Tales of Arise was a game that I, admittedly, took some time away from. It wasn’t because the game was bad though. I started it a few weeks before Horizon Forbidden West came out and we all knew I couldn’t wait to play that game. Unfortunately it meant that Tale of Arise took backseat for awhile. I just didn’t want two big time-consuming RPGs going at once. Especially since both of them are very story-heavy games. However, I am happy to say that after Horizon and many, many hours of gaming with my roommate, I returned to Tales of Arise and it welcomed me back with open arms.
My First Experience with the Tales Franchise
Tales of Arise marks my first game within the Tales franchise. As an RPG fan, it had definitely been a blind spot for too long. Now that I have played Arise, I am eager to experience the rest of the franchise. As I understand it though, Arise plays a bit differently than that of other Tales games. Either way though, I’m used to RPG franchises taking different shapes with each entry. Final Fantasy is notorious for that.
At any rate, I’m a fan now who cannot wait to experience the rest of what this franchise has to offer. One of my best friends adores most of the entries so I’ll finally be able to see why. As a newcomer to the series though, I don’t think I lost too much in the way of familiarity, especially considering the differences between Arise and other titles. It is always interesting to see how franchises evolve, but I can still do that someday.
A Nearly Perfect JRPG
Tales of Arise ended up giving me everything I wanted from a JRPG and much, much more. Having known very little going into the game, aside from it’s raving reviews, I was pretty open to whatever it was going to end up being. The game really stole my attention though, and if it hadn’t been for Horizon, I’m sure I wouldn’t have stopped playing this title. The game really didn’t pull me in though until I began unlocking new party members. One in particular, Rinwell, stole my heart and became my main the entire playthrough.
The gameplay is phenomenal, allowing you to choose which party member you play as. Each character plays different, and can be built in a number of different ways depending on skills and equipment. Alphen is a good beginner character as he is the first one you get, but I certainly encourage you to try the others. One may suit your playstyle better.
There are a number of side quests you can do too, but not an overwhelming amount. There are quite a few side quests, don’t get me wrong, but you won’t get them all at once. The game’s pacing is perfect and you never really feel like you’re off mission. In fact, even after my hiatus, I was able to jump right back into the story and follow what was going on. Each side quest will reward you with money and a few other goodies as well. I definitely encourage you to finish as many as possible because they also unlock more of each character’s skill tree. You could play the whole game and miss out on some really useful upgrades.
Astounding Environments
One of the most obvious things about Tales of Arise for me was its graphics. Not because it looks realistic or anything like that, but rather, its art direction as a whole. This game will take you hours upon hours to complete but one thing it will not do is begin to feel stale. Each new area brings new environments for you to feast your eyes on. On top of that, each characters’ clothes and accessories are customizable. There’s really no shortage in content to catch your eye here.
I’m a sucker for character customization. I love changing outfits to mix things up and help keep things feeling fresh. In a game I spent over 70 hours in, I needed to mix things up from time to time. As you find Dahnan owls throughout your adventures, you’ll unlock more accessories to equip to anyone you want. These range from glasses to wings and tails.
We all know that graphics aren’t enough though. In that sense, it is good that Tales of Arise makes use of every inch of its environments. Do some exploring and you’ll find tougher enemies, stronger gear and crafting materials. You can even fish and harvest food for recipes to cook for later. It is a game that is absolutely bursting with color and character.
A Cast To Steal Your Heart
It has been a while since I’ve played a JRPG with this many playable characters. Not to mention, one that juggles this amount perfectly. Tales features six playable character, four of which you can have in your active party. You’ll command one at a time, but you can change on the fly if you need to. I stuck with Rinwell after giving them all a try, but I’m sure switching during battle could prove to be useful, too.
The game’s story focuses on Alphen and Shionne trying to bring down the Renan lords who rule over the Dahnan people. Spending his whole life as a slave, Alphen is ready for revenge but Shionne is a Renan seeking to overthrow the lords for her own agenda. The struggle between the Dahnan and Renan people is definitely the biggest theme in this game but this struggle is depicted in both a huge way and a small way.
The big objective here is to free Dahna. However within the party itself, our main characters struggle with their own differences. Since the party will ultimately consist of both Renan and Dahnan individuals, it is interesting to see each of their sides to this worldwide feud. On top of that, as the story continues you get to see the progress each character makes with their hatred of the other race. They begin to see each other as fellow humans and start to see that no one is inherently good or bad based on where they are from.
This is really what continued to drive me to play this game. Yes it was a ton of fun, but the story was honestly so engaging. By the end of the game I was amazed at the growth I saw in each character. It is a topic that hits pretty close to home in today’s political climate too, so it was interesting to see a game tackle that. Honestly though, it was perfectly done and the story blended so well with each character, I was pretty surprised. I can absolutely see why it won RPG of the year for 2021.
