2023.

Revealed during today's Nintendo Direct, Tales of Symphonia Remastered brings the GameCube-era RPG to modern systems. It will get a version on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and be pla??yable on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S via their r??espective versions.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8XVavbSrDw

Tales of Symphonia originally released in 2003 and was brou?ght over to North America in 2004. The remaster will feature both graphical enhancement??s and improved gameplay, though no details have been given just yet.

Alongside a physical edition, Bandai Namco is also publishing a Chosen Edition of Tales of Symphonia Remastered. This will come with a special metal case, art prints, and stickers. Both editions are up for pre-order on the Bandai Namco store here.

Back to Sylvarant

Tales of Symphonia is a fondly remembered entry in the long-running Tales series. It was ?likely the introduction to the series for many players, myself included. It's definitely a lengthy role-playing g??ame, but it has an incredible cast of characters and a really fantastic story.

Seeing another Tales game get a modern port, much like Tales of Vesperia did a while back, is great. While Tales of Arise laid out a path forward for the series, I'm excited that newcomers will have an easy way of playing Symphonia too. Honestly, just keep this train rolling and dive back into some older entries while we're at it. My fingers are now crossed that Abyss is on a list somewhere at Tales HQ.

Tales of Symphonia Remastered arrives for PlayStation,? Xbox, and Nintendo Switch sometime in ear?ly 2023.

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Another Tales gacha game bites the dust

Bandai Namco has announced the sudden closure of Tales of Luminaria, the mobile RPG set within the expansive Tales universe. Tales of Luminaria will see one more update at the end of this month, before? its servers shut down worldwide on July 19, 2022.

"We regret to announce that the service for Tales of Luminaria will be sunset on July 19, 2022 PDT," reads a statement on the game's website. "As the first completely original mobile title in ?the "Tales of" series, our sincere intent was to make this game fun and, by taking on various challenges, to bring "Tales of" to a wider audience around the world, not only Japan."

"Additionally, we have tried our best to make this service playable over a long time, encouraged by the supportive comments and feedback we have received on SNS. However, we could not do enough, and we sincerely apologize to all those who have supported and played Tales of Luminaria."

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ujsZeWWILQ

The news comes as an "inevitable surprise" �if you will. Tales of Luminaria is a mere seven months old, having been launched in November 2021, and as such is still very young in its lifespan. However, Luminaria is one of a series of Tales-themed gacha titles to hit the skids in less than five years. Luminaria is preceded by Tales of Crestoria, which launched in 2020 and closed in February of this year.

While one remaining story update has been scheduled for the Version 1.6 update in May, the developer has fully clarified that the story of Tales of Luminaria will not be completed, leaving multiple character threads dangling and stories untold once the servers shut ?down. This is obviously a frustrating situation for developers and players, and given the recent trend for slamming the brakes on gacha titles, on??e would be wise to avoid becoming invested in any future releases.

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Another mobile service calls it a day

Bandai Namco has announced that its mobile RPG Tales of Crestoria is the latest in a long line of free-to-play mobile RPGs to pull down the blinds. Tales of Crestoria will be shuttin??g down its service on ??February 7, 2022, 19 months from its initial launch.

Released in July 2020, Tales of Crestoria took the fantasy worlds and flashy, noble characters of the Tales of franchise and transitioned them into the free-to-play mobile gaming market. Players kitted? out their teams of heroes with various gear and abilities, before embarking on quests and side-stories, fighting enemies in turn-based combat. Players leveled up their characters through questing, battle, and via an in-game currency known as "Gleamstones." You know how this works. There's enough of them popping up/shutting down on the market right now.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=IROV8mNEvcY

Bandai Namco thanked the community for playing Tales of Crestoria, and noted that it has disabled the purchase of Gleamstones effective immediately. All players are encouraged to use any remaining items and Gleamstones before the plug is finally pulled on the servers. If you have come to love the Tales of Crestoria universe, then take heart, as it seems that the game's original charac??ters will be appearing in future Tales of titles, as well as a brand new manga series, which launches in Japan on December 13.

Although it's cynical to suggest, more and more these titles are starting to feel like short-term cash injections. Drop the game, build a meager community, milk the cash, hit the off switch. Occasionally, one gets full, long-term support �an Honor of Kings or a Fire Emblem Heroes �but, for the most part, all these titles seem to achieve is the investment of a small but dedicate?d community, before pulling the rug out from und??er them at a moment's notice.

//twitter.co??m/to_crestoria_EN/status/1468185559688675330?s=20

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Did this duo get stuck in another video game?

Tales of Arise is roughly a month removed from its launch, but the post-launch DLC is already spinning up. Bandai Namco Entertainment has confirmed that among its Tales of Arise DLC plans, there's a new boss fight on the way against some familiar faces f??or anime fans.

Kirito and Asuna from Sword Art Online will appear in Tales of Arise as part of a DLC pack. The Sword Art Online Collaboration Pack will include a special fight against Kirito and Asuna, as ??well as new outfits for Alphen, Shionne, and Law. You can also obtain Kirito's weapons and, for beating the pair in a fight, unlock an exclusive Mystic Arte that calls them to your aid in a fight.

Check out their fighting style in the trailer's face-off between couples: Alphen an??d Shionne vs. Kirito and Asuna?.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwzfM2SRg90

Tales of Arise already has a number of other DLC options, like in-game boosts and costumes. But I'm hoping this is a sign of what's to come for its future DLC prospects. Tales of Zestiria included some story content as DLC, a step that Tales of Arise's producer said the studio wouldn't be doing with Arise prior to its release.

If, instead, Bandai Namco leans on its collaborations, partners, and properties to add in some cool cameo fights—a post-game activity Tales games are already known to feature—that works really well. And honestly, I'm not even a huge Sword Art Online fan, and I really dig this. Seeing Kirito and Asuna not just come to life in the same arena as Alphen and Shionne, but have fully fledged fights with their own flashy mov??es is a really cool concept. My imagination is already spinning around to other pro??perties that could fit into this style, and rewarding the player with a neat Mystic Arte at the end is rad.

If this is where Tales of Arise is headed for its DLC plans, I'm a little more optimistic than I was before now. Now if we could start working on a Scarlet Nexus crossover, this could get really interesting.

The Tales of Arise - Sword Art Online Collaboration Pack arrives on Oct. 7, 2021.

The post Tales of Arise is getting a DLC fight against Sword Art Online’s Kirito and Asuna appeared first on Destructoid.

A few helpful suggestions for making overthrowing lords a little easier

Tales of Arise is officially out today, bringing the Tales series' mix of action and skits to current and next-gen systems. And before you set off on the long, pretty great journey, I've got some Tales of Arise tips to make the quest ahead less daunting.

For newcomers, old-timers, those returning to the Tales fold, and everyone else, I thought I'd share some of the little tri??cks I lear??ned over the course of my playthrough. This isn't a guide to beating every boss or side quest, but rather a few helpful tidbits to help acclimate or guide you towards what keeps Alphen and co. forging ahead.

I'll also do my best to keep it as light on spoilers as possible, so there won't be any talk of any fun twists or anything. So here's a few tips for those just starting out in Tales of Arise.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGdJ4O_olBE

Learn your combos

Tales of Arise is an RPG, but it's an action RPG, and honestly the Tales series skews closer to fighting games or action games than it does to usual RPG systems. A key part of this game's combat? is learning to combo, especially mixing basic attacks in with your artes.

If you've played an action game before, you probably have a good idea of what this should feel like—attack, attack, attack, special—but if you're not as familiar, that's fine. Tales games are ?good at teaching players daunting concepts, like combo strings and hit confirms.

Early on, you'll probably want to stick to that rhythm I outlined: three attacks, followed by an arte. Once that feels good, trying mixing in your launcher arte (noted on the artes screen by an upward-pointing arrow), whic??h takes action into the sky. You can resume another string of basic attacks here, and then execute some aerial art?es or close out the combo with a landing arte. It might sound like a lot of inputs, but it will quickly start to feel like second nature; fiddling around with face button combinations that feel good helps, too. I tried to keep artes I could string together on two face buttons, and my launcher and lander on the top face button.

These will change from character to character, based on their range, arsenal, and archetype, but this is the most ?b??asic version. And it's also why I recommend...

Start off playing as Alphen

If you're new to Tales, the masked protagonist Alphen (a.k.a. "Iron Mask") is going to be the easiest to pick up and learn. Like most Tales protagonist??s, his kit is fairly straightforward: he's a melee swordfighter who can easily fight either on the ground or in the air.

Most of Alphen's moves are also the standard protagonist fare. A few artes are quick flurries of jabs and stabs, others can launch or apply elemental damage, and there's the ever-present ??staple of Demon Fang, a projectile?? that functions a lot like Terry Bogard's Power Wave.

Alphen is a great character to learn the basics on, and even for returning Tales characters familiar with other playstyles and their quirks, Alphen provides a good foundational basis for what's changed in Arise. Think of him like the Ryu of this game. And as your party grows, you can start t???o branch out and try out other characters, and those basics from Alphen will make it a bit easier to contextualize what makes, say, Dohalim a different kind of fighter altogether.

Fill out your titles

Titles are essentially your upgrade trees in Tales of Arise. They unlock after certain conditions, like clearing a side quest o??r cooking a certain meal, have been met. Each one has five nodes?? around its circumference; the first is a freebie, and the rest, you spend your SP on to unlock.

It might be tempting to hop around a bit and pick up whichever nodes inte?rest you the most across titles, and there are definitely some nodes that are worth picking up ASAP (Artes Mobility, KO Prevention, and extra AG charges come to mind)??. But acquiring every node on a title will claim an additional bonus, found at the center of said tile.

These are usually just stat bonuses, but those can make a big difference. Picking up an extra +10 Attack or Penetration can suddenly make you hit that much harder, or Elemental Defense help you survive that extra hit. And late game, some of those can get up to some whopping numbers. Filling out the titles is very helpful in gaining an extra edge, on top of your base stats and equipment. My Tales of Arise tip is to find the titles that have a couple good options y?ou want, get those first, and then fill th??e rest out for the boost.

Forge weapons, but don't worry too much about armor

Speaking of equipment, every character has a few ways of getting more stats to tack on. Weapons are usuall?y forged, and require various zeugle (monster) parts to put together. For most of the game, I tried to keep current with the top of the forgemaster's lineup, and it worked?? out well.

Armor, though, is usually either bought or found in? the world. In my experience, it's more beneficial to find the armor than buy the armor; Gald can quickly become a precious resource, so it's better to spend that cash on forging weapons or accessories, or picking up a few CP-restoring Gels, than dump it into armor. I was pretty thorough in my dungeon traversal, and found the game trickled out a steady supply of good armor. Spend that cash where it's less easy to find something good just behind a closely guarded treasure chest.

Master the artes

Another Tales tip is that, with every usage, artes can become more powerful. It's the same as learning to play an instrument, riding a bike, or learning to do that disappearing card trick. Wit??h every repetition, you gain a little bit of mas??tery.

This might manifest in various ways, and those ways vary from Tales to Tales. In Arise's case, I mostly noticed the move?? just getting a little bit more potent; maybe causing ?a little bit more stagger than I remember, or damaging opponents a bit more. The combo masters will delve into the deep numbers, but for more casual purposes, utilizing your artes will help unlock other ones. You don't learn Double Demon Fang overnight, you know.

Some characters' titles are even tied to artes usage within specific categorie????????????????????????????s, so it helps to make use of your artes frequently and also switch them around a bit, to keep the variety high and build up proficiency.

Indulge in some outdoor cooking

Campsites are a big factor in Tales of Arise, and one of the best tips I can give you is "always be full." Meals can give you some really good benefits, from tempo??rary stat boosts to special effects, and even out-of-combat boosts that help your ore mining efforts.

One of my go-to meals is found somewhere between a th??ird and halfway through the game, and it's a fish dish that gives you an experience boost. (Fishing: also a great past-time to partake in.) It's great for leveling up in a dungeon, and comes at a time where doing a little grinding will help in the long run.

Also, if you have a great meal already in play, don't worry about eating again when you rest. Your party's collective st?omach w??ill still be satiated, so you're free to rest without worrying about losing the buff. Which is great for when you...

Chain a bunch of battles

Most of my dungeon runs in Tales of Arise were just one long chain of battle after battle, because the game incentivizes you for taking on f?ights ?in quick succession.

Linking together a bunch of battles makes it easy to quickly farm up resources and experience, and it increases the odds of good drops. Really, there's no reason to not be linking battles together??.

That said, if you're having trouble with an area, there's also no reason not to head back, rest up to restock your CP, and ??return. A few du??ngeons challenged me a bit, and so I took time to work away at the battles, until I could start chaining them together and move through the dungeon without massively depleting my Cure Points.

Don't skip skits and side quests

The last of my Tales of Arise tips is pretty straightforward: don't miss out on the side stuff. Skits are mostly optional side stories between party members, but they add a lot of charact??erization, and also help summarize some denser plot points as the game goes on.

Side quests are a huge boost to party strength, however. They can range from gathering certain ingredients or taking down particularly pow?erful optional bosses to just talking to a few people, but they always come with a rewa??rd; often, some combination of Gald, SP, and items.

These were a critical source of early SP and cash for me, helping me keep up with the game's ramping difficulty. And they also contain some really great content. From reuniting lost lovers to tracking down the location of a special item using only a few riddles, Tales of Arise has some neat side stories. And by ?the tim??????????????????????????e late game rolls around, there are some awesome and ferocious bosses hiding out in the side quests.

The post Tales of Arise: Tips for making your? journey through Dahna a smooth one appeared first on Destructoid.

Nothing clicks together quite like a good Tales cast

Today is a good day for the Tales Of series. It marks the fifth anniversary of Tales of Berseria, the most recent major entry in the franchise, and there's also a demo out for the upcoming Tales of Arise, which is now only a few weeks away.

As I've talked to friends about this game, I've heard a similar refrain over and over: some variation of, "I haven't really ever played a Tales game," or "this will be my first Tales game." I've talked to a few folks who have been interested in the series before, but never really taken the plunge, un?til now.

I'm more of a Tales aficionado or enthusiast than a diehard. My experience pretty much lines up with whatever's been available on the consoles I own, so there are some gaping holes in my background with the series. But games like Symphonia and Vesperia are among my favorite RPGs ever, and ahead of the launch of Arise, I wanted to share a bit about what makes these games click for me, ?and w??hy they might click for you too.

It isn't just the combat, though the fighting game-meets-RPG mash-up is certainly its own brand of intriguing fun. And the big narratives can range from okay to great, depending on which entry you pick up. It took me a few years and replaying several games over again to figure this out, but the reason I keep coming back to Tales is because of its cast.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=6juT0GEGpnE

For those new to the series, Tales is similar to Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest in that each major entry is its own thing. There are some exceptions to the rule, obviously; Tales of Xillia, Symphonia, and Destiny got sequels, and Tales of Zestiria got a fairly far-flung-back prequel in Tales of Berseria. But these are mostly individual, standalone stories, as is the case with Arise.

In role-playing games, characters obviously take part in the big events happening around them. They'll show up in the cutscenes, fight in boss ?battles, and work alongsi??de you in dungeons. Outside of combat and story moments though, RPGs can be iffy on portraying what the group looks like when it isn't just saving the world.

Having some hang-out time with your party can do a lot to build up your (the pla??yer's) connection with a cast of characters. Each member has their own personality, likes and dislikes, and goals that can sometimes clash with those of the whole unit. Exploring those aspects helps add depth to them, so you're not just working with a team of skilled and talented warriors, but one that also travels together, shares meals, and sleeps around the same campfire.

Series like Persona and Mass Effect emphasize this aspect of an RPG, but Tales does it a bit differently. First off, a Tales game puts you in the role of a character, and that character is defined by their own ??choices. It's not a molded protagonist, the way that Ren or Commander Shepard. Outside of some special circumsta?nces like figuring out which companion Lloyd might talk to at a certain point in the game, he is a set character.

Tales games also wrap this party aspect into many, many facets of its design. It's not just that the party travels, but they travel together. In some games they can eat dishes that you select after battle, and cer??tain characters might cook the dish better or worse. This is even used to comedic effect at times, with characters like Raine not being able to reach high ranks on dishes due to her less-than-stellar cooking skills, or Reped?e turning dishes into Dog Food.

Skits are the most obvious example of Tales honing in on the party dynamics. When walking?? around, prompts will pop up in the bottom-right corner to initiate a short discussion between members of your party.

Maybe it's a small chat about what's been going on in the main plotline. It might be the chance for one party member to express their own concerns, or even reflect on how a recent happening affects them specifically. There are some very specif??ic skits that only happen under certain conditions, and there are others that just feature all your party members shooting the breeze, joking with one another or inquiring into each others' personal lives, outside the grand adventure they're currently on.

Skits can seem small, but for me, they're the lifeblood of a Tales game. It's a constant reminder that this isn't just a character on the overworld with a back-up squad stand?ing somewhere off camera, but an a?dventuring group that moves together.

Tales party members can come from varying backgrounds, and even in games where some members start out as longtime friends, those relationships can still evolve over time. Tales of Berseria follows?? a group of characters that's very loosely banded together, but grows to?? care about each other's well-being.

This carries back over into the cooking and even into battle, where characters can team up for dual attacks that combine their Artes usage into a tandem assault??. It's really cool to have a skit where two characters are obviously warming up to each other, and then in a battle a little while later see them team up for a special Arte; they're learning to work together and live together.

What I've dug so far about Tales of Arise is that it seems like the boost in produc??tion isn't just going towards making grander cutscenes or better character models (though it is a pretty good-looking game, from the previews we've seen). It's also being used on the skits, elevating them from the usual talking-head character portraits to cut-in comic panels with animation.

Cooking isn't just an after-battle boost with a ch?eerful respo??nse, but an action you can take part in at your camp. You get to see the party member present it to the group, letting everyone else know dinner is ready. And as you flip through the menu options, you can see the party members in the background, sitting around the campfire together.

It's a dynamic that other games have also attempted, like in Final Fantasy XV's boys trip through the countryside. And for them, it can work to varying degrees. But the Tales series has been doing this for a long time. The idea of Tales of Arise getting the chance to do this stuff even grander is made that much more interesting when I go back and look at some of the better skits in Vesperia or Symphonia.

So yes, the Tales series is a nice blend of fantasy RPG storytelling and more action-oriented combat. It's got a very stylized, anime-inspired aesthetic, the music is usually solid, and it's neat how it lets you play as individual characters in the party, an aspect that's also become popular in recent RPGs like Final Fantasy VII Remake.

The draw for me was, is, and will continue to be the cast of characters. Tales games are at their best when they're leaning into the strength of not just individual narratives, but the group as a whole. Seeing an endearing group of fighters, mages, runaways, and vagabonds ?form a begrudging comradery that wil??l eventually bloom into friendship over the course of their journey is just great, every time. Characters like Judith, Rita, Magilou, Regal, and Eizen are good on their own, but become much more within the context of their respective parties.

So if you're thinking of hopping into the Tales series, either with Tales of Arise or with one of the older games (if you're brand-new, I'd recommend either the Vesperia remaster or the most recent game, Berseria), that's what the draw is. I don't claim that min??e is the universal reason why fans love it, but I'd have to think it at least charts somewhere in the ??top reasons why. Show up for the anime aesthetic and action tilt, stay for an endearing group of misfits you can't help but love.

The post Why I dig the Tales series, and you might too appeared first on Destructoid.

The newest Tales finds its core with its Odd Couple pair of heroes

Having good leads in an RPG can be make-or-break for some games. Any lengthy role-playing game will likely ask you to spend somewhere from 40 or more hours with its cast, and the majority of it with the protagonist. That time gets easier if the protagonist is likeable, and thankfully, I really liked both of the protagonists of Tales of Arise during its first few hours.

Tales games, at least those I've played, have had some pretty good leads. I'd put Velvet Crowe and Yuri Lowell up as some of my favorites, and while I'm not sure if Alphen or Shionne are hitting those highs yet, I've enjoyed the time I've spent with them thus far. We had a chance to play through the first "section" of Tales of Arise, roughly the first few hours which introduce you to both ?characters; Alphen, the amnesiac man in the iron mask, and Shionne, the runaway royalty with her fair share of secrets.

For context, the world of Tales of Arise has two distinct nations: Dahna and Rena. Hundreds of years before the ??start of Arise, Rena invaded Dahna and subjugated its people, resulting in a present-day scenario of technologically advanced, militarily s??uperior Rena forcing the Dahnan populace into servitude. Dahnan civilians are also unable to use astral artes, like healing, and are often outfitted with special crystals by the Renans. Those seem significant, though it's not clear just how yet, outside them acting as a symbol of Renan power over the Dahnans.

Initially, the protagonists end up meeting by chance: Alphen, who's been working in the Dahnan labor camps for about a year with no memory prior, winds up running into Shionne as she's escaping both Dahnan resistance fighters and Renan soldiers. As events progress, it becomes clear each ha??s their own reason for wanting to fight against the Renan occupation.

Alphen has been, quite literally, thrust into a Man In The Iron Mask situation, working away his days with no face, name, or memories. In fact, for most of the intro, he just goes by Iron? Mask. Day in and day out, he sees the cruelties inflicted on the Dahnan population, as they struggle and die laboring under Renan command.

Shionne, meanwhile, is a tad more mysterious. I got the sense there are greater motivations we have yet to learn, outside of the sec??tion I got to play, but the short version we're presented with is that she's bein?g hunted by the Renans. She's quickly positioned as both Renan and unlike the others, where she still has misgivings about working with the Dahnans. An entire plot point is about getting Shionne some Renan armor to wear, rather than Dahnan attire. But she also seems to greatly dislike the ruling class of Rena; she stole something precious from the local Renan lord, and with it, she's attempting to overthrow the whole system.

It's a very enemy-of-my-enemy setup, and the two protagonists often bicker a?nd snipe at each other. Alphen is blissfully headstrong and sure of himself, even when it could lead to his own demise, while Shionne is cautious and reserved when it comes to discussing anything abo?ut herself. It becomes clear over time that both are trying to expand their view of the dual worlds they live in, while also fighting their internalized beliefs about each other's worlds.

This t??hematically ties into their own abilities as well. Shionne can use astral artes, most notably healing, but also carries within her a flaming sword. Normally, the sword would scald anyone who wields it, and Shionne he?rself emits lightning (colloquially referred to as "thorns") when anyone attempts to get near or touch her.

As it so happens, Alphen cannot feel ??pain, which is normally a bad thing, a??s he comments that he could be near death and not realize it at times. But when it comes to wielding a flaming sword, or working with a woman who shocks those around her, it comes in handy.

So these two, who stumbled into each other due to coincidence and find themselves working together due to an unlikely combination of complementary talents, are begrudgingly forced together. And watching them go through ebbs and flows of opening up and closing themselves off, wrestling with their own preconceptions and the secrets each is hiding, drives much of the early game of Tales of Arise.

The early section we saw only featured these characters, unlike our previous preview which let us go hands-on with a party of six fighters. Most of my comments on the battles, world exploration, and other systems hold true in the early hours. Using Boost Attacks and Boost Strikes emphasized the? party aspect of combat, and with only two people to work with, much of the early game felt like Alphen and Shionne growing accustomed to working in tandem.

I also got to see some skits, a staple of the Tales series. For those who haven't played a Tales game before Tales of Arise or need a refresher, these are short side scenes that play as you travel around the map or through a dungeon. They're largely optional, and simply pop up as an option in the bottom-right corner; hit the button, and you're treated to a min?ute or two of the characters talking amongst themselves about anything.

These can range from moments that build upon individual characters, to exploring party dynamics, and even to silly one-off goofs and jokes. In past Ta??les games, they've also frequently let characters speak their minds on what's been going on in the main story, or highlighted certain dynamics and how they can create their own tensions and moments of growth for the group.

They're legitimately one of my favorite parts of the Tales series, something that contributes to the series' overall feel to me as a game about your party, and seeing them inte??ract with and chang??e each other over the course of the journey.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNpekwPPP50

At just a few hours, it was a little early in Tales of Arise to get a sense of the breadth of skits (and I also didn't really have the party size to explore that in the first place), but I will say one noticeable change is the production value of them. Rather than talking heads, comic panels with characters posing and occasionally animating move in and out. It's not a drastic change, as t?hey're not really "cutscenes" or anything, but it's a noticeable change that I hope can allow for skits to cover more ground and show more interactio??ns, like two characters sparring.

Overall, the first few hours of Tales of Arise have me invested. It's a good start, with some neat change-ups to the formula that have been gone over already. But storywise, I really want to see where Alphen?? and Shionne end up going with their arcs, both individually and as a pair. Whether their dynamic can keep things interesting throughout the length of a full-scale RPG is one thing, but in the short glimpse I got to see of it, I'm already pretty endeared to this prickly pairing of protagonists.

The post The first few hours of Ta?les of Arise are all about its dual?? protagonists appeared first on Destructoid.

Promoted from our Community Blogs

_{[Destructoid user Kerrik52 is coming in hard and fast with an incredibly detailed blog covering their thoughts on the entirety of the beloved Tales series of games. The absolute mad man wrote over 9,300 words here, highlighting each game with its own dedicated section. Whether you've only played a single game in the franchise or every single entry, there's likely something here for you. Just be aware, there are a few spoilers below.} 

_{Personally, my favorite entries were probably Vesperia, Xillia, and Symphonia. They're not exactly groundbreaking or genre-defining, but they're wonderful "comfort food" games. It's easy to get lost in their worlds and watch the hours melt away. I love that about them!}

_{Do you have a favorite entry in the series? Is Symphonia kind of overrated but still pretty dang good overall? Do you think Kerrik is right or wrong about some absurdly minuscule detail that is completely open to interpretation? Feel free to head on down to the comments and let us know! - Kevin]}

During my formative years, when I was exploring what kinds of games I like, I spent a lot of time trying out loads of different JRPGs, particularly Atlus' games. But, while I did try out some Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest stuff, one series that felt like? a giant unknown to me was Namco Bandai's Tales series.

On a whim, I picked up the PSP version of Tales of Eternia, which I loved, but I didn't pursue the series any further since I never saw any of the other games in my local game stores after that. Fast-forward to 2018, and I once again picked up a game in the series on a whim. This time it was Tales of Zestiria, which a friend sold to me for cheap.

It was then that I decided that i?t was time to play the rest of the games and get to the bottom of this series (as well as review most of it), with the end goal being the retrospective you're now reading. When I went out to b??uy what games I could find, I was pleasantly surprised by how cheap and easily available the modern games were. Usually, JRPGs are a nightmare to find in Europe, but maybe Atlus and their hate-boner for the continent has poisoned my brain.

While it is possible that Bamco overprints the games (I wish NISA and XSEED did that for my precious Falcom games), I think it's more likely is that the series isn't as popular as I first thought it was. Each game averages less than a million sales according to a recent report, and I think a large part of the series' notoriety was propped up due to Tales of Symphonia, which w??as the game I had heard the most about before getting into the s??eries.

I had heard that the series specialized in deconstructive twists meant to turn the JRPG formula on its head, but after playing almost all of the games available in English (sorry, Tales of Hearts, I have no room in my heart or wallet for a Vita), I can't really agree with that assessment. Symphonia ??is the only game that really does it, though there are aspects of the others that kinda get into that stuff.

It makes me think that Symphonia was the only one most people played (or the one they played first), and it coloured their view of the series. However, aside from the unique deconstruction shenanigans, it's a really good example of what the series offers ?and what elements endure from game to game.

Much like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, the Tales games usually take place in their own unique settings, but stuff from the other games carries over and gets reimagined as needed. Beyond the series' roster of summon spirits, the pirate Aifreed, the sealed weapons sidequest, the Sorcerer's Ring, poorly drawn wanted posters, the Dark Wings bandits, and the incredibly inventive ways i?t handles "dual-world" setups, there's also a ton of fanservice in the games.

This made it really rewarding to go through the games in (mostly) chronological order after Zestiria. When I hit the postgame there and got to the cameo bosses, I had no idea who I was fighting and why I should care. Starting with Tales of Eternia (I think, unless I forgot some part of Destiny doing that), the series puts in direct nods to previous games, which I didn't get the first time through Eternia and Zestiria.

When I played the series properly, I was privy to understanding the cameo bosses, costumes and various small references to the other games, which helped me keep my momentum through this very lengthy endeavour going. The series doesn't have the same level of multiplicative payoff as Falcom's Trails games as you go through it, but you're still reward??ed quite a bit for sticking with it.

That's everything I wanted to say before we begin, so now it's time to go into every game I played. 

Tales of Eternia

_{Read my review here.}

Being the game I played first in the series, and the one I played separate from my somewhat exhausting marathon, Tales of Eternia has a lot of posit??ive bias to its name. It borders on being nostalgia at this point, since it's been about a decade since I first played it. I can't untangle those feelings from my current take ?on the game, so I'm not going to try. Instead, I'll just talk about why I love it so much as clearly as I can.

W??hile I have a lot of affinity for the PlayStation, I never got in contact with the many RPGs on the platform until much later. This was probably for the best, since I wouldn't have been able to appreciate them at the time due to my non-existent knowledge of the English language anyway. Even so, going ?back to these fifth-gen RPGs has been really engaging for me, as the trappings of the era still resonate with me, even if the games themselves don't on their own.

Stuff like the audio, menus, rendering techniques, experimental gameplay systems and the like. From that perspective, I consider Tales of Eternia the greatest expression of the charm inherent in ??PlayStation RPGs.

The sprite work is great to see, especially since we didn't get a lot of highly-detailed sprite-based games on the PlayStation due to Sony's push for 3D at the time. What really sells the graphical style are the gorgeous backgrounds you get to run around in. Unlike the pre-rendered backgrounds in Resident Evil, the characters and the backgrounds meld really well her?e. Couple the unique backgrounds with the diverse and God-tier soundtrack, and? it becomes hard not to love the world that has been created here.

That's not all the game has to offer, of course. I can't in good faith call the story an outstanding experience, but I still like it and the characters a lot. Everything is simple and uplifting, but executed with care... aside from parts of the voice acting. I'll concede that I have a soft spot for it due to the main character Reid being played by Kevin Miller (Sly Cooper), which won't earn the game points for most people. Still, given the track record of the console generation, I'd still say Eternia is one of the better voiced games of the era.

The party is essentially divided into two parts, with our four main characters in one section and our two tertiary party members being in the other. The main characters are the focus of the story, with the other two mostly being there to offer some unique gameplay gimmicks and help the plot along in parts. While it is a bit of a waste that Chat ??and Max aren't given much to do, it does leave Reid, Farah. Meredy and Ke?ele more room to bond with each other.

And they kinda need that screen time, as the game is a bit short by modern standards, only being a bit above 30 hours long. I think t??hat's the perfect length for a JRPG, as the pacing remains good throughout, culminating in some good character growth from the main cast. It's a real shame that the camping skits were cut for the English release. I wouldn't say that the party members have big arcs, but more so that they grow together as they become better friends who trust each other and decide to save the two worlds together.

Speaking of that, the world design on display here is probably my favourite in the series, as it provides a good amount of optional content. It reminds me a lot of Final Fantasy V (which I recently played), as there comes a point where the difficulty ramps up and you're meant to go explore the world to find optional dungeons so you can power up. When I revisited the game for my review, I went through the content I had missed and was blow away?? by all the fun places you can go to. They even go so far as to make the last ship upgrade optional, which was a great extra to end the game on.

Now that I have more experience with the series, I can definitely see some flaws with the combat system, but I still think it's really fun to engage with. Just like th?e story, it's pretty simple (outside some awesome extra moves that are really tricky to unlock and use) but solid. Before I revisited the game, I was afraid that it'd feel as ?janky as the previous two (more on those further down), but that wasn't the case.

Combat is pretty swift, spells don't freeze the action and there's a good back-and-forth as you block and counter-attack. However, the input buffer is incredibly strict, making combos difficult to exe?cute, and outside of Reid and Farah, the playable characters are either boring to use or very gimmicky. Speaking as someone who has only played the 2D games released in the west, I consider this to be the best incarnation of the 2D Linear Motion Battle System.

Lastly, I wanna talk about some tertiary things, namely the anime and Star Ocean. The anime isn't super exciting, but compared to the clusterfuck that is the Phantasia anime, it's delightful (I haven't tried any other Tales anime). It's a filler plo??t that's slotted into the middle of the gam??????????????????????????e, which fits into the story decently enough, but it really leans into being filler, with almost the whole thing being a giant beach episode since it takes place on an island.

In spite of that, I really enjoyed seeing some more party interactions, the new character Marone, the action scenes an??d the ??music being reinterpreted for anime. It also introduces the annoying bard Corina and leans into a bunch of anime cliches which are either downplayed or non-existent in the game itself. So, it's a bit of a mixed bag mostly aimed at fans of the game.

The reason I bring up Star Ocean is because I kind of flipped when I played Second Evolution after Eternia and felt how similar the two games were as far as graphics, style and minor mechanics are concerned. Given the shared blood of the two series, this shouldn't be surprising, but I didn't know that at the time. I much prefer Tales of Eternia to both of the first Star Ocean games?? (and the rest of the franchise, frankly), but I'm interested in revisiting those games some day to see how they hold up.

Tales of Zestiria

_{Read my review here.}

I suppose I should consider myself lucky that I experienced Zestiria the way I did. Without the greater context of the series (not to mention ignorance of the trailer debacles and most of the sheer hatred people have for it), I managed to get quite a lot of enjoyment out of it, which is reflected in my review. I liked ??the presentati?on and the characters quite a lot.

Although, even as my second game in the series, it left a lot to be desired. For as much as I like the party, the plot is lacking both memorable moments and a central hook or the?me beyond "Let's e??xplore the world!". The jokes and inter-party jabs may be excellent, but without a greater context to exist in, they have limited value outside of skit compilations. It's an uplifting but aimless experience.

While there is interesting stuff to find in the world (which triggers relevant skits) I think the game didn't go far enough with the concept of exploration. As I went through the series, I came to understand its budgetary issues better, which helped contextualize the emptiness that exudes from Zestiria. It's neat that they finally managed an interconnected world of this scale (with greater variety in geometry than Xillia), but most of it is just large empty fields to walk ??through.

Seeing as the plot moves so slowly anyway, they should have leaned into it by creating some chunky optional areas that feel rewarding to explore?. That introduce??s its own set of problems, but it would have been so nice for the game to say "We need to go over here, but that place seems interesting, wink wink." That would have been an avenue for some better side quests too.

Now, one thing that was less than ideal about this being my second game is how damn complex it is compared to Eternia. A lot of its ideas are new, but it still builds on top of the other games, which made it even more of a nightmare to learn for me. I revisited it for a few hours to refresh my memory, and I can definitively say with confidence that Berseria ma??naged to scale back a lot of tertiary mechanics for the ??better.

There's just so much crap to keep track of, and it's difficult to justify learning all of it when the game doesn't even get something as basic as the battle camera right. The uninterrupted transition from cutscenes to the field to battle is neat, but it was not worth being unable to see when fighting in cramped corridors. Still, I think the Armatization mechanic is cool for its novelty if nothing else. I always like it when games present some fresh ideas, and the Tales s??eries is full of neat ideas that may or ma??y not be worth putting into other games.

Lastly, I wanna talk about the DLC a li??ttle bit. As highlighted in my review, I wasn't privy to the Alisha DLC (even though I had a sealed copy), only the minor "booster DLC" thing. But since Bamco hates me, I couldn't even get that, since their site was under repairs when I tried to redeem my code. That soured me on ever buying DLC from them, and I wasn't in a? mood to do so anyway.

As such, I haven'?t played the Alisha DLC, even though I should for completeness' sake. But all I've heard about it is how much of a grindy disappointment it is, so I don't feel like engaging with it just to satisfy? my curiosity. I even heard that it'd make me dislike Rose, who is like my favourite character in the game. If that's the case, then I'm content with writing the whole thing off as non-canonical.

Tales of Phantasia

I didn't review Phantasia or Destiny, since I felt there wa?sn't enough material in each game for a standalone review, but since I'm doing a series retrospective now, it's much easier to get the words down.

Looking at Phantasia from the perspective of its original release on SNES in 1995, it's amazing how fa??r it goes both on its own terms and as a foundation for the rest of the series, in spite of how much of the original story was cut. There's so much here that's very foundational for the series, both mechanically and story-wise.

The most standout thing is the first incarnation of the Linear Motion Battle System, which remains pretty unique to this day. The only game I've seen that has used 2D fighting games as a basis for its combat system to this degree is Summon Night: Swordcraft Story on the GBA. To think that they made a co-op action RPG SNES in this style is bananas. The only similar game of the era that I can think of is Secret of Mana, which is not as te??chnical and goe?s for a top-down view instead.

As alluded to in the Eternia section, one major issue with the combat is that spellcasting pauses the action, which really kills the pacing of most fights. Couple this with the fact that spells can't be dodged and a lot of battles just devolve into a ?DPS race where you force Mint to spam multi-target healing as much as possible. There are also some dungeons that really annoyed me.

For as difficult as it can be to get through in parts, th??at doesn't undermine some of the other standout aspects of the game. It's a time-travel story, meaning that there are multiple overworld maps, even on SNES it had small amounts of voice clips (upgraded to partial voi??ce acting in the PS1 version and full voice acting in the PSP version), and it has a really rad war sequence where you get to fight on a flying horse!

Then there's the music, the backgrounds (which are not as impressive as Eternia's, but still quite good) and just how much of a good-ol'-fashioned adventure it is. The stakes are quickly laid down, the characters are simple but easy to like and most of the plot deals directly with the problem at hand, which is the fight against Dhaos in multiple eras. I'm impressed that it all flows t??ogether so well and manages ??to remain so focused.

Tales of Destiny

Destiny sits in an awkward spot for me. Since it precedes the PS1 remake of Phantasia by a year, it doesn't get to enjoy the added features of that game. Also, since the PS2 remake wasn't localized (which I've heard good things about), you're stuck with this middle step between the SNES version of Phantasia and the PS1 version as an English-speaking fan.

What really stands out is the incredibly limiting combat. You can only attack once normally per combo before you need to use an arte to keep the combo going. That doesn't sound that much worse than the two times you can attack normally in Phantasia PS1 and Eternia, but it really grinds things to a ha??lt, especially if you're playing in semi-auto mode and run back and forth only attacking once each time because you messed up the timing to chain into an arte.

Then there are the visuals, which are very similar, though noticeably less appealing than the other two games, especially when it comes to the world map. It's this really crunched up mode-7-esque map that really stands out for how ugly it is compared to the proper 3D overworld in the other PS1 games?. The party screen is cute, but since the skit?s were cut in the English version, it serves little purpose.

If you can get past that (and the high encounter rates in certain areas), it's a decent time. The story is a bit by-the-numbers, but it works. I found it interesting that everyone is a magical sw??ord-wi?elder in this game, giving them access to both a decent melee weapon (which levels up and can be outfitted with an equipment disc for stats and extra spells) and spells.

Had the combat been more fleshed out, making everyone a swor??d-user would probabl?y have been lame, but I think the game makes it work by at least giving people unique artes. While I wouldn't call the game bad, it's not a game I'm super keen to revisit, especially when the other two PS1 games exist with better presentations and mechanics.

Tales of Symphonia

_{Read my review here.}

Finally. The big one.

I was really excited ?about finally getting to play this seminal game, and to give this section some pizzazz, I reached out to some older fans to ask some questions and confirm some beliefs I had about the game and its legacy.

While the western releases of Destiny and Eternia garnered the series some fame in the west, it wasn't until Symphonia that Bamco struck gold. There were a couple of reasons for this, namely the voice acting, some QoL improvements over Eternia, the easily accessible four-player co-op (no Multi-Tap or Channeling Rings required!), the anime-inspired visuals finally being brought to 3D, the strong soundtrack, and how much Nintendo pushed it at the time. Given the GameCube's lackluster selection of JRPGs and Symphonia's quality, it makes total sense that Nintendo would do their best to get?? everyone to buy it.

It was this perfect storm of being a GameCube exclusive that catered to budding weebs (who may have had limited exposure to JRPGs up until that point) that provided solid replayability through the ??NG+ system (which lets you unlock cheats), the ?bonding system (which wasn't to my liking, personally), and the co-op combat that had multiple characters to mess around with.

Couple that with the rise of mainstream forums, and its no wonder that people latched onto the game as hard as they did and formed a strong fanbase for Symphonia in particular over the series as a ?whole. Especially since? the main games jumped ship to Sony and Microsoft platforms for the most part after this.

It reminds me of my own experiences with Kingdom Hearts when that was new. It was my introduction to action RPGs, the concept of leveling characters (which feels really good when you haven't built up much resistance to those sweet, sweet brain chemicals it triggers), and being encouraged to explore a massive world. Viewed through this lens, I'm sure I'd be as much of a sucker for Symphonia as everyone else.

However, the game that I think holds greater value in comparison is Final Fantasy X. It much like Symphonia and KH1, showed what a then-modern RPG could look and sound like. It's easy to forget just how much of a jump it was to go from FFIX to FFX, and it's extra interesting to compare the two, as their stories are superficially similar. Both start you on a journey across the world through various temples, which is inte?nded to end with a sacrifice to save the world.

The key difference between the two games is that FFX plays its cards straight and slowly builds to the point where the party rejects destiny, whereas in Symphonia, the party changes their quest abruptly early on after going through a small-scale classical JRPG quest that ends in betrayal. Ultimately, both games have the same uplifting message of "Screw fate, we gotta do what's right through the power of anime!", but Symphonia hits harder by having the world itself be built on lies instea?d of just having some party members hide stuff.

I think that's why the story struck a chord with people. I can't think of another JRPG before this (barring a small part of Eternia) that played around with deconstructing JRPG tropes. What's important to remember is that Symphonia reconstructs those tropes in a greater context later on and ends up being the then-modern incarnation of what early JRPGs were in their day. It doesn't reject being a JRPG,?? it makes a statement of declaring that JRPGs should aim higher than before.

Said height ends up looking a bit short in retrospect, as the theme of "racism bad, get along" isn't the most challenging message, but it sadly remains relevant, and the game does a good job o?f showcasing how dumb racism is by manufacturing a setting where you easily empathize w?ith the non-racists.

On the combat front, I like the actual fighting more than in Eternia, as it's a bit e?asier to chain regular attacks into artes and you automatically maintain your position in semi-auto mode after attacking. The addition of 3D battle arenas makes it easier to target specific enemies at the cost of making it?? harder to protect spellcasters from bosses. As such, heal-spamming is still very much the thing you need to be doing at all times.

Now, everything new is not quite to my liking, as the tertiary mechanics like Overlimit and the Exsphere system are either annoyingly random or difficult to experiment with. As such, it ends up having worse combat than Eternia, in spite of it feeling ?better to play, which is such an unfortunate thing.

What isn't unfortunate is the removal of random encounters, which is delight??ful,?? as you can make an effort to avoid a lot of battles, and it's great for the pacing. Good thing too, as there is a larger focus on puzzles, some of which were too much for me if I remember correctly. A shame there wasn't more optional content, but I understand the increased cost inherent in developing for sixth-gen.

Lastly, I wanna briefly talk about this game's connection to Phantasia, which it's secretly a prequel to. Since I went ??to the effort of playing the games in order, I expected to get more out of this connection than I did. The connection is evident, but due to the timescale, the two games share a main conflict over Mana, a few areas and little else. Still, it's a cool extra thing to think about if you're into both games.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World

_{Read my review here.}

Dawn of the New World (which I will respectfully refrain from referring to as Symphonia 2, so drop the pitchforks) is a game whose existence was seemingly brought to be in the name of money over creative expression. Devs gotta eat and all games sold are done so to make money, so this isn't strange. However, when you make a sequel to the best-selli??ng game in the franchise on the successor platform of the GameCube, in spite of said game not having room for a direct sequel and there already being a distant one, one can't help but raise an eyebrow.

As such, I was hesitant to play DotNW (Wow, that's a terrible abbreviation. Let's go with Dawn instead). Seeing ?as I didn't have the same deep connection to the original game li?ke the people Bamco were trying to appeal to, I managed to get a decent chunk of enjoyment out of the game in spite of its flaws. What delicious irony.

Instead of trying their damndest to make a new story for the old cast, Dawn instead opts to focus on a new pair of characters, protagonist Emil and his galpal Marta. The old cast is still there, but they're level-locked guest part??y members with limited use that barely matter to the plot. If that wasn't alienating enough for old fans, the game manufactures a conflict between Emil and Lloyd by painting Lloyd as a false hero who killed Emil's parent??s.

With that in mind, I really ??don't blame people for dropping both the game and the series at this point. It's brave to make the old hero a villain, but it's also such a cheap way to create conflict that can easily backfire. I think the game would have been received a bit better if the old cast was used a bit more tactfully.

Still, I couldn't ignore the improvements the game offers. The presentation is naturally better, since it's a Wii game. The models have better proportions, the ??text??ures are more detailed and the skits are voiced. Stuff like that really makes it easier to accept having run through the recycled areas.

Combat is pretty good overall, as the game cleans up a lot of my problems with Symphonia. Unison attacks take less time to charge, there's no annoying way to learn artes and chaining combos is slightly easier (to a fault frankly due to how easy air juggling is). Had the game only focused on Emil and Marta, it would be a great introductory Tales game, as the skill ceiling is low?? and it's pretty easy to understand combos and the new charge a?ttacks.

That's not the case though, as there's this whole monster catching system trying to fill the gap of there not being a proper party of characters available. Personally, I think Pokemon is flawed to begin with, but translating its design ideas poorly to an action RPG makes it hold even less water. I say that because monster catching and trying to match up strengths versus weaknesses isn't important at all. Here's my guide to playing Dawn:

Catch two bears and something else. Teac?h them all basic h??ealing. Done.

Do that and you're set for the rest of the game, as leveling the bears lets them evolve to some reall?y fast fighters. Them being able to attack quickly and stunlock everything you can't air juggle yourself is all that matters. As such, trying to actively engage with the system as intended will only sully the experience, as you'll drag down the pacing doing so.

Dawn's story is difficult enough to enjoy without the pacing going down the crapper. Now, I'll go to bat for Emil's character arc, as I'm a sucker for doormat-to-hero narratives, but when I revisited the game, it was evident that the first chapter needed another editing pass. You get assaulted with flashbacks to scenes that occurred 30 to 120 seconds ago, Emil's repetitive schtick of over-apologizing and the ever famous "Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality"? line.

Which is a shame, since the game's singular focus on Emil's and Marta's relationship lends itself to a really good character dynamic. Marta gets enamoured with an interpretation of Emil that's not really him (it's complicated), which Emil tries to live up to. That secondary personality Marta was subjected to then starts to take over and claim to be the better Emil. At that point, Emil struggles with accepting who he is and that he deserves to exist while Marta has to realize that the real? Emil is more deserving of her affection.

Gameplay polish and a good character dynamic does not a great game make when they are grouped together with a setting with little more to give and a monster catching system that feels real?ly shoehorned in. Frankly, Emil ?and Marta should have had a game in a new setting, it would have worked out so much better.

Tales of Legendia

_{Read my review here.}

Out of all of the Tales games I've played, Legendia is the one that stands out the most. Which makes sense, as it was made by a separate team from the Symphonia people. As such, it has a very different general feel and gives the impression of being much older than Symphonia, despite being released two years later. A part of that is due to the shift in platforms from GameCube to PS2, but even that doesn't excuse how much of a 2001 game it feels like, especially since Tales of the Abyss came o?ut the same year and looks ?fine. But graphics don't necessarily make or break a game, so let's talk about the rest of it.

Having the whole game be set on a giant island ship and be themed around water is really unique. Yo??u've got fresh settlers, ancient ruins, otter people, and other continents interested in the island. A?nd, to really give The Legacy its unique feel, the soundtrack is orchestral, jazzy and quite laid back compared to what we usually get. The soundtrack is the one part of the game I can recommend people checking out, even if it is a bit of an acquired taste.

Actually playing the game is mostly a chore, not helped by the plot being pretty boring for the most part. The combat is 2D, but feels worse than Eternia's and features so goddamn many HP sponge enemies that it's not even funny. For my quick revisits of these games, I've messed around with auto mod??e to save myself some effort (it works surprisingly well, especia?lly as a laid-back easy mode).

Legendia is the only game where I would outright recommend people?? to not engage with the co??mbat more than is necessary by using auto. The only interesting addition is Senel's throws, but even those kinda suck, since enemies are divided into multiple weight classes, making it guesswork to find out which ones you actually have the arte needed to throw around.

Couple that with some ??really lengthy dungeons (not helped by the re-introduction of random battles and the top-down perspective), all of which the game expects you to redo during the character quests in the postgame, and you get an ordeal of a video game.

The character quests are the most interesting parts of the game, as every party member gets the focus to either finish their character arc or start up a new one. It's pretty good stuff, but the deck is stacked against this part of the game. As I said before, you need to redo dungeons, but this is also where Bamco gave up dubbing the game (in English at least), meaning that some of the best scenes in the game aren't voiced. I quite liked Chloe and her struggle with her family, her sense of justice and her revenge, but I just do not have it in me to play the? game again.

It did give me this stellar screenshot however, so it wasn'?t all a waste:

Tales of the Abyss

_{Read my review here.}

After going through Dawn and struggling through Legendia, Abyss was such a bre??ath of fresh air. All I knew about it is that the main character Luke is the only instance of a terrible protagonist who goes through enough of an arc that he becomes likeable. That turned out to be the case, but that's not all the game has to offer.

I really like the theming in Abyss, as its two major themes (fate and identity) are well-represented either through the worldbuilding or the party. The world of Auldrant is governed by the Score, which is a set of tablets inscribed with details about the future. As such, people get dependent on knowing their future and certain t??ragedies are seen through just because it's written in the Score. It's also a finite text, and Luke manages to prove it to not be all-powerful, which both kicks off the plot and keeps it turning.

Although, the party is what really holds the game together. They all have layers to them, with secrets that they hi?de from the others either willingly or unknowingly. When these secrets get out, both the player, the party, and sometimes the character themself have to reassess their perception of said character, which really helps justify the game's 70-hour runtime a lot better than the other lengthy games in the series.

The combat sands down the rough edges of Symphonia's combat system (Side thought: What with all the musical theming in Abyss, shouldn't it have been named Symphonia instead?), making things a lot more dependable. Manual Overlimit and Freerun makes such a difference for t??he experience. The Field of Fonon system (which alters artes with elemental properties) is neat, but there isn't much reason to engage with it unless you really want to.

The only negatives I?? can think of are the unvoiced skits and the Capacity Core system. Much like the FOF system, CCs aren't super vital to the game (besides getting the ability to use items on other party members). Which is go??od, as had CCs been super important, I would have been a lot more down on the game. As the system is now, you can't tell what support abilities you can get, nor which stats you need to raise to get them.

But that doesn't matter, since only the late game ones are any good, and those only matter for the NG+ bonus dungeon. It's such a waste of a mechanic, especially since Xillia 2 proves that it can ?be implemented better (though that incarnation of the system still has its faults). With a bit more tinkering to the sub-systems and combat plus a larger localization budget, it would have basically been flawless as far as PS2 JRPGs go.

Tales of Vesperia

_{Read my review here.}

Here we are at the last game in the holy Symphonia/Abyss/Vesperia trilogy. It was lucky that Bamco decided to remaster this game for people like me who nev??er got themselves an Xbox 360 just when I needed access to the game.

What stands out beyond the improved graphical presentation compared to Abyss is that we finally have voiced skits in a main game. It adds so much to be able to listen to ?the characters interact instead of just reading it, especially since the character portraits are so animated. Rita's slightly angry face is just the best.

All that helps you endear yourself to the characters, which are all quite good, even if they don't have much in the way of arcs. Yuri Lowell (somehow not voiced by Yuri Lowenthal) struggles less with himself and more with how to apply his beliefs that change is too slow and inefficient through official channels. It's a nice change of pace for a Tales?? protagonist, but I still think he should have committed more mist??akes. As it is now, he kinda comes off as always being right, even though I find it unlikely that he would always pick the "best" choice when faced with a dilemma. To err is human and all that.

The other big thing with the story is the environmentalist theme, which is handled slightly more tactfully than what Symphonia did with racism. A lot of the games deal with environmentalism to some degree, but here they went a few extra miles with it. The worldbuilding is paced well and lays the groundwork for the fossil fuel allegory by showcasing how necessary Blastia are and how difficult it'd be to simply stop using them. Although, when the cards had been played and the game was over, I was really missing an epilogue detailing the results of the party's efforts to save the world. It's obviously not a completely happy ending, and I ??would have really liked to see a bit more.

The combat feels better than Abyss, but it's here where I see the beginnings of the three dozen needless mechanics that brought down Zestiria. Having four levels of Overlimit, less stringent input windows, and a lengthy list of differing artes?? to chain is great. With how annoying it is to learn Altered Artes, all the shit involving Fatal Strikes, and how difficult it is ?to air-juggle with Judith, I wish they reigned in their ambition. Just having the additions I praised earlier would have been enough.

The Definitive Edition brought with it many a thing (like extra scenes where Yuri is obviously not voiced by Troy Baker anymore), but what I really wanna focus on is Patty the pirate. This girl is crazy mechanically, so much so that she could carry her own game. While I was pleased to see some DMC moves in the game?? (Yuri has Prop Shredder and Judith has Lunar Phase), Patty has fucking style switching!

It's somewhat random and difficult to get the hang of, but she is my favourite incarnation of the gambler archetype in a JRPG, as you get just enough control over her abilities to make it not feel like you're just rolling a die. You need to adapt to ??your luck, lea?rn to use her different forms and know which artes work best when. It's still a bit rough around the edges, but she's still great as a randomized mage/healer/buff machine to have in your party.

Tales of Graces f

_{Read my review here.}

Graces was a nice surprise, as it deviates from the Symphonia lineage quite a bit and introduces a lot of fresh ideas and fixes. I get the f??eeling a lot of it is owed to its o??riginal home on the Wii and the limited amounts of buttons it has. I'm afraid to check if it had motion controls originally though.

The plot kinda snuck up on me with how much it ended up affecting me emotionally. Power of friendship stuff is a bit hit-or-mis?s for me, but here it was a hit for sure. There are a couple of reasons for this, with the first one being the childhood prologue and how well the rest of the game uses it. Some people are bound to have difficulty empathizing with the plights and wants of children, but I liked what was put on the table. Adults are nothing but oversized children anyway, which is something I hope everyone figures out eventually.

I especially liked it when the game introduced its fair share of tragedies, which splits the party up and inspires Asbel to mai??????????????????????????ntain his optimism and fight to reclaim the bonds he lost. His unending determination and o?ptimism is the stuff of legend. While his worldview ends up being the solution to the plot, it's not without a ton of struggle, and that helped make it more believable. It's really heartwarming to see him somehow win out against those odds and create his own makeshift family.

Another thing I liked (which I have only ever seen in the anime Pandora Hearts) is the way power dynamics shift after the time skip. People who both Asbel and the player see as strong (which includes Asb??el himself) don't seem so impressive as they once did, while those deemed as weak have done a lot to change that. It exemplifies how neither people nor relationships are stagn??ant and that one needs to work to maintain bonds.

??It was also in this game where I realized just how much skits add to the series, especially when voiced. Since skits give the writers free rein to talk about basically anything through the characters, there's bound to be a skit or two that really hits home as long as you're willing to engage with it and pay attention to what's being said beneath the goofy veneer. I don't have a direct example (there are so many skits in one game alone), b??ut these games do manage to get real from time to time.

The raddest thing the game does though is to throw away a ton of staple mechanics for the combat in order to reinvent it. I'm a sucker for Souls games, so having a malleable stamina meter instead of a "mana pool" feels so right to me. This removes some of the item conservation aspect and lets the game hard-??focus on t??he actual fighting.

When I revisited the game, everything clicked into place very quickly, as it's pretty straightforward to get the handle on laying down combos and frantically dodging. Even with the weakness combo system in place, you can still get a lot done by simply focusing on the inherent properties of each arte. Between the speed, range, stunlock-potential, and mobility, most artes really feel different, making it much easier to set up your favourite combinations. It's especially easy since you don't have to deal with artificial combo limitations as much, since there are only two major types of artes. Couple that with spellcasters finally being fun to use (due to combos shortening cast times), every party member feeling good to play, and everyone having their own gimmicks, and you get a real blast of a combat system. Also, the secret Maxwell extension finisher for the final boss of the epilogue i??s fucking rad.

Tales of the Tempest

Now we're on the portable block of the retrospective, which is the one part of this whole ordeal I fully regret. As previously mentioned, I haven't played Tales of Hearts, but I can only hope that it's be?tter than this sorry sack of ?software I subjected myself to.

Tempest holds the unique "honor" of being the only mothership game in the series to retroactively be downgraded to an escort (spinoff) title. There are reasons for this, most of which I can't tell you because I barely got an hour into the game before giving up. What?? I can tell you is that it's slightly impressive for a DS game, but still very ugly ??and not very interesting. I don't know what else to say aside from that it needed better everything.

Oh yeah, Rubia scares me.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology

Being a fanservice crossover game, Radiant Mythology managed to hold my interest enough for me to beat it, but it was still very shallow compared to the games it plucked characters from. Instead of being a Tales game with crossover characters, it's a crossover game with Tales characters. As such, the story is bland and dotted with some neat cameos. The potential of the setup (like say having pre-development Luke collaborating with Raine for a ruin investigation) is co??mpletely wasted.

It's a mission-based RPG, which was all the rage on PSP and DS, meaning that you spend a lot of time running through the same areas under the guise of it being for a differ??ent reason each time. The combat is alright in places, but it's so hopelessly grindy. I have no idea how they intend you to have a fair chance of beating the final boss without grinding your avatar into godhood status.

Tales of Innocence

At this point, my standards were lowered quite a bit, so Innocence being somewhat competent put me in a false sense of security. Combat works, but the dungeon design is as bad if not worse than Legendia, making it one hell?? of a journey to clear each dungeon. The final one in particular is basically a linear set of unavoidable?? battles, and it's fucking terrible.

The only interesting thing about the plot is the cast being reincarnated gods (assuming my vague memories are trustworthy), but it does nowhere near as much with the concept as Digital Devil Saga, so I'd rather tell people to play that.

Tales of Xillia

_{Read my review here.}

Like Graces, Xillia was a game I didn't know much about except maybe a vague memory of Milla's character design. What's immediately interesting ?about the game is that she and Jude share top billing, meaning that the player can pick who to play as from a story perspective.

While it's a neat i??dea, it's not as interesting as one would hope, since most of the story is shared between the two save from certain parts where they split up. Beyond changing the colour grading (which still confounds me, since none of the areas look better tinted blue or pink), there are at least two reasons to replay the game as the other character. The first is to check out th?ose exclusive scenes (I vote for going Jude first, even if his contributions to the story are lacking at times), and the second is to pick up on all the foreshadowing for the good twists in the game.

All of the post-Eternia games incentivize the player to replay the game by offering NG+ bonuses, but Xillia was the only game to get me to pull the trigger on that. Well, replaying the game that is. I was an ?idiot and assumed you wouldn't be able use a completed Jude save for a NG+ Milla save, but I still managed to have some fun on another fresh playthrough.

In spite of the environments being the worst in the 3D games (sooooo many tunnels and cliffy fields), thanks to the shop system it's pretty easy to maintain the game's pacing if you know what you're doing. By sacrificing upgrades to the equipment shops, you can hyper focus on the ??food shop, which eventually gives you exp boosts. You can then eat before every boss in order to keep up with the leveling curve without engaging with the intended amount of battles against common mooks.

That playthrough is the closest I've come to a boss rush RPG outside of Wild Arms 3, which I quite enjoyed. The combat system shines the most in bosses, as th??at's where you need? to fight long enough for everything to come into play.

Unlike Vesperia, Xillia distributes its complexities much better, meaning that it's worth caring about every major mechanic. Linking up with different characters for their support effects while doing co-op attacks is great fun. You still have to reign yourself in to enjoy t?he game, as the characters' different playstyles and gimmicks are so unique that trying to master them all in a single playthrough is a fool's errand.

That maintains replayability, but me being me, I still tried to play with almost everyone to limited success. If you can accept not kitting people out optimally, there are automated systems to use, which will totally get you thr?ough the game. However, it's so open to semi-complex choices that I couldn't help but try to optimize and figure out what I could do with most characters.

The biggest issue I have with the combat is how difficult it is to do the top-level combos. Said combos will only happen if you swap link partners during combat to extend how long of a link arte chain you can do during Overlimit. I find that so difficult because to do that you need a near-perfect setup of 16 artes, which you then need to internalize before you can pull off a link partner-switching combo. That takes a decent amount of practi??ce and is made harder by the addition of new artes as you progress, since artes that feel good or hit a specific element may not fit well into your link arte setup.

I would have added a "standard setup" for each character that strikes a good balance between gamefeel and utility for people to fall back on (like what Berseria has), or an option that let you automatically pair the artes of the character you're currently using to the others in the active party. Although, now that I think about it, that sounds like a nightmarish algorithm to design. Interestingly enough, Xillia 2 had its own solution to this problem.

Tales of Xillia 2

_{Read my review here.}

In many ways, Xillia 2 and Dawn of the New World are cut from the same cloth. Both were made for less than stellar reasons (Dawn to cash in on Symphonia fans, Xillia 2 to make a game for cheap) and feature new protagonists, but Xillia 2 doesn't make the same mistakes and comes out the better game. Instead of shying away from the old party members in lieu of a half-baked Pokemon clone, it instead relishes in everything Xillia had to offer, builds on top of the story pretty well (all things considered), fixes issues with the combat system, and even adds more stuff to the mix without feeling as annoyingly complex as Vesperia (or god forbid, Zestiria).

While the silent Ludger isn't nearly as fleshed out as Emil, I was still interested in his relationship with Elle. They make for a fun pair. What really sold the story for me was how it uses the old characters. Everyone gets something to do in the new world as they try to find their place in it, and it feels a lot more natural than what Lloyd was up to in Dawn. Even just taken as a vector for new skits, Xillia proves its worth as a product. It's just so good to see ever?yone hang out and go on ??weird tangents.

While the game is shameless about its recycled assets, I found its laid-back presentation to really work in its favour. The music and fourth-wall-breaking UI messages really helped in that regard. It's not a game for everyone, b??ut if you go into it with the correct mindset and ?accept it as a really fun expansion pack, there's a lot to like.

I have my grievances with the removal of the Allium Orbs, but the combat really shines. Ludger is the closest rival to Patty when it comes to mechanical complexity in the series. So much so that you can easily play as him exclusively and not get bored. Then you have the reintroduction of sidesteps from Graces, generic Link artes to make O??verlimit combos flow better and even some new basic attacks.

I'm glad I gave the game a chance to impress me because, even with its issues, it has a?? lot to offer, both as a sequel and as an installment in the series.

Tales of Berseria

_{Read my review here.}

During this two-year journey, I heard more and more things about Berseria, painting it as a return to form after Zestiria, whic??h was encouraging to hear. In many ways, it is, but it wasn't as good as I? had hoped sadly.

The Berserk-inspired story made me feel things, and the mechanics are not as brain-shatteringly complex as Zestiria's, but even so, the game has clear faults to me. As far as the story is concerned, the pacing during act 2 (when the party investigates Therions) and how needless Rokuro feels really makes me wish they had taken an axe to the script. I believe a part of those feelings may be due to series fatigue, but I still think Berseria is the game in the series that would have the most to gain by being shorter. There are just so many hours in between the game's mo??st emotional moments, which makes it a bit of a slog.

While gameplay isn't as befuddling as Zestiria's, it features a bunch of half-steps that seem caught between series tradition and wanting to reinvent things even more than Graces did. With the removal of directional input (for the most part, four artes can still be assigned to directional input), a really shoddy sidestep, a debilitating stamina system during boss fights, and a customizable arte tree, I found it hard to engage with the game on an immediate level. Comparatively, the basics of Zestiria are easier to grasp. It??'s just all the extra bullshit on top of that and the bad camera that dr??ags it down.

Beyond the Soul system, what really got me down is the intersection of the power combo system and the customizable arte tree. When I revisited Zestiria, I was shocked to see that the arte tree there was unchangeable, putting it closer to Graces than I had realized. In Berseria, you can either use the pre-made tree or try to figure out your own setup. Although, with enemy weaknesses being so modular, you can never have a c??omfortable setup for a character. Instead of it being "Oh, I need to use these two abilities on this enemy. Lemme switch my approach a bit." it's "Okay, if I wanna hit those three weaknesses, I need use one of these two characters and fiddle with the arte tree for a couple of minutes, so I can figure out a combo that chains well and doesn't hit a resistance."

Now, I realize that there are mechanics in play to give you more freedom for combos. There are derivative artes which you can access from other artes, plus the aforementioned directional shortcuts, but that just adds another dimension of complexity to the whole thing. The default tree doesn't cover things as well as the static tree in Graces or Zestiria. Trying to figure out a good custom setup takes f?orever since you won't have access to all artes until level 60, and there's no practice mode. After a while, I just went for the braindead approach of ignoring weaknesses and spamming things with Velvet, which expressly undoes a lot of the gameplay depth due to how strong she is.

The four-button attack buttons and the free movement are valid ideas, but for them to work, the game needs to let up even more and go even further into Musou. If you could simply focus on designing combos that felt good to use with intrinsic properties (like the Burst artes in Graces) with an omnidirectional dodge without having to think about hitting multiple weaknesses, I think? the game would be in a better place. If the series wants to be more involved Musou, t?hen that's fine. However, this half-step isn't the way to go.

End of First Half

I'm glad you're still with me. That was quite the journey. Stay tuned for the ??end of the retrospective where I'??ll dole out awards, rank the games, and give my final thoughts on the series. Until then, Imma get some rest.

The post Hunting My White Wh??ale: The Tales Series Retrospec?tive appeared first on Destructoid.

PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are locked in too

The next game in the Tales series is finally ready to set a date. Tales of Arise has been loc??ked in for a Sept. 10 release date, and it's also arriving with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions alongside PS4??, Xbox One, and PC.

Famitsu revealed a wealth of new info about the new entry in the Tales series this morning. Alongs??ide new screenshots showcasing two additional characters that seem to be joining the party—a previously-teased mage character and a martial arts fighter??—there are also two new trailers. The first is the launch date trailer (in English via IGN):

It wasn't just cinematics, though. A second, longer trailer from Famitsu showcases a few minutes of  gameplay from Tales of Arise. Here, we can see the new look of the seri?es in motion, from overworl?d exploration and dialogue to battles.

Seeing how the team has managed to make it look completely new, with an overhauled style and systems, while still retaining the structures that make it feel very Tales-like is fascinating. I can make out what seem like Artes, and even the overworld seems hazily similar to other Tales games, but with a revitalized feel to it.

Tales of Arise had previously been indefinitely delayed, and while the studio had emphasized its new approach to the Tales series, not much was seen of it. Now, with both a release date, new platforms, and a gameplay video all out in the open, the new Tales is feeling much more real. I'm v??ery much looking forward to September.

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It's Unreal how excited people are for this game

It's been nearly two years since Bandai Namco first announced Tales of Arise, and it looks like we're getting closer than ever to seeing it hit store shelves. Today, the publisher dropped a new trailer for the game ??that ends with a promise of more information on the title later this spring.

Tales of Arise was first revealed in 2019 with a vague 2020 release date. Then COVID-19 happened, and the game was pushed out of its release window last summer. In December, we got word development on the title was nearing its end. With more news on it coming in the next few weeks, hopefully fans won't have to wait too much longer to get their h?ands on it.

Tales of Arise is currently scheduled to launch on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Given that we're already into a new generation of consoles, it wouldn't surprise me if Bandai Namco announces souped-up versions of the game for PS5 and Xbox Series X, but o??f course, that's all speculation at this point. Of course, if it's not coming to either of those sys?tems, why include all the branding disclaimers at the bottom of the trailer's end card?

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Tales of the Expected

Bandai Namco has proudly announced that Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition has passed ?the o?ne million sales milestone. The 2019 remaster of the Xbox 360 and PS3 release is available to purchase on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

As a quick refresher, Tales of Vesperia is the story of an ex-Imperial Soldier named Yuri Lowell, who forms their own rebellious party - The Brave Vesperia - in order to aid a noblewoman in need named Estelle. Like many rollicking anime RPGs of its kind, Tales of Vesperia features city-hopping quests, a wide cast of colorful heroes and villains, some class war, some pathos, and even a little romance. Vesperia was praised at launch for revitalizing the Tales series, with some critics calling it the series' best en??try yet.

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition was released to celebrate the fantasy RPG's 10th anniversary. Featuring upgraded visuals, English and Japanese voicetracks, and all of the DLC from previous iterations of the game, (including some rare Japan-only content), the Definitive Edition is, as the name suggests, a great way for new players to experience this classic adven??ture for the first time, as well as an enjoyable revisit for long-time fans.

Tales of Vesperi??a: Definitive Edition sales top one million [Gematsu / PR Times]

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The delayed adventure is coming together once again

It has been a mighty long wait for fans of the Tales series, eager to get their anime-adventure loving mitts on the next entry in the long-running franchise, Tales of Arise. According to comments to series producer Yusuke Tomizawa, development has markedly picked up pace on the?? PC and con??sole title, which is now expected to ship sometime in 2021.

Tales of Arise was first announced at E3 2019 with a dramatic trailer, telling the tale of two close planets - Dahna and Rena - and the complex issues that develop between their respective civilizations. While the RPG was initially scheduled to launch this year, a desire to create a truly ambitious series entry - along with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic - put several hurdles in place, pushing the release date beyond 2020.

In recent comments to Famitsu, Tomizawa noted that development has picked up in recent months, with the team recovering from the work delay caused by the pandemic. The producer notes that more specific information will be coming soon, stating that Tales of Arise is going to be a title that fans around the entire world will b??e extremely proud of.

Tales of Arise development in the final stages [Gematsu / Ryokutya2089]

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Don't tell Tales

Eagle-eyed folk over at ResetEra have spotted a brand new trademark from publisher Bandai Namco, one that suggests the possibility of a brand new sequel in the legendary Tales series.

The trademark for "Tales of Luminaria" was quietly filed in Europe earlier this week, seemingly unrelated to any sequel/spin-off title previously acknowledged by the publisher. Of course, sometimes companies will file trademarks that ultimately amount to nothing, but "Luminaria" is a pretty specific term, so Tales fans should keep their ears pricked for a possible announcement. It should also be noted that the Tales series features multiple mobile entries.

The next mainline Tales games, Tales of Arise, is cu?rrently in development at Bandai Namco for PS4, PC, and Xbox One. Originally scheduled for release in 2020, it has since been delayed to an undisclosed date due to the project's "ambitious" nature.

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Delayed 'due to the ambitious nature of the project'

Bandai Namco has a bit of housekeeping for Tales fans today. Not that we've seen or even heard much about the next game, Tales of Arise, but it's going to need more time. It's skipping 2020 alto?gether.

As producer Yusuke Tomizawa explains it, the developers are going big for Arise.

They're striving to catch lightning in a bottle – to deliver "a familiar but innovative gameplay experience to fans of the series, while pushing the technical envelope to deliver a high level of graphical quality to impress both long-time players and those who have never played a Tales of game."

"While COVID-19 has affected some aspects of development, we've done our best to adapt to the situation and have implemented remote development capabilities for our team. However, to achieve the quality and provide the gorgeous experience we envision for our players, we will need more time to realize that vision and therefore we decided to delay the launch timing for Tales of Arise."

Bandai Namco hasn't settled on – or at??? least publicly committed to – a new launch window. The game was previously announced for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. I'm curious where it'll end up.

Around this time last year, Tales of Arise had just leaked ahead of E3. What a year it's been.

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Hope it's okay as a free-to-play

I've been paying attention to Tales of Crestoria since I first caught a glimpse of the teaser trailer released for it back in 2018. Yes, it's going to be another free-to-play mobile game -- similar to Tales of the Rays which ended its service earlier that same year -- but a splashy trailer piqued my interest nonetheless. More than a year and several teaser trailers later, Bandai Namco has announced Crestoria is finally near completion and is read??ying the gam?e for its worldwide launch in early June, depending on how everything pans out.

Crestoria will feature protagonists Katana and Misella as they're hunted down for committing a sin. They're joined by key characters from past Tales&n?bsp;games, including Cress Alban??e, Velvet Crowe, and Luke fon Fabre. 

While this certainly looks more like a Tales game than the original concept trailer, I'd be lying if I said part of me wasn't disappointed the series was trying something more experimental for this outing. That said, it might be enough to tide me over until the launch of Tales of Arise, the next proper entry in the series.

Tales of Crestoria is available for pre-re?gistration now on Google Play and the App Store.

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The leak was right

The le??aks were right! See, you can trust leaks. Sometimes.

Today during Microsoft's E3 conference, the publisher confirmed that Tales of Arise is a real thing and hot damn it looks gorgeous. It's slated for a 2020 release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The last Tales game wasn't that long ago, as Tales of Berseria came out in 2016.

This one is directoed by Yusuke Tomizawa (of God Eater fame), and will focus on two planets: Dahna and Rena. Evidently the former reveres the latter (while the ??latter exploits the former), and the narrative centers in on the relationsh?ip and mythos between the intertwined civilizations, as told by two characters from different planets. How Shakespearean!

I mean...seriously! Watch the trailer below: it's one of the best looking games shown at E??3 so far.

The post The ??next Tales game, Tales of Arise, officially announced at E3 appeared first on Destructoid.

That's a good boar

What's Tales up to? A lot, apparently! According to an E3 2019 leak this afternoon, the next action-RPG on the docket is Tales of Arise. It's tough to glean too terribly?? much from a screenshot, but it looks slick.

Tales of Arise logo pic.twitter.com/c1rDl4cj3R

— Wario64 (@Wario64) June 7, 2019

As far as high-profile E3 leaks are concerned, there's no topping From Software's Elden Ring collab with GRRM, but Tales of Arise is another noteworthy reveal in its own right. As relayed by ResetEra, the game is said to?? run on Unreal Engine 4 and it'll reportedly release on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

"On the planet Dahna, reverence has always been given to Rena, the planet in the sky, as a land of the righteous and divine," reads the leaked summary. "Stories handed down for generations became truth and masked reality for the people of Dahna. For 300 years, Rena has ruled over Dahna, pillaging the planet of its resources and stripping p??eople of their dign?ity and freedom. Our tale begins with two people, born on different worlds, each looking to change their fate and create a new future."

I eagerly await hearing Dennis Carden's extended thoughts.

The post The Tales series is back in action wit?h Tales of Arise appeared first on Destructoid.

24 years of anime adventure

Over on that social media hive of activity, Twitter, publisher Bandai Namco has very proudly announced that the Tales se??ries of RPGs has ??hit an impressive milestone of over 20 million worldwide sales.

The original title in this long-running series, Tales of Phantasia, launched for the Super Famicom in Japan way back in 1995. Since then, the Tales series has grown into a  global brand, expanding onto multiple platforms across numerous generations. The most recent release, Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition, is a remaster of the series' 2008 PS3 and Xbox 360 r??elease, and launched back in Januar?y for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

To celebrate the milestone, Bandai Namco has released a Vesperia-themed mobile wallpaper and social network icons. These can be downloaded for your phone right here. There will also be a digital sale held on all Tales titles on all platforms. As for the next entry in the series, wel??l, we know that there is currently a new title in development, but details remain thin on the ground. Hopefully new news regarding this re??lease will be forthcoming soon.

Tales Fans! Thanks to you the #talesof series has sold over 20 MILLION units worldwide!!! To celebrate we present to you a new illustration from artist Minoru Iwamoto. Get your own wallpaper versions here: //t.co/XzoUcHfdem #talesof pic.twitter.com/fHSDNjvmwb

— Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS) May 8, 2019

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I wanna be the very best knight of Ratatosk... oh wait. I'm the only knight of Ratatosk. Where's my printable certificate?

CJ’s review of The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince fascinated me because despite loving it, he found it to be an average g?ame. Experiences like that speak? volumes about what we look for most in games because they allow us to identify our ideals in a pile of faults. It inspired me to ask myself whether I love any games that are truly average, mediocre, or unremarkable.

Then I rediscovered my dusty copy of Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. If you remember Carter’s review of Tales of Symphonia Chronicles (which includes a remaster of this game), he couldn’t recommend Dawn over Tales of Symphonia in any way. But Dawn’s original Wii release was my intro to the Tales ser?ies, and it’s a game I respected a ton on its own merits. And oddly, many of the design choices that make it a lacking game are related to what drew me into it.

For the uninitiated, Dawn of the New World is a direct sequel to the legendary Gamecube title Tales of Symphonia. It introduces a new protagonist in Emil Castagnier, and most Symphonia fans cite him as one of their biggest problems with this game. To sum up his personality, he’s a cowardly young man who only fights by forming a pact with the lord of monsters, Ratatosk, that temporarily makes him brash and aggressive. It’s an interesting gimmick for a protagonist, but th?e plot takes a while to do anything particularly intriguing with it, so for much of the story he’s a timid coward with a generally predictable character arc.

This is rarely an enticing trait for a protagonist, and for the most part, it also leaves a bad first impression. Emil’s motivation to defy his cowardice is a more unique twist as he seeks to confront Symphonia’s previous protagonis?t, Lloyd Irving, for supposedly decimating the town of Palmacosta. But this plot thread is more interesting in its concept than its execution, as it doesn’t develop into anything as intriguing than it sounds like.

He’s accompanied by female lead Marta, who develops a crush? on him right away and… huh. I… don’t remember any of Marta’s actual personality traits. I only recall that she falls for Emil before he earns the right to have a love interest. That…that’s a pretty bad sign for the character with second billing. A quick Google search reminds me that she’s a stubborn tomboy, and I now remember how that personality would make her a catalyst to Emil’s gradual manning-up. But this trait never stuck out to me or else I wouldn&rsqu??o;t have had to Google her wiki entry. And I normally like tomboys.

Exacerbating their issues is that Emil and Marta are the only consistent party members. All of the main characters from Symphonia are playable in battle, but they’re rotating guest party members who can’t change equipment or level up. To fill his permanent party slots, Emil can instead recruit monsters like Pokémon, Shin Megami Tensei, or your monster-collecting RPG of choice. That’s a huge step backward for anyone who wanted to play this game to get more out of Symphonia’s characters, which?? is one of the most beloved aspects of that game.

I would say this is better for monster collecting enthusiasts, but actually c?atching monsters here is a mess. To simplify it as much as possible, you can only recruit a monster after defeating it if the battlefield is “attuned” to any single element strongly enough. This requires spamming spells and attacks of that element while avoiding any other ones. Your AI allies and enemies can disrupt this by casting their own abilities, making this already tedious process much less reliable. Oh, and you still have only a random chance of getting the monster you want after this. Even in my early teens, I knew this process was more annoying than it ever should have been.

Yet after getting that process over with, I was excited to fight alongside my new monsters. That's why I was excited to get this game. I already loved catching Pokémon, and Kingdom Hearts enamored me with action RPGs. But Dawn blended together these subgenres together in a way I never expected, and it taught me ??to recognize some of my?? favorite RPG tropes.

I’m a big fan of supposedly weak and generic monsters turning a new leaf and growing in strength alongside the main cast members. It’s a combination of the underdog and heel-face-turn tropes that gets me excited, and it helps that I always fantasize abou?t playing with exotic, cute, and/or ferocious critters in gam?es. While Dawn’s monsters only fig?ht as AI party members, you can support their growth in various ways you can’t with humans such as feeding them, teaching them new spells and evolving them.

This enables a weird, asymmetrical dynamic between the main human cast and monster companions, and that asymmetry between my own party members fascinated me. It still fascinates me in many better RPGs like Dragon Quest V and the Shin Megami Tensei series because I find it a thrilling thematic prospect to join the front line instead of making your collectible critters do all the work themselves. Dawn’s monster system is still flawed, and it seems to exist for no reason other than to enable a plot that constantly splits ?Emil from other party members, but it appealed to many of my sweet spots in gaming before I even understood them myself.

I was also okay with Emil being one of the only regular cast members because I was okay with Emil's character. If I hadn’t played Dawn until today, I probably would have found him just as unlikable of a pr?otagonist as most do. But back then, I identified myself with Emil’s cowardice, and I empathized with him in ??a somewhat personal way.

I had no experience with heroes sup?posedly massacring my hometown, but I shared his generally timid nature and hesitance to shake up his status quo. Seeing him constantly stumble to muster his courage never frustrated me because it constantly challenged me to reflect upon myself. He interested me because he was the kind of character I needed to see at the time.

Frankly, he's not how I matured as ?much as I have today, and this doesn’t excuse him from poor writing. Also, I still have nothing positive to say about Marta outside of completely superficial statements like “She's got a kinda cool fighting style.” But Emil sewed the seeds that would eventually allow me to grow up a bit. That was an important s??tep for me to take.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World has plenty of faults against its older brother, including several lesser issues I've not even touched here, but I loved it because it tried several ideas that meant a lot to me. If it weren't for several baffling design decisions, those ideas could stand much taller instead of sitting in Symphonia's shadow. Saying “this game helped me grow up a bit” still ignores whether it’s even an objectively well written coming-of-age story or not. But it takes s?ubjective reasons to say I love an objectively mediocre game.

The post Tales of Symphoni??a: Dawn of the New World is mediocre, but I lov??e it appeared first on Destructoid.

No official announcement as to why

Fans of the Tales series are likely excited as hell about the upcoming Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition remaster. Widely considered as one of the best games in the series, it was also the first game in the series to be in HD and release on a Microsoft platform (which saw some crazy sales spikes for the Xbox 360 in Japan at the?? time). Sadly, not everything about this re-release is good.

On Twitter yesterday, a fan had pointed out that it sounded like main character Yuri Lowell wasn't being voiced by his original English actor, Troy Baker, in Definitive Edition's newer scenes. While that could have been down to bad video compression?? or maybe just a placeholder actor while the new dub was being recorded, the worst possible news has turned out to be true. ??Baker, himself, responded to the fan and confirmed he wasn't called back for any additional lines.

Why would something like this even happen, though? Well in Japan, Vesperia eventually saw a release on the PS3 and that included a whole slew of new content. Since the US never received this version, a dub wasn't recorded for any of the new scenes. Now that Bandai Namco is finally localizing the additional scenarios, it seems no one t?hought to call up Baker and have him revoice Yuri (or even replace his original work).

At the time of its original release (2008), Baker wasn't as prominent of an actor. He had certainly been in titles before Vesperia, but that game was the first time I and many others took notice of him. Since then, he has starred in such mega titles as BioShock Infinite and The Last of Us, as well as basically every other game in your library. Having ??him not? return is a huge loss.

What really makes this odd is that the Tales series is one of Bandai Namco's biggest franchises. Maybe Baker commands a higher rate nowadays, but why would they cut corners on what? is always a high seller for them? It just seems like an overall crappy situation that could have easily been rectified with a simple phone call.

Troy Baker [Twitter]

The post Troy Baker won’t be reprising his role in Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition appeared first on Destructoid.

Tales producer at work on new series

It's been quite a week for "Projects". We've had Project Awakening, Project JUDGE, and now legendary publisher Square Enix has revealed a new fantasy RPG series, Project Prelude Rune, ahead of next week's Tokyo Game Show.

Project Prelude Rune is the first title out of Studio Istolia, a new venture headed up by long-time Tales series producer Hideo Baba. ??The developer noted that there is still a long way to go on the new title's road to fruition, but that the team are "pushing forward to accomplish new challenges" and that, with this new IP, they are hoping to create a warm fantasy world imbued with deep themes and messages.

You can check out a teaser trailer for Project Prelude Rune below. Currently in development for PS4, we can no doubt expect more information out of TGS 2018, beginning Sep??tem?ber 20.

The post Square Enix reveal new fantasy ?RPG Project Prelude Rune appeared first on Destructoid.

Repede and Me

Bandai Namco has announced that Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition will be heading to store shelves on January 11, 2019. A special edition steelbook version will be available in Europe and it has doggo companion Repede plastered all over it. American players will be able to nab a Bandai Namco online store exclusive "Anniversary Edition" for $99.99.

The anniversary bundle will include the game alongside figurines of Yuri Lowell, Patty Fleur, Flynn Scifo, and Repede. That will be available on each platform except PC. There is no confirmation on whether or not it w??ill contain t?he steelbook case from the European special edition.

TalesofU [Twitter]

Bandai Namco Store [Bandai Namco]

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Let the good deals roll

Tales of Berseria came and went for me. My backlog was huge at the time (and still is) so I never got to experience it. I have sporadically played different entries in the franchise over the years, enjoying Tales of Symphonia most of all. There is a very passionat??e fan base surrounding it, and every entry does something? a little different than the last.

Now might be a good time to strike if like me, you have been sitting on the fence for the most recent entry. Tales of Berseria, Tales of Zestiria, and Tales of Symphonia are all on a decent sale on the Steam store. Zestiria and Symphonia are 75% off, and Berseria is 40% off.

The sale is running until August 4 if anyone is looking to get their anime RPG fix for a dece??nt price.

The post Three games ?in the Tales se??ries are on sale on Steam appeared first on Destructoid.

Soak it up

Last year, Bandai Namco released Tales of Link for mobile. It was a game I downloaded and never got around to actually opening up and playing. I’m going through a similar situation right now with that new Angry Birds Evolution app. Link looked like every other JRPG app hitting the market and there was nothing I saw that made it seem like it was worth playing or even keeping on my phone. Tales of the Rays appears far more promising.

Boasting 3D graphics and the combat the Tales series is known for, Tales of the Rays follows protagonists Ix (fuck if I know how to pronounce that) and Mileena as they make their way through the world, joined by characters from past Tales games including Graces and Abyss. Rays features the all-new Linear Motion Battles system made specifically to work on mob?ile devices, which you can see in action in the trailer below.

I’m not sure if my LG will run it but you can be damn sure I’ll give it a shot on my iPad. Tales of the Rays will lau?nch in the west?? this summer for iOS and Android.

Tales of the Rays’ First English Trailer Shows Us What The Ga??me Is All A??bout [Siliconera]

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'Magikazam!'

When I first wrote about Tales of Berseria, I held the belief that while the game wasn't particularly groundbreaking or innovative, it ?nonetheless provided a highly polished and consistently excellent experience. At the time, I'd only put 21 hours into the game, which means that while I was approaching its half-way m??ark, I wasn't quite at that point yet.

Now that I've seen the story of Tales of Berseria draw to a close, checked out some of its post-game content, and had a quick look at its predecessor -- Tales of Zestiria -- does my opinion of the game remain just as consist??ent as my initial impressions would have me believe? For the most part, yes.

Tales of Berseria (PS3 [Japan only], PS4 [PS4 Pro reviewed], PC)
Developer: Bandai Namco Studios
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Released: August 18, 2016 (JP), January 24, 2017 (U.S. PS4), January 27, 2017 (EU and PC)
MSRP: $49.99 (PC), $59.99 (PS4)

Right from the outset, it becomes immediately apparent that the narrative of Tales of Berseria takes a decidedly dark? tone. You play as Velvet Crowe; a woman who, having endured three years ??of imprisonment after witnessing her sickly younger brother be ritualistically sacrificed by a man who she formerly trusted, sets out on a crusade for revenge against the individual who caused her so much despair. 

While Tales of Berseria's narrative does contain several twists and turns -- as well as some fairly significant revelations that may be immediately recognisable to anyone who has taken a cursory glance at Zestiria -- Velvet's primary goal remains the same throughout the 50-hour adventure. This isn't to say that her motivations for revenge remain the same as the story progresses, but her primary objective is consistent throughout Berseria's runtime.

The game, itself, is also not short of emotionally-affecting or gut-wrenching moments. Tales of Berseria often tries to t?ry and portray the main characters as villainous in nature, even if its actual antagonists can be significantly crueller in-action. 

Joining Velvet on her revenge-fuelled rampage is a ragtag cast of eclectic and sometimes-morally-ambiguous individuals. These characters each have their own motivations for joining up with Tales of Berseria's ludicro??usly-dressed heroine, as well as their own goals and ideals. For instance, Eleanor often acts as a foil for Velvet's more destructive tendencies, Laphicet can bring out the more human side ??of the game's protagonist, and Magilou's smug demeanour and penchant for terrible puns can often bring some much-needed levity to the table.

Like in other Tales games, Berseria also features optional skits that allow for the characters to elaborate on the situations that they find themselves in, provide more backstory, or serve as another form of comic relief. Some of these skits even showcase the best lines of dialogue that the game has to offer, and are well worth your time if you have any interest in Tales of Berseria's cast.

Alongside its quirky and likeable cast of characters, Tales of Berseria's greatest strength lies with its combat system. This real-time battle system is both fast-paced and responsive, and heavily emphasises stamina (which is referred to as a 'Soul Gauge') and resource management. At the start of each battle, party members will have a set number of Sou??ls which can increase or decrease based on various criteria.

For instance, in?flicting a status condition on an enemy or defeating them will increase a character's Soul count by one. This, in turn, allows them to perform more actions on the battlefield, such as dodging, blocking or performing Artes. Likewise, should an enemy inflict a status condition upon one of your party members, that character's Soul count will drop by one.

Party members also have access to 'Break Souls,' which allows them to perform some potentially devastating abilities on the battlefield. The trade-off to this, however, is that it will increase? their opponent's Soul count by one while also reducing their own by the same amount. The result of this is that it's entirely possible for a player to misjudge the effect of their abilities and wind up bolstering their opponent's abilities.

Suffice it to say, knowing when to perform these abilities, when to back away from an enemy and knowing the opportune moment to strike is paramount to mastering Tales of Berseria's combat ??system. There is a downside, though, in that it's entirely possible to button mash your way to victory in most c??ases on the game's default difficulty setting. The combat system only shines on higher difficulty settings and when facing off against tougher bosses.

So, let's talk about Tales of Berseria's visuals. From the moment you start this game, it becomes clear that it was built with the limitations of the PlayStation 3 in mind. This is because -- in Japan, at least -- it also saw a release on Sony's dec?ade-old home console. The result of this is that many of the environments seem somewhat simplistic in terms of design, and a many of the game's textures appear blurry and blocky when viewed close-up.

From a technical perspective, Tales of Berseria is in no way an impressive game. Thankfully, the game does at least sport a rather pretty art style which, in-?action, can look quite effective. Despite the dated graphics on offer, many environments, such as the Manann Reef and the game's final dungeon, still managed to impress me from an artistic standpoint.

The other benefit to eschewing a more graphically intensive visual style is that it helps ensure that the game's performance remains consistent and smooth. Rarely, if ever, did I experience any significant or noticeable dips in Tales of Berseria's framerate. No matter how chaotic an action sequence got, performance remained incredibly consistent throughout. I must stress, however, that I was only able to test this game out on a PS4 Pro, and it's entirely possible that this may no?t be the case for owners of a base PS4 console.

Nonetheless, I'd love to see what could be accomplished should Bandai Namco Studios decide to drop Sony's ??decade-old console when working on a future instalment in this series.

On the topic of environmental design, Tales of Berseria opts to forgo the more open-ended locales that were featured quite prominently in Zestiria in favour of much smaller, more constrained maps. These environments are often littered with collectables, such as herbs that increase a character's stats, enemies to battle, Ka??tz Spirits -- which can be used to acquire various pieces of cosmetic g?ear -- and treasure chests.

While this might be a bit of a letdown to anyone who would have preferred that Bandai Namco Studios refine or expand upon the more open-ended environments of Zestiria, I can't help but find this change to be for the better. Tales of Berseria is a highly linear and guided affair. While the game does feature the occasional side-quest, these distractions aren't the focus of Tales of Berseria. In this sense, the smaller and more linear environments complemen??t this more focused and guided style of gamepla?y and storytelling rather nicely.

Unfortunately, Tales of Berseria's dungeons aren't particularly excellent. Almost all the dungeons in the game consist of ??a series of corridors with the occasional branching path, and with puzzles that could be accurately described as "mindless." Most of the puzzles contained within these dungeons involve finding and pressing a switch of some form to open the door required to progress, with little in the way of variation.

As I mentioned in my Review in Progress, the word "consistent" could easily be used to accurately describe the bulk my experience with Tales of Berseria. For the most part, I still agree with this sentiment. As I've already mentioned, the game's framerate remains mostly?? stable, but I also found that the game's sto?ry moves at a very consistent pace, with new areas and environments being introduced every few hours.

Sadly, this isn't always the case, and there are a few circumstances where the game will force you to revisit previously-completed dungeons to progress through the story. This becomes especially prevalent in the game's second half, where you'll find yourself revisiting the prison island from Tales of Berseria's opening chapters with great frequency.

The game's difficulty, too, is relatively consistent. Never once did I feel as if the game required that I linger in an area for too long just so I can grind for experience points or equipment. By simply downing almost all the enemies that I came across, I never once found myself in a situation where I felt outmatched by any of the challenges that the game threw at me. Of course, this does change once you bump the difficulty to a higher setting -- where enemies will be of a significantly higher level, and where healing is less effective -- but anyone who intends to play the game on its Normal mode will likely never feel as if Tales of Berseria's challenges are insurmountable.

In this respect, I can't help but come to the conclusion that Bandai Namco's decision to offer level-boosting DLC is a poor one, as it may give off the impression that the game will do everything in its power to goad players into buying into what can only be described as a pay-to-win scheme. This isn't the case, and while I won't dictate what people should or shouldn't do with their finances, I'd advise against buying this sort of content. Not only is it a form of "pay-to-win" DLC that further trivialises an already-easy game, but it's also entirely unnecessary given that Tales of Berseria barely requires the player t??o grind for le??vels in the first place.

I also found it frustrating that Tales of Berseria completely disables the use of the PS4's Share but??ton throughout the duration of the game. As someone who takes a lot of screenshots of games, the decision to disable this feature was just a little bit irritating, even if it wasn't a deal-breaker by any means.

Tales of Berseria may not be the most ambitious or innovative game ever, but that's entirely okay. It may have a handful of issues, not least of which includes its forced backtracking, occasional reuse of dungeons and its uninspired puzzles. At the same time, its characters are often likeable and entertaining, its tale of revenge is intriguing, and its combat system is fast-paced and responsive. If you're already a fan of -- or are curious about getting into -- the Tales series, this is one to check out.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Tales of Berseria appeared first on Destructoid.

A tale of revenge

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a newcomer to Bandai Namco's Tales series. In the past, I've only played small snippets of both Tales of Xilla 2 and Tales of Hearts R, and for one reason or another, have yet ?to sink my teeth into the rest of the franchise.

Of course, that's not to say I have anything against these games. Far from it, it's been a series that I've wanted to dive deeper into for quite some time now, as I enjoyed my very brief moments with the two aforementioned Tales games.

So, when I got my hands on a copy of Tales of Berseria, I wasn't entirely sure what I should have been expecting. I did have an inkling a?s to how the game ??would play out from a mechanical standpoint, at the same time, there were still a lot of unknowns.

How would the latest instalment in the Tales series fare with someone who is, for all intents and purpose??s, a newcomer?? to these games? Pretty damn well, actually.

Tales of Berseria (PS3 [Japan only], PS4 [PS4 Pro reviewed], PC)
Developer: Bandai Namco Studios
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Released: August 18, 2016 (JP), January 24, 2017 (U.S.), January 27, 2017 (EU)
Price: $59.99

Throughout the kingdom of Midgand, a terrible affliction known as the Daemonblight, which turns its victims into horrib??le and bloodthirsty monsters, has begun to infect many of the empire's citizenry. Within the kingdom exists a religious organisation with a great level of political importance known as the Abbey, which commands its Exorcists -- soldiers who can fight these Daemons -- to keep the scourge at least partially contained.

In a remote village in Midgand, Velvet Crowe -- the game's main heroine -- lives out her days looking after her sickly younger brother after many in her family fell to the Dae?monblight. 

Things take an even darker turn during an event that's later known as the Advent. During that night, Velvet's yo??unger brother is taken from her by a man who she had previously thou??ght highly of. Velvet, herself, is also transformed into a Daemon with the power to devour others of her kind to claim their abilities as her own.

Fast-forward three years. Velvet has? spent this time imprisoned and forced to consume any Daemon that's?? been flung into her vicinity. There, a malak named Seres breaks her out. Donning a ridiculous outfit and a harsh demeanour, Velvet partakes in a quest to kill the man who caused her so much pain. A man who, incidentally, has since ascended to the highest ranks of the Abbey.

The story of Tales of Berseria is relatively easy to follow, even if it's yet to stray far from this main theme of revenge. Even after investing over 20 hours into the game, Velvet hasn't undergone any significant changes in character since its opening chapters. Despite this somewhat typical narrative, the ga??me's cast mak??es it an enjoyable experience nonetheless.

Join??ing Velvet in her quest for vengeance is a ragtag team of morally ambiguous individuals, each of which have their own (often selfish) motivations for partnering with her. Some real stand-outs include Rokurou and Magilou, with the latter of the two often coming across as if she's the personification of pure and unadulterated smugness.

Something that I do appreciate is that each of Velvet's party members has received enough screen time for me to appreciate them, with the story often going out of its way to allow these characters to further their own individual causes and side-stories. They're also simply fun to listen to, and they often bring some much-needed levity to the table whenever it's most required. For as dark as Tales of Berseria's main story is, these characters often manage to make the game feel a lot more lighthearted and funny than it o?therwise could have been.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of Tales of Berseria lies with its combat system, which puts a heavy ?emphasis on stamina and resource management. While it may appear almost "button mashy" at first glance, knowing when to take advantage of an opportune moment to strike and when to step back to regain your stamina (or 'Soul Gau?ge,' as the game puts it) is paramount in order to emerge from a fight victorious. Simply button mashing your way to victory may occasionally work against smaller opponents, but in a larger encounter against a more powerful foe, it will very quickly lead to frustration.

Essentially, you begin each battle with three Souls, although this figure can be changed based on specific conditions. These Souls determine how many att??acks you can perform before your Soul Gauge fully depletes, which in turn makes your moves a lot easier to both block and counter. By inflicting status conditions upon an enemy or defeating them, you can increase your Soul Gauge, allowing you to perform even more actions before you must make a strategic retreat. In turn, an enemy can decrease this gauge by inflicting a status condition upon you.

You also have access to Break Souls, which deplete your Soul Gauge by one while also bolstering your opponent's. The benefit to this is that it allows you to dish out excessively heavy damage to your enemies. Of course, if used incorrectly, this ability may? just give your opponents the upper hand against you, so it's somewhat of a double-edged sword.

The only major downside to this is that it can occasionally feel a bit ?too easy on the Normal difficulty setting. So much so that I can easily see myself bumping the difficulty up before I get around to finishing this game. Many encounters don't feel as perilous as I'd like, and I've not yet run into anything that can defeat my party.

Throughout my 21 hours of play time, Tales of Berseria has been a strictly linear affair. There aren't all that many side-object??ives or distractions to convince players to stray from the beaten path, although there are plenty of opportunities to scan the environment for items that permanently boost the stats of an individual party member, equipment, or Katz Spirits -- the latter of which ??can be used to acquire various cosmetic gear. 

Individual maps in Tales of Berseria are?? also relatively small, although these environments are often interconnected in order to form a larger region, with practically no load times when traversing from one area to the next. While this linearity may wind up bothering players who'd prefer a more open-ended game world, it's not without its advantages. For starters, the game's story moves at a fairly even pace, thanks in part to the lack of nebulous distractions. I've also yet to run into any unfair difficulty spikes or enemies that vastly out-l?evel my party. The downside, of course, is that some environments feel akin to a narrow corridor.

From a technical standpoint, Tales of Berseria's visuals aren't at all impressive. Textures can appear blurry and blocky when viewed close-up, and many environments can feel almost simplistic in terms?? of design. It becomes clear that this is a game bui??lt with the PS3 in mind, which makes sense as it was also released on this console in Japan.

Thankfully, Tales of Berseria makes up for this with an art style that can look simply gorgeous in-action (provided you're a fan of anime-esque visuals) and a framerate that almost never dips. No matter how chaotic action sequences can get, Tales of Berseria manages to retain a consistent and smooth level of performance throughout, although this does come with the caveat that I was only able to ??test the game out on a PS4 Pro.

In fact, "consistent" could very much describe the bulk of my experience with Tales of Berseria as of 21 hours of play time. Not only does it apply to the game's level of performance, b?ut it could also be used to desc??ribe its difficulty and even the pacing of its story.

So far, I've yet to feel the need to linger in an area for an overly period in order to grind for experience or equipment. By simply exploring the environment to collect items and Katz Spirits, and by not avoiding enemy encounters whenever they show up, I've never felt as if I need to stay in any one area for longer than what feels required. The result is that the story constantly feels as if it's going forward, with new areas and envir??onments being introduced every few h??ours.

For as much as I'm enjoying Tales of Berseria, I do still have a few nitpicks. For starters, I feel like the story itself is a little rushed in the opening chapters, which in turn dimin??ishes the emotional impact that these few hours could have had. I simply hadn't had enough time to truly get t?o know the characters involved. This is even more of a shame when you consider that the rest of the game's pacing is quite decent.

There's also the fact that the game doesn't allow pla??yers to use the PS4's Share button to take screenshots or record video. As someone who takes as many screenshots as possible of a game that they're playing, I couldn't help but find this to be a bit annoying. This certainly isn't a deal??-breaker by any means, but it is somewhat inconvenient nonetheless.

As of around 21 hours of play time, I haven't seen much in Tales of Berseria that's all that new or groundbreaking. The game itself has been a strictly linear affair, without many distractions that could impede upon the progress of the story itself. As well as this, the game's main tale of revenge and blo??odlust hasn't been much to write home about, either.

Where the game does shine, however, is with its likeable and eclectic bun?ch of morally ambiguous characters and with its combat system, which is simply a joy to play.

As it stands, Tales of Berseria may not be the most ambitious o?r innovative JRPG, but that's perfectly okay. It makes up for this by providing a highly polished and entertaining experience, and I can say with ab??solute certainty that I'm excited to see this story through to its completion.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review in Progress: Tales of Berseria appeared first on Destructoid.

Tales of the Encrypt

The idea of Japanese role-playing games releasing day one on PC is still pretty foreign to me, so I had forgotten Tales of Berseria  was doing?? just that. It's a good trend, but the bad news for some is that it will use Denuvo, Bandai Namco revealed along with technical specifications. Of course it spells trouble for pirates, but I've heard lots people having difficulty getting through or around this seeming heavy DRM to get to their games. I've either never played a game with Denuvo or didn't notice I did, so I can't comment either way on that.

Bandai Namco explains this decision quite openly; "We love the community: it is you guys that ensure that we continually bring more Tales games out, and to a high caliber. It wouldn’t be fair to you if we didn’t put any systems in place to prevent people who try to acquire the game through illegitimate means as it eventually will slow us down bringing games onto PC. Den??uvo has been proven to be a reliable way to fight piracy. So far, no conclusive evidence is proven to disrupt the player experience."

Requiring just a minimum of 2GB of RAM and a Radeon HD 4850 or GeForce 98?00 GTX (recommended 4GB of RAM and a 7870 or GTX 560), even people with lowly computers like mine will be able to run it. My 5850 might not be enough to play this game at its default 60fps, but luckily flabby-armed graphics cards like mine will have the option to set it to 30fps. 

Bandai Namco also adds that it will support 4K but that it will b??e upscaled. At least they're upfront and honest about it.

Details about the PC version of the game [Tales Blog]

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Don't piss on my head and call it rain

There's been a lot of outrage over Japanese games getting censored over the years, particularly with respect to sexuality. Lingerie outfits were replaced with Zelda and Samus costumes in Fatal Frame 5, swimsuits were changed to fashionable streetwear in Tokyo Mirage Sessions, and the ability to view Kairi's underwear was removed in Kingdom Hearts 1.5. Call it censorship, appealing to regional sensitivities, or whatever you want, changes are made. It's not true such changes or censorship happen now more than in the past, b??ut thanks to the witchcraft that is the internet, we are able to see what games are like before they are localized and thus complain about differences.

With recent controversy in mind, DualShockers asked Tales producer Yasuhiro Fukaya whether they would censor Velvet's, the main protagonist, clothes which are quite tattered and revealing. Fukaya assured everyone by saying "I promise. Velvet's costume will surely be the same in the western version" and further added "I believe that those who support the Tales Of series like to have exactly the?? same content as the Japanese version. We believe it’s ideal and the best option to bring exactly the same game experience and design to the western countries."

Well, his promise appears to be kept, at least on the clothing front. However, despite his beliefs, we won't be getting the exact same game. The censorship is surprisingly not about sexual content, but rather a violent scene where a certain cha?racter is injured. Specifically, the Japanese version shows the character being stabbed clean through the abdomen, but the western version instead shows the character floating and being hit by a magical attack of some sort. Here is the scene in question: Warning: potential spoilers.

An apology explanati??on was made on the Tales Series Facebook page, stating the game would not be able to retain its "16 rating" if they did not change that scene. They state the story impact is the same and that "Everything else is exactly the same as the Japanese version." This game and this scene isn't going to be revered like a Shakespearean play either way, but changing something as simple as the method of attack or murder can diminish emotional investment and the overall effectiveness of a scene. Mufasa's death in The Lion King would not be th?e same if Scar merely ca??sted a magic death spell on him.

Due to the potential spoiler-y nature of this scene, I originally chose to not report on it. But it's pretty damn bold to show off that very scene in your newest story trailer. So maybe it's not spoiling much after all, since they're showcasing it in trailers. All in all it looks like a solid game that I'll definitely be playing, but there's going to continue to be murmurs about preserving artistic express?ion versus securing lower ratings for the sake of money.

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Set to a new single by Flow

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The card game looks neat

While Zestiria was a good old fashioned Tales game, I think Berseria looks a bit flashier -- a little more interesting overall. And this overview trailer from Japan really helps its case, showing off the unique cast, flavorful battle system, and bright landscap??es. There's even a 'lil surfing, card game, and minigame action. It's got heart, kid.

Yes, I could go for another fantastic Tales game, and I hope this is it. Tales of Berseria will ar??rive in August in Japan, ??and "Quarter 1" of 2017 in the west.

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