The pedigree of Tales of Arise is obvious from its opening moments. While the various Tales of games have been diverse in their representations of fantasy, sci-fi, world-building, and gameplay elements, they've cultivated a reputation for grandeur in length and depth. Tales of Arise, developed and published by Bandai Namco, is, by producer Yusuke Tomizawa's own admission, an effort to grow the series with a western audience while maintaining its core systems for long-time fans.

The balance that has been struck with Tales of Arise feels like it works for both its goals, though it remains a JRPG first and foremost and won't do much to persuade those who aren't interested in the genre to give this iteration of the formula a shot. That being said, however, western JRPG fans - or even RPG fans in general - will find a lot to love about Tales of Arise, while players who have followed the series across console generations will find a familiar, but evolved, take on many of the franchise's strengths.

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Tales of Arise follows the story of Alphen, an amnesiac man who wakes up as a member of the Dahnan society, an enslaved people native to their planet that have been invaded and subjugated by the technologically superior Renans. Alphen is soon joined by Shionne, a Renan woman cursed with magical thorns that prevent anyone from ever getting close to her and hell-bent on destroying Renan society. They're soon leading a resistance group across the various regions of Dahna, each controlled by a different Renan lord, in a way that's somewhat reminiscent of temples in Legend of Zelda - each environment is dramatically different and themed after its respective element.

Tales of Arise Foodie

Initially, Tales of Arise begins pretty heavy-handed with its imagery and narrative, something that threatens to overshadow its otherwise engaging characters and world-building. Luckily, after the first few hours are spent establishing the broader strokes of the conflict on Dahna, the game's story takes a more introspective turn in spite of its world-liberating aspirations. It's here that the struggles of the world's population are illustrated beautifully. Even the more obvious twists are accompanied by more subtle inversions of JRPG expectations, keeping the story compelling and moving at a brisk pace.

Tales of Arise's combat is comprised largely of engaging with enemies on a given map, which then funnels players into a more restricted battlefield against the group they've run into. Combat is balanced near-perfectly, with careful attention paid to a rewarding dodge and parrying system that creates an incentive for Alphen's party to pay close attention to enemy behaviors. This is complemented by the usual JRPG flair, which comes through in Strikes and Artes, both of which are suitably over-the-top and fun to watch on screen. Even at Normal difficulty, fights ask those involved to be dialed in on what's occurring on screen, though nothing felt unfair - and a brief excursion into Story difficulty confirms that Tales of Arise is also extremely accessible to those who are less interested in its battle nuances.

Tales of Arise Strike Boost

Tales of Arise also offers a variety of characters to use during combat, and for the most part, they feel different enough that they're each worth trying. Alphen's the standard sword-swinging JRPG hero, while Shionne uses her advanced tech to deploy a gun and bombs onto the battlefield (as well as healing - she's by far the most fun character to play as for people who enjoy variety). Other later additions offer more strategic options, and it's safe to say there's a character type for virtually everyone.

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It's highly encouraged to dive deep into Tales of Arise's systems, though, regardless of which character is being mained at the moment. Artes, returning in their usual form as resource-capped special abilities that evolve or are learned over time, chain together in exciting ways, and with great variation. Preparing for enemies is also less of a headache since, in general, each region is comprised of foes who correspond to that region's element, which makes choosing loadouts more intuitive and less frustrating. Equipment is more of a side excursion and feels like more of an excuse to give more outfit options, since there's rarely much of a decision between whether or not to craft the newly available tool or hold onto the old one - they mostly just boost stats, although some of them play better with certain elements.

Tales of Arise Combat Ganabelt Valkyris Boss

Still, that level of customization is appreciated, and is omnipresent in all of Tales of Arise's mechanics. Outfits are varied and fun, with more options either available through DLC or by naturally progressing the game, with some hidden outfits donned by various owls that need to be recruited off the game's many maps and biomes. Accessories have levels and various qualities that get deeper the higher quality the materials used are, which keeps a loop of exploration being rewarded by better tactical options engaging even when it's the third or fourth time through a given area. Cooking offers even more stat bonuses when Alphen's party is lucky enough to come across a camp, and the conversations that happen there are fun or sometimes emotional, depending on who is available for a midnight chat.

While combat is exciting, however, it does begin to get somewhat repetitive, especially as more characters are unlocked and their various strikes help hard-counter enemy compositions. That's alleviated somewhat by giving players incentive to continue fighting with a chain system that rewards stringing together fights in a given area, with each subsequent battle offering the potential for rare enemy spawns or increased loot. Still, finding a combination that works in Tales of Arise is still satisfying, and the animation quality is high enough that the repetition isn't grating so much as it is just a little dull in places. Sometimes, enemy weak points can be pretty difficult to target - characters will run at them and even manually positioning them before tapping on an ability can result in a miss.

Tales of Arise Owls Hootle

Thankfully, combat, for all its depth, is only one element of the game that's gratifying - it's exploration is top-notch, with its gorgeous worlds filled to the brim with collectibles, treasures, and citizens who need help. Even a dozen hours in, something fun like fishing unlocks and suddenly makes revisiting previous areas even more appealing, and this continues throughout in some truly well-reasoned world design. Sidequests tend to be pretty basic stuff and an excuse for earning more SP - the game's Sphere Grid-like character progression system that helps customize strategies even more - but some of them are deep and crop up across regions. Those sidequests tend to be pretty special, with some really nice rewards, both in writing and in loot, for the trouble.

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While the writing is expressive, interesting, and tackles some more in-depth representations of dynamics of power and history, the localization sometimes lets Tales of Arise down. In one memorable exchange, the wrong "you're" was used repeatedly, while other words are unpluralized or missing in the English subtitles. It's not enough to detract from the overall messaging in the game, but it can sometimes be jarring, and it's definitely a little more sloppy than would be expected of a game from Bandai Namco. The quality seems erratic in the sense that some conversations will feature multiple stumbles while other entire monologues will be pristine, but when it's visible, it's quite clear.

The game's anime-style cutscenes and memorable musical score contribute to the feeling that Tales of Arise is something special, which is tied to its main takeaway - it's just a whole lot of fun. Whether it's the captivating, satisfying combat or the surprisingly deft storytelling that has more than a few pumpfakes on tropes, what Bandai Namco has produced here is still going to be up for debate as one of the best entries into the franchise to date. Tales of Arise accomplishes the rare feat of catering to its many fans while simultaneously making a compelling case for newcomers to give it a try, and it's a JRPG must-play that was more than worth the wait.

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Tales of Arise releases on September 10, 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Screen Rant was provided with a PS5 code for the purpose of this review.