A very good game that just. keeps. going…
The Tales of… series has been going strong for 30+ years now. The first entry, Tales of Phantasia, hit the Super Famicom in December of 1995 and since then, 16 additional main line games, including Arise, multiple spin-offs, anime, manga, and other media have been released. And yet, even with all of that content out in the world, the Tales of… franchise has always been just slightly left of mainstream, at least in the states. The best-selling game in the franchise to date was Tales of Vesperia with an estimated 2.8 million lifetime sales. According to Jeremy Parish the list goes Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Tales of…, as far as popularity in Japan. In the states, I don’t think the franchise cracks the 10 and apparently Bandai Namco didn’t either as development on Arise was specifically focused on reaching a broader audience. Arise is the first title to receive a simultaneous launch, hitting Playstation 4/5, Xbox One/Series, and PC, and to date has sold more than 3 million copies and won Best RPG at the 2021 Game Awards. Its release for Switch 2 has been eagerly awaited by fans of both the series and players itching for their RPG fix on Nintendo’s newest console. Does it live up to the hype? Well, that’s a bit complicated.
Tales of Arise begins with the conflict between the Dahnan people, of the planet Dahna, and their enslavers the Renans, from the neighboring planet Rena. Rena is a planet of science and technology vastly superior to that of Dahna. About 300 years before the game begins, Renans from their moon Lenegis invaded and enslaved the Dahnans, splitting their world into five sectors, each controlled by a lord. These sectors naturally represent the elements with the opening section taking place in Calaglia, the fire sector. Each sector produces Astral Energy, which the Renans force the Dahnans to harvest so they can use it to advance their people. This takes the form of Astral Artes and is the “magic” of this world. Only Renans can use these Artes and when they do their eyes glow blue, giving them the nickname Bright Eyes. Every few years a “Crown Contest” is held to determine the new Renan Sovereign. The game begins as the current contest is about to kick off.
MSRP: $49.99
Platforms: Switch 2
Price I’d Pay: $49.99
The player character, a really cool looking character named Iron Mask who cannot feel pain, is introduced as a slave in Calaglia. Almost immediately we become involved with the local resistance, the Crimson Crows, during the rescue of a Renan girl named Shionne who is cursed with Thorns, a condition which causes pain to anyone who touches her. Iron Mask and Shionne are taken in by the Crimson Crows and are tasked with making their way to Lord Balseph, lord of Calaglia, and defeating him. During the battle Iron Mask is able to wield the Burning Sword, which emerges from inside Shionne, to defeat Balseph, breaking his mask and remembering his name in the process, Alphen. Shionne takes Lord Balseph’s core for reasons she keeps to herself while Alphen decides to liberate the rest of Dahna using his newfound abilities.
At this point you may be thinking that this is pretty standard RPG fare, and yeah, it is. That’s not a knock however as the story is well told, has some fun twists and turns along the way, and (though predictable) ends in a satisfying conclusion with all of the trappings modern gameplay cinematics can provide. But, then it just keeps going. And going. After what seems like a decent place to end this particular game, we are treated to a second opening cinematic and an entire second arc. And that’s where things start to come apart.
By the end of the first arc your party consists of six different characters who all play wildly different than each other. Character customization runs deep in Arise and is definitely a highlight. Players control one character at a time during battles while additional party members are controlled by the in game logic. This logic can be tuned to how you see fit giving an added layer of customization. The combat itself is fast paced and honestly, even though it can get absolutely chaotic later in the game once your characters are powered up, genuinely very fun. I played through as Alphen 99% of the time because his playstyle matched the way I like to play games but did switch control to other party members every now and again just to feel the difference. Switching is easily done through the menu with the game itself taking control of your previous character flawlessly. Depending on how you’ve built your squad your attacks get simply outrageous with tons of effects on screen at once, combos out the wazoo, and a satisfying weight when all is said and done. But then that second arc hits and man, everything becomes a bit of a slog. The HP sponge trope is on full display as the enemies take forever to deal with, padding out the whole piece of business unnecessarily.
The game itself is quite pretty though with some really great designs on both the human characters and the monsters. While the game never strays too far from the confines of what one would expect to see in a modern RPG, what is here is quite nice. Playing both handheld and docked on the Switch 2, the game looks sharp no doubt helped by the overall art direction. Tales of Arise looks like a painting come to life with some spectacular set pieces littered throughout. The score is also quite good with pieces that move from epic, intense battle themes to more quiet, introspective sections. The track that plays over the opening anime sequence though, modern intro nonsense in the best way possible.
Overall, Tales of Arise is a very good game marred by a lackluster second half. Had the story ended after the first arc players would have been treated to a tidy, satisfying 20–25-hour experience. Instead, we get a strong start followed by a disappointingly clunky second act that manages to somehow end with a decent enough finale. I can see why this game received the praise it did on its initial release in 2021 and think it is a worthwhile addition to the Switch 2 library.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.