Tales of Berseria Reviews
Tales of Berseria is the long-awaited pseudo-prequel to 2015's Tales of Zestiria (which we loved). Set in the same world, Berseria takes place many centuries prior to the events of Tales of Zestiria, where the world is torn asunder by daemons during a Scarlet Night (which is also, occasionally referred to as the crimson moon) and the young protagonist Velvet is on a crusade of revenge and hatred. Velvet and her merry band of misfits will embark on a journey that tries to be something that it is not. A poor script, struggling combat mechanics, and a world full of contradictions, Tales of Berseria is one of the weakest in the long-running franchises.
Whilst not on the same shaky ground as Final Fantasy XV by any means, despite Tales of Berseria bringing with it a great story, wonderful animation scenes, a sublime soundtrack and voice cast, it lets the side down with its dull environments, lack of engaging puzzles and quests, overly-wordy interactions that go off on pointless tangents, as well as a battle system that is quite hit and miss, resigning many gamers to mere button-bashing to get through most of the adventure. Bandai Namco has managed to deliver yet another solid Tales entry, but not one that will be remembered anywhere near as fondly as past classics, unfortunately.
A much more interesting story and lead character than usual for the series, but the weak script and aging combat system fail to make the most of it.
Tales of Berseria is a decent game and it’s much better than Tales of Zestiria. That being said the graphics are still quite poor and the music was mediocre. It’s an improvement but it still could have been better.
Tales of Berseria takes risks with its characters but ultimately keeps just about everything else about as safe as can be. Archaic level design, hit or miss combat, and some severe pacing issues drag down a JRPG that might otherwise have been stellar.
I love the characters of Tales of Berseria - they're fresh and funny although they hardly develop. What I like less: The world that is dull and lifeless, the story that doesn't leave any room for side quests, and the overall technical representation of the game. It just seems to be older than it is. Even the main story loses its goal and seems to be stretched far too much. I love to continue the journey with the characters and to laugh with them - but there's not much more to Tales of Berseria that really convinces me.
Review in German | Read full review
Tales of Berseria is the best Tales game in a while. Its story, while a bit too slow paced in its first 20-30 hours, is a solid tale of revenge. It breaks away from the more traditional good versus evil yarn that Tales usually aims for, instead telling a darker tale with more Human characters at its core.
Thanks to the distinctive story and a number of improvements to the overall combat, Tales of Berseria ends up being one of the better Tales games in a while.
Tales of Berseria is far from perfect, but the game is interesting and energetic enough that its flaws are easy to overlook. Velvet’s quest for vengeance with the help of her colorful companions is entertaining, even if it tends to drag on a little. But at the end of the day, it’s pretty damn fun, and isn’t that what really matters?
On top of its stellar narrative, Berseria boasts an incredible cast of characters. They may seem cliché at first but as they come out of their shells they become well-rounded and relatable. In fact, every character — well, except one — is easy to relate to whether they are perceived as good or bad.
Tales of Berseria, the 17th entry in the Tales series, is always pushing through to bigger and better things.
With a good storyline, great characters and a fantastic, action-heavy combat system, this is a high point for Bandai Namco’s JRPG series – but it lacks the attention to detail, great design and polish that could elevate that series to the big leagues over here.
Tales of Berseria flips the traditional heroic story on its head, taking up instead with the vengeance-driven journey of daemon-eater Velvet Crowe and the unapologetically villainous crew of misfits she picks up along the way. A fun premise and some great skits make for a good story, though middle-of-the-road combat and fairly boring dungeons and fields bog the gameplay down.
Over-linearity and rubbish dungeon design bog it down a bit, but the combat, characters, and rather unusual plot still make Tales of Berseria a tale worth experiencing.
Tales of Berseria is a great role-playing adventure game with a complex inventory system and one-button combat, where your success depends on correctly chosen tactics and equipment. Fans of the genre will not be disappointed. All the rest can wait for discounts.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Aside from the stunning, fully animated cut scenes, the visuals feel right out of the PS3 era, if not earlier.
Thanks to its dark atmosphere and exciting combat, Tales of Berseria is a refreshing change of pace for the long-running RPG series.
Tales of Berseria isn’t perfect by any means, but it is a marked improvement over other recent Tales titles. With a couple friends along for the ride, you can squeeze quite a bit of enjoyment out of this game, despite its flaws.
Berseria has some flaws and archaic design, but it’s one of the most interesting Tales games I’ve played
Tales of Berseria is a game that doesn't drift far from the franchise, and while it won't disappoint the fans, newcomers might find it too niche for their own good. With its captivating plot, which allows us to embody the first female lead in the series, as well as its dynamic and perfectly oiled combat system, Tales of Berseria is probably what fans wanted since the letdown of Tales of Hearts. We regret however the lack of ambition in this episode and its technical delay in comparison to other Japanese productions, always more beautiful.