Tales of Arise was released on September 9, 2021, in Japan and September 10, 2021, for the rest of the world. It is available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. Developed and published by Bandai Namco Studios, this game is the newest in the long-running Tales of series. Arise was directed by Hirokazu Kagawa, the battle director of both Tales of Graces and Tales of Berseria, and it was produced by Yusuke Tomizawa.
Now, if you are a regular reader of this blog, then it is no surprise to you that I am a fan of Bandai's Tales series, and if you did not, now you know. The Tales games started all the way back in December of 1995 with a Super Famicom title called Tales of Phantasia. That marks most of 2021 as the 25th anniversary of the series. And what better way to celebrate such a rich history of beloved RPGs than to release what I believe is the best game in the series. But before I talk about the star of today's discussion, I'd like to take a quick look back at the franchise as a whole, specifically my own experiences with these games.
In my opinion, two primary ingredients define a Tales game. One is obviously the action-RPG gameplay that sets them apart from traditional turn-based RPGs. This is what initially drew me to the series when I first picked up Tales of Symphonia during my freshman year of high school. You see, I had always heard that game was one of the best Gamecube games and that a lot of people wanted to see its protagonist Lloyd in Super Smash Bros. However, I was under the illusion that it was just going to be an above-average turn-based game. I was pleasantly surprised when I booted it up and was doing combos similar to a fighting game. I loved that I could make up for differences in stats with skill. Mix this with the second ingredient, the characters, and you get what I believe is the best game for the system. For lack of words, it was pretty hype. I grew up with a Gamecube, and the thought that this game was always around without me knowing was mind-blowing.
Needless to say, I spent the next few years searching for and playing as many games in the series as I could find. And let me tell you, the characters in these games are something special. I've gone on and on about this topic before in the past, so I don't want to repeat myself, but this topic is so standout to me that when I rank which Tales games are my favorite, I base it on a combination of combat and story/characters. Just because a game has the best gameplay does not necessarily mean that it is the best game. Video games as an art form are a careful combination of their gameplay and narrative and how they interact with each other. As far as Tales of games go: the one with the best combat system is Tales of Vesperia, the one with the best narrative is Tales of Berseria, and the best combination of the two, as well as my personal favorite in the franchise, is Tales of Xillia 2. While playing Arise, I constantly compared my experience with the three titles mentioned above. After ninety hours and getting every achievement, I think I am qualified enough to say that Arise easily has the new best combat in the series.
Just to get it out of the way, I want to mention that I was playing on PS4 and had little to no issues in regard to performance. Both the frame rate and the graphics were well-optimized and it was an enjoyable experience all the way through.
As the star of the show, the combat is undoubtedly deep, but I will try my best to summarize the systems efficiently. First things first, after encountering an enemy, the game loads a battle arena separate from the main field. Here, the player takes control of one of the six party members and performs actions in real time. Every character has a basic attack, a jump, a dodge, and various skills called artes. Artes can be either a spell or a special attack. The number of basic attacks you can perform in a row begins as just three, but this can be raised as you level up. The artes, however, are a different story. Unlike most RPGs (Tales or not), where these skills would typically cost some form of mana, artes in Tales of Arise deplete a character's action points or AP (represented by the number of blue diamonds above a character's health bar.) This means that artes can be continuously used as long as the party member has the required AP at the time. AP will refill over time or by meeting certain conditions in battle, but keeping an eye on these values is essential for characters who cast large spells as well as those who combo physical artes into each other. This system is fittingly similar to that seen in both Tales of Graces and Tales of Berseria. But unlike those games where healing spells were only balanced by quality and time to cast, healing spells in Arise cost a resource known as Cure Points or CP.
This CP value is shared amongst the entire party and does not recover on its own, even between battles. The only ways to recover CP are to use an item or rest at an inn or camp. In order to raise its max value, the player must defeat bosses. This new variable is important for two reasons. One, it limits the number of consecutive battles a player can engage in. And two, it prevents players from brute-forcing their way through enemies that they are not prepared to fight. In older games in the series, it was easy to defeat a challenging boss by constantly using healing items or skills. But this new resource, combined with the fact that healing items or a lot more expensive in this game, requires a player to make very few mistakes if they try to defeat an enemy that is much higher level than them. If you are constantly taking damage, this resource will drain very quickly. But if you are appropriately skilled/leveled for an area, you should be able to make it to the next camp/inn with no problem. This gives the characters a real sense of fatigue and helps establish their canonical strength at any given moment in the story. If the characters are not ready to face an enemy, neither are you.
Quickly, before we get into character-specific mechanics, I wanted to explain the Boost Strike system. Boost Strikes are special attacks that instantly defeat the targetted enemy as well as deal damage to the foes around it. These attacks can be performed by filling a diamond-shaped gauge that appears over a foe's life bar. This meter fills quicker; the lower your opponent's health and the higher your combo count. These attacks are remarkable not only because they are powerful but also because they are performed by two party members. These attacks are cinematic and flashy while also showing off teamwork between the characters. The best part? Every combination of party members has their own Boost Strike, which adds a lot of visual variety representing the party's bonds.
Speaking of the characters, similar to the other Kagawa-directed entries, Arise has a very diverse cast regarding how they play. Each character's playstyle has its pros and cons, which promotes a lot of player expression. Not only does the character you chose to play as change the game significantly but so does your overall party lineup. Since you can only have 4 party members in battle at a time, choosing when to switch them out and who complements who the most is another level of strategy.
Let's just go in order. The protagonist of the game and the default option for the player-controlled character is Alphen. Alphen is a relatively balanced character that leans more into physical strength and defense. He fights using a self-taught style where he alternates between swinging his sword quickly with one or both arms. As the default character, his moves are easy to use and understand. He is a textbook frontline fighter who defeats his enemies before they can hurt his friends. Where he really stands out is in regard to his second sword, the Blazing Sword. Alphen has the ability to spend his own HP to perform powerful Flaming Edge attacks. Their strength is relative to the amount of HP you expend and are appropriately destructive, often covering a large area as well as dealing massive damage. His thick armor means that he can take a bit of a beating, but to use the Flaming Sword optimally, avoiding all damage possible is the key. This is also where I should mention that every character has a special attack called a Boost Attack. These are used to counter specific enemy types and incapacitate what would otherwise be an annoying foe. Alphen's is special, though, because he can fell any enemy regardless of what kind they are in. But as you might have guessed, this costs HP. If you want an easy-to-use character with optional high-risk, high-reward mechanics, then Alphen is the man for you. Just remember that he burns out quickly without support from his friends.
Moving on, the deuteragonist, Shionne, is a low-committal support character. She performs at her best when she is far away from her foes. Her main stats are those of arte attack and arte defense. This allows her to safely attack enemies with a barrage of bullets, multi-elemental bombs, and fire elemental astral artes (spells.) However, her primary role is a support who heals her allies. Namely, Alphen, who keeps spending his HP (just like their dynamic in the story.) Whether she is attacking or healing, her low physical defense and HP mean you do not want her to get targeted. When she falls, your party is heavily crippled because she is the only person who can learn multi-target healing artes. Her Boost Attack is a wide spread of bullets that down flying enemies. If being near enemies is not your style, and you'd rather your party members take all the risks for you, then play Shionne. Just don't forget to heal the CPU.
Next up is Rinwell, the mage. Similar to Shionne, Rinwell boasts a high arte attack and arte defense, just to a much higher degree. While Shionne focuses on healing and disruption, Rinwell is all about dealing damage. As you might expect, she also sits on the backline of the battle. However, she spends her time charging powerful astral artes that deal a ton of elemental damage to a wide area. She can learn artes of every element except darkness. When Rinwell casts these artes, she can either unleash it right away or store it away for later. Stored artes can be used at any time with zero casting time. If she repeatedly stockpiles the same arte over and over, each time, it will upgrade to the next tiered arte of that element. With how fast this game's battles are, this is important because it means you can dodge enemy attacks without worrying about casting a spell with a long cast time. Being able to potentially unleash two high-ranked spells right in a row can easily spell doomsday for your opponent. Rinwell's Boost Attack also ensures that she is the only mage in the battle. With it, she not only disrupts every foe who is trying to cast an astral arte, but she also steals said arte and can use it for herself. Suppose you are okay with sacrificing mobility and sustain in exchange for literally nuking your adversaries, or you just love owls. In that case, I can think of no better choice than Rinwell.
Now for potentially the hardest-to-master character, Law. Law is a martial artist who has the highest physical attack and penetration. Penetration is significant because that is a character's chance to stagger an enemy on hit. On top of having some of the best mobility, these attributes allow Law to annihilate foe after foe in record time. The main ways this is balanced are that his attacks can only really hit one enemy at a time, and he has the lowest defense stats in the game. If you sneeze on this guy, he loses half his health. Law is the epitome of this game's flawless battle philosophy. His high strength means he benefits most from the perfect dodge attacks, and his low sustain means you can't afford to make any mistake, especially when it comes to dodging enemy astral artes. This is made more difficult considering that his best artes are these long automated combo strings that cannot be canceled into evasive actions. His stubby basic attacks also mean he has to be closer to the enemies than any other party member. Good timing is essential with this character. This sounds pretty bad, but Law also has a unique mechanic called Awakening. If Law keeps attacking without getting staggered himself, his attack and elemental attack will rise in accordance with his awakening level. As he levels up, he can unlock new awakening levels, and while he is awakened, it is easier for him to achieve overlimit.
Overlimit is a universal mechanic that all characters share. It is a powered-up state that is randomly achieved during the battle but has a higher chance of triggering the more damaged a character is. In this state, party members can perform powerful Mystic Artes. These are basically the most potent attacks in the game, and Law is able to dish out several per fight due to his Awakening. His Boost Attack is a powerful punch or kick that destroys any enemy's shield or armor. If shredding through foes with raw power is your cup of tea, give Law a try. He's my favorite. Just don't get hit.
Man, not being able to get hit in this game sounds pretty tricky, huh? Worry not. The next party member will make you question everything I just told you. Enter Kisara, the literal wall of the party. If her giant shield was not a good enough hint, she has the highest physical defense and resistance. Resistance is a character's chance to stagger from a foe's attack. Her primary purpose is to draw the attention of as many enemies as possible so that her allies can attack. To this end, she is the only party member who cannot dodge; instead, she can block. Blocking reduces all damage she takes, physical and elemental. Taking damage is not all she does, though. Kisara can dish it out just as well. Her unique mechanic Guard Ignition, allows her to perform perfect blocks which negate all damage, stagger the enemy who hit her, and strengthen the next arte she uses. Some of her artes can only be used after blocking an attack. Her Boost Attack performs an offensive shield bash that downs charging foes and raises the entire party's defense and elemental defense for a short time. If you are okay with not moving much, love being the center of attention, and like to punish those that give you that attention, you could do worse than playing this head of the guard.
Last but certainly not least is Dohalim. With a playstyle as eccentric as his personality, Dohalim is the jack of all trades in Arise. Sounds simple, but his wide versatility puts him in a weird spot. When you can do a little of everything, there is always someone better at each job. He can attack physically with his rod, use astral artes or even use healing artes. His melee attacks and artes can feel awkward if you're used to Alphen's sword as they tend to have a lengthy start-up. They make of for this with wide range and movement, however. Even more so when he performs a perfect dodge. Dohalim's gimmick is the extension of his rod after dodging an attack. This raises both his melee range and penetration, making critical hits easier. Again, dodging is very important. He is also the most adept at aerial combat. His greatest strength is his ability to adapt. When it is time to back off, he can use single-target healing artes or earth and dark elemental astral artes. These attributes make him the only party member who can fight effectively without the others' support. His Boost Attack summons vines that down evasive enemies and prevent them from automatically dodging future attacks. If self-sufficiency and adaptability are something you crave, learning Dohalim's dance could have deadly results for those that oppose your vision.
This is usually the part where I gush over the characters (10/10 characters, by the way), but I would like to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible. However, I have to at least mention this.
Spoilers
Vholran Igniseri is the antagonist of Tales of Arise and functions as Alphen's foil. In the context of the story, Vholran is the last of the five Lords that the party is trying to defeat. Not only that but Alphen and Vholran are also connected due to their shared history of being human test subjects. To keep it simple, both were given similar powers, but Vholran was discarded as a failure, while Alphen lost his memories in an accident. The point is either one of them could have ended up becoming a hateful tyrant. The only difference being Alphen was not alone in his misery and allowed others to help carry his burdens.
But enough of the generic anime villain motivations. Just look at this guy. Not only is his design cool, but it also compliments Alphen's final attire. Alphen wears white, Vholran wears black, Alphen has a fire elemental western-style sword, and Vholran has an ice elemental katana. It's such a simple concept, but the execution is immaculate. Vholran even hides his face at first, just like how Alphen's face was obscured at the beginning of the game. He even spits in the face of the game's plot. Vholran does not care at all about this fate of the world stuff Alphen is involved in; he just wants scrap. So much so that he forces himself to be the final boss and one of the sickest one-versus-one fights in the series. He had no reason to even be where he was from a narrative perspective. But compared to the first half, the second half of Arise's story is so far out there in terms of scale and complexity that this over-the-top climax was so ridiculous it looped back around to being amazing. Few Tales games use the rival concept, let alone put said rival in an antagonist role, but Arise nailed it. In terms of fun villains, it's hard to beat someone like Vholran.
With the spoilers out of the way, I'd like to talk about the negatives of Tales of Arise. No, it's not a steep learning curve; the difficulty settings should allow anyone to experience the story with little to no issues. Weirdly enough, this game's biggest sins are not even technically a part of the game. I am talking about the DLC (downloadable content.) This is unrelated to the costume DLC packs, however. Cosmetics are whatever; they don't affect the overall gameplay experience.
This is the culprit. The SAO collaboration pack. This pack includes new costumes as well as "a special quest!" Wow, a "special" quest; it must be pretty special if it costs $16. Oh, just kidding, it's an extra thirty minutes of gameplay at most. The reward for clearing this quest is two swords (both for Alphen) that are mainly cosmetic. Seeing as how there are swords with better stats in the base game, these swords serve little purpose unless you are a fan of SAO. Add these to the three costumes that came with the pack, and you are essentially paying triple the price three outfits would generally cost in other DLC packs. To its credit, the quest is a relatively tough boss fight that would have been interesting if I was not already max level before it came out. Plus, you get a new Mystic Arte for Alphen. However, said the boss fight is extremely glitchy. On more than one occasion, the boss, Kirito, would get stuck in a t-pose after performing his Mystic Arte, and I just got to kill him for free (proof below.) This was the only time in the series' history where I was upset that I spent money. This should be a $10 pack at most. Compare that to Tales of Zesteria's story DLC, which offered several hours of new gameplay for only $10.
Following this weird trend of being consumer-unfriendly, Tales of Arise also came out with several other DLC boss fights that rewarded cosmetic weapons. The only difference was that they were free DLCs. So what's the issue then if they were free. The problem here is distribution. You'll notice that these DLCs are nowhere to be found on any digital store. The only way players could obtain this DLC was to enter a lottery via their Bandai Namco email. So, first of all, you would have to be subscribed to the newsletter to even know they existed. Second, entering did not guarantee you a code for the DLC. My brother and I both entered, and only I received a code out of the two of us. Why on earth would any company, let alone Bandai, think that alienating content from players via luck was a good idea. As far as I know, this lottery was the only way to get a code, and it is currently impossible to get one now. Unless maybe someone is scalping codes somewhere on the internet. I've included a picture of the email I received below. It's such a weird situation, and it's such a shame too. These packs offered a bit more than an hour of additional gameplay.
Going back to the actual game, though. Another topic you will see fans of the series complain about is Arise's lack of multiplayer. Every other main console entry in the series had multiplayer, so it was expected here too. As for myself, I did care either way since I do not believe it detracts from the overall experience of playing the game. That being said, I have not played any other Tales of game with another player, but I can definitely see how this could lower replayability. Playing as player 2 to a friend who has not played a Tales game before could be really fun.
However, I am here to judge the game based on what you get when you spend $60 and determine whether this price is fair. The answer? Absolutely! Even without counting the minimal DLC, I still clocked in at least eighty-eight hours on a single save file. Sure I hundred-percented it and got every achievement, but I would not have wanted to do that if the game itself was not as fun as it is. If you want an objectively best Tales of game, this is the one. There is a reason it sold a million copies in less than a week and is the best and fastest-selling game in the series' history. I just hope that all the people who enjoy their time with Arise try out some of the other games in the series. Y'all got 25 years' worth of games to try out. Hell, the two free mobile games are a great start. While Xillia 2 remains my favorite, Tales of Arise sits at a comfortable number 2. Needless to say, my expectations were blown out of the water. What a way to celebrate 25 years of great games. The future sure looks bright, even for western fans. Here's to many more years and even greater games to come.
*Picture credits in order of appearance
“Tales of Arise.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 10 Sept. 2021, www.imdb.com/title/tt11061762/.
Conrad Huangon August 25, 2021, and 2021 November 4. "Top 6 Games from the 'Tales of' Series." Sirus Gaming, 25 Aug. 2021, sirusgaming
10th, September, and Adam Braunstein. "Tales of Arise Battle System Explained - How It Works." Attack of the Fanboy, 10 Sept. 2021, attackofthefanboy
"How to Switch Characters in Tales of Arise." Gamer Journalist, 10 Sept. 2021, gamerjournalist
*(All character portraits)
"Tales of Arise." Aselia Wiki, aselia.fandom.com/wiki/Tales_of_Arise.
Administrador. "Tales of Arise: A Complete Guide To Rena." 9to5Fortntie, 20 Sept. 2021, 9to5fortnite
Jello, Pixel, and Nikki_boagreis. "Tales of Arise - Sword Art Online Collaboration Pack Announced." SAMURAI GAMERS, 6 Oct. 2021, samurai-gamers
The last three were my own pictures.
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