Tales of Arise is the upcoming entry in the long-running franchise that currently celebrates its 25th anniversary. Tales of Arise is supposed to be a turning point for the franchise, introducing new elements to the classic JRPG franchise while staying true to its heritage. I was able to play through the first chapter of this upcoming game and I must say I’m already very curious to see what will happen next.
A dark start
The Tales of- franchise has numerous great games in its franchise, all telling a different story. Arise starts off on a rather darker note, immediately setting the atmosphere. If you’re used to Tales of- games you already know it’s impossible to completely understand the story in a couple of hours but the first chapter already gives away the fundamentals. Tales of Arise takes place on Rena and Dahna, two different planets, one with better technology. Rena has ruled over Dahna with its advanced technology and magic; depleting Dahna of its natural resources, and stripping its people of their dignity and freedom. Players will see our tale unfold through the eyes of Alphen, the iron masked man from Dahna; and Shionne, a girl from Rena, who is chased by her Renan compatriots.
My session kicked off as Alpen, a mysterious iron mask-wearing man who’s sick of Rena controlling the people on Dahna. The situation is best compared to modern slavery where the people of Dahna are only good to dig up the resources, if they don’t perform well, they need to be punished or even worse. This situation spirals out of control shortly after young kids are being abused by the overrulers of Rena. It’s a harsh world to grow up in and it’s a harsh opening to the game, to say the least. It’s clear that Tales of Arise wants to suck you into its world and lore from the second you start playing and it certainly works. Unlike many other JRPG games, the opening of Tales of Arise is fast-paced and packed with emotional moments, all taking place in a beautifully created dystopian scenery. The only way to get out of this mess is by taking down the leader of the settlement, which won’t come easy.
Exploration meets combat
Besides the story, Tales of Arise really convinced me with its gameplay. It takes all elements from a good JRPG game and makes it even better, constantly emphasizing exploration and combat. Exploration is a main part of the game, as proven in this first chapter. As Alphen or Shionne, you’ll be running around in this world a lot, always looking for that crucial hidden crate or trying to solve another environmental puzzle. The game runs on the powerful Unreal Engine 4, making this the prettiest Tales of- game to date. Although I prefer gameplay over graphics, I must admit that these graphics really elevate the game to new heights. You’ll easily get lost in its numerous details. The first chapter offers a lot of dark dungeons filled with volcanic explosions, really taking things to another level. I love how deserted yet full of life this first environment was. But, exploration isn’t the only main attraction here, as any other good JRPG, combat forms the real beating heart.
Combat happens in real-time, meaning you won’t be stuck in endless menus attacking and defending in turns. You activate combat by running into one of many monsters on the map or dungeon or you’ll get thrown into it when a monster bumps into you. In combat, you’re entering a closed arena that’s always in perfect sync with your environment. You can approach the monsters by running towards them with your control stick and attack them using several attack buttons. The fun part about combat is the fact that you can easily combine your attacks to a more powerful and devastating combo. But, attacking isn’t the only way to become victorious. If you’re not attacking, it’s wise to defend your position or roll away from a critical hit in order to stay alive. The combat of Tales of Arise is very high-paced and your attacks are very colorful and impressive. The more I advanced in this chapter, the better and more special my weapons became. A flaming sword definitely being my favorite since I could deliver some critical damage with it. My favorite part about the combat was combining countless small attacks leading to a deadly combo with an impressive anime-esque finisher to top it off. I loved the flow of combat and can’t wait to add more members to my party and better weapons and gear to my arsenal. From what I’ve seen so far, I’m pretty convinced combat will become even crazier and intense the more you advance.
As you might have guessed, I played as Alphen, a skilled sword-fighter who’s best at one-on-one combat. It’s a fast-paced attacker with enough health to keep you going. Defeating the more difficult enemies or bosses isn’t always that easy since Alphen is also rather vulnerable to attacks. It’s here where Shionne comes into play. She is a combination of warrior and healer. Her attacks can deliver quite the blow but here healing powers are of crucial importance during combat. Since I was controlling Alphen, the AI took control over Shionne, and I was rather impressed by its decisions. The AI of your party member really is strong as Shionne always healed her or me the moment I would have done it if I controlled her. The AI-companion isn’t just dead weight but can easily make the difference between a win or loss. I adored the flow of the combat and the fact that you’re always involved and not just waiting for your turn. Combat is without a doubt an important element of Tales of Arise and thanks to its new engine, it never looked this impressive.
Early conclusion:
Tales of Arise really feels like the next big thing for the franchise thanks to the impressive Unreal Engine 4 and immersive gameplay. If you’re a fan of action-packed JRPG games, this should be on your list, no questions asked. Even if you never played a Tales of- game before, I’m pretty sure this one will make a lot of newcomers fall in love with the formula. The game is releasing next month and is currently one of my most-anticipated titles of 2021.
