Tales of Arise Reviews
Bandai Namco combines excellent writing, stunning anime visuals, and a deep, rewarding combat system to make one of the best JRPGs of the year.
Tales of Arise is a tremendous step forward for a storied JRPG series and should be experienced by all fans of the genre.
Tales of Arise combines a stunning world told with a mix of anime, cutscenes and comic strip styled conversations. The combat is fun, flashy with customisable skills in hack 'n' slash style. While the combat can feel a little unnatural with the auto-targeting and airborne moves, once you get used to it, there are some fun fights ahead. If you don't like having to choose between ranged, casting, melee in games, you won't have to worry as Tales of Arise let's you swap in different characters as you wish, keeping combat fresh. With over 40 hours of main story, side quests and exploring , this Tales entry has plenty in terms of content.
A successful attempt to modernise and broaden the appeal of the Tales series without completely abandoning its JRPG roots.
Tales of Arise a great step toward the JRPG's evolution and a must-play for fans of the genre.
Tales of Arise takes the franchise to new heights with an emotional story, unique characters, fun combat, and more defining features.
Tales of Arise is a lengthy, beautiful RPG adventure, but has messy combat and uneven pacing on occasion.
There are missteps and a few bumps along the way, but this soft reboot of a long-running series emerges a triumph.
Tales of Arise sets a new gold standard for traditional action JRPGs. This stylized adventure's presentation and lavish production is a treat for anime fans and RPG enthusiasts, and it brings new life to the long-running Tales series.
With Tales of Arise, I think the Tales series is finally ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the heavy hitters of the JRPG genre – Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. This is a masterfully crafted adventure, and the best JRPG I’ve played in a very long time. Combining stunning visuals with a gripping story and the most exciting combat system found in a JRPG yet, this is a must-have for fans of the genre. Its standalone story makes this a great entry point for those looking to get into the Tales series, too. Put simply, Tales of Arise is outstanding.
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.
Tales of Arise is gorgeous. The lands are lush and vibrant, even those trapped in extreme weather patterns. Calaglia's arid landscape makes me thirsty and trudging through Cyslodia's tundra reminds me of long Canadian winters. Sadly this all seems to be lost when it's time to throw in some anime. The switch from game graphics to anime cutscenes is actually rather jarring and I'm not a fan. I like the anime separately as its own entity, just not within the game itself. If the coloring matched the game, sure. But it washes out all of the hard work the level design team put into the game. Pair this with just way too much going on with the artes system and you can see how, though a fantastic game, it falls just shy of hitting a perfect ten.
After nearly half a decade, Tales of Arise was worth the wait as a shining new example of what the series future may hold.
Whether this is the big Tales breakthrough or not is a matter that history will decide. This is a Tales game that hits the right spots for me, puts a lot of love into its cast and its action, and somehow manages to strike a balance between the old and the new.
In short, Tales of Arise feels satisfying. It’s gorgeous to look at and the battles fun to experience. Especially since you sometimes do get that “Ah ha!” moment when the right sort of Boost Attack or Strike comes up.
Tales of Arise is the grand adventure we’ve been waiting for, and more, for veteran players and new fans alike. Its addictive and satisfying combat design, breathtaking narrative, gorgeous presentation, and engaging cast make it the quintessential JRPG to play. The characters met in this entry add to the growing cast of memorable personalities this series has given us, solidifying it as a true Tales title.
Tales of Arise is a great game and a significant step forward from its predecessor, a wonderful mix of bright narrative and excellent gameplay.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Tales of Arise comes to prove that the series still has a lot to say. At a time when fans of the genre are in for a treat, Bandai Namco has decided to join the party and offer us one of the best instalments of the franchise. A perfect entry into the franchise, with an interesting story, charismatic characters, beautiful artwork and a combat system that's as accessible as it is deep. It takes a while to get going, but when it does, it's hard to put the controller down before starting the next dungeon.
Review in Spanish | Read full review