An honest discussion

[[Redacted]]

So, I'm intrigued by Tales as a JRPG and honestly I don't know anything about the series so I've been looking at Steam reviews as well as YouTube reviews trying to figure out if I want to pick up this title.

I have to be careful with YouTube reviewers since they might be sponsored advocates.

I have to be careful of any review that gushes over a game just as I have to be equally as careful of any overly negative reviews since in either case the reviewer is not making their best attempt to be objectively fair in their pro and con criticisms.

What I have been reading is wildly polarizing and I'm still on the fence so I want to make an appeal to the community, the people who are actually playing the game.

For all of its faults I enjoy Final Fantasy XV and I want to know your thoughts on this Tales game or if in your opinion I would enjoy something like this.

[DrDeezee]

You could always give the free demo a whirl

[[Redacted]]

Originally posted by DrDeezee:

You could always give the free demo a whirl

I work on the road and I'm away from home for long periods of time, usually three months at a time, but this is usually the period when I pick up titles as well.

Right now I'm on a tablet so I wouldn't be able to try the demo and I thought I would just get some feedback and people's general impressions on the game.

Let's say I got feedback from twenty people and fifteen of them enjoy Tales thinking it's a good game then I would probably pick it up since I take into consideration the majority consensus of the average user over any review and most of the time the consensus is right.

If you have any thoughts or impressions on the game then please by all means I would genuinely like to hear it.

[Simon]

I dont have experience with FF much, but I do know that Final Fantasy and most other JRPG started off with Turn based combat. But Tales has always been using instanced-field action-combat ever since their first game in 1995. And especially back then, the series had stayed somewhat niche due to inconsistent availability of English releases, resulting in some older tales games not having any English versions. Plus Bandai Namco was not that great in marketing.

However, Tales is one of the most popular JRPG series in Japan. This poll by famitsu in 2015 reveals that Tales ranked at 4th place just right after Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Pokemon. https://nintendoeverything.com/japans-top-10-rpg-series-as-ranked-by-famitsu-readers/

Therefore, getting into the Tales series will be a solid pick because it is pretty unique compared to other JRPG (which is more true back then since there weren't much JRPG with action combat). Tales series basically feels like a "Playable Anime", but with a more toned-down anime tropes so that it felt more realistic and relatable. And with the "skit" system in the game, you can feel more connected to the characters because we can see the interactions or banter among the cast.

But in recent years especially due to Arise, the oversea fanbase has grown much more compared to before. Hopefully this almost means that there are more chance for them to remaster those untranslated tales games.

[EmeraldMegalith]

If you enjoyed FF15 and/or into JRPGs in general, I'd say the Tales series is worth checking out. The games follow a pretty unique formula that manage to set themselves apart from other series (such as FF), while still offering the typical JRPG fare. I think a lot of the mechanics of Arise come down to a matter of taste; what's good in one player's eyes is bad in another's. The only thing that I felt was objectively bad was the narrative. The story wasn't that great, and the dialogue was awful at times.

What's your must-have in a JRPG? If you feel that Arise has it based on what you've seen, then go for it and don't sweat the smaller details since no game can do it all. For an entry point to the series though, I'd suggest Tales of Berseria, which is IMO a much stronger title (and most likely cheaper one too).

[no1schmo]

I'm quite a fan of the Tales games--I will say that while not every Tales game is some amazing experience, even the worst ones are still solid when compared to the whole genre, and they tend to deliver a decent experience across the board; gameplay, story, music, everything is usually at least good enough not to feel like it actively detracts from the experience. Most of the arguments you'll see in the Tales fanbase are, to me, awfully...esoteric, which rather tells me that most agree there aren't really crippling flaws to be focusing on (compare to the Final Fantasy series, where people will absolutely tear entire games to shreds regularly, and virtually no one likes them all).

One thing the series has become known for often starting off fairly predictable and generic and subverting that later, but doing it in a way that fits and makes perfect sense. Little seeds are planted early on that seem like they mean nothing as you approach the climax suddenly become important when you pass the climax and get into what is actually the entire second half of the game or so, and much of what you thought you knew and understood, well, there's more to learn and ponder. I quite like that; it has the "anime tropes" as a base but still often delivers really solid, intelligent development beyond that.

I'm still working on Arise and so far it's...one of the more mediocre titles. I'm still enjoying it, but it's definitely struggling to grab me like previous games, and the only title I've ever had to consistently play with the control layout to make it functional. I second Tales of Berseria as perhaps a better starting point, because it actually has THE best story I've ever seen in a JRPG, perhaps in video games, once you get further into it.

[Arrogant Player]

This game is $110 and you are seriously asking if its good? This is the highest quality jrpg of your life and honestly they are hardly turning a profit by giving us such a value when really this game should be more around the $400 price point.

[Yílõng Má]

It's very hard to find a JRPG this good nowadays, so just buy this game. I am not kidding, there is no way Tales of Arise can compete with the likes of Xenogears, Suikoden 2, Final Fantasy 6-7-9-10-12, Chrono Cross, or even its predecessor like Eternia and Vesperia, but none other modern JRPGs even came close to those masterpiece.

[CardADcgt]

Originally posted by no1schmo:

One thing the series has become known for often starting off fairly predictable and generic and subverting that later, but doing it in a way that fits and makes perfect sense. Little seeds are planted early on that seem like they mean nothing as you approach the climax suddenly become important when you pass the climax and get into what is actually the entire second half of the game or so, and much of what you thought you knew and understood, well, there's more to learn and ponder. I quite like that; it has the "anime tropes" as a base but still often delivers really solid, intelligent development beyond that.

no1schmo Explains how the "Tales of" series works narratively well. I am no expert as I have not played most of them but I very much enjoyed my time with Tales of Arise. The combat especially as combos are more clear for when they start and when they must end.

If you're like me and not overtly harsh with your games unless you find them truly awful Tales of Arise is a fine pick up in my opinion. I did not regret the time I spent with it (I played the PlayStation 5 version).

For anyone curious I played.
Tales of Xillia
Tales of Xillia 2
Tales of Zestiria
Tales of Berseria
Tales of Arise

Also please share with us if you decided to pick up the game or not.

[spreyz]

I honestly, after 20 hours, dont even know myself how to feel about the game. The RPG part is great, the game is beautiful and the characters are fun.

But the combat is where it stops being fun.
You either play on story mode, or if you play on normal, all bosses are always 5 level above you while the small mobs are you level. Which makes it very hard to get to the level of the boss, which is mandatory or you just get two shot. Items are way too broken.

The combat flow is just a real pain and the one thing that keeps me from loving this game.

I would have refunded already, but i cant and now im kinda forcing myself through.

[Beelzebubbs]

The only thing I thought was bad was the dialogue. It's really cheesy and the characters act kind of cringy at times, but that's about it. The gameplay, progression, performance, and art style are all really good.

[no1schmo]

Originally posted by jplayspc:

The only thing I thought was bad was the dialogue. It's really cheesy and the characters act kind of cringy at times, but that's about it. The gameplay, progression, performance, and art style are all really good.

Fair point, but there are reasons for that. One is that the games always tend to start off fairly obvious in their themes and narrative; we're good, they are bad, go kill. So characters reflect that. Then it gets...complicated. Nuance starts to be introduced. Those same 1-dimensional characters start to ask questions. But the characters are still written to be consistent and understandable; they don't become opaque, confusing, deliberately withholding major internal changes for narrative convenience (mostly). Having them continue the same themes even while the narrative spins into new directions keeps the audience grounded; it's more like watching the scene unfold on stage, instead of going along for the ride which is more how western media tends to be. Another reason is they still use some anime-trope-ish writing, so one's subjective taste for that is going to factor in--I personally enjoy it so long as it's not TOO MUCH, like NIS games often are. I also think age has something to do with it; Tales games are accessible and understandable to younger audiences, while still having more depth and nuance to interest older ones. So they have to keep the characters, at least on a superficial level, fun and light-hearted and simpler, even when grappling with more complicated questions.

I want to make clear I didn't write this to argue with you, but to give more information for TC.