Tales of Arise Review: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

The Tales of series is like JRPG junk food. They've established themselves in the JRPG genre as light hearted adventures about saving the world (but with friendship!). Most of the series protagonists sport the cliché innocent, can do no wrong look and seem to struggle to understand  the difference between good and evil (but ultimately do). These stories are rarely anything to write home about. They aren't necessarily forgettable though, in fact most are really enjoyable. The Tales of series is the definition of the saying "it's not the end but the journey that is most important."

The series has continuously evolved it's combat system while still keep the addictive action based combat in tact. I think most fans will cite the gameplay as the reason they continuously come back to each entry. Following close second is that interaction the characters have with each other over the course of the main story as well as the haphazardly placed "skits" that are optional conversations between party members. 

Despite rumblings of a grand departure from the Tales of series tropes, I can confirm that Tales of Arise is very much a Tales of game, through and through. The battle system is as frantic as ever with the same combo system as Tales of Berseria, the skits are revamped but definitely still provide the charm they always have (I actually like them better than older ones), and all the naming conventions and moves and items are all there. Even some enemy designs are ripped from older games. 

Let's get into the likes and dislikes. I put in about 60 hours into this game, so I might ramble more than I should. 

THINGS I LIKED ABOUT TALES OF ARISE (ToA)

1. Graphics 

First and foremost, Bandai Namco (Bamco, for short) made an excellent leap into Unreal Engine 4. If you're coming from other modern JRPGs, ToA is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. From the frame rate to the animations to the art design and the resolution, the game is just so fun to look at. I also appreciate how smooth everything moves. The frame rate is buttery smooth on the PS5. The only other JRPG that probably outclasses ToA is Final Fantasy 7: Remake.

The best part of this is that Bandai Namco (will shorten to Bamco now) new their graphics engine was going to be a hit because they made sure to vary the environments as much as they could and put as much flare into the battle system as they could. 

In typical JRPG fanfare, you'll be traveling to all the tried and true environments (fire area, water area, etc,) but what sets Tales of Arise apart from delving into tedium is the amount of detail each area and just how intense the environment can be. I mean you start off in an area where everything is on fire...no joke. No, it's not Phoenix, Arizona but it's damn close.  Each vista and area is filled with detail and color that makes it just a joy to explore. 

2. Battle System

Simply put: ToA has an amazing battle system. The game's exploration takes frequent breaks with four party member battles. There's a plethora of tools at your disposal as you progress through the game. You'll start off as Alphen, a sword wielding hero who can feel no pain. He has basic sword skills as well as access to the "Blazing Sword" which drains his health to dish out major damage. You'll slowly acquire new party members who have vastly different and interesting  playstyles and abilities. One character fights with a shield and a hammer instead of a sword. I found that pretty cool and refreshing. 

Not only is each character a joy to play with but they also have their own special skills called boost attacks. After inflicting enough attacks on an enemy into a staggered state, you can then use boost strikes which use two characters to perform a screen filling special that does a good amount of damage and downs the enemy. All of this can get pretty frantic and flashy, but there's enough time and depth to strategize without getting lost in the chaos. 

One small part to note is that all the characters say their moves when they attack. It can get pretty annoying but not so off putting that it hurts your ears. 

3. Story (First Half) 

Despite the relentless exposition and repetitiveness of repeating the plot during the first half of the game, the story is quite interesting. You play as Alphen who suffers from amnesia and is put to work as a slave in the "Crown Contest". Alphen is a Dhanan, and Dhanans are under subjugation by a neighboring planet called Rena. Rena holds a Crown Contest to determine who will be ruler of Rena but it involves using Dhana's people as slave labor. We're told that in order to become one, Rena's must harvest as much Astral Energy (a fancy word for life force) from Dhana to be crowned "Sovereign". The beginning really hits home on a lot of topics about equality, racism, and other relevant social issues we face today. Tales of games definitely have their social justice moments from time to time, but not really as front and center as ToA. 

I appreciated the more mature tone the game took. Though it was sometimes hard to appreciate any levity early in the game because of the bleak outlook everyone had. It's hard to laugh about someone's cooking skills when you're under oppression 24/7. 

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT TALES OF ARISE

1. DLC and Sponge Enemies

These two issues go hand in and hand and probably the most ridiculous thing about this game. The enemies in this game take WAY too long to kill. Even when you're 10 levels above the enemy you're fighting, you still have to slog through all the battle mechanics so you can finish them. This is so apparent in the beginning of the game. Normal enemies that you encounter have an overwhelming amount of health. You can overcome this with mastery of the battle system but there comes a point where some mini-bosses just destroyed my team. They even tease you with a super high level side quest boss in the first few hours of the game. There is no way you can beat it initially and it is implied to come back and beat it later. But you don't level up that quickly and will have to wait until the end of the game to finish that quest. I honestly think it's because Bamco is pushing DLC.

DLC growth and level packs aren't new to Bamco's Tales of series, but for ToA it seems like the game's balance of enemies nudges (more like pushes) you into getting them. I had a very, very hard time getting money to get new weapons and grinding was extremely slow. I had to spend 2 bucks to get 100,000 gald  just so I could purchase weapons. After about five more hours, my advantage of haven't such a large amount of money disappeared. I was back to selling everything just so I could freakin' buy health items. Towards the end of the game, I was just not leveling fast enough, even with some of the experience boost items you can acquire in-game (not through DLC). I got so tired of slogging through enemies, I just turned the difficulty down. It just made more sense that way. And kept my sanity. 

2. Second Half of the Story

Tales of Arise falters in pacing and story telling once you get to the half way point in the story (depending on playstyle). It's a big disappointment because the setup for these characters and the plot was really interesting and got me a bit hooked when I started. The game piles on tons of questions for the player (as well as the characters in game) to ponder and wonder about, but the follow through doesn't seem to be very impressive to me. Thankfully, there is enough side content and explanation to sort of curb the disappointment. Plus, I enjoyed the relationships that the characters developed. It felt like there was more emotion shared between each pair of characters than in other Tales of games. 

The pacing exacerbates the second half of the story. There are so many skits and cutscenes that just dump exposition on you it develops a sour taste by the end. Pair that with the final dungeon that is literally littered with bosses from previous dungeons and the final act is just something you can't wait to finish. 

Also motivations between some bad guys and main character don't really mesh well? I felt like some of plot points in the game came out of left field and didn't feel fully developed. 

3. Some Post Game Content I Wish I Was In The Main Game and the Fishing Mini-game

There are these super cool weapons in every Tales of game that scale with how many enemies the character has killed. They are called "Devil's Arms" and they are one of my favorite side quests in the series. They can be somewhat broken but I wish they were allowed to be obtained in the main game instead of after you beat the final boss. With the damage sponge-y-ness of the enemies, having these weapons would have made it more of a treat to go through the final dungeon.

All I can say is that the fishing minigame can go to hell. 'Nuff said

Conclusion:

I'm not gonna lie, some of the faults in Tales of Arise really bring the game down in terms of overall quality and enjoyment. The good part though is that there is always something positive to look forward to when playing the game. Whether it is unlocking new skills or finding a new area (random side quest boss), the game still feels fun to play even when you might not be having fun with the story. 

I hope that the Tales of series develops more on this engine and does more with dungeon design and story pacing. If Bamco could focus their narratives to be tighter with less broad goals (every single one seems like we have to keep saving the world) or make the stories require less exposition, they would be amazing. Unfortunately the story, pacing and the DLC cash grab brings Tales of Arise  as an JRPG you should probably wait for and pick up on sale. 

7/10