Tales of Arise
Main game
3.80 average rating based on 565 ratings
- Developers
- Bandai Namco Studios
- Publishers
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Franchises
- Tales of
- Series
- Tales
- Event
- Xbox E3 2019 Briefing
- Platforms
- PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Genres
- Adventure, Role-playing (RPG)
- Themes
- Action, Fantasy
- Steam
- View on Steam
Release Dates
User Stats
How Long Is Tales of Arise?
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Tales of Arise is magnificent!
This review is for the Xbox Series X|S version
The writing is rich and evocative, and the developers took on a major creative challenge with the themes that they decided to tackle and did a superb job. The combat system is sharp and offers plenty of complexity, while being accessible to Tales series newcomers or people just looking to experience the story. The art and aesthetics are breathtaking, and about the only issue there is a lack of a photo mode so that I could make the most of it (what the hell, Bandai Namco?).
I may not have been the world’s biggest fan of the Tales series previously, but this game has immediately become one of my favourite JRPGs of all time. It’s hard not to love what Tales of Arise has to offer and while there are some small issues, it doesn’t take away from my opinion that this is the Tales game that will breathe new life into the series.
Solid JRPG with some annoying design decisions
This review is for the PlayStation 5 version
Characters 8/10 I really liked the protagonist and every party member got its own development. The skits really help here.
Music 3/10 Weak. Tales of Zestiria kind of weak. Elevator music. I don't think there's a single memorable theme throughout the whole game.
Graphics/Art 8/10 Very solid presentation. Definitely a step up from the previous entries. However, the watercolor filter in the backgrounds was unecessary.
Story 8/10 Solid, good pacing, the twists are there. I really like the ending.
Battle System 7/10 Good core battle system, plagued by poor decision on boss battles and very limited resources for no reason. Levels and gald as DLC.
A solid good game.
This review is for the PC (Microsoft Windows) version
Third game in the Tales franchise that I complete, the other two being Zestiria (My favorite) and Berseria. It can be said yes that Arise was a great evolution of the Tales formula.
My recurring problem with Zestiria and Berseria was the maps and their enemies. Maps used to be huge, flat and extremely empty where every now and then you'd find an item in the corner of the map that barely served you any good, besides the map being crowded with enemies that were basically damage sponges. This was fixed in Arise, the level design is much better designed, the enemies are more concentrated in specific places and the normal fights don't last as much longer even on hard.
The graphics are beautiful, one of the most beautiful Tales since Vesperia (It will probably be my next Tales, the look of that is very charming) the music of the 3 Tales I played are always top notch and for some reason they remind me of the vibe of FF 12 The Gameplay of the game is very fun, with 130 hours of gameplay I couldn't get tired, the only problem would be the visual pollution caused by the various …
Third game in the Tales franchise that I complete, the other two being Zestiria (My favorite) and Berseria. It can be said yes that Arise was a great evolution of the Tales formula.
My recurring problem with Zestiria and Berseria was the maps and their enemies. Maps used to be huge, flat and extremely empty where every now and then you'd find an item in the corner of the map that barely served you any good, besides the map being crowded with enemies that were basically damage sponges. This was fixed in Arise, the level design is much better designed, the enemies are more concentrated in specific places and the normal fights don't last as much longer even on hard.
The graphics are beautiful, one of the most beautiful Tales since Vesperia (It will probably be my next Tales, the look of that is very charming) the music of the 3 Tales I played are always top notch and for some reason they remind me of the vibe of FF 12 The Gameplay of the game is very fun, with 130 hours of gameplay I couldn't get tired, the only problem would be the visual pollution caused by the various effects of abilities on the field, not allowing you to visualize the enemies very well. In terms of story, this is really perhaps the lowest point of the game.
As much as the game's story is in a context of war and slave liberation I never feel such grandiosity from enemy parts except in Cazalia, you never have the threat of a large army and ships coming to get you, which the Zestiria and Berseria did a little better. After freeing a region from a lord, instead of them moving to stop you or set traps, they are each waiting in your castle for you to appear as if they were really NPCs while you wander around the cities peacefully. Villains are just stereotyped empty shells that serve as obstacles you have to overcome. What was supposed to be Alphen's big rival that appears in the Trailers is one of the most disappointing and unimportant things I've ever seen in a JRPG, the character is almost practically useless and bland. The main team characters are charismatic enough but the ones that really develop during the story are Shionne and Rinwell, the change in the way each of them behave at the beginning and end of the game was nice to see, but the others do not have great developments. The game's pace is strange, it starts very fast and more in the final line it drops completely and the game focuses much more on conversations, which for me as an RPG player wouldn't be a big problem if these conversations weren't actually a big loop of subject repetitions, this is not just an Arise problem, this is a problem that occurs in Zestiria and pretty much every modern JRPG nowadays, this crunching of every little subject that they insist on having, this part of Arise is very stretched. The story ends up being just "ok" at the end of the day.
Excellent game.
agersant's review of Tales of Arise
- Tried and true JRPG, with some nice QoL features (random encounters visible on field screen, not much inventory management, lots of difficulty settings)
- Very deep and addictive real time combat system with stylish animations
- Well executed visuals, but designs are a bit bland (characters and world)
- Poor storytelling. Too verbose, some trite anime tropes, emotional scenes feel corny, main villain is uninteresting, only half the main party cast is likeable.
- Soundtrack is dull choirs and pompous orchestra for every occasion, except for one outstanding battle theme
A *better* Tales
This review is for the PC (Microsoft Windows) version
This is a great modernized take of the classic tales formula. I didn't really how hard the game wanted to shove the obvious pairings down my throat every 4 skits/cutscenes, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I would definitely recommend the LAN multiplayer mod, it makes the game more enjoyable than it would have been if it was singleplayer.
windupcrows's review of Tales of Arise
A shambling, floppy legged dash to the finish can't ruin what is a fun adventure, with some well judged shades of darkness painted in.
Finish replaying the game for 2nd time + DLC beyond the dawn. One of the best JRPG no doubt.
DLC was okay. nothing like blood and wine kinda level, okay just for 1 playthrough
Too much talking and skits tho... sometime when the conversation to draggy or boring i just skip lol
Finished Beyond the Dawn expansion. It was a joy to go back and be in this world again, learn how to properly play every character, and see all the little threads of the story followed up on. I kinda wish the sort of slice of life jrpg vibes of the first half had persisted as it became a bit less interesting as it moved into the usual "save the world" territory. But overall a great experience. Revisiting the game as well as two years of regularly thinking about it has made me decide to elevate this game up to one of my favorites of all time. Cant wait for their next game.
I kinda expected to find Beyond the Dawn on here as a separate thing, as it's sort of a small sequel to Tales of Arise. I guess it is still technically dlc as you need the original game to play it, even if you dont need to have finished it. Anyway, it feels really good to be back in that world and spending time with my virtual friends again, lol.
It been almost a year since I got this on the series X, and it time to beat this because it has been too long, and I need to beat this game. I did check a summary on where I ended off just to make sure i remember everything, heard the second half is a bit more weaker then the first half but still want to finish the game since i put much time in it.
I've been distracted by Metroid Prime Remaster and Tears of the Kingdom from finishing Tales of Arise, but I'm back at it now. One hour long set of cut scenes later and I think I'm on the last road now.
They just keep talking...
This game is pretty fun but two things are turning me off so far:
- I knew this coming in, but the anime tropes do run pretty rampant in this game. The characters feel straight out of a shonen anime.
- I feel like the AI is completely bizarre and they go out of their way to get by attacks so far.
Finished off the fourth realm tonight, and I have been told I am officially halfway through the game now so that is a cool thing. I am thinking I can get this done maybe by next week, I do not think I go for all achievements right away but I will do all side quests.
Finished up the 3rd main area last night, and did the sidequests that opened up afterward for it that opened up. I stopped right before getting to this third area originally when this came out, and now I am kicking myself because this game has pulled me in. Is the story amazing, no it good, but I am hooked on the combat and every time I enter combat I feel right at home.
I think the way sidequests are in this game are very good. Some of them are very simple but Tales games have not been known for these sidequests (at least the ones I have finished before Arise), and it is a nice change of pace for it. Got to the 3rd main area today, sadly will not get much progress tomorrow as I be away all day but I plan on getting some time in before I leave in the morning