Tales of Zestiria Reviews
Tales of Zestiria remains a worthy addition to the Tales series, thanks to likable characters and a top-notch battle system. Story pacing bogs down a bit in the middle and occasional issues with the camera and AI can negatively impact the combat. Overall, however, Zestiria does a good job in scratching the JRPG itch of fans looking for a solid game to sink their teeth into.
So then, Tales of Zestiria, senpai knows you tried really hard, but maybe with a little bit more time and polish, you could've done a lot better. Better luck next time.
Tales of Zestiria holds the series back in light of its upcoming 20th Anniversary in December. It's an uneven adventure filled with half-baked ideas. The fun, enigmatic cast and stylistic combat help Zesteria from completely falling off the RPG radar though. It's a good, but not great entry in the Tales franchise.
Tales of Zestiria relies entirely upon its entertaining, colorful cast of characters to distract players from anything even remotely tedious or derivative.
That doesn't make Tales of Zestiria a bad JRPG. It has its dull passages and a tendency for endless exposition, but it's still brighter, more colourful and more immediately fun than any of the recent Final Fantasies, and it's arguably the best thing the genre has thrown up since Ni-No-Kuni. Like many JRPGs, it gets better the more time you put in, the more you understand its systems and the more you get to know and likes its characters. All the same, this is another solid entry in the Tales saga rather than the breakout hit you might have hoped for. It will chime well with the faithful, but it's unlikely to bring any new converts round.
An excellent battle system and gorgeous soundtrack create an immersive entry that's a whole lot of fun, but Bandai Namco needs to polish their series a little more.
An ambitious but flawed RPG experience.
Tales of Zestiria is a competent and quality JRPG that doesn't try to over-extend itself. It may have a lot in common with previous series entries in terms of design, but it has more than enough of an identity on its own to make it standout.
Let down by its story, dialogue, and visuals, Tales of Zestiria is still pretty good - but not quite good enough.
Not many games can capture the players attention as well as Tales of Zestiria managed to do for me. Yes, they're a couple flaws that hold back the game, but in the grand scheme of things, Tales of Zestiria has to be one of the best JRPGs of 2015.
While you might not come out this game's 40+ hour adventure with memories of the plot, you will remember the heroes, their fights and the lovely music that wraps it up to signal this as the best Tales of game since Tales of Vesperia hit the Xbox 360 back in 2009.
Love Tales, hate Tales, or just don't care - Zestiria will give you exactly what you expect.
Minor flaws, but still a contender for JRPG royalty
Fans of the series, or JRPGs, should not hesitate to pick Tales of Zestiria up.
Tales of Zestiria is not bad nor is it broken but it does not offer the wonder that I once found in JRPGs. Perhaps it is like a relationship grown too far apart; we no longer work together but neither knows how to end what has become comfortable, if rote. Maybe something will rekindle the spark, but it's not Tales of Zestiria. It's not you, it's me. Sorry.
By no means is Tales of Zestiria bottom of the pile, yet as far as all around quality goes — by which the many cogs keep this latest entry circulating; moving with swift, relevant engagement — Zestiria is perhaps the point wherein Bandai Namco really do have a franchise on one hell of a tipping point.
Tales of Zestiria is a JRPG built primarily for Tales fans and those who truly want to be Tales fans.
Zestiria does some interesting things with its battle systems but really falls short in terms of story telling and artistic presentation. Although I feel this title would make for a better entry point into the Tales of franchise, it hardly feels like one of the more stellar games in the series. Give it a shot if you're a die-hard fan, but take caution if you're new to the Tales of games.
Just be sure to take a look at the fan-operated wiki and study up on skill stacking, because you’ll need it when your NPCs bum rush a boss without their guard up.
Overall Tales Of Zestiria is a solid J-RPG but not quite next gen version we had hoped for. They still have some work to do on the series but I still had a fun time playing the game.