Ever since I noticed this game back in 2021, I always thought it looked really cool and wanted to try it for myself, but the price was rather steep here, and even though there were some good sales for it, I never took the plunge, thinking it could go to game pass eventually, and recently my prayers were answered. I can say my expectations for it were mostly hit and that I had a good time.
This game is my first experience with the Tales series, before the marketing for this started I didn't even know it existed, therefore I had no idea what to expect, all I knew is that it looked cool. After playing for a while, I noticed something: It's very similar to Scarlet Nexus (Another 2021 Bandai Namco game) in many aspects. The gameplay feels similar, they share a few mechanics, and even the skits are familiar in style (Though with Arise the characters actually move a bit instead of being just still frames). A pleasant surprise to be sure, since I like Scarlet Nexus. However, they're still very distinct games, especially the story.
I don't have a whole lot of experience with JRPGs, having only played a few, but this is exactly the kind of affair I'd expect from one: Nations enslaved for centuries by an outside force, suddenly a mysterious person appears to our MC, carrying the McGuffin that will finally free them from oppression, meeting colorful and quirky characters to help you on the way. This simplification, while accurate, does not mean the story is bad, quite the opposite in fact. I enjoyed it a lot, there were lots of good moments, and even some 2D animated cutscenes by Ufotable. In the latter half of the game, however, there's a lot of exposition, so be ready to get a dump of info. And by the end, I feel like it got a little dragged out, but I still liked the conclusion (I have not and will not buy the DLC). It took me about 75 hours to finish, having done most sidequests (I did not do the endgame post-finale ones, I don't wanna grind for levels). It has some pacing issues from time to time, but overall an enjoyable experience. Sidequests are repetitive though, lots of "kill that" or "bring me this" or a combination thereof. Characters are pretty good, I watched as many skits as I could, loved seeing how they developed and interacted.
As for how the game plays, it depends on what you choose. You can make the game play itself, or go for a fully manual mode that's pretty much a character action mode (I went with this). Everything feels very fluid, and at least in Normal difficulty the progression is good, you gradually get more powerful and you can feel it, while at the same time the game remains challenging all throughout. Enemies are usually fun to fight, and boss fights were mostly great. There is a problem with recycled content though. You'll fight some of the same enemies in every region you can go to, just reskinned with a new elemental type, same applies to some bosses. Combine that with the eventual skill plateau and lack of new mechanics for the second half, and you'll understand how things can get a bit old.
Visually, this game is looks very good. It's stylized, with vibrant colors giving life to beautiful natural landmarks and cities, and character designs are very good too. From a technical side, I couldn't find any bad textures or blurriness (It was pretty much a bugless experience overall), and the lighting is decent. Animations during cutscenes are good, probably because they use mocap, but can be stiff during real time interactions between characters, especially how their mouths move. Enemy designs are well made, but there's the already mentioned problem of recycled enemies, some of which are merely color palette swaps. Also, kinda ignored in most games, but something I liked was the menu and UIs, they look sleek and are very simplified, something more games could strive for nowadays.
One of this game's strongest aspects was the soundtrack. Besides a slight lack of variety for combat music, it is overall great. From the grandiose orchestral songs from Calaglia to the slow and calming tune of Cysloden, they all fit nicely. Sound design also gets in your head after a while, not anything out of the ordinary but also good, though enemies are sometimes way too silent.
That's about all I have to talk about this game. I enjoyed it, and not having paid extra for it feels even better. There's flaws, it's not a perfect game, but it's well worth your time, having fun gameplay and a fun story, complimented by good looks and a good soundtrack. If you like JRPGs and/or action games, this is a very good pick. Be ready to spend some time with it though, it can get a little draining but you'll probably enjoy it like I did.
SCORE: 8/10
This game is my first experience with the Tales series, before the marketing for this started I didn't even know it existed, therefore I had no idea what to expect, all I knew is that it looked cool. After playing for a while, I noticed something: It's very similar to Scarlet Nexus (Another 2021 Bandai Namco game) in many aspects. The gameplay feels similar, they share a few mechanics, and even the skits are familiar in style (Though with Arise the characters actually move a bit instead of being just still frames). A pleasant surprise to be sure, since I like Scarlet Nexus. However, they're still very distinct games, especially the story.
I don't have a whole lot of experience with JRPGs, having only played a few, but this is exactly the kind of affair I'd expect from one: Nations enslaved for centuries by an outside force, suddenly a mysterious person appears to our MC, carrying the McGuffin that will finally free them from oppression, meeting colorful and quirky characters to help you on the way. This simplification, while accurate, does not mean the story is bad, quite the opposite in fact. I enjoyed it a lot, there were lots of good moments, and even some 2D animated cutscenes by Ufotable. In the latter half of the game, however, there's a lot of exposition, so be ready to get a dump of info. And by the end, I feel like it got a little dragged out, but I still liked the conclusion (I have not and will not buy the DLC). It took me about 75 hours to finish, having done most sidequests (I did not do the endgame post-finale ones, I don't wanna grind for levels). It has some pacing issues from time to time, but overall an enjoyable experience. Sidequests are repetitive though, lots of "kill that" or "bring me this" or a combination thereof. Characters are pretty good, I watched as many skits as I could, loved seeing how they developed and interacted.
As for how the game plays, it depends on what you choose. You can make the game play itself, or go for a fully manual mode that's pretty much a character action mode (I went with this). Everything feels very fluid, and at least in Normal difficulty the progression is good, you gradually get more powerful and you can feel it, while at the same time the game remains challenging all throughout. Enemies are usually fun to fight, and boss fights were mostly great. There is a problem with recycled content though. You'll fight some of the same enemies in every region you can go to, just reskinned with a new elemental type, same applies to some bosses. Combine that with the eventual skill plateau and lack of new mechanics for the second half, and you'll understand how things can get a bit old.
Visually, this game is looks very good. It's stylized, with vibrant colors giving life to beautiful natural landmarks and cities, and character designs are very good too. From a technical side, I couldn't find any bad textures or blurriness (It was pretty much a bugless experience overall), and the lighting is decent. Animations during cutscenes are good, probably because they use mocap, but can be stiff during real time interactions between characters, especially how their mouths move. Enemy designs are well made, but there's the already mentioned problem of recycled enemies, some of which are merely color palette swaps. Also, kinda ignored in most games, but something I liked was the menu and UIs, they look sleek and are very simplified, something more games could strive for nowadays.
One of this game's strongest aspects was the soundtrack. Besides a slight lack of variety for combat music, it is overall great. From the grandiose orchestral songs from Calaglia to the slow and calming tune of Cysloden, they all fit nicely. Sound design also gets in your head after a while, not anything out of the ordinary but also good, though enemies are sometimes way too silent.
That's about all I have to talk about this game. I enjoyed it, and not having paid extra for it feels even better. There's flaws, it's not a perfect game, but it's well worth your time, having fun gameplay and a fun story, complimented by good looks and a good soundtrack. If you like JRPGs and/or action games, this is a very good pick. Be ready to spend some time with it though, it can get a little draining but you'll probably enjoy it like I did.
SCORE: 8/10