Tales of Zestiria Reviews
Tales of Zestiria doesn't deviate too far from its competent predecessors, but it's not a carbon copy, either. It may have linear dungeons and a less-than-stellar story, but it's open-world exploration, enjoyable customization, and flashy new Armitization feature are enough for it to stand on its own.
It's got nothing on Final Fantasy at its best, but it's still an excellent example of the genre with some fun twists on RPG traditions.
The Tales franchise still feels like a great combat system in need of a much better game, especially given the banal script and dungeon design that mars this latest entry.
Tales of Zestiria has some good ideas, but the experience is underwhelming and disappointing
Unfortunately, having the camera closer to ground level exposes the sheer blandness of typical Tales environments.
The dungeons are boring, the open world is sparse, and the skill system is obtuse, but a great cast keeps Tales of Zestiria moving forward. Between the cast and the combo-heavy combat system, JRPG fans will find a good deal of fun here.
Tales of Zestiria plays by the book in a lot of ways, particularly when it comes to its cast and narrative. But it's still a great entry into the series, and a welcome return for old fans, especially as far as the battle system is concerned. In fact, it's even inspired me to go back and finish both Xillia titles -- that's the magic of the Tales series at work.
Tales of Zestiria desperately tries to retain its retro JRPG roots while also attempting to stay relevant. The stat-heavy nature of the game combined with numerous unimaginative dungeons slows it down to a crawl, which is unfortunate because the fast-paced combat is enjoyable. Sadly, this game tries to appeal to old and new gamers, but loses its identity in doing so.
Tales Of Zestiria is a highly enjoyable JRPG, with likeable characters, fun combat and an engaging plot, that's only mildly let down by a few technical hiccups and a lack of grandeur to the locations. For Tales fans, Zestiria is certainly amongst the best entry's in the franchise and one which deserves to finally enjoy success in the West.
Yet when the credits rolled, we didn't feel relief, but rather disappointment that the adventure was over. There's a lot to criticize in Tales of Zestiria, but the combat and characters make it enjoyable regardless. Like many good role-playing games, it's easy to get lost in, whether that means fine-tuning your strategies or watching the various character arcs unfold. At its best, Zestiria reminds us that the Tales series still has life left in it.
After almost 20 years, the Tales series is still going strong with Tales of Zestiria, which offers fast paced action-oriented combat that makes this entry yet another fun adventure in this long running franchise.
Tales of Zesteria is a fitting tribute to twenty years of the Tales series, giving you one of the greatest JRPG adventures in recent times.
If Tales of Zestiria wants to be the banner for modern Japanese RPGs, then much more effort and work needed to be done for the game to stand up amongst modern classics such as Persona 4 and Xenoblade: Chronicles.
Tales of Zestiria is an admirable addition to the legacy of the franchise, boasting a brilliant battle system and a very endearing cast of characters. While it does falter with a few of its fresh ideas, such as its somewhat sparse open areas and its overly complex skill management, it's not enough to detract too heavily from what is otherwise a grand adventure in an intriguing fantasy world. Get through the typically humdrum opening hours and you'll find an addictive RPG with a tale well worth telling.
Predictable moments blended with some absolutely fantastic music and gameplay creates one of the best JRPGs of the year, if not the best. Still, it doesn't reach the heights of past Tales games.
Tales of Zestiria is a success in all the right ways. Combat has the potential to compete in the intricacies of any fighter out there, despite the minor camera issues. Character development is awkward, but the depth is there to compete against some of the most complex RPGs in gaming history.
There's a lot to like in the world of Zestiria, and fans of JRPGs will no doubt find a lot to like here, but at the end of the day it's still just another Tales games. Nothing more, nothing less.
Tales of Zestria is a solid addition to the "Tales of" series by Bandai Namco. While this is not an excellent game it is far from being one deserving of being tossed onto the scrap heap. If you are looking for a game with a solid combat system that is not the run of the mill turn based or active time based system then this might be the game for you. However if you are looking for a game that provides a solid and consistent narrative experience you may be put off.
If you're already embedded in one of the other great role-playing experiences on Sony's platform, Sorey's adventure is worth looking at as a follow-up. If you're not, this is a great place to start adventuring this fall.
Though its graphics are a bit dated and it's not going to revolutionize the genre any time soon, Tales of Zestiria is a solid, anime-inspired RPG with a new twist on battling, a fun story, and a great central idea that pushes the Tales franchise forward.