It took some time, but Tales of Arise did click with me! This is the second game in the franchise that I actually finish and although I expected a little bit more from it, I'm amazed with how it slowly became a game that I just couldn't put down.
This is a gorgeous game! The environments, enemies, character design and combat effects are great. It's a stunning experience featuring soothing scenarios and bleak dungeons.
While I initially didn't like the main cast, I ended up loving them towards the end. Character development is strong, well-constructed and pays off in the conclusion. By the end of the game I was almost part of the group and I think the more mature approach in the writting is the reason.
The story is also beautiful! It is a very long game, but throughly well-paced (except for the second half) and genuinely well told. There are so many nuances to each thing you uncover in the story and so many surprises and plot twists that it's hard to talk about it without spoiling anything. But trust me, it is a very deep and beautiful story, with nice character interactions, a good message and a charming ending.
But the true highlight of Tales of Arise is the combat. My god, it is fantastic! Fun, fast, addicting and a bit confusing, but powerful! It's definitely one of the best battle systems I've ever played in an Action JRPG game. It might not be as tactical as the likes of Vesperia, but it's definitely more engaging.
You get to feel that through boss fights. They're epic and amazing. Each one plays differently and you have to adapt to it. It's a shame that with so many things happening at the same time, battling a few of them (especially fights against the lords) can be quite confusing, with some of them being damage sponges. But they're great, nonetheless.
And while I may be gushing over this game, it does comes with a few notable flaws. The worst one is how generic it may seem at first. It actually took me a long while to finally get hooked, but when it did it hit hard! I'm not sure what it is, but there's something holding this game back from being truly incredible, in my opinion. Maybe it's the soundtrack. Good JRPGS are synonymous with fantastic OSTs and this one is just extremely forgettable. Side quests are also a mixed bag. Sometimes you're facing an incredible tough optional boss fight, sometimes you're cooking or collecting hidden owls. It's unbalanced.
I also disliked how they approached the second half of the game. It cuts the pacing of the entire story, slows things down, throws a bunch of exposition at you and stuffs you with a lot of dialogue. And I do mean A LOT OF DIALOGUES. It gets really boring before it picks itself back up again.
AND WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THE MONEY IN THIS GAME? EVERYTHING IS TOO EXPENSIVE!
Tales of Arise brought back the feeling of experiencing a good traditional action JRPG. It is quite a journey and one that I won't easily forget. Took a while to convince me, but I'm really glad it did.
This is a gorgeous game! The environments, enemies, character design and combat effects are great. It's a stunning experience featuring soothing scenarios and bleak dungeons.
While I initially didn't like the main cast, I ended up loving them towards the end. Character development is strong, well-constructed and pays off in the conclusion. By the end of the game I was almost part of the group and I think the more mature approach in the writting is the reason.
The story is also beautiful! It is a very long game, but throughly well-paced (except for the second half) and genuinely well told. There are so many nuances to each thing you uncover in the story and so many surprises and plot twists that it's hard to talk about it without spoiling anything. But trust me, it is a very deep and beautiful story, with nice character interactions, a good message and a charming ending.
But the true highlight of Tales of Arise is the combat. My god, it is fantastic! Fun, fast, addicting and a bit confusing, but powerful! It's definitely one of the best battle systems I've ever played in an Action JRPG game. It might not be as tactical as the likes of Vesperia, but it's definitely more engaging.
You get to feel that through boss fights. They're epic and amazing. Each one plays differently and you have to adapt to it. It's a shame that with so many things happening at the same time, battling a few of them (especially fights against the lords) can be quite confusing, with some of them being damage sponges. But they're great, nonetheless.
And while I may be gushing over this game, it does comes with a few notable flaws. The worst one is how generic it may seem at first. It actually took me a long while to finally get hooked, but when it did it hit hard! I'm not sure what it is, but there's something holding this game back from being truly incredible, in my opinion. Maybe it's the soundtrack. Good JRPGS are synonymous with fantastic OSTs and this one is just extremely forgettable. Side quests are also a mixed bag. Sometimes you're facing an incredible tough optional boss fight, sometimes you're cooking or collecting hidden owls. It's unbalanced.
I also disliked how they approached the second half of the game. It cuts the pacing of the entire story, slows things down, throws a bunch of exposition at you and stuffs you with a lot of dialogue. And I do mean A LOT OF DIALOGUES. It gets really boring before it picks itself back up again.
AND WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THE MONEY IN THIS GAME? EVERYTHING IS TOO EXPENSIVE!
Tales of Arise brought back the feeling of experiencing a good traditional action JRPG. It is quite a journey and one that I won't easily forget. Took a while to convince me, but I'm really glad it did.