The Tales franchise often conjures up great imagery of fantasy and wonder but what struck this game to be so different is its depiction of actual problems. The emotions conveyed that people in reality could plausibly go through. To me, this Is what made the game so distinct and successful compared to its sequel and predecessors.

Don't get me wrong, obviously the story can get far-fetched with it being a JRPG. But, I couldn't help fall in love- become heavily invested in the tale it tells. Of course, It doesn't stop there. Did you really think it would?



The Gist:
The protagonist of this unforgettable coming of age tale is Velvet Crowe. Deeply betrayed by a loved one and practically losing everything that defined her happy rural life. She now has seemingly one purpose in life- vengeance and... lots of it. Alongside her personal issues to resolve, the world is also at stake from falling under the domination of a 'for the greater good' nut and his wielding of power from the empyrean Innominat.


! Bienfu: Lady Magilou! What's A Spoiler?!
! Magilou: Say Another Word And I'll Turn You Into Jam!



(a) The Dark Side!
The first impression I got (and I was fooled) was that 'wow, I'm one of the bad guys', but there's actually more to Velvet than at face value. As you progress, you will find that she perhaps has some humanity left in her. But it's an arduous journey until then.

(b) Band of Misfits
Joining Velvet on her journey are the equally evil- lets say that for now and nonetheless memorable cast. The stubborn demon Rokurou, innocent Laphicet, manipulative witch Magilou, grim pirate Eizen and hopeful exorcist Eleanor.

Luckily, Laphicet and Eleanor act as the mediator of good, thereby balancing the gang out when it comes to making a decision. All thanks, to their characters realitiscally brought to life by stellar voice choices and well-written albeit unavoidable cheesy dialogue.

(c) Comedy Troupe or Magilou's Menagerie?
Continuing the tradition of tales games' are the skits which are optional to trigger but well worth the time consumption. Sometimes you get a character backstory, special artworks or at the very most jokes to tickle your funnybones! The latter of which are in my opinion necessary to illustrate the strength of their bonds, regardless of times where they argue or disagree with the perspectives of one another.

(d) Odd Jobs
The game does have a main storyline to progress but you are also free to travel to previous dungeons or settlements to hunt down vicious enemies for some goodies! There are also minigames where one example is that you battle with a dummy for the highest damage possible. These can earn you Tales coins which can be exchanged for cosmetic items or materials for upgrading equipment.

The standout moments include those close between the halfway point and the end, you will find opportunities to either resolve each character's inner demons so that they may find peace or character-specific quests such as Eizen and searching for dolls, Magilous' standup career. However, for obvious reasons, in Velvet's case as well as certain characters- theirs will automatically advance as the main storyline gets uncovered to fit in to the context.

(e) Good at What They Do
Being villains, they supposedly should excel in battle and it shows in the combat system. Centred on the use of Blast Gauge (BG) in which they are expended to swap characters on the fly or initiate powerful mystic arts which are a bit tricky to pull off at first.

In terms of equipment, there are a number to choose from- weapons, character specific gear armor, accessories, footwear and titles that will boost varying stats. Going to the item vendors give you the chance to upgrade gear making their stats rise up and effectively more powerful. Any duplicates can be dismantled to gain precious resources back.

Skills are more accessible and can be fixed to a hot-key (PS4 controller for me) making them pretty much instantaneous if the BG is plentiful.



(i) A Great Big World
I don't have any major complaints about exploration. But I suppose it is more of a progression matter. At first, travelling may seem like a pain but in due time, you will unlock a form of transportation, fast travel which eases that problem. Like it never happened before!

(ii) A Moment of Weakness
I noticed in Tales of Zestiria as well as in this one... That the framerate takes a heavy hit particularly during moments of excessive effects such as 4 characters casting artes at the same time or when both enemies and party members are engaged in a busy battle. It was the same for console and PC. So it points to a flaw of the game engine used.

But it is pretty rare and you will get used to it. On the other hand, actually gives you time to think of what your next move will be.


Tales of Berseria is a tale of epic proportions. There was a very human quality that made me so attached to this game and it was my first and only Tales game to finish. Not Really because there's a New Game+ and greater levels of difficulty to conquer! I felt as if I learnt a lot despite not personally having experienced their perils. A tragic story of loss, morality and acceptance.


9.2/10

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #10 [/url]<-- [i]New review every Sunday[/i][/code] The Tales franchise often conjures up great imagery of fantasy and wonder but what struck this game to be so different is its depiction of actual problems. The emotions conveyed that people in reality could plausibly go through. To me, this Is what made the game so distinct and successful compared to its sequel and predecessors. Don't get me wrong, obviously the story can get far-fetched with it being a JRPG. But, I couldn't help fall in love- become heavily invested in the tale it tells. Of course, It doesn't stop there. Did you really think it would? [h1]"Spinning The Moral Compass."[/h1] [u]The Gist:[/u] The protagonist of this unforgettable coming of age tale is Velvet Crowe. Deeply betrayed by a loved one and practically losing everything that defined her happy rural life. She now has seemingly one purpose in life- vengeance and... lots of it. Alongside her personal issues to resolve, the world is also at stake from falling under the domination of a 'for the greater good' nut and his wielding of power from the empyrean Innominat. [spoiler] ! Bienfu: Lady Magilou! What's A Spoiler?![/spoiler] [spoiler] ! Magilou: Say Another Word And I'll Turn You Into Jam! [/spoiler] [h1][+] PROS;[/h1] (a) [b]The Dark Side![/b] The first impression I got (and I was fooled) was that 'wow, I'm one of the bad guys', but there's actually more to Velvet than at face value. As you progress, you will find that she perhaps has some humanity left in her. But it's an arduous journey until then. (b) [b]Band of Misfits[/b] Joining Velvet on her journey are the equally evil- lets say that for now and nonetheless memorable cast. The stubborn demon Rokurou, innocent Laphicet, manipulative witch Magilou, grim pirate Eizen and hopeful exorcist Eleanor. Luckily, Laphicet and Eleanor act as the mediator of good, thereby balancing the gang out when it comes to making a decision. All thanks, to their characters realitiscally brought to life by stellar voice choices and well-written albeit unavoidable cheesy dialogue. (c) [b]Comedy Troupe or Magilou's Menagerie?[/b] Continuing the tradition of tales games' are the skits which are optional to trigger but well worth the time consumption. Sometimes you get a character backstory, special artworks or at the very most jokes to tickle your funnybones! The latter of which are in my opinion necessary to illustrate the strength of their bonds, regardless of times where they argue or disagree with the perspectives of one another. (d) [b]Odd Jobs[/b] The game does have a main storyline to progress but you are also free to travel to previous dungeons or settlements to hunt down vicious enemies for some goodies! There are also minigames where one example is that you battle with a dummy for the highest damage possible. These can earn you Tales coins which can be exchanged for cosmetic items or materials for upgrading equipment. The standout moments include those close between the halfway point and the end, you will find opportunities to either resolve each character's inner demons so that they may find peace or character-specific quests such as Eizen and searching for dolls, Magilous' standup career. However, for obvious reasons, in Velvet's case as well as certain characters- theirs will automatically advance as the main storyline gets uncovered to fit in to the context. (e) [b]Good at What They Do[/b] Being villains, they supposedly should excel in battle and it shows in the combat system. Centred on the use of Blast Gauge (BG) in which they are expended to swap characters on the fly or initiate powerful mystic arts which are a bit tricky to pull off at first. In terms of equipment, there are a number to choose from- weapons, character specific gear armor, accessories, footwear and titles that will boost varying stats. Going to the item vendors give you the chance to upgrade gear making their stats rise up and effectively more powerful. Any duplicates can be dismantled to gain precious resources back. Skills are more accessible and can be fixed to a hot-key (PS4 controller for me) making them pretty much instantaneous if the BG is plentiful. [h1][-] CONS;[/h1] (i) [b]A Great Big World[/b] I don't have any major complaints about exploration. But I suppose it is more of a progression matter. At first, travelling may seem like a pain but in due time, you will unlock a form of transportation, fast travel which eases that problem. Like it never happened before! (ii) [b]A Moment of Weakness[/b] I noticed in Tales of Zestiria as well as in this one... That the framerate takes a heavy hit particularly during moments of excessive effects such as 4 characters casting artes at the same time or when both enemies and party members are engaged in a busy battle. It was the same for console and PC. So it points to a flaw of the game engine used. But it is pretty rare and you will get used to it. On the other hand, actually gives you time to think of what your next move will be. Tales of Berseria is a tale of epic proportions. There was a very human quality that made me so attached to this game and it was my first and only Tales game to finish. Not Really because there's a New Game+ and greater levels of difficulty to conquer! I felt as if I learnt a lot despite not personally having experienced their perils. A tragic story of loss, morality and acceptance. [h1]"Why Is It That You Think Birds Fly?"[/h1] 9.2/10